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In November of last year, World of Warcraft was released to wide acclaim and immediate success. With an expansive and immersive world, endless content, and fast-paced gameplay, it's no surprise that the world of Azeroth has enthralled millions worldwide. Every day, new heroes are born to defend the Alliance, and every day the Horde gains more devoted champions.

One year later, World of Warcraft explodes from the PC screen to the tabletop with World of Warcraft: the Board Game. Protect your homeland from the eldritch might of the lich Kel'Thuzad, the devastating rampage of the dragon Nefarian, or the corruptive guile of the demon lord Kazzak. Take the battle to the enemy in the war-torn land of Lordaeron … face to face.

WHAT IS WORLD OF WARCRAFT: THE BOARD GAME?

World of Warcraft: the Board Game is a new tabletop experience from designer Christian T. Petersen and Fantasy Flight Games, the company that brought you Warcraft: the Board Game and many others. In World of Warcraft: the Board Game, you take on the role of one of sixteen Heroes, allied with either the Horde or the Alliance. You and your teammates travel across Lordaeron, either separately or in parties, challenge monsters, complete quests, and grow in wealth and power. Meanwhile, your opposing team does the same, both of you striving to defeat the Overlord … or each other.

World of Warcraft: The Board Game has more than 1000 components,
including 500+ full color cards.

WHO CAN PLAY?

World of Warcraft: the Board Game is a game for 2-6 players, split into two Factions: the Horde and the Alliance. You don't need any special skills or hardware to play – just 1-5 friends who are eager to embark on the adventure of a lifetime and one copy of World of Warcraft: the Board Game.

BY THE WAY

This game is huge! We're not certain that we can adequately explain how big World of Warcraft: the Board Game is. We're not talking blockbuster, worldwide phenomenon huge - although it's that, too. We're talking pure physicality here. How big is this game? Glad you asked.

10 pounds. No bull. Not for a n00b.

That's right! That is a plain old can 'o coke there. At 12" by 24" inches, swinging this boardgame around would clock in around 40 dps on its very own. Ouch.

CAN I PLAY MY FAVORITE CLASS/RACE?

World of Warcraft: the Board Game features sixteen playable characters from every race and class available in the online game. For a complete list of available characters, why not check out our pre-order page? To see some of these characters in more detail, see their character previews in the Support section.

Every race and class is represented, player may choose between the 16 characters provided in the game.

WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT A PRE-ORDER?

Oh, noticed that, did you? Well, until November 30th, Fantasy Flight Games and your friendly local games retailer are offering a very special pre-order promotion. Anyone who pre-orders the game either through FFG's online store or through their local retailer can choose one of the sixteen Hero figures to get in bronze! Add to that a limited-edition poster-map of Lordaeron and being one of the first people to get their mitts on this monster of a game and you can see how this deal looks pretty sweet ...

HOW DOES GAMEPLAY WORK?

At the beginning of the game, the characters are distributed so that there are an equal number of Heroes in each Faction – either two or three. Heroes begin at level 1, with some pre-selected abilities and equipment, as well as a small amount of gold with which to purchase more. Horde Heroes begin in the town of Brill, just outside the Undercity, whereas Alliance Heroes are freshly arrived in Southshore, on the coast.

On each Faction turn, every Hero of that Faction may take two actions – travel, rest, challenge, training, or visiting town. Using these actions, Heroes travel across the map to complete quests by defeating monsters. For every quest completed, the Heroes gain experience and wealth, which can allow them to level up and gain new powers and abilities. As they progress from level 1 to level 5 (the apex of power in World of Warcraft: the Board Game and equivalent to level 60 in the online game), Heroes become capable of challenging the mightiest of monsters – dread Doomguard, mighty drakes, and even the nigh-invincible Overlord!

Gnoll, Murloc, Ghoul, Ogre, Drake, Infernal, Naga, Scarlet Crusader, Doomguard, Spider, Worgen, Wildkin. They're all represented by 100+ figures provided in the game. Heck, the Doomguard figure alone is almost as big as your fist!

As characters advance, players must make choices as to which powers to train and equip, and which talents to learn. By mixing and matching their abilities and the equipment they receive during their travels, Heroes can develop new and interesting combinations. The innovative dice system allows for great depth in a simple rules framework. By rolling and "spotting" different colors of dice to trigger different abilities, Heroes can vanquish even the most dread opponents and entire groups of enemy players!

WHAT ABOUT COMBAT?

Combat works quite simply, but with an impressive degree of variety and interaction between abilities.

When a Hero battles monsters, she first determines the monster's Threat value, which will be the number she must roll in order to score a hit. By examining all her equipped abilities and items (and deciding which instant powers, if any, to use), the Hero next determines her pool of blue, red, and green dice. Blue dice represent ranged attacks and can potentially eliminate a foe before he has a chance to fight back. Red dice represent both melee attacks and "tanking" in a group, which can both deal damage to an enemy and block damage to friends. Green dice are defensive dice, and absorb damage.

After totaling up her dice pool and throwing the dice, the Hero may activate certain powers by "spotting" numbers on dice, and may also use her Reroll trait to re-roll some low-scoring dice, or use other powers to change revealed numbers.

For example: Shailara Witherblade, the Night Elf Warrior, is fighting Murlocs, which have a Threat value of 5. After throwing her dice and re-rolling them, Shailara uses her Rend power to turn a red 4 into a red 8. She then can use her Cleave power to spot one red 8 result and gain Attrition +3, which will deal three damage to her opponent as a final step in the combat round. Once spotted for her Cleave power, that red 8 cannot be spotted for any other power or effect, but it will still score a hit. If both the Murlocs and Shailara survive this exchange of blows, the process continues into further rounds of combat.

HOW DO I WIN?

To win, the Heroes must be the first Faction to defeat the Overlord, whether that arch-fiend is Kel'Thuzad, Lord Kazzak, or the drake Nefarian. If time runs out and neither Faction has won, the victor is decided by an all-out Faction-versus-Faction battle, and to the winner go the spoils!

Better get a table upgrade, pardner. That board alone is two by three feet.

WHAT COMES IN THE BOX?

• 16 mighty Heroes of the Horde and the Alliance, sculpted in plastic with an extremely high level of detail. These figures are approximately 28mm scale.
• 120 monsters in 13 different varieties. From the burbling scream of the Murlocs to the frightful wrath of the Doomguard, creatures from the World of Warcraft online experience come to life on your tabletop as never before!
• A 33"x22" game board, featuring a gorgeous map of Lordaeron.
• More than 800 hundred other components, including an ocean of cards and high quality cardboard tokens.

WANT TO SEE MORE?

You can read the rules here!
You can see previews of Items, Quests, Characters, and more here!

SEEN ENOUGH?