Explore Gielinor in RuneScape Kingdoms: Shadow of Elvarg

• UK publisher Steamforged Games has signed a deal with video game publisher Jagex to bring its long-lived RuneScape franchise to tabletops, with a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter for RuneScape Kingdoms: Shadow of Elvarg due to take place in 2022.

Here's an overview of this 1-5 player design:

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RuneScape Kingdoms: Shadow of Elvarg is a co-operative campaign board game set in the fantasy world of Gielinor from the RuneScape MMORPG. Explore the kingdoms of Asgarnia and Misthalin from above with a gameboard styled like a fast-travel map, jumping from region to region as you level up your skills and complete quests. Zoom in for face-to-face encounters with iconic bosses that will become even tougher as you work your way toward the final quest.

Whether you're slaying mighty monsters, crafting awesome gear, or gathering eggs to bake that game-changing cake, RuneScape Kingdoms: Shadow of Elvarg lets you live your fantasy, your way. You choose what skills to max, which weapons to craft, and even where to explore next. You can meander through Gielinor, sampling every side quest on the way, or keep your eyes on the prize and cut a straight path through the campaigns to take on challenging boss fights. With a classless progression system, every group member can play their way, maxing skills to level up and earn those all-important capes.

Board Game: RuneScape Kingdoms: Shadow of Elvarg

Models for a knight in platebody armour, a wizard with the Staff of Air, and Elvarg, the titular green dragon

Whatever kind of 'Scaper you choose to be, you'll play an important role in the success of your group because you never know when the fate of Gielinor will depend on baking the right pie...

In a press release announcing the game, Mat Hart, Creative Director and CCO of Steamforged, wrote:

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It's incredibly important to us for the board game to appeal to RuneScape fans of all kinds. For that reason, the board game is heavily inspired by content and references from both RuneScape and Old School RuneScape that'll be familiar to all players past and present.

We also created the board game as a way for brand new fans to enjoy the rich world of Gielinor, even if they've never experienced the video games. Board gamers should expect a classic and fun fantasy game that features rich narrative quests, light-hearted distractions, sandbox exploration at the macro level, face-to-face boss encounters, and classless character progression.

Because we're taking content from both Old School RuneScape and RuneScape, translating video game mechanics to the tabletop, and even adding some new quests into the mix, it seemed fitting to create a name that would embody what the board game is: A new way to explore the established world of Gielinor. And so, RuneScape Kingdoms was born.