Posted in: Games, Portal Games, Tabletop | Tagged: board games, Portal Games, Tabletop, Thorgal: The Board Game

Portal Games Announces Thorgal: The Board Game

Portal Games dropped a brand new board game announcement this morning with the reveal of Thorgal: The Board Game. Utilizing the characters and the world from the European comic book series, this new board game will take you to various adventures that touch on Norse mythology, the legend of Atlantis, science fiction, and horror. You and your friends will follow the tale of the mysterious warrior possessing supernatural powers who tries to find a home for his family while fighting off enemies. As of right now, the plan is to crowdfund the game on Gamefound this May, with a release date sometime in 2023.

Thorgal: The Board Game is a cooperative storybook adventure game for 1-4 players aged 14+ designed by Joanna Kijanka, Jan Maurycy, and Rafał Szyma. Players take on the roles of Thorgal, his wife Aaricia, their son Jolan, and Kriss – a deadly female warrior, and go on a series of adventures. The game consists of 10 stand-alone scenarios, each taking roughly 90-120 minutes of play. Scenarios do NOT form a campaign nor have any legacy features, so they can be played by different playgroups and over an extended period of time. The game comes with a book of maps. Each scenario is played on a different map that players explore while fulfilling scenario goals and promises completely different adventures, hidden opportunities, and vivid characters. Players are free to choose whether they travel in one group or split to cover more areas at the same time. They also perform side quests that might help them win a scenario.

Another important feature in the game is the storybook containing narrative descriptions of the encounters that Characters make in each scenario. The adventures described in the book are specific to each scenario and Character, yet a lot of them are randomized within a scenario, offering higher replayability and allowing for repeated play. Characters' morality and past decisions all play an important role in how the encounters are resolved. While having a strong narrative element, Thorgal: The Board Game offers a fan-favorite action selection mechanic. Similar to great games like Puerto Rico or Race for the Galaxy, in every turn an active player chooses an action to be performed by the entire group, an active player executes its full version, and all passive players perform its weaker version, regardless of their location on the map. This creates an interesting decision space and makes each turn important for everyone at the table.

Another important mechanic involves Character development. The abilities are upgraded during gameplay, and negatively affected by wounds suffered in fighting. Characters gather resources and craft objects to help them survive in the dangerous world and gain companions they meet on the way.

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