The Witcher: Old World

The game is set up by placing the main board in the center of the table, displaying the three active monster cards, market action cards, and various tokens including gold, potions, and monster trails. Each player chooses an asymmetric Witcher character and receives a player board tracking four attributes (Combat, Defense, Alchemy, and Speed), a starting set of ten faction-specific action cards, a Witcher miniature placed at their starting school, and initial resources of gold and cards.

The main objective of The Witcher: Old World is to be the first player to accumulate four trophies. Trophies can be earned in three primary ways: by defeating fearsome monsters in tactical combat, by winning Witcher-versus-Witcher duels, or by fully maxing out one of your four core attribute tracks on your player board.

A player's turn is divided into three distinct phases that mirror the state of the board. Phase one is the exploration phase, where players move their Witcher across adjacent locations by discarding matching terrain cards, then optionally triggering location actions, quests, or poker dice minigames. Phase two allows players to upgrade their attributes or use potions. Phase three is the market phase, where players can purchase new action cards to build their deck and improve their combat options.

Progress towards victory is measured purely in trophies rather than points. Each completed quest, defeated monster, won duel, or mastered attribute track awards a trophy token. Managing combat fatigue, deck thinning, and health pools is essential to successfully claim these trophies without getting exhausted.

The game ends instantaneously the moment any player claims their fourth and final trophy. There are no tie-breakers or final scoring rounds; the triggering player is declared the winner immediately upon earning the fourth trophy.