Objective of the Game

Consult the manual for details about this section.

Setup

After setting up the core Northgard: Uncharted Lands game, but before starting the first year (between step L and M of the setup), follow these steps to incorporate the Environment tiles module:

1. Take all Environment tiles and shuffle them together with the other Map tiles to create one combined pile.
2. Decide which and how many of these tiles the players want to play with; you may include any subset.

Special tiles that require the Creatures module have additional setup rules:

• Ancestral Graveyard – Add the tile to the Map tile pile like any other Environment tile. Set aside the Spectral Warrior miniatures and cards at the start of the game. During the Creature phase, the owner of the Ancestral Graveyard territory may place one Spectral Warrior on any territory that contains at least one creature’s lair, then add the Spectral Warrior card to the end of the creature line.
• Wyvern’s Den – Set aside the Wyvern miniature and card at the beginning of the game. Do not shuffle the Wyvern’s Den tile with the other Environment tiles. After step M, set aside the first 3 × N tiles (N = number of players) to form a first pile. Shuffle the Wyvern’s Den tile with the remaining tiles to form a second pile, then place the first pile on top of the second pile to create a single pile. When the Wyvern’s Den is explored, place the Wyvern miniature on it and add its card to the end of the creature line.

Game Flow

Each year in Northgard proceeds through the following phases, in order:

1. Harvest – Players collect resources and trigger any Harvest effects from Environment tiles.
2. Actions (Move, Explore, etc.) – Players move units, explore tiles, and trigger any Actions effects from Environment tiles.
3. Creature – The creature line is activated one by one in order. Each creature’s power is applied when it appears or moves into a territory.
4. End of Year – Players perform end‑of‑year actions, such as placing units on Geyser tiles, and the year counter increments.

Environment tiles may trigger during specific phases:

• Great Lake – Harvest phase: the player with the most units in the four adjacent territories collects two resources; ties result in each tied player collecting one.
• Swamp – Actions (Move) phase: units may move through but cannot end movement there; moving through removes one unit from the owner’s reserve and places it back.
• Ruins – Harvest phase: the controlling player collects resources as depicted on the tile.
• Poisonous Swamp – Harvest phase: at the end of Harvest, remove one unit from each adjacent territory.
• High Peaks – Actions (Move) phase: the tile is Impassable.
• Geyser – End of Year phase: a player controlling a territory with a Geyser may place one unit in it; repeat if both Geysers are in the same territory.
• Wyvern’s Den – Actions (Explore) and Harvest phases: when explored, the Wyvern appears; during Harvest, the controlling player may place units as described.
• Ancestral Graveyard – Creature phase: allows placement of Spectral Warriors.

Actions and How to Play

Players can perform the following actions during the Actions phase:

• Move – Units may move through Swamp but cannot end movement there; moving through removes one unit from the owner’s reserve. Units cannot end movement in High Peaks or Poisonous Swamp (both Impassable). The Wyvern considers all adjacent territories for movement.
• Explore – When exploring a tile that is the Wyvern’s Den, the Wyvern miniature appears and its card is added to the end of the creature line.
• Harvest – Players collect resources from their controlled territories and from any Harvest effects of Environment tiles (e.g., Great Lake, Ruins, Poisonous Swamp).

Creature powers activate when a creature appears or moves into a territory:

• Draugr Jötnar – The owner must pay 2 resources of any type; if only 1 resource is available, they still pay and are automatically attacked.
• Eldthursar – The owner must remove one of their small buildings from the territory and place it back in reserve.
• Hvedrung – When appearing or moving into a territory, draw a new creature card, place it next in the creature line, and place its miniature on the territory.
• Spectral Warrior – Buildings in the same territory have no effect (no resource or fame collection, no building bonuses in combat). When eliminated, remove the creature card and miniature from the game.
• Wyvern – Does not share its territory with a player; it attacks when moving into a new territory. Before combat, remove one unit from the player. If it loses combat outside its Den, it returns to its Den; if it loses combat inside its Den, it is removed from the game.

End of Game and Scoring

Consult the manual for details about this section.

Tips to Win

• Use the Swamp strategically: Move units through the Swamp to force opponents to remove a unit from their reserve, weakening their forces.
• Control Ruins and Great Lake territories: During the Harvest phase, these tiles grant extra resources; prioritize building and maintaining units in adjacent territories to maximize gains.
• Manage the Wyvern wisely: Place the Wyvern in a territory with many units but few building points to exploit its pre‑combat unit removal and to keep it safe by controlling its Den.