As Jarl of a Viking clan, your followers have certain expectations: prosperity, security, and glory. In return, they follow you on raids of keep and villages and territories.
They join you in battles at sea in search of treasures to keep you all in comfort and satisfy the gods.
Recruit savage reavers, mount powerful artifacts on your ship, set sail for open seas and distant shores and return with gold and glory for your clan!
Components
- 1 Start Player Marker
- X Village Spoils Cards
- 1 Game Board
- 10 Longship Pawns
- X Keep Spoils Cards
- X Journey Cards
- X Sea Battle Cards
- X Prophecy Cards
- X Reaver Cards
- X Territory Tiles
- X Ship Upgrade Tiles
- X Food Tokens
- 5 Longship Player Boards
- X Crew Dice
- 1 Honor Ship
- X Favor Tokens
- X Troll Trophies
- X Kraken Trophies
- Instructions
Object of the Game
Have the most Glory at the end of 6 rounds of play. Glory is gained primarily through Raiding Keeps, Raiding Villages, Battling at Sea, and Conquering Territory.
Setup
1 Place the game board in the center of the table.
2 Place the Food Tokens, Favor Tokens, and Crew Dice in a supply near the board where all players can access them.
3 Give the Start Player Marker (and in a 3p game, the Honor Ship) to the player who most recently saw the ocean. (Alternately, you may determine a Start Player at random).
4 Give each player the following: 1 Longship Board , 1 Longship Pawn, 3 Crew Dice 1 Favor Token, 1 Prophecy Card, 4 Food
+1 food for each position to the left of the Start Player they are sitting. e.g. 5 Food for second player, 6 Food for third player, etc.
5 Shuffle the Reaver Cards, Village Spoils, Keep Spoils, Sea Journeys, and Sea Battle Cards and place them face down on their respective places on the board.
6 Shuffle the Territory Tiles by type and stack them on their respective places on the board.
7 Place the Ship Upgrade Tokens on their corresponding spaces on the board.
8 You are now ready to begin the game.
Game Play
Reavers of Midgard is played over 6 rounds during which you use your Longship Pawns to activate actions that every player gets to participate in.
The actions you select will give you the greatest rewards in the form of bonuses from those action spaces and will give players further from you (in clockwise order around the table) lesser rewards for the same action.
Your actions will allow you to build up the resources you need to compete with other jarls in the form of Reaver Cards, Crew Dice, Artifacts, Prophecies, Favor Tokens, Food, and more or they will directly give you Glory points needed to win the game.
At the end of the 6th round, the player who has earned the most Glory wins.
Playing a Round
During each round of Reavers of Midgard, each player will select either 1 or 2 actions. All players will participate in every action selected. After each player has placed all of the Longship Pawns, you will advance to the next round and repeat the steps outlined below in the order described.
Round Setup
At the start of each round, board locations should be stocked as follows:
Place Reavers Cards face-up in each empty space of the Recruit Reavers section of the board until all spaces indicated for the number of players present have been filled.
The card slots laid out in a cross formation are designed to hold 2 cards while keeping all their relevant information visible. Single card slots should only have a single card placed in them.
Place Sea Battle Cards face-up in each empty space of the Battle at Sea section of the board until all spaces indicated for the number of players present have been filled.
Place Prophecy Cards face up in the Prophecy Card spaces of the Trade with Villages section of the board. Also, roll and place two of each color Crew Dice in the indicated spaces of the Trade with Villages section of the board.
Place Village Spoils cards face up in the empty spaces of the Raid Villages section of the board until all spaces indicated for the number of players present have been filled.
Place Keeps Spoils cards face up in the empty spaces of the Raid Villages section of the board until all spaces indicated for the number of players present have been filled.
Action Selection
During the Action Selection phase, players take turns placing their Longship Pawn(s) onboard locations and executing their effects.
Beginning with the person holding the Start Player Marker and proceeding clockwise, players take turns placing 1 Longship Pawn at a time on available space on the board and carrying out the associated action.
This process is repeated until no player has Longship Pawns remaining. Then, all players proceed to the Clean Up phase.
Locations have a wide variety of effects which are described in detail below. If it is your first time playing Reavers of Midgard make sure you read these effects completely in order to better understand the iconography on the board.
Note: If you are unable or unwilling to execute the action of the space Action Selection Location picked by the active player, you may prepare by taking your choice of one of the following: 1 Crew die of your choice from the supply on a side of your choice or 2 Food tokens.
Action Selection Locations
Recruit Reavers
Beginning with the active player and proceeding clockwise around the table, each player selects one location from the Recruit Reavers section of the board and takes the Reaver Card(s) from that space.
If you do not want to claim the card(s) from any of the available spaces, you may instead take one random card from the top of the deck.
Immediately upon collecting your Reaver card(s) take the die or dice which corresponds to the upper left portion of the card and roll them, immediately putting them on your Longship Player Board.
Next, you must make a decision on how you use each of the Reaver cards you drafted. Each Reaver card may be used in one of the three following ways:
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Rally - Take any dice indicated on the top right of the Reaver card and place them onto your Longship Player Board on a side of your choice.
Then place the Reaver card facedown near your board (this is your Glory pile, and card added to this stack do not matter until the end of the game).
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Lead - Place the Reaver in the leader space on your Longship Player Board (Placing any Reaver card already present in your Glory Pile) and immediately activate the ability printed on your Longship Player Board that aligns with your Leaders faction symbol.
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Specialize - Tuck the Reaver card beneath one of the 4 Action Spaces along the bottom edge of your player board so that only the ability text at the bottom of the card is visible.
If this is not the first Reaver card you have tucked under this Action Space, make sure the ability text of each Reaver card is still visible.
Reavers who have specialized in action provide their printed ability immediately when you (or any other placer) selects the corresponding Location in all future turns. Their abilities execute before any costs are paid or any decisions about what to take from the space have been made.
Trade with Villages
First, the active player takes the Start Player marker. Then, beginning with the active player and proceeding clockwise, each player gets a declining number of actions at the Trade with Villages Space.
The first player gets 3 actions, the second player gets 2 actions, and all subsequent players get one action. Each player resolves all of their actions before the next player begins resolving their actions and the same action may be taken multiple times.
The actions that may be taken are as follows:
Take 2 of the dice available from the Trade with Villages area. If there are no more dice available, you cannot take this action.
Gain 3 Food from the supply.
Gain a Prophecy card. (You may take any of the available face-up prophecy cards or a random Prophecy Card from the top of the deck.
Raid Villages
Activation of this space has a cost that must be paid by each player who wishes to participate. In order to take this action, you must spend 2 Crew dice on their Treasure Chest face. If you are unwilling or unable to pay the cost, you must prepare.
Beginning with the active player and proceeding clockwise, each player chooses a pair of Village Spoils cards to add to their Glory Pile. The active player gets a bonus of 2 random Village Spoils card from the deck.
The second player gets a bonus of 1 random Village Spoils card from the deck. Each subsequent player does not receive a bonus. If you are not interested in any of the pairs or cards available to you, you may forego selecting a pair from the board and instead take 2 random Village Spoils cards from the deck.
Village Spoils Cards provide a variety or rewards:
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Farm - When you collect a Farm card, immediately take the indicated number of Food Tokens from the supply. Then, optionally, you may decide to attempt to pillage the farm.
Pillaging is a combat action, so note the defense number on the Farm card. Then, discard any number of Crew dice showing 1 or more hammer symbols and collect that many Combat Dice from the supply.
Crew dice which shows 2 hammers provide 2 Combat dice. Roll your combat dice and if you meet or exceed the defense number, collect the indicated reward.
If you fail to meet or exceed the defense number, you do not gain the reward and the Crew dice spent to acquire combat dice are simply lost. In either case, discard the Farm card to the discard pile after your pillage attempt.
When rolling combat dice, if you are not satisfied with the outcome, you may spend a Favor token to reroll some or all of the Combat dice. This may be repeated until you are satisfied with the result or until you run out of Favor tokens.
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Wall - When you collect a Wall card, immediately take the indicated number of Favor tokens from the supply. Then, optionally, you may decide to attempt to pillage the Wall.
Pillaging is a combat action, so note the defense number on the Wall card. Then, discard any number of Crew dice showing 1 or more hammer symbols and collect that many Combat Dice from the supply.
Crew dice which shows 2 hammers provide 2 Combat dice. Roll your combat dice and if you meet or exceed the defense number, collect the indicated reward.
If you fail to meet or exceed the defense number, you do not gain the reward and the Crew dice spent to acquire combat dice are simply lost. In either case, discard the Wall card to the discard pile after your pillage attempt.
When rolling combat dice, if you are not satisfied with the outcome, you may spend a Favor token to reroll some or all of the Combat dice. This may be repeated until you are satisfied with the result or until you run out of Favor tokens.
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Ship Upgrades - When you collect a Ship Upgrade card, take the corresponding Ship Upgrade token and place it in an available space on your Longship Player Board.
If you have no spaces left on your Longship Player Board, you may return a previously collected Ship Upgrade token to the supply. Ship Upgrade tokens are powerful tools that may be used once per round.
Simply flip a Ship Upgrade token in order to apply the indicated icon as though it were a die. You may flip your Ship Upgrade tokens back to their ready side at the end of each round during the Cleanup phase. The Ship Upgrade token which displays both a Ship and a Hammer may be used as either result.
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Artifact - When you collect an Artifact card, place it in one of the 4 available Artifact spaces on your Longship Player Board. Artifacts have 2 powerful uses.
First, they expand the number of dice you can hold by providing a space for a die (often of a specific face). Second, they provide an effect that can be activated during the indicated phase by discarding the die stored on the Artifact card.
Example: When you possess this Artifact, whenever any player activates the Raid Keeps Location you may discard a (shield facing) Crew die stored on this card in order to gain the top card of the Keeps Spoils deck.
You may do this regardless of whether or not you participate in the action (just like activating Specialized Reavers!)
Raid Keeps
Activation of this space has a cost that must be paid by each player who wishes to participate.
In order to take this action you must spend 2 Crew dice on their Shield face and 2 Food. If you are unwilling or unable to pay the cost, you must prepare.
Beginning with the active player and proceeding clockwise, each player chooses a pair of Keep Spoils cards to add to their Glory Pile. The active player gets a bonus of 2 random Keep Spoils cards from the deck.
The second player gets a bonus of 1 random Keep Spoils card from the deck. Each subsequent player does not receive a bonus. If you are not interested in any of the pairs or cards available to you, you may forego selecting a pair from the board and instead take 2 random Keep Spoils cards from the deck.
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Keeps Spoils - Each Keeps Spoils card shows a different kind of treasure you may acquire when Raiding Keeps. Each has a different value based on the number of that particular treasure you have collected.
At the end of the game, these are scored as sets. If you only collect 1 of a particular type of treasure, you score the lowest value. If you collect 4 of that card, you collect the 4th value for the set. If you collect more than the maximum value shown, you create a second set that scores in the same manner.
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Wall - When you collect a Wall card, immediately take the indicated number of Favor tokens from the supply. Then, optionally, you may decide to attempt to pillage the Wall.
Pillaging is a combat action, so note the defense number on the Farm card. Then, discard any number of Crew dice showing 1 or more hammer symbols and collect that many Combat Dice from the supply. Crew dice which shows 2 hammers provide 2 Combat dice.
Roll your combat dice and if you meet or exceed the defense number, collect the indicated reward. If you fail to meet or exceed the defense number, you do not gain the reward and the Crew dice spent to acquire combat dice are simply lost.
In either case, discard the Wall card to the discard pile after your pillage attempt.
When rolling combat dice, if you are not satisfied with the outcome, you may spend a Favor token to reroll some or all of the Combat dice. This may be repeated until you are satisfied with the result or until you run out of Favor tokens.
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Tower - When you collect a Tower card, immediately take the indicated number of Crew dice from the supply. Then, optionally, you may decide to attempt to pillage the Tower.
Pillaging is a combat action, so note the defense number on the Farm card. Then, discard any number of Crew dice showing 1 or more hammer symbols and collect that many Combat Dice from the supply.
Crew dice which shows 2 hammers provide 2 Combat dice. Roll your combat dice and if you meet or exceed the defense number, collect the indicated reward.
If you fail to meet or exceed the defense number, you do not gain the reward and the Crew dice spent to acquire combat dice are simply lost. In either case, discard the Tower card to the discard pile after your pillage attempt.
Conquer Territories
Beginning with the active player and proceeding clockwise, each player gets a declining number of Conquer actions. The first player gets 3 actions, the second player gets 2 actions, and all subsequent players get one action. Each player resolves all of their actions before the next player begins resolving their actions.
Each conquer action allows the player to take (or attempt to take) one of the foreign territories (represented by tiles) under their control. Territories can be persuaded to join your empire either with strategically spent resources or through force.
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Subdue by force - Select the stack of Territory tiles that you wish to make an attack upon and note the defense number. Then, discard any number of Crew dice showing 1 or more hammer symbols and collect that many Combat Dice from the supply.
Crew dice which show 2 hammers provide 2 Combat dice. Roll your combat dice and if you meet or exceed the defense number of the Territory tile you are targeting, collect the top tile of the stack and reveal (and collect) the indicated reward.
If you fail to meet or exceed the defense number, you do not gain the reward and the Crew dice spent to acquire combat dice are simply lost.
When rolling combat dice, if you are not satisfied with the outcome, you may spend a Favor token to reroll some or all of the Combat dice. This may be repeated until you are satisfied with the result or until you run out of Favor tokens.
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Peacefully Subdue - Some Territories can be convinced to join your cause without the use of force, some need food, some need manpower, and some are open to being swayed by your gods.
To conquer territories in this manner just return the indicated number of Food tokens, Crew dice (any face), or Favor tokens to collect the top tile of the stack and reveal (and collect) the indicated reward.
Regardless of how you conquered Territory tiles, you should reveal them after conquering and collect the reward indicated on the back. Then place the conquered tokens near your Longship Player Board as a reminder that they are now part of your expanding Norse empire.
At the end of each round of the game (During the Cleanup Phase) earn 1 Glory for each Territory tile in your possession.
Sea Battle
Activation of this space has a cost that must be paid by each player who wishes to participate. In order to take this action, you must spend 4 Food. If you are unwilling or unable to pay the cost, you must prepare.
Beginning with the active player and proceeding clockwise, each player gets a chance to Battle on of the available Battle at Sea cards. If you prefer not to Battle one of the available Battle at Sea cards, you may instead draw a random Battle at Sea card from the top of the deck.
Battling at Sea has two phases: Journey and Battle.
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Journey - Reveal the top card of the Journey deck and resolve the effects.
Most of these cards will present you with an event that either causes you to spend the correct combination of Crew dice or pay a small penalty. Some of these events say All Quiet and indicate a blissfully uneventful journey.
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Battle - Like the Territory tiles, Battle at Sea cards give you two ways to resolve them. The top of the Battle at Sea Cards displays a specific combination of Crew Dice and a Defense value.
In order to defeat a battle at sea, a player must either spend exactly the combination of Crew Dice displayed or defeat the Battle in combat. To do combat with a Battle at Sea card, discard any number of Crew dice showing a hammer symbol and collect that many Combat Dice from the supply.
Crew dice which show 2 hammers provide 2 Combat dice. Roll your combat dice and if you meet or exceed the defense number of the Territory tile you are targeting you have won your battle and gain the rewards.
If you fail to meet or exceed the defense number, you do not gain the reward and the Crew dice spent to acquire combat dice are simply lost.
When rolling combat dice, if you are not satisfied with the outcome, you may spend a Favor token to reroll some or all of the Combat dice. This may be repeated until you are satisfied with the result or until you run out of Favor tokens.
Regardless of which method you use to resolve your battle, if you succeed, collect the indicated amount of Glory and any additional rewards pictures on the defeated Battle at Sea card then add the card face down to your Glory Pile.
Cleanup Phase
At the end of each round of the game (after each player has played and resolved their Longship Pawn(s) resolve the following Cleanup steps in order then begin a new round.
Each player gains 1 Glory for each Territory tile in their possession.
Clear remaining cards from all board spaces and place them in a discard pile to the side of the board.
Clear remaining dice from all board spaces and place them back in the supply.
If it was round 6, proceed to final scoring. Otherwise, advance the Round Marker 1 space on the Round Track and return to Round Setup to play another round.
End of the Game
At the end of the game, players should take any Artifacts and Reavers on their Longship Player Board and sweep them into their Glory Pile. Then players should score the following things from the Glory Pile together.
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Artifacts - Score the Glory value indicated in the [card placement] corner.
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Favor Tokens - Score 2 Glory Per Token remaining in your possession at the end of the game.
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Keeps Spoils - Sort your Keeps Spoils Cards into sets and score the value indicated based on the number of each type you have acquired.
[Defense Token] - Compare majorities and score accordingly.
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Prophecies - Score the appropriate number of Glory as indicated by each Prophecy card in your possession.
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