Champions of Midgard

2015

Champions of Midgard, a Viking-themed board game where you lead clans, battle mythical beasts, and earn glory to become the ultimate Jarl!

90
minutes

2 - 4
player(s)

10+

Medium

About the game

Champions of Midgard is a thrilling board game that blends strategy with a rich, immersive Viking era theme. In this game, you, along with your fellow players, are stepping into the shoes of brave Viking leaders, aspiring to protect your quaint coastal settlement from terrifying monsters.

The setting of the game is Midgard, a world teeming with mythical Norse beasts and legendary heroes. The game board artfully brings to life this vibrant world, featuring locations like the picturesque harbour, the bustling market, the chieftain’s house, and the ominous dark mountains.

Game components Unboxing the fun!

Champions of Midgard is a strategy board game where players take on the roles of Viking leaders seeking glory. The game has multiple components, each with its specific function and interaction with the game. Here’s a detailed breakdown:

Game Components:

1 Game Board: The central component where all the action takes place. It shows the village of Midgard, the surrounding lands and seas, and the various locations where players can place their workers.
5 Player Boards: Each player receives a board that represents their Viking clan. It’s used to keep track of collected resources, warriors, and slain monsters.
Black, Red, and White Dice: These dice represent the different types of Viking warriors – Swordsmen, Spearmen, and Axemen. They are used in battles against monsters.
Wood, Food, and Gold Tokens: These are the resources that players collect during the game. Wood and Gold are used to build ships and purchase other items, while Food is required to feed warriors during voyages.
Destiny Cards: These cards provide players with personal goals that can earn them extra glory if achieved.
Rune Cards: These special cards grant players powerful one-time or ongoing abilities when played.
Monster Cards: These cards represent the various monsters that players can fight to earn glory. They are divided into Trolls, Draugr, and epic Monsters.
Market Stall Tiles: These tiles represent various items and warriors that players can purchase in the marketplace.
Worker Meeples: Each player has a set number of worker meeples that they can place on the game board to perform actions.
Ship Tokens: Ships are needed to travel across the sea and fight distant monsters. They can be built using wood and gold.
Blame Tokens: These tokens are gained when players fail to defeat Trolls. Accumulating blame can lead to a loss of glory.
Glory Tokens: These tokens represent the glory that players earn by defeating monsters, fulfilling destiny cards, and other heroic deeds. The player with the most glory at the end of the game is the winner.

Each of these components interacts with the others to create a dynamic, strategic game where players must balance resource management, worker placement, and combat to achieve victory.

Game setup Lay it out, line it up, let’s go

Champions of Midgard is a strategic board game where players take on the roles of Viking leaders. Your mission is to protect your village and become the ultimate champion. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to set up the game:

Step 1: Seating and Role Assignment

Seat all players around the game table.
Each player chooses a color and takes the corresponding Viking Leader Card, Viking warrior dice, and ship of that color.
Each player places their Viking leader token on the scoring track, beginning at 0.

Step 2: Board Setup

Place the game board in the center of the table.
Sort the rune cards by color and place them in their respective spaces on the board.
Place the troll, draugr, and monster cards in their respective spaces on the board.
Shuffle the journey cards and place them face down next to the game board.
Sort the merchant ship cards by round number and place them on the respective round spaces on the board.

Step 3: Initial Resources

Give each player the following starting resources: 1 wood, 1 food, 1 gold, and 1 favor of the gods token.
Each player places 3 worker meeples in front of them.

Step 4: Random Elements

Shuffle the destiny cards and deal one to each player. Players may look at their own destiny card but should keep it hidden from others.
Draw and reveal one troll, two draugrs, and one monster. Place them in their respective spaces on the board.
Draw and reveal one journey card for each of the sea journey spaces on the board.
Reveal the first merchant ship card.

Step 5: First Player

Determine the first player by any means you choose. Give this player the first player marker.

Now that you’ve set up the game, you’re ready to begin. May the bravest Viking win!

End of the game All good games must come to an end

Champions of Midgard is a strategic board game where players take on the roles of Viking leaders, battling trolls, draugrs, and epic monsters to earn glory and prove their worth as the future chieftain. The game ends after eight rounds, and the player with the most glory points is declared the winner.

The final round is signified by the appearance of the Game End card in the Journey card deck. Once this card is drawn, players will finish the current round and then proceed to final scoring.

Before moving to final scoring, there are several actions players must take:

Complete any remaining battles: All players must resolve any outstanding fights with monsters, trolls, or draugrs.
Return Vikings to their owners: Any Vikings that survived the battles are returned to their respective players.
Distribute remaining resources: Players receive any resources won from the battles.
Remove used cards: Any used cards, such as used journey cards or defeated monster cards, are removed from the game.

After all these actions are completed, players move on to final scoring. The victory conditions for the game are as follows:

Glory Points: Players add up the glory points they earned from battling monsters, trolls, and draugrs.
Set Collection: Players score additional points for sets of enemy cards they have collected. Each set of troll, draugr, and monster card is worth extra points.
Destiny Cards: Players reveal their Destiny cards and score points if they have met the conditions on these cards.
Runes: Players score points for each of the runes they have collected.
Leader Bonus: The player who has the leader token scores additional points.
Public Longship: The player who has the most Vikings on the public longship scores extra points.
Blame Tokens: Players lose points for each blame token they have.

The player with the highest total score after all these conditions have been calculated is declared the winner. In the event of a tie, the player with the most collected enemy cards wins. If there is still a tie, the player with the most Vikings left wins.

Scoring Did you outsmart your rivals?

In the board game ‘Champions of Midgard’, players accumulate Victory Points (VP) throughout the game and the player with the most VP at the end wins. There are several ways to earn these points:

Monsters: Players earn the VP that is printed on the monster card whenever they successfully defeat a monster.
Trolls: When a player successfully defeats a Troll, they receive the VP that is printed on the troll card.
Draugrs: Defeating a Draugr grants the player the VP that is printed on the Draugr card.
Destiny cards: These cards provide players with specific goals that, if achieved, award the player with the VP that is printed on the card.
Runes: Rune cards, if activated, grant the player the number of VP printed on the card.
Ships: A player’s personal ship, if not lost during the game, is worth 2 VP. Any public ship not lost is worth 1 VP.
Set of Enemies: At the end of the game, for every full set of Troll, Draugr and Monster that a player has defeated, they receive 5 VP.
Blame Tokens: For each blame token a player has, they lose the corresponding number of VP.

In addition to the above, there are also bonus points awarded at the end of the game:

Leader Bonus: The player who has the most warrior figures in their possession gets a bonus of 5 VP. In case of a tie, all tied players receive the bonus.
Public Longship Bonus: The player who has the most public longship figures gets a bonus of 4 VP. In case of a tie, all tied players receive the bonus.

If there is a tie at the end of the game, the player with the most unused resources (wood, food, and coins) is the winner. If there is still a tie, the player who has the most swordsman meeples wins. If there is still a tie, the player with the least amount of blame tokens wins. If there is still a tie, the victory is shared.

Particular Cases and Exceptions Wait… is that legal?

The board game ‘Champions of Midgard’ is a strategy game with a Viking theme, where players take the role of Viking leaders who are aiming to become the Jarl. While the game has a core set of rules, there are some special rules, exceptions, and clarifications that players should be aware of to ensure a smooth gaming experience.

1. Rune Card Activation

One important rule clarification concerns the activation of Rune Cards. These cards cannot be activated in the middle of a battle. Players must decide whether they want to activate a Rune Card before they start rolling the dice for the battle.

2. The Blame Rule

The Blame rule is a unique mechanism in ‘Champions of Midgard’. When a player chooses not to fight a Troll, they receive a Blame token. This token decreases a player’s points at the end of the game. An important exception to understand is that if a player has no room for more Vikings on their ship, they cannot choose to fight a Troll and therefore do not receive a Blame token.

3. Food Consumption

It’s crucial to understand that food consumption only happens when a player moves their Viking figures from their personal supply to the public supply, either from a ship or from a battle. Therefore, if a player’s Viking figures are killed in battle, the remaining food is not consumed.

4. Fighting Monsters

While fighting monsters, if a player does not roll any hits but rolls a shield, the shield does not block any damage. This is because shields only block damage when at least one hit is rolled. This rule often confuses players, so it’s worth noting.

5. Rules for Trolls and Draugrs

When fighting a Troll, only white dice can be used. This is an exception to the general rule that any color of dice can be used in battles. Similarly, while fighting Draugrs, only red and black dice can be used.

Note: The above rules apply to the base game. If you are playing with any expansions, make sure to check the rules specific to those expansions as they may modify or add to the base game rules.

Tips and tricks Play smarter, not harder!

Advanced Strategies:

End Game Planning: Always keep an eye on the game’s end and optimize your strategies to earn maximum glory points. This may involve upgrading your warriors, completing more epic monster quests, and investing in runes.
Resource Management: Efficiently manage your resources such as food, wood, and coins. Make sure you have enough food to feed your warriors and enough coins to hire them. Wood is also important for building ships and using certain market stalls.
Use of Destiny Cards: Utilize Destiny Cards smartly. These can give you bonus points at the end of the game if you meet the conditions on the card. So, it’s crucial to align your strategy with these cards.

Beginner Tips:

Make sure to understand the game mechanics well before you start. This includes knowing the importance of each resource, the function of different worker placement spaces, and the effect of each dice symbol.
At the beginning of the game, focus on building your army by recruiting as many warriors as possible. This will allow you to tackle difficult quests and monsters early on.
Don’t ignore the public longship. It allows you to defeat monsters and earn glory without having to spend resources on a private longship.

Common Mistakes to Avoid:

Ignoring Runes: Many beginners overlook runes. However, runes are powerful as they can provide permanent bonuses and can turn the tide in your favor.
Not Planning Ahead: Champions of Midgard is a game that requires careful planning. Failing to plan your actions ahead can lead to wasted turns and resources.
Underestimating the Importance of Glory: Remember, the player with the most glory at the end of the game wins. Make sure you’re not just focusing on defeating monsters but also earning glory.

Optimizing Gameplay:

Use your leader’s ability to your advantage. Each leader has a unique ability that can greatly influence your strategy.
Pay attention to what other players are doing. If you notice a player is focusing on a particular strategy, consider countering it or adopting a different strategy.
Make use of the market. The market offers a variety of goods and services that can help in your quests. But be careful not to overspend as resources are limited.