The Witcher’s Geralt and Ciri are headed to board game battler Unmatched
Finally, a chance to slay Jurassic Park’s T-Rex with a silver sword.
The Witcher is headed to Unmatched, the skirmish board game that pits figures from folklore and pop-culture icons against each other in a battle to the death (or, at least, defeat).
Unmatched published Restoration Games announced that Andrzej Sapkowski’s fantasy book series-turned-RPG video game franchise-turned-Netflix series (with a tabletop RPG somewhere in there too) would join its Unmatched line-up next year with two new sets.
Steel and Silver and Realms Fall will each come with three new characters to battle either against each other or the rest of Unmatched’s eclectic roster, which ranges from mythological figures such as Medusa, Dracula and Bigfoot through folk legends like King Arthur, Robin Hood and Yennenga to characters from TV shows and movies, including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Jurassic Park’s T-Rex and a host of Marvel comic-book superheroes.
Unmatched’s The Witcher sets will include Geralt of Riveria and Ciri, with the rest of the roster yet to be revealed. Restoration dropped references to necking a Tawny Owl potion and the Witcher stronghold of Kaer Morhen in its announcement, hinting at possible action cards and maps due to make an appearance. As with previous Unmatched boxes, each set will include two different battlefields for players to fight over.
Unmatched was released in 2019 as a spiritual successor to early noughties board game Star Wars: Epic Duels, utilising similar card-driven gameplay - where each character has a unique deck of attack and action cards - in combination with the movement of miniatures between points on a board. The multicoloured spaces provide a streamlined take on the tactical position-based combat and line-of-sight and range concepts seen in skirmish wargaming. Battles - whether head-to-head, free-for-all or between teams - are won by whittling your opponents’ health down to zero.
As well as its various sets - most of which are playable as standalone games, though individual character packs have been released for Bruce Lee and Deadpool - Unmatched has spun out into this year’s co-op adventure board game Tales to Amaze and a digital app.
“The Witcher brings so much to the game: a rich fantasy setting, unique heroes, and some of the best villains Unmatched has ever seen,” said Restoration president and co-founder Justin D. Jacobson.
The Witcher’s Steel and Silver and Realms Fall sets for Unmatched will release later in 2024, joined by fan-designed characters for Rosie the Riveter and William Shakespeare.