WolfWalkers

Game Flow

The objective of the game is to find three parts of the wolf soul in one colour and bring it back to the Lair before soldiers, who start in the town area on one side of the board, reach the Lair on the opposite side of the board.

The central board has a grid (called road) with fields marked with four different symbols. Some of the fields are connected with a path to the area with stacks of tiles. There are rune symbols at each intersection which represent the runes players collect during the game to buy the tiles. The grid is divided into three town areas with two fields marked for soldiers at the top of the board and nine forest areas at the bottom with the Lair area where players start the game – each with their own Wolfwalker figure.

Each area has a stack with a certain number of tiles which depends on the mode players choose. In general, there are four types of tiles: a) tiles that move soldiers toward the Lair; b) wolf souls that the players try to find (three parts in three colours); c) tiles that help players find the wolf souls or change the soldier movements and d) neutral tiles. Each game mode adds some tiles or changes their meaning.

On their turn, the player rolls a die and moves along any road. They have to stop on the first field with a symbol matching the symbol on the die. Then they count the rune symbols they passed on their way and take the rune tokens which are used to buy the tiles. It is possible to get more than one rune in one turn (if you pass two rune symbols, you get two runes, etc.). If the field they ended their movement on is connected with a path to a stack of tiles, they reveal the top tile(s). If they reveal a soldier tile, they have to move one of the soldiers in the direction shown on the tile. If the tile has a price (wolf souls, tiles that help players) the player can buy it with runes they collected. If the bought tile is a wolf soul, they place it in front of them. If it is any other tile, they have to use it immediately (e.g., you have another turn; move one of the soldiers in any direction).

Additionally, there are two special symbols on the die that allow players to either reveal any top tile on the board or buy any revealed tile on the board.

The game has three cooperative game modes with each adding additional rules and new tiles (e.g., look at the top tile of any stack, then place it on top of any pile face down) or more soldier tiles to make the game more difficult. The fourth mode is the competitive mode with the player who collects the completed wolf soul and brings it back to the Lair first winning.

At the end of the rules you can also find achievements (e.g., win three games in a row, play solo with two Wolfwalker figures) and challenges that change the rules a bit in a unique way (e.g., win with soldiers being at the two rune symbols at the top of the board at the end of the game; each player looks at two chosen stacks of tiles in secret before the game starts. For the rest of the game you cannot communicate.)