Review of The Witcher: Old World board game

Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski has been well-known in Europe since 1992, when his first collection of short stories featuring Geralt was published. The CD Projekt studio catapulted him into the global spotlight with their game adaptation of his world. Since then, his books have rapidly soared in popularity. He created a fantasy world where various monsters threaten not only humans but also dwarves, elves, and other creatures, and these monsters are hunted by genetically mutated humans—witchers. It didn't take long for bookstores to be filled with fantasy by A. Sapkowski.

In 2007, the CD Projekt Red studio stepped in and released their first video game set in the Witcher world. The game was a massive success, and the studio decided to release two more installments. The third part, subtitled Wild Hunt, made the Witcher world most famous, and many consider it the best RPG of all time. The Witcher became a total phenomenon, and we started seeing not just books in stores, but also t-shirts, figures, and other fan merch with this theme.

In the last few years, A. Sapkowski's books have also received a series adaptation. Today, it's hard to find anyone who doesn't know the name Geralt of Rivia. This massive fantasy universe didn't miss us board gamers either, when in 2014, CD Projekt Red released a board game titled The Witcher Adventure Game. The game featured well-known characters like Geralt, Yennefer, Dandelion, or Yarpen. It wasn't a bad game, but unfortunately, it disappointed many hardcore players with its simple combat system, not-so-elaborate character progression, weak atmosphere, and, most importantly, repetitive gameplay.

However, this year, CD Projekt Red released a second board game titled The Witcher: Old World, which takes place hundreds of years before Geralt of Rivia. Can this game satisfy the desires of board game players? Let's find out in our review.

Introduction

The game is brought to you by the aforementioned CD Projekt Red and Go on Board. In Czech, it is published by Blackfire. Old World is designed for 1–5 players aged 14 and up, with a playtime of approximately 90–150 minutes. In the box, besides the game board, plastic witcher figures, and several dice, we mainly find a large number of cards with very thematic and beautiful illustrations. The rules are written on 36 pages. Basic concepts are understandable and easy to learn quickly. Unfortunately, some phrases are translated so poorly that you have to read them multiple times to understand them correctly, or they have double meanings, forcing you to search the English rules to see what is actually meant. The figures are also of high quality, though the swords are made of softer plastic, so they might not be perfectly straight.

How to play

Before starting the board game, each player chooses a witcher school. You can choose from the School of the Bear, Cat, Wolf, Viper, or Griffin. Each school has a different type of special ability. After setting up the game board, players are dealt a set number of cards, and we can start playing. Cards in the game serve two purposes: for combat and for traveling around the map, thanks to the terrain markings at the bottom of the card. The goal of the game is to collect trophies in combat or by improving your abilities. As soon as one of the players collects 4 to 6 trophies (the target number is set at the beginning of the game), they become the winner, and the game ends. The game consists of three phases.

Phase I: Movement and Action.

In this phase, you travel with your witcher across the map, performing various actions at locations, from upgrading your character and preparing potions to tracking monsters or playing dice poker in town, either alone or with other witchers.

Phase II: Meditation/Combat/Exploration

Once you finish your movement at a location, you have three options. If you have reached the highest level of attributes like combat, defense, potions, or a special ability for your character, you can meditate to gain a trophy. If there is a monster or a witcher at your location, you can initiate combat. Yes, you can even initiate combat with an opponent's witcher. You also get a trophy for winning a duel. The combat system is similar to the game Tainted Grail. On action cards, combat actions are distinguished by attack, defense, and draw symbols. The player tries to chain as many cards together as possible to create a combat combo. The deck of cards represents the player's health; once they run out of cards in both the deck and their hand, they are defeated.

One of your opponents creates a combat deck for the monster using monster combat cards. The number on the monster card indicates how many cards the monster will have in its deck. The attacking witcher and the monster take turns. The witcher tries to play the best combination of cards, and if things get dire, they can drink a potion. The player acting as the monster says out loud at the start of the combat turn (before playing a card) whether they are performing a lunge or a bite. Then they read how much damage the witcher takes. If the monster has no cards left in its deck, it is defeated.

Finally, in Exploration, you decide to explore either the countryside or the city. An opponent reads what happened to your witcher and gives you choices on how to resolve the situation. Your decision leads to an outcome that may or may not be an advantage for you.

Phase III: Drawing and acquiring cards

In this final phase, players draw up to 3 cards in their hand and then acquire one card of their choice from the offer.

Players take turns. The game ends as soon as one player gains their fourth trophy.

Solo variant

Old World can also be played solo. The player records the number of rounds played. Once they gain four trophies, they compare the number of rounds needed for victory with a table to see how experienced a witcher they are.

Our impressions

• The quality of all components is at a high level.
• The game board is practically divided into the three phases mentioned above, so players have a perfect overview of the game.
• Player boards are made of double-layered cardboard; wooden cubes fit nicely into the attribute levels, so you can't accidentally move a cube.
• There are really a lot of monsters in the game, 28 in total. Each has its own cardboard token and a unique ability. Monsters do not move around the map, so wherever you place their token, it stays there until the monster is defeated.
• Individual phases have a fast pace. There are no boring delays, and the game flows smoothly.
• While you need to think ahead a bit, it's not a heavy Euro game that will fry your brain.
• I find the combat system very fun and thematic. With every combo, I can vividly imagine what my witcher is doing. Plus, when choosing cards in Phase III, you have to be very careful so that the chosen card fits into your deck as well as possible.
• Character improvement is very important and works great in the game. You can choose to learn from witcher schools or visit designated places on the map where your witcher can improve a given skill.
• While moving on the map, you have to be careful not to be surprised by another witcher when you are least prepared. This easily gifts your opponent a trophy through your defeat in a witcher duel.
• During witcher duels, other players can bet money on the winner.
• Betting isn't the only gambling in the game. With every witcher or as a location action at 2 spots on the map, you can play dice poker and earn some extra money.
• The exploration action is very thematic and literally pulls you into the situation your witcher is currently in. It beautifully adapts both the book and video game source material, where your witcher experiences various hardships and stories on their journey.
• Although there are no familiar characters like Geralt in the game, that decision doesn't bother me personally at all. Old World still has an incredible atmosphere, and at least players aren't fighting over their favorite witcher.

Rating

The Witcher: Old World didn't have it easy to satisfy all the fans. While the game isn't strictly story-driven, its atmosphere, monster tracking, and location exploration will completely absorb you. At times, you will feel like a real witcher walking the lands of the old world. Compared to The Witcher Adventure Game, the developers have taken a step in the right direction with this new title, and there is nothing I could criticize.

For a relatively reasonable price, you get a game full of content that will last you a long time on the table. Although it is an RPG, it is important to realize that The Witcher: Old World is a race between players. A race to see who collects the required number of trophies first. You might want to linger by exploring your surroundings or carefully preparing to defeat monsters. However, the truth is that if your opponents take more risks and are faster than you, you will lose. You need to count on this before buying, because many players expect something completely different from the game than what it offers. For me, The Witcher: Old World is a real success. Great production, strong atmosphere, reasonable playtime, accessible to both beginners and advanced players, lots of fun, and high replayability. Old World is finally a Witcher game that can satisfy the desires of not only fans of the series but also seasoned board gamers.

The new Witcher is a contender for game of the year, and the fact that it's flying off our shelves at a witcher-like pace contributes to that. So hurry to imago so you don't miss out on The Witcher: Old World!

Expansions

In the following lines, we will tell you something about the possible expansions that were released along with the base game.

Deluxe Edition:

In the base game, monsters are symbolized only by a cardboard token. In the Deluxe Edition, you get only plastic monster figures, which are, however, of very high quality. This edition is suitable mainly for people who like figures and for those who want to paint them beautifully.

Legendary Hunt:

Legendary Hunt adds very strong ultimate monsters to the game. These monsters move around the board and decimate locations on the map. There are 7 such "bosses" in the expansion. There will only be one in the game at a time. These bosses are much stronger than regular monsters. However, if you defeat them, you win the game immediately. This expansion is for everyone who wants to add more challenges to the game or wants monsters that can do more than just lunge or bite.

Mages:

If you're tired of playing as a witcher, there is the Mages expansion. The expansion adds playable mage characters to the game, who are more difficult to play than a regular witcher but also a bit stronger. It's up to you who will play as a witcher and who as a mage.

Skellige:

Skellige adds a new game area that connects to the base map. If you want the best experience, I recommend getting this expansion together with Legendary Hunt. You travel to the Skellige Isles by boat, which involves a dice roll for a safe voyage. The Skellige Isles are very important for their actions. The actions are stronger than on the base map, so it will speed up your hunt for trophies.

author: Daniel Korčák