This page is for those who are curious about the game and want some more in-depth information on what to expect in Norsefolk. It can also be used as a quick reminder for those who has learned the rules but wish a refreshment.

If you’re planning on playing Norsefolk make sure at least one of you have read and understands the rules in their entirety first.

A game consists of several seasons in which players take turns where they are allowed to perform 1 or 2 actions (or pass). When all players have passed the season ends and you check for a winner. If there is no winner all players grow stronger and the next season begins.

1. Setup

1.1. Create the map

Depending on if you’re playing 1v1, 3 player FFA, 4 player FFA or 2v2 the standard map should look as follows (don’t forget the neutral enemies!):

1 vs 1

3 Player FFA

4 Player FFA

2 vs 2

1.2. Player setup

Each player will do the following:

  • Pick a color and take that color’s warriors, shamans, buildings, wooden cubes and a player board
  • Select or randomize a Clan
  • Pick your clan’s starting cards (as indicated by the clan’s icon in the card’s lower right corner). All clans have 2 powers, 2 reactions and 3 actions.
  • Place buildings on the building track
  • Place the wooden cubes at your starting resources location, and one wooden cube by the glory board
  • Gain resources according to your production
  • Place 2 buildings and 3 starting troops in your starting tile
  • Place the powers in front of your player board, and the actions and reactions in your hand

1.3. Putting it all together

  • Setup glory and title area
  • Shuffle all remaining abillity cards into a deck
  • Hand each player a standard action helper card
  • Randomize starting player and give that player the banner token

Example of what a 1 vs 1 setup looks like:

2. Seasons and player turns

  • The player with the banner token takes the first turn of the season
  • During each turn that player may take 1 or 2 actions, or pass
  • The next player (clockwise) takes their turn
  • Keep going around the table until all players have passed

2.1. Playing actions

Almost all actions and reactions need to be performed by a unit out on the battlefield. The source unit responsible for carrying out the action also has a range which determines up to how many tiles away they can reach. An action consists of one or more effects (denoted by the diamond with a circle in it).

Apart from playing action cards, players always have the option of using standard actions. These actions are not as resource efficient as the action cards, but are very important for the sake of flexibility since they are always available.

2.2. Other types of cards

There are two additional cards used by the players:

  • Reactions (blue) are cards which can only be played if certain conditions have been met (described at the top part of the effect box). Remember that reactions are triggered by effects and can be performed immediately after an effect has been resolved.
  • Powers (teal) together with their upgraded version (purple). Each player has two powers which can contain a passive and/or active effect. If a certain criteria is met (described at the bottom) the card is flipped into its upgraded version and its owner gains 4 glory.

2.3 Units

Units is the collective term for buildings and troops, and troops is the collective term for warriors and shamans.

Warrior
2 Health
1 Combat damage

Shaman
2 Health
1 Combat damage

Each Warrior-Shaman pair deals an additional +1 total combat damage.

Building
1 Health
0 Combat damage

Fortified building
2 Health
1 Combat damage

If all buildings in an area are fortified, that player’s troops take 1 fewer combat damage in fights in that area.

2.4. Common game mechanics

  • Recruit: Place a troop from your supply onto the battlefield.
  • Build: Place a building from your player board onto the battlefield. Requires empty building slots and that you either control the area, or that the area is empty.
  • Fight: A clash between troops. The player initiating the fight chooses which other players in that area they want to attack. Units deal combat damage simultaneously, but the attacker decides damage distribution for both attackers and defenders.
  • Move: Moving a troop from one area to an adjacent area. If a player moves several troops the troops may move to different areas.
  • March: Moving troops from exactly one area to one adjacent area. Splitting troops is not allowed.
  • Teleport: Same as March but over greater distances where the troops do not pass through in-between areas.
  • Removing units: Whenever a unit is removed the player responsible for the removal gains 1 glory if the removed unit was an enemy.
  • Losing units: If a unit is removed and the controller was not responsible for the effect, they gain 1 divine aid. If the lost unit was a building it is placed back on the player board and the player loses as much glory as it covers up on the board.
  • Controlling an area: A player controls an area if they are the only one with units in it, or if they have the most non-injured troops and fortified buildings. In case of a tie, noone controls the area.

3. Season end

When all players have passed it’s time to end the season. First we need to readjust title ownership and check for a winner; this is done in four steps:

  • Dethrone: Any player who no longer meets the requirement for any earlier claimed title loses ownership of the title and 5 glory.
  • Ascend: Any player who has 31 glory or more, and is not tied for first place, is the winner. If there is no winner, the game continues.
  • Prosper: Any player still in control of a title gains 3 glory.
  • Claim title: Any player who meets the requirement for a title gains control of it and gains 5 glory.

4. Resting

During rest all players will do the following:

  1. Regains all of their discarded cards back to their hand
  2. Drafts 4 new ability cards from the deck and gains them to their hand
  3. Removes 3 cards from their hand (so their hand size will increase by 1 card after each rest)
  4. Increases their resource production 1 step.
  5. Gains resources according to their production
  6. May exchange divine aid for resources (2 divine aid turns into 1 resource, repeatable)

When all players have rested the starting player token is sent to the next player, in clockwise order, and the next season begins.

What makes a good Norsefolk player?

The season structure is pretty simple but the amount of combinations you can do with your actions, reactions, standard actions and powers and can be staggering. A good Norsefolk player constantly adapts to an ever changing battlefield; they:

  • know when to prioritize more beneficial standard actions instead of relying entirely on their ability cards
  • know what resources and cards are most useful to their clan in the current situation when resting
  • cleverly combine their cards to maximize the value during their turn
  • and know which players to fight with and when.

If you want even more replayability there are options to randomize the map and also to draft your starting cards instead of chosing a pre-built clan! There’s also the option to play in teams in a 2vs2 variant.

Try the game out for free on steam!

Now that you’ve got a feel for it, feel free to gather some friends and try Norsefolk out on Steam through Tabletop Simulator.

Just make sure at least one of you have read and understands the rules in their entirety first.