The Witcher: Old World – Skellige Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Game Setup
• Gameplay
  • Dagon Track
  • New Locations
    • Location Actions
  • New Islands
  • Travelling by Ships
  • Traveling from the Continent to an Island
    • One Exploration Limit
  • Traveling from an Island back to the Continent
  • Full Player Turn Example for a 2-Player Game
• Dagon
  • Moving Dagon to the Topmost Spot of the Danger Track
  • Dagon Location Clarifications
  • Dagon Emerged
  • Traveling to Fight Dagon
  • Dagon Fight Outcome
• New Locations from the Skellige Event Cards
• Skellige and Other Expansions

Components

• 50 Skellige Exploration cards
• 30 Skellige Event cards
• 5 Dagon Bonus cards
• 1 Dagon Monster card
• 5 Dagon Trail tokens
• 6 Harbor tokens
• 3 Location tokens
• 1 Skellige Board
• 1 Dagon miniature and 3 Ship miniatures

Game Setup

After the Game Board is prepared (step 1 of the basic game setup), stop all remaining game setup, and prepare the Skellige Expansion:

1. Add the Skellige Board on the left edge of the Main Board.
2. Add 3 Location tokens to the 18 tokens available in the standard game.
3. Shuffle Skellige Exploration cards and place them face-down on a designated spot on the Skellige Board.
4. Place the Skellige Event cards face-down without shuffling, on a designated spot on the Skellige Board. The topmost card should have a number 1 on its back.
5. Place the Dagon miniature on the appropriate spot of the Danger Track: a. In a 1-Player game, use the spot marked 1. b. In a 2 or 3-Player game, use the spot marked 2/3. c. In a 4 or 5-Player game, use the spot marked 4/5.
6. Shuffle the Dagon Bonus cards into the deck and place them, the Dagon Monster card, and the Dagon Trail tokens near the Skellige Board. a. The Dagon Monster card has two sides. In a standard game, keep the side with the Special Ability face-up. When using the Monster Trail Expansion, keep the side with 4 Special Attacks face-up.
7. Shuffle 6 Harbor tokens face-up (the side with the anchor up) and place them near those 6 Locations on the Main Board: Kaer Seren (1), Cidaris (5), Novigrad (6), Cintra (9), Glenmore (12), Doldeth (13).
8. Look at the bottom part of each Harbor token – 3 of them have a Ship icon on them. Place 1 Ship miniature near each of those 3 Harbors. Keep Harbor tokens near corresponding Locations on the side with the anchor face-up.

Continue the standard game setup. It is possible that 1 or more Monsters will appear on an Island Location.

Gameplay

The game structure and the goal of the game remain the same while playing with the Skellige Expansion. All the changes in Skellige are explained below.

Dagon Track

The Skellige Board for the Skellige Expansion contains a Dagon Track. There are 2, 3 or 4 (depending on the number of Players) spots that mark the danger level of the sea travels. When Dagon is on one of those spots, keep the Dagon Miniature on the side of the Skellige Board.

The topmost spot on the track is called the Dagon Location and it signifies that Dagon has emerged. When Dagon reaches that spot, it actually appears in the game. It affects sea travel and players may try to Fight it.

The Player cannot enter the Dagon Location until Dagon emerges.

More details on that are explained later.

New Locations

There are 3 Locations on the Map Extension. For all game purposes, all those Locations are treated as any other Location. Three corresponding Location tokens are mixed with the standard Location tokens, so Monsters can appear on the Island Locations, and resolving Quests may require the Player to visit one of those Locations.

Location Actions

Ard Skellig – The Player chooses 1 of the Attributes to Train: Combat, Defense, Alchemy, or Specialty. They raise the level of the chosen Attribute by 1.

Isle of Mists – The Player chooses 1 of the following options:

• They pick a 0-cost card from the 6 cards available on the Main Board and add it to their discard pile. The Player cannot perform this Location Action if there is no 0-cost card in the pool. After, replenish the Action card pool as normal, described in the main rulebook.
• They lose 1 Gold and pick a 1-cost card from the 6 cards available on the Main Board and add it to their discard pile. The Player cannot perform this Location Action if there is no 1-cost card in the pool. After, replenish the Action card pool as normal, described in the main rulebook.

Eyna – If the Player has no Level-1 or Level-2 Monster Trophy cards, the Player randomly picks a Level-1 Monster token from the pool. Then, they get their corresponding Trophy card and slide that card under their Player Board, so the Trophy Ability is visible.

The Monster token is discarded.

The Player does not move up on the Trophy track and they do not suffer Fatigue.

If the Player has 1 or more Level-1 or Level-2 Monster Trophy cards, they choose 1 and discard it.

If it was a Trophy of a Level-1 Monster, the Player randomly draws a Level-2 Monster token from the pool and follows the steps as described above.

If it was a Trophy of a Level-2 Monster, the Player randomly draws a Level-3 Monster token from the pool and follows the steps as described above.

New Islands

During their travels, Players may also discover other Island Locations. They may be found in the Skellige Event cards deck. In that case, the Player places the Skellige Event card with a new Island Location next to the other Island Locations shown on the Skellige Board. From now on, each Player can sail from a Continent Location with a Harbor Token to one of the newly discovered Island Locations.

In order not to spoil the surprise for you, the Location Actions of the Island Locations from the Skellige Event card deck are described on the last page of this rulebook.

Travelling by Ships

The only way to reach the Island Locations is to travel by Ship. There are 3 Ships in the game.

There can only be 1 Ship on 1 Island or Continent Location. If a Player finished their Turn on an Island Location, that Location cannot be visited by any other Player until they leave it.

The Player can use Ships to travel from the Continent Location to one of the Island Locations (or back). The Player cannot use Ships to travel:

• between two Harbors on the Continent;
• between two Island Locations;
• between an Island Location and the Dagon Location.

When a Player moves to the Location with a Ship, after performing the Location Action, they may decide to travel to an Island Location. They may also choose to do so when they begin their Turn on a Location that has a Ship on it.

Traveling from the Continent to an Island

The Player may only travel from a Continent Location to an Island Location from a Harbor Location that has a Ship on it.

The Player may travel from a Continent Location to an Island Location only once per Turn.

When the Player decides to travel from a Continent Location with a Ship, they take the following steps:

1. The Player plays a card with a Terrain Type matching the Location that they want to reach.

   They may also play a card that does not match the Location and pay 1 Gold or play any 2 cards.

   There are 3 Island Locations to choose from, but more can appear during the game.

2. The Player moves their miniature to the Ship.

3. The Player rolls a die and compares the result with the spot on the Danger Track currently occupied by Dagon. a. If the outcome matches the upper range of results – the Ship travel is "safe".

   Move the Dagon up by 1 spot on the Danger Track.

   b. If the outcome matches the bottom range of results – the Ship travel is "dangerous".

   (The illustration beside the Dagon Track on this page shows the die ranges printed for the spots of the track. The results of moving Dagon to the topmost spot are explained later in this rulebook, see page 9.)

4. The Player to the right of the Active Player takes the top Skellige Exploration card and reads the appropriate section of it to the traveling Player. a. If the travel is "safe" they read the upper section of the Skellige Exploration card. b. If the travel is "dangerous" they read the bottom section of the Skellige Exploration card.

5. Unless the Travel Action is affected in any way, the active Player reaches the Island Location that they declared to be the destination in Step 1. a. Then, the Player may perform the Location Action and resolve any Quests or Trail Quests they have. b. The Player may decide to continue their Phase I by traveling back to the Continent or end their Phase I there (either to Fight a Monster that is there or because they simply decide to do so).

One Exploration Limit

When the Player has a Skellige Exploration card read to them, when they Travel from the Continent to the Island Locations, they do not Explore in the Phase II of their Turn. If they were to do so, they simply skip that step and move to Phase III.

The Player may get a Skellige Exploration card and then Fight or Meditate during Phase II.

Traveling from an Island back to the Continent

When the Player travels from an Island Location back to the Continent they take the following steps:

1. The Player plays a card with a Terrain Type matching the Harbor Location on the Continent that they want to reach.

   They may also play a card that doesn't match the Location and pay 1 Gold or play any 2 Cards.

   There are 6 Harbor Locations on the Continent but remember that there can only be 1 Ship in each Harbor.

2. Then the Player moves their miniature to the Ship, moves the Ship to the chosen Location, and places the miniature there.

Remember: You do not read the Skellige Exploration card during the travel back to the Continent.

The Player may perform Location Action of that Location, following standard rules, and they may continue with their Phase I.

The Player can perform that Travel up to two times in one Turn. It may happen only when they begin the Turn on the Island Location, Ship back to the Continent, Ship to one of the Island Locations, and then back to the Continent.

Full Player Turn Example for a 2-Player Game

The Player begins their Turn in Cidaris with 3 cards in their hand. They play a card with a Mountain Terrain Icon to move to Cintra. After, they perform the Location Action to draw 1 Potion.

There is a Ship in that Location, so the Player decides to move to the Island Location – Ard Skellig. They play another card with a Mountain Terrain Icon from their hand and place their Witcher miniature on the Ship.

The Player rolls a die and compares the result with the Dagon Track. The result is 5 so the Player to the right reads the Active Player the upper section of the Exploration card.

After the Exploration card is resolved, the Player moves the Ship miniature with their Witcher miniature to the Ard Skellig. Now, the Player performs the Island Location Action. They raise their Combat level by 1.

The Player still has 1 card left in their hand. They play it. There is a Water Terrain icon on this card. Since there are Ships in Kaer Seren and Glenmore, the Player cannot move there. They move the Ship miniature with their Witcher miniature to Cidaris and perform the Location Action.

The Player's hand is empty, so they decide to end Phase I of their Turn. Since they have the Skellige Exploration card read, they do not Explore during Phase II of their Turn. They proceed to Phase III.

Dagon

Moving Dagon to the Topmost Spot of the Danger Track

When Dagon is on the last spot that is outside of the Skellige Board, and it moves to the top spot (the Dagon Location), it emerges. It may happen when a Player is traveling to an Island Location and the Player rolls 5 or 6 on the die (step 3 of traveling from Continent to an Island). In that scenario:

• The Sea Travel is "safe" and the Player to their right reads the upper section of the Skellige Exploration card.
• The Active Player is also affected by the Dagon emerging. The Player lowers their Shield level to 0 and gains a Dagon Trail token.
• Then the Player reaches their destiny and continues their Phase I.

It may also happen as an effect of a Skellige Exploration card. Then the Player that is now performing a Sea Travel to the Island Locations loses all their Shields and gains a Dagon Trail token, and reaches their destiny and continues Phase I.

Dagon can also emerge as a result of an Event card or different special effects. If that happens and no Player is performing a Sea Travel, Dagon emerges but no one is affected.

Dagon Location Clarifications

The Dagon Location is a spot on the top of the Dagon Track. Players cannot move to the Dagon Location until Dagon reaches that spot. Players cannot move to the Dagon Location from an Island Location; it is possible to get there only from a Continent Location.

There may be more than 1 Ship on the Dagon Location (which means that there may be more than 1 Player on that Location).

If Dagon is driven away and placed back on the bottom spot of its track, Players cannot move to this Location until it emerges again. They can only move from this Location back to a Continent Location.

Dagon Emerged

Until Dagon is on the Dagon Location (i.e. it emerged onto the seas), Players do not roll the die while traveling to Island Locations since the Travel is always considered "dangerous". The bottom section of the Skellige Exploration card is read.

Traveling to Fight Dagon

When Dagon has emerged (reached the Dagon Location), the Player may decide to board a Ship on the Continent and sail to Fight it.

Remember: You cannot enter the Dagon Location until Dagon emerges.

To Fight:

• The Player has to be on a Location on the Continent that has a Ship on it.
• The Player places their miniature on the Ship and plays a card of any Terrain Type (as shown on the Dagon Location on the Track).
• The Skellige Exploration card is not read.
• The Player moves the Ship with their miniature to the Dagon Location.
• The Player proceeds to Phase II of their Turn and Fights Dagon, following all the standard Fight rules.

The Dagon card shows its Level, Life Pool, Special Ability, and Fight outcome.

Dagon card (as printed): Monster Level II; Life Pool 15. Special Ability: "Before the Dagon's first Attack, the Player discards 1 random card from their hand and lowers their Shield level by 1 per each Trophy card they have." Fight outcome: see below.

The Player may only get a Dagon Trail token in one of two ways:

• They travel to one of the Island Locations, and during that Travel Dagon emerged;
• They fought Dagon and lost.

Dagon Fight Outcome

As shown on the Dagon card, there are two possible results of the Dagon Fight:

1. Dagon is Driven Away if: a. The Player manages to win the Fight. b. The Player is defeated but Dagon has only 0 or 1 cards left in the Life Pool.

   In that case, the Dagon miniature is placed on the appropriate spot of the Danger Track which depends on the number of Players. The Player is rewarded with:

   • 2 Gold;
   • Any chosen 0-cost card from the pool of the 6 available;
   • The top card from the Dagon Bonus cards, placed with the Trophies that they have.

   The Player does not move up on the Trophy Track and they do not suffer Fatigue.

2. The Player is completely defeated, if they have 0 cards, and Dagon has 2 or more cards in the Life Pool.

   In that scenario, Dagon remains in the game on the Dagon Location on the Danger Track, and the Player gets:

   • The Dagon Trail token (if they don't have one);
   • Any chosen 0-cost card from the pool of the 6 available.

   Also, during Phase III of this Turn, the Player draws 1 card less.

In both scenarios, the Player follows all the other "Fight outcome" steps and moves to Phase III of their Turn.

New Locations from the Skellige Event Cards

The Location Actions of the Island Locations from the Skellige Event cards are as follows.

Hen Inis – If the Player has 0 or 1 Level-1 Monster Trophy card, the Player draws a Level-1 Monster token from the pool. Then, they get their corresponding Trophy card and slide that card under their Player Board, so the Trophy Ability is visible. The Monster token is discarded. The Player does not move up on the Trophy Track and they do not suffer Fatigue.

Huandre Heuangi – The Player randomly draws a Level-1, 2, or 3 Monster token from the pool. Then, they get their corresponding Monster card. After, the Player immediately proceeds to Phase II of their Turn and they Fight the drawn Monster. Apply the normal Fight outcome with one change: if the Player is defeated, shuffle the Monster token back to the pool.

Aenye Ard – The Player draws 4 Potions. If they exceed the limit of 4 Potions, they discard any chosen Potion(s) down to 4.

Loc Gwen – The Player gains 3 Gold.

Pawen y Creuan – The Player gains (up to) 1 of each Trail token.

Skellige and Other Expansions

The Skellige Expansion may be combined with some other Expansions. During the first game with this Expansion, we suggest not to use any other Expansion. When Players are familiar with this Expansion, they may use the Skellige Expansion with:

• Mages Expansion
• Legendary Hunt Expansion
• Monster Trail Expansion
• Adventure Pack Expansion.

If Combining the Skellige and Monster Trail Expansions, remember that Dagon uses its Special Attacks during a Fight but it has no Weaknesses and Weakness tokens have no impact on the Fight with Dagon.