# Champions of Midgard: The Dark Mountains ## General Info - **Year Published**: 2017 - **BGG Rating**: 7.9 - **BGG Rank**: — - **Players**: 2-5 (Best with: 4) - **Duration**: 60-90 min - **Weight**: 2.36 / 5 - **Designers**: Ole Steiness - **Artists**: Andre Garcia, Víctor Pérez Corbella - **Publishers**: Grey Fox Games, Corax Games, Czacha Games - **Categories**: Adventure, Dice, Expansion for Base-game, Fantasy, Fighting, Medieval, Mythology - **Mechanics**: Dice Rolling, Open Drafting, Set Collection, Variable Player Powers, Worker Placement ## Verdict If you love Viking adventures packed with action, Dark Mountains is your next stop.More characters and unique powersNew monsters that raise the challengeExpands player countGreat cost‑benefit ratioLonger playtimeRules complexity increasesRequires focus on new cardsHIGHLY RECOMMENDED ## Description Champions of Midgard: The Dark Mountains is the first and boldest expansion for the classic Viking adventure game. It takes your hero squad beyond the kingdom’s borders into the Dark Mountains where the fearsome Bergrisar dwell and clash with the Northern Archer Clans. The atmosphere thickens with new monsters—stone giants, stronger trolls, and sinister Draugr—and a treasure trove of rune cards, market tiles, and combat options that raise the stakes. The game still blends dice rolling, open drafting, and set collection, but now each player can choose from more than five characters, each with unique powers that shift play styles. Worker placement remains, but you can also deploy heroes on exploration missions, earning victory points by conquering territories or freeing archers who become loyal allies. If you love the adventure and combat vibe of Champions of Midgard, Dark Mountains expands the fun without losing its core. The playtime rises slightly, but the extra player count and new strategic layer make it worth it. ## How to Play Objective of the Game In Champions of Midgard: The Dark Mountains, players are brave leaders fighting the enemies of Midgard. The Archer Clans of the North have come to lend their bows, but mountain giants known as Bergrisar are capturing archers. Players will undertake new journeys over land to defeat the Bergrisar and win the archers to their cause, increasing their power with new runes, defeating new enemies, and adding new warriors to their ranks. Preparation (Setup) The setup for Champions of Midgard: The Dark Mountains requires additional steps beyond the base game. Follow the normal setup instructions for Champions of Midgard, with the following additions and modifications: Place the Beggar Market Stall in one of the Market Spaces on the main game board. This stall is always available to all players and represents the "Beg" action from the original game. Mix the following expansion components with their original counterparts from the base game: Rune cards, Destiny cards, Troll cards, Draugr cards, Monster cards, and Market Stalls. All components from The Dark Mountains expansion are marked with a specific icon for easy removal if desired. Place the Archer dice beside the board near the other Viking Warrior dice. Place The Dark Mountains board next to the top right of the main game board. Shuffle the Bergrisar cards and the Land Journey cards and place them face-down on the indicated spaces on The Dark Mountains board. Empty spaces for Bergrisar cards should be filled face-up during the setup phase of each round, and Land Journey cards are placed face-down. If playing with 4 or more players, place the extended market board beneath The Dark Mountains board. If playing with 5 players, place the additional Private Longship beside the board near the other Private Longships and use 3 Military Market tiles and 3 Economic Market tiles during setup. In a 2-3 player game, place the extended market board on the space marked for 4-players. In a 4-5 player game, place it in the empty space on the extended market board. Fluxo do Jogo Consulte o manual para detalhes sobre esta seção. Ações e Como Jogar New Icons & Rules A new icon (a warrior die of your choice) means "a warrior die of your choice" and should be read interchangeably with the old icon (the original 3 dice types). Another new icon (a resource of your choice) indicates "a resource of your choice" – Food, Wood, or Gold. A number in the center shows how many resources you are entitled to (or must spend), and you may use any combination of the same or different resources. Any card or effect referencing "Journey cards" applies to both the original Journey cards and the new Land Journey cards (e.g., the Sage’s Hut). When playing with 5 players, the fifth player to activate the Worker Huts location pays 1 coin to gain their extra worker. Beggar Market Stall This new, permanent, Market tile can accommodate any number of workers. When you place a worker here, take 1 Blame and 1 other resource of your choice from the supply. Archers Archers are a new and powerful type of warrior dice, with only 1 blank side. They are adept hunters, having a 50% chance to get double food when hunting. The icon on an Archer die indicates that this hit will produce two Food when rolled at the Hunting Grounds. Archer dice are primarily gained by defeating the Bergrisar. The Dark Mountains Combat Combat with the Bergrisar is resolved after combat with the Draugr and before combat with Monsters. Empty Bergrisar and Land Journey Spaces are filled during Round Set-up. Bergrisar cards are placed face-up in their respective spaces, while Land Journey cards are placed face-down. Undefeated Bergrisar cards at the end of the round are not discarded and do not receive a bounty; they remain in place until defeated. Encountering Bergrisar is similar to encountering monsters. Placing a worker pawn on a Bergrisar space indicates you will fight the Bergrisar during the combat phase. You must first encounter a Land Journey card associated with that space. During the Assign Viking Warriors phase, place any warrior dice you want to fight the Bergrisar on the Bergrisar card. When resolving combat, first reveal the Land Journey card and resolve its effect. Land Journey cards often require spending gold, which comes from your personal supply and does not need to be committed ahead of time. Some cards have mandatory effects, while others offer a choice. Defeating the Bergrisar is the primary way to get Archers. Land Journey Cards Thief x2: Lose 1 Coin, if possible. If you have no gold, lose nothing. Lone Warrior x2: Pay 1 Coin to hire 1 Viking warrior of your choice (add to party). Lost x2: Pay 1 Coin (for a stranger’s map) or Lose 2 of your committed Viking warriors. Blocked Path x2: Pay 2 Coins (to hire a guide) or give up. If you give up, return all committed dice to your longhouse. Blizzard x2: Pay 1 Coin for each committed warrior or lose them. Any warriors you cannot pay for (or choose not to pay for) die from exposure and are returned to the supply. Bandits x2: Pay 2 Coins or fight the Bandits (1 attack 2 defense). Glory may only be gained by fighting. Avalanche x2: Lose 1 Viking Warrior die from those committed. All Quiet x8: No effect. New Enemy Cards Dark Shaman: Shield results block no damage when fighting these enemies. Cave Dweller: Defeating a Cave Dweller allows you to discard 1 Blame and claim food and gold. Mist Walker: The Mist Walker slays any Viking Warrior who dares to hit him. Loot Hoarder: Any hit defeats the Loot Hoarder. Gain 1 Gold for each hit you roll against him in combat. Rock Creature: Each round of combat, the Rock Creature slays any Viking warrior that rolled a blank. Shield results may still be used to negate these losses. Vile Priest: At the start of each round of combat, the Vile Priest heals 1 combat damage previously dealt to him. Seidr Draugr: The Seidr Draugr never kills Viking Warrior dice. Instead, you gain 1 Blame token at the start of each round of combat while fighting the Seidr Draugr. Troll Lord: When defeated, this troll allows the victor to discard 1 Blame, and then all other players receive 1 Blame from the supply. Viking Leaders Jorunn the Traveler: Whenever you reveal a Journey card (Land Journey or Sea Journey) if the effect is not “All Quiet” you immediately gain 2 Glory. No glory is gained from simply looking at a Journey card, regardless of the effect. Ragnhild the Adviser: When you activate the Jarl’s Longhouse location you may choose a Swordsman die, Spearman die, or Axeman die (instead of being obligated to take a Swordsman die), in addition to the Start Player marker. If you already have the Start Player marker and you activate the Jarl’s Longhouse location, you still must pass it to the player on your left. Rune Cards The Hunt: Use when hunting. Collect 1 Glory for each hit rolled. The number of Glory can exceed the number of Food collected. Archers do not produce 2 Glory when hunting. Awareness: Look at the top 3 cards of either the Journey Deck or the Land Journey Deck. You may reorganize these cards and place them back on top of the deck in any order. Training: Exchange any 2 of your Viking Warrior dice with any 2 Viking Warrior dice from the supply. Friendship: When activating this Rune, choose 1 other player. You and the chosen player each discard 1 Blame token. You may not choose yourself. You may choose a player who does not have a Blame token. Patience: Clone the effect of a face-up rune belonging to another player or in the supply. The Patience Rune always has priority. If you attempt to clone a rune, an opponent may not use their rune in response to prevent your cloning of it. Additionally, you may use the rune immediately when another player decides to use their rune in order to clone the effect before it is flipped face-down. Fim de Jogo e Pontuação Consulte o manual para detalhes sobre esta seção. Dicas para Vencer Consider defeating Bergrisar to gain Archer dice, as they are powerful warriors with only one blank side and a chance for double food when hunting. Pay attention to Land Journey cards and be prepared to spend gold to mitigate negative effects or make beneficial choices, as these cards are encountered before fighting Bergrisar. If playing as Jorunn the Traveler, prioritize revealing Journey cards (both Land Journey and Sea Journey) that are not "All Quiet" to gain extra Glory. ## FAQ ### How long does a game last with the expansion? Between 60 and 90 minutes, depending on player count and familiarity with the rules. ### How many players can join? From 2 to 5 players, thanks to the expansion’s increased player count. ### Does the expansion increase game complexity? Yes, there are more cards, monsters, and abilities, so a quick rule review is recommended. ### What new components are included? Extra rune cards, market tiles, new monsters (Bergrisar, trolls, and Draugr), and character cards with distinct powers. ### Who should play Champions of Midgard: The Dark Mountains? Fans of adventure games, Viking themes, and those who enjoy mixing dice, drafting, and set collection. ### Does it introduce new mechanics? No new mechanics, but it expands existing ones and offers more strategic choices. ### Can I play the expansion without the base game? No, the expansion requires the base game Champions of Midgard to function. ## Price Comparison ### Best International Offers - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 16.98 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=4673238&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 16.99 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=4885638&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 17.47 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=4807356&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 17.99 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=718524&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 20.10 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=6873901&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 20.88 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=3434278&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 21.16 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=1657760&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 24.76 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=6790578&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 25.24 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=745704&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 25.98 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=6075814&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - See all on BoardGamePrices: https://boardgameprices.com/item/show/20647/champions-of-midgard-the-dark-mountains?utm_source=boardgamesbot.com