Valhalla: Valkyries
Valhalla: Valkyries Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
The expansion adds 40 cards to the base deck: Warrior cards with the Valkyrie blessing, Valkyrie Mission cards, and new Battle Tactic cards. The Warrior and Battle Tactic cards from this expansion carry a new set of special-ability symbols. The manual says their full description is at the end of the rulebook, but the Polish manual's end-of-rulebook symbol key covers only the base deck, so the Valkyrie symbols are described here only as the manual's Valkyries pages explain them.
Setup
The Valkyries expansion consists of 40 additional cards, which are shuffled into the deck before setup begins. Only after the Valkyries cards have been added is the discard pile created.
Players use the specially marked help card (+40), which reminds them of the changes to the player's turn.
Changes to the Rules
Playing with the additional Valkyries cards differs only in part B of the player's turn. The player draws 3 cards instead of 2, and then keeps 1 of them. The remaining cards are placed face up on the discard pile.
Warriors with the Valkyrie Blessing
Most Warrior cards from this expansion have a special Glory Point ability, marked in the lower left corner of the card. When such a Warrior goes to Valhalla, check whether it grants additional Glory Points. If it does, draw Warrior cards from the discard pile whose combined Glory Point value equals the additional Glory Points granted by the departing Warrior. Place these cards on your Valhalla pile.
Additional Glory Points are granted based on which of the player's Warriors in their Warband are going to Valhalla at that moment. Some Valkyries reward a Warrior going to Valhalla alone, others a large group, and others a Warrior going to Valhalla in the company of a Warrior of a specified Clan.
When calculating the Glory Point bonus on Warrior cards with the Valkyrie blessing, the player checks only those Warriors in their own Warband who are going to Valhalla. The opponent's Warriors have no effect on this bonus.
Additional Glory Points are always drawn from the discard pile, without changing the order of the cards in it. The player searches for the card or cards which together give as many Points as the player is entitled to at that moment.
The three Valkyrie blessings are:
- +1 – When this Warrior goes to Valhalla, the player adds 1 additional Glory Point for each other Warrior going to Valhalla together with it. For example, if this Warrior goes to Valhalla with two other Warriors, the player draws 2 Glory Points.
- +2 – When this Warrior goes to Valhalla, the player adds 2 additional Glory Points if a Warrior of the colour shown on the card goes to Valhalla together with it. For example, the player draws 2 Glory Points if, besides this Warrior, a yellow Clan Warrior goes to Valhalla. If more such Warriors go to Valhalla, the bonus is granted only once.
- +3 – When this Warrior goes to Valhalla alone, the player adds 3 additional Glory Points.
Battle Tactic Cards
- Weapon Delivery – This card may be treated as a weapon die with the symbol shown on the card. The player may use this weapon to activate a Warrior or a Battle Tactic card.
- Path to Valhalla – This card may be played only in defence. The attacking player chooses one of their activated Warriors, and that Warrior's strength is not counted in the attack. Even if it was the only activated Warrior, the battle continues under the normal rules. After the battle, regardless of its result, the chosen Warrior is sent to the Valhalla of the attacking player.
Ice Giants
In the Valkyries expansion, Ice Giants have a slightly different activation requirement from those in the base deck. If a Giant card shows the ≠ symbol, all weapon dice used to activate that Giant must be different from one another. The rule still applies that dice bearing the ⊗ symbol cannot be used to activate them.
Valkyrie Mission Cards
A Mission card gives an additional 2 Glory Points when the player wins a battle while meeting the requirement shown on the card. Only one such card may be played after each battle. A completed Mission is placed on your Valhalla. It counts toward Glory Points at the end of the game.
Each player may play at most one Mission card whose requirements they met after a battle they won. Each Mission card shows one of the following requirements:
- Not using basic rerolls – The winner did not use any basic rerolls in the battle. Rerolls resulting from the effect of a Battle Tactic card or a Jarl do not prevent meeting this requirement.
- Strength 5 higher – The winner's strength in the battle was at least 5 higher than the opponent's.
- Three activated Warriors – The winner activated at least 3 Warriors in their Warband.
Combining with the Dwarves of Svartalfheim
When players combine the Valkyries expansion with the Dwarves of Svartalfheim expansion, they use the +80 help card. In this variant, two rules change.
First, during setup, at step 5, discard 20 more cards to the discard pile.
Second, when a player in part A chooses action 4, they draw 3 cards and keep 1 of them.
Solo Variant with an Additional Deck
More experienced players may try their skill by playing with an additional 40-card deck, such as the Valkyries expansion. In this variant, the player prepares and plays the game following the normal rules of the Solo variant. The difference is part B, in which the player draws 3 cards instead of 2, and then keeps 1 of them.
When playing this variant, turn the Monster pile over to the side marked +40. The Monster becomes stronger in this variant.