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Fight off a Pandemic: World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King by Z-Man Games
From online games to board games – only the really big titles can do that. Like World of Warcraft, which Z-Man Games took on and launched “World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King” as a cooperative board game. Even though the game is a few years old, it’s managed to regain its full prominence during this confusing time. This game is about bringing the enemy under control with combined forces. Exactly how does the combo of the Pandemic game and the WoW world feel? We checked that out for you!
Game info for World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King by Z-Man Games
Short description
“For years, the malevolent Lich King and his undead scourge have threatened the world of Azeroth from the frozen continent of Northrend. But now legendary heroes are united with one goal: to challenge the Lich King in his own realm and destroy him once and for all. The heroes must fend off the lurking threats of Northrend as they attempt to gain entry to the dark fortress of Icecrown Citadel to confront the Lich King.” Source: Game Guide
Publisher: Z-Man Games (now part of Asmodée)
Author: Alexander Ortloff, Justin Kemppainen, Michael Sanflippo
Released: 2021
Game number: ZMND0021 / EAN: 4015566602588
The game goal
You slip into the roles of Jaina Proudmoore, Lady Liadrin, Muradin Bronzebeard, Sylvanas Windrunner, Thrall, Tirion Fordring or Varian Wrynn. They are all known from WoW. Set out on a quest to rout the undead scourges sent by the Lich King. You act as a team, because together you are strong!
What is the Pandemic system?
The “Pandemic System” combines well-known game mechanics with optimized content. There are very different games from different publishers, but they are all cooperative and revolve around fighting or stopping a pandemic. You win or lose together.
Player type
- cooperative game
- board game
- board game
- WoW fans
- solo game
Number of players, age and duration
- 1 to 5 players
- 14 years and older
- at least 45 minutes
Contents
- 47 figures
- 7 heroes and hero sheets
- 3 each of monstrosities, quest markers, progress markers and strongholds
- 1 each board, Lich King, Scourge token, Despair token, Solo token, and Icecrown Citadel
- 2 dice
- 5 sliders and overview cards each
- 36 ghouls
- 10 quest sheets
- 63 hero cards
- 9 reward cards
- 30 hostage cards
- 1 game instructions
Get the game started
You lay out the game board and supplies ready – it’s best to look at the instructions, which explain step by step how to set up the game correctly. You can also choose a favorite hero and put together your character. When choosing heroes, we encourage you to talk about them together, as each one has their own special skills that make them “more valuable” at different points in the game. At this point, WoW connoisseurs naturally have a small advantage, but if you don’t know your way around, simply read the texts on the cards.
Gameplay
Also, if you are a team against the Lich King and his army, you will take your turns one after the other:
- perform actions
- Draw 2 hero cards
- Spawn 3 ghouls
- Activate 4 monstrosities
The first two phases are those of the heroes, the next two are those of the villains.
The actions consist, for example, of moving, fighting, questing, resting or others that you can also carry out several times. You have a total of four opportunities to start your turn – but you don’t have to use all four. Here, too, you should choose wisely, because your actions can already decide whether a quest is successful or defeated and can harm or help you accordingly.
Then you draw the top two hero cards, whose actions you also have to carry out – and you also have to think about which next step will help your team best.
You don’t have time to catch your breath, because immediately afterwards it’s the turn of the villains to start their counterattack. So the ghouls appear through dark magic, which can even spread to a real flood of monsters.
In the fourth phase, the monsters attack you, but you attack them too. The hot phase of the fight begins! Proceed judiciously, because failure quickly leads to demotivation of the heroes and the creatures of darkness gain the upper hand.
In this way, you embark on an adventure to conquer Icecrown Citadel in order to smack the Lich King in the head so badly that he finally falls from his throne. But because he has no interest in it, he sets countless monsters on his neck, which he has hidden all over his kingdom. There are three missions to complete before you can approach the Lich King.
But don’t worry! You are brave heroes who can take on the ghouls and other monsters. With single critters your task is certainly a bit easier, but don’t let that discourage you if you are faced with a horde of ghouls. If you give up, the land is lost – you can see this by looking at the game’s despair marker. The further he advances, the more hopeless your fight is.
The scourge cards are your “enemy”, so to speak, because they flush the monsters into the country. The further you get in the game, the more monsters will appear because the Lich King knows you are getting closer. Then there are the The Scourge Rises cards, the number of which depends on your difficulty level – with them the power of the Lich King increases, making your task even more difficult, but also more exciting.
So that the fight is not completely hopeless, you can set so-called strongholds in the course of the game, which allow you to “fast travel” so to speak, in order to be faster in places where Luzie is going off.
At some point the monsters will fight back, which means one point of damage per opponent. If you roll well, you get shields for defense. By drawing the right cards from your hand, you can strengthen your defense or attack even more or heal yourself.
As is usual in such games, you shouldn’t go wild and “lash out” but use certain tactics. This is especially true when completing your quests, because they give you important rewards. What is practical here is that you can use your hand cards according to the quest card specifications, but they are not discarded afterwards. So choose wisely throughout the game so you don’t face the quest boss too weak.
Everything comes to an end
When the despair marker reaches its end, your mission is lost. You have won if you were able to complete your three quests and the Icecrown Citadel quest. You’re lucky, because in the latter case you were able to defeat the Lich King!
Why We Love Z-Man Games’ World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King
- cooperative game: win or lose together
- lovingly and detailed designed
- comparatively simple rules of the game
- not only suitable for sworn WoW fans
- tactical action required
- different levels of difficulty
Our take on World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King
At first glance, World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King appears to come with a steep price tag, but the gameplay more than makes up for it. Not only long game rounds with up to five players await you, but also a lot of excitement and puzzles. Despite the possibilities, the developers have not agreed to any overly complex rules, so that even players who are new to this genre can enjoy it.
We also think it’s really good that you don’t need any knowledge of WoW to immerse yourself in the gameplay. You just have to be interested in the game mechanics and the theme – this way both WoW fans and those who haven’t played the game that much come together.
Everything you need to know about World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King by Z-Man Games
More WoW board games
World of Warcraft, board game, HEI0WC03, published by Heidelberger Spieleverlag
Small World of Warcraft by Asmodee
World of Warcraft – The Adventure Game
wow World of Warcraft – Original Trivial Pursuit by Blizzard Entertainment
Base game expansions for PC
- The Burning Crusade (2007)
- Wrath of the Lich King (2008)
- Cataclysm (2010)
- Mists of Pandaria (2012)
- Warlords of Draenor (2014)
- Legion (2016)
- Battle for Azeroth (2018)
- Shadowlands (2020)
What Kind of Game is Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King by Z-Man Games
Enjoy a cooperative board game with the Pandemic system.
Who is Z-Man Games’ World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King for?
Both for WoW fans and for players who have not yet had much contact with WoW. It is important that you feel like playing a cooperative board game. The publisher recommends the game for ages 14 and up.
How many players can play Z-Man Games’ World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King?
You can play the game all by yourself and with up to five other players.
Who will win Z-Man Games’ World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King?
If you manage to rout your three quests, their final bosses and the Lichking, you win. If chaos gains the upper hand, you all lose together.
As a WoW fan, do you love the board game from Z-Man Games?
We think WoW fans will love the analog adaptation! And also those who have not played World of Warcraft before.
Is Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King playable multiple times?
Yes, because the game is always changing based on your cards and the results of the dice.
Will there be a WoW Classic Wrath of the Lich King?
The Wrath of the Lich King Classic release date is 26th September 2022, the developers from Blizzard have now confirmed. If you’re wondering about how to get WotLK Classic, it’s worth noting that this expansion will be available to everyone with an active World of Warcraft subscription.
Is Blizzard making Wrath of the Lich King?
Blizzard has confirmed that Wrath of the Lich King Classic will arrive on September 26.
Is WoW 2022 free?
From now until September 5, 2022, you can claim your FREE copy of the Shadowlands Base Edition, along with a Level 50 Character Boost through the Battle.net Desktop App. Play the complete Shadowlands experience and get an early start preparing for the launch of Dragonflight later in 2022.
When did Wrath of the Lich King end?
The final major patch for the expansion, Patch 3.3, ‘Fall of the Lich King’, was released on December 9, 2009. It added the Icecrown Citadel raid, where players would fight the Lich King and the main storyline came to a conclusion.
When did Wrath of the Lich King?
November 13, 2008
Who kills the Lich King?
In Hearthstone, Prince Arthas Menethil is an alternate hero for the Paladin class, which can be achieved as a visual alteration for the default paladin hero by defeating the Lich King in the final Knights of the Frozen Throne single-player mission with all nine classes.
Who is the main villain in World of Warcraft?
Sargeras is the main antagonist of the Warcraft franchise. He is the creator and leader of the Burning Legion, a former member of the Pantheon, and a mighty bronze titan until he was corrupted beyond redemption and became the Titans’ worst enemy. In World of Warcraft, he is voiced by Rick Wasserman.
Who is the original Lich King?
Kil’jaeden created the Lich King ages ago from the spirit of the orc shaman Ner’zhul to raise an undead army to conquer Azeroth for the Burning Legion. Initially trapped within the Frozen Throne with Frostmourne, the Lich King eventually betrayed Kil’jaeden and merged with the human Arthas Menethil.
Why did the Lich King wake up?
A battle for power began in Arthas’ head. Hence, the Lich King sat on the Frozen Throne and went into a long slumber. Ultimately the Lich King’s personality gains control of Arthas’ body and he awakens after the events of The Burning Crusade.
