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Raiders of the North Sea is an amazing game with its ‘play a worker take a worker’ mechanism. I love the base game so much I could not wait to get the expansions. The first one I am reviewing is Fields of Fame which adds Jarl’s (big bosses), wounds and a new map. There’s a lot more as well so continue reading to see why you need this expansion if you like the base game. I have also written a detailed how to play as well so please refer to that if you want to know how to play with the expansion.
What’s In The Box
Fields of Fame includes Jarl’s which are new characters you will encounter during your raids (by raiding an area with a Jarl token). They are really strong and will put up a fight if you decide to kill them or subdue them (get them in your team). You can run away but that incurs a penalty that you might want to avoid.
Wounds are dealt to your crew when you kill or subdue a Jarl and these reduce your crew’s strength. You have two options with the wounds, you could try to heal them in town or use wounded crew members with the Valkyrie tokens (solving both problems).
The expansion also includes components to play with a fifth player but I would not recommend that. My preferred play count remains at 2 or 3 for Raiders of the North Sea.
Also included are more townsfolk cards which get shuffled into the deck and a new board which is added to the side and provides more areas to raid. A new track is included for Fame. This is a measure of how well you do against the Jarl’s and also if you defeat an Outpost, Monastery, Township or Fortress with more strength than is needed.
The expansion also includes variants for a draft at the beginning of the game which gives a speed boost (highly recommended) and also new dice to replace the strength dice for the attacks which now include Valkyrie tokens (not recommended).
Does The Expansion Make The Gameplay Longer Or Harder
Fields of Fame certainly adds a small layer of complexity to the base game as you now have to consider your crews strength and how much silver you are carrying when you raid anywhere with a Jarl token. You also have to decide if you want to kill or subdue (never flee) the Jarl. There is no right or wrong answer it is just a decision of how you want your crew to evolve over time.
Talking of time this expansion doesn’t really add much time to the play length which is brilliant.
Is It An Essential Expansion
That’s always a difficult question to answer. If you love the base game and have played it so many times you have lost count, I would say yes Fields of Fame is essential. However, If you have only just started on your journey with Raiders of the North Sea and are still finding your sea legs I would say hold off until you have played it some more as it does add another layer of complexity.
For me I will always play with it because I have played the base game enough times and I enjoy the variety this expansion brings plus the amazing combination of making a Viking take wounds and then immediately showing them the door to Valhalla.
I also really like the drafting option as it gives the game a speed boost at the beginning. I am on the fence about the Valkyrie dice as this adds an element of push your luck that may be too much for some players.
This is a great expansion that adds just enough to the game without fundamentally changing the feel and flow, I love the board and new pieces, the extra decisions that are needed when raiding and the opportunity to score fame points by having an overly strong crew.
Now set sail for the north I feel some more raiding is needed.
