Cthulhu Wars: The Windwalker Expansion
Cthulhu Wars: The Windwalker Expansion Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 4 Gnoph-Keh
- 6 Grimoires
- 1 Faction Sheet
- 6 Acolytes
- 1 Power Marker
- 1 Doom Marker
- 1 Faction Token
- 1 Itaqua
- 4 Vendigo
- 1 Ran-Tegoth
- 1 Ice Age Token
Playing the Windwalker Faction
The Windwalker is slow to get going. Your grimoires are unlikely to be useful at the start of the game, and your movement will be limited until you awaken Itaqua. However, as the game goes on your figures become cheaper, their strength grows, and you gain the ability to use your powers in full.
Go into Hibernation once every two Action Phases. If you do it every phase, you effectively gain no advantage in Power. This is simple arithmetic: it is very tempting to go into Hibernation and keep a large amount of Power for an extraordinarily successful next turn, but as long as your opponents have a lot of Power, there is a certain risk. You can gain 2-4 extra Power with Hibernation every second round, when your opponents summon their Great Ancients.
Summoning Gnoph-Keh at the start of the game is not cheap, but you need to start summoning them as quickly as possible so as to lower the cost of summons. Until permanent fighting begins, you will have to summon a pair of Vendigo onto the board. Later they will appear by themselves thanks to Cannibalism, once your opponents start taking losses in battle. Wild Pack lets you stop worrying about your Cultists, but beware the effect of Cthulhu's grimoire Dreams.
Your Great Ancients are cheap and effective. Remember that Ran-Tegoth can wake up at either pole, even if there are no gates there. This can be an unpleasant surprise for an opponent who is confident in their safety (especially given how Ran-Tegoth resists damage).
In the late stages of the game, use Itaqua to the full. At this time you can get the maximum benefit from your grimoires. Finally, the time of the Ice Age will come, and your army will be large enough to dominate the game board. You lead forces capable of defeating even Cthulhu himself. Do not squander yourself on trifles; prepare carefully to deliver a crushing blow in a single turn: occupy 5-6 gates and perform a powerful Ritual of Annihilation in the Doom Phase.
IMPORTANT: in a two-player game, some factions may prevent the Windwalker from winning simply by never revealing their sixth grimoire. Therefore, in a two-player game the Windwalker player may fulfil the condition of the grimoire "Your opponent has 6 open grimoires on the faction sheet" by sacrificing Itaqua.
Special rule for the Windwalker: the Windwalker player cannot take the first turn at the start of the game.
Grimoires Overview
- Arctic Wind: A useful grimoire that brings your unstoppable horde closer to victory.
- Fury of the North: The more Gnoph-Keh you have, the cheaper it is to summon new ones.
- Herald of the Outer Gods: A simple and reliable grimoire. Use it with the extra Power from Hibernation to dash ahead every round... if you dare.
- Cannibalism: Open this grimoire as early as possible to create your Vendigo army. Cannibalism also works as a shield: if you have inflicted at least one "death" result on an opponent, you can return one Vendigo and replace your losses.
- Howl: Useful for clearing areas before capturing gates, or for driving a "living shield" away from an opposing Great Ancient.
- Ice Age: Very useful for protecting important gates or for isolating an enemy area when preparing an invasion.
Tip: In any unclear situation, if you have leftover Power from Hibernation, summon a Gnoph-Keh!
Playing Against the Windwalker
You must start fighting the Windwalker early, while it is still only gathering grimoires and building its army. Try to get ahead of it on the Doom track and take positions on the board so that it cannot wreck all your plans in one attack. The more you hinder it in the early stages of the game, the later it will reach its full potential, which is very good for you.
Seizing the poles may seem a good idea, but be ready to face a Great Ancient face to face. Ran-Tegoth will be a headache: you will not be able to kill him, and, believe it, you will not want him to remain.
Like Cthulhu, the Windwalker leads a huge and practically invincible army, but unlike Cthulhu, playing it is cheap. Do not let it accumulate much Power.
Faction Sheet
Unique Ability
Hibernation (action: 0 Power): Gain 1 Power for each opposing Great Ancient currently in play. You cannot gain more Power this way than you currently have. In this turn you may take no further actions (count yourself as having 0 Power). Add your current amount of Power to the Power you collect in the next Gather Power Phase.
Setup
After all players except the Key and Gate player have prepared for the game, gain 8 Power, 6 Cultists, and the gates you control in one of the areas with the Windwalker symbol.
Figures
| Figure | Count | Cost | Attack Strength | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acolyte (Cultist) | 6 | 1 | 0 | Grimoire: Cannibalism |
| Vendigo (Monster) | 4 | 1 | 1 | Grimoires: Cannibalism and Howl |
| Gnoph-Keh (Monster) | 4 | ? | 3 | A summon costs as much Power as the number of Gnoph-Keh you currently have in reserve (for example, if there is only 1 Gnoph-Keh in reserve in total, its summon costs 1 Power). Grimoire: Fury of the North |
| Ran-Tegoth (Great Ancient) | 1 | 6 | 3 | See below |
| Itaqua (Great Ancient) | 1 | 6 |
How to wake Ran-Tegoth:
- Spend 6 Power.
- Ran-Tegoth appears in an area with the Windwalker symbol.
Eternal (after battle): If a "death" or "pain" result is assigned to Ran-Tegoth, you may spend 1 Power to not apply it. Only 1 result can be assigned to Ran-Tegoth per battle.
How to wake Itaqua:
- Ran-Tegoth is awake (he must be in play).
- An area with the Windwalker symbol must contain gates (you are not obliged to control them).
- Spend 6 Power and replace these gates with Itaqua.
Attack Strength: equal to half of your opponent's Doom (rounded up).
Wild Pack (permanent): If Itaqua is in play, Monsters and Horrors cannot capture your Cultists. However, this rule does not apply to Great Ancients: Cultists are vulnerable to their actions.
Grimoire Conditions
The six cells of the faction sheet's grimoire panel read as follows (the sheet does not name the grimoire for each cell):
- Top left: Wake Ran-Tegoth.
- Top right: In an area with the Windwalker symbol where you did not start the game, there is a gate.
- Middle left: You are the first player.
- Middle right: Your opponent has 6 open grimoires on their faction sheet.
- Bottom left: Open this grimoire at any time. Gain 1 Elder Sign for each opponent who has 6 open grimoires on their faction sheet (maximum 3).
- Bottom right: Wake Itaqua.
Grimoire Cards
Herald of the Outer Gods (permanent)
The Ritual of Annihilation costs you 5 Power, regardless of the position of the marker on the Doom track.
Cannibalism (after battle)
After all battle results have been assigned, if at least one opponent's figure was killed, you may place a Vendigo or an Acolyte from your reserve into the area where the battle took place (even if you did not take part in the battle).
Howl (before battle)
Before battle, if Vendigo take part in the battle, you may make your opponent choose one figure and retreat it into an adjacent area. This is not the application of a "pain" result: such a figure may retreat into an area where you have figures.
Fury of the North (after battle)
For each Gnoph-Keh to which a "death" result was assigned in the battle, your opponent must destroy one of their own Monsters or Cultists.
Ice Age (action: 1 Power)
Place the Ice Age token in any area. Any opponent action completed in the Ice Age area costs 1 Power more.
Arctic Wind (permanent)
If Itaqua moves by the Move action, you may move any of your figures from the same area along with it, for free.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: If my Serpent People returns to the board in the Doom Phase (grimoire "Ancient Sorcery") into an area with the Ice Age token, must I pay 1 Power? A: No, because the return of the Serpent People is not an action and takes place in the Doom Phase.
Q: How do the Windwalker's Hibernation and Crawling Chaos's "Thousand Forms" grimoire interact? A: Although the Windwalker is not an active player during Hibernation, it takes part in the negotiations about who loses how much Power, and it may choose what it will contribute to the Power loss.
Q: Normally, if a faction with 0 Power gains Power, it again takes part in the Action Phase. What happens if the Windwalker gains Power during Hibernation? A: It gains the Power, but stays in Hibernation and cannot take actions. In this state the Windwalker may spend Power only through grimoires or abilities. For example, Ran-Tegoth's ability "Eternal" can save it from "death" and "pain" results.
Q: The cost of Gnoph-Keh depends on how many are in the player's reserve. Please explain. A: If there are no Gnoph-Keh on the board, a summon costs 4 Power. When there is one Gnoph-Keh on the board (and three more in reserve), a summon costs 3 Power. If there are two in reserve and two on the board, a summon costs 2 Power. The summon of the last one costs 1 Power. Remember that a Gnoph-Keh captured by Tsathoggua is not in reserve and therefore reduces the cost of subsequent summons.
Q: If I have no Vendigo in reserve, and one is killed in battle, can I return it to the board immediately with the grimoire Cannibalism (provided I also killed someone in battle)? A: Yes. Disgusting, isn't it? You can do the same with Acolytes.
Q: If Cannibalism is applied and immediately afterwards the Black Goat's grimoire "Necrophagy" is applied, can the "pain" result be assigned to the new Acolyte or Vendigo? A: No, because that particular Acolyte or Vendigo did not take part in the battle.
Q: How does Ran-Tegoth's "Eternal" ability interact with Nyarlathotep's "Harbinger" or with Cthulhu's grimoire requirement (killing in battle)? A: "Eternal" cancels only the "death" or "pain" results assigned to Ran-Tegoth, but it does not cancel the effects of other abilities and grimoires that are aimed at that result. In other words, even after "Eternal" is applied, Nyarlathotep can gain Power or an Elder Sign, and Cthulhu can open a grimoire.
Q: What does the phrase "any opponent action completed in the Ice Age area" mean in the description of the grimoire Ice Age? A: It applies to any action involving figures that end their turn in this area or have an effect on it. For example, figures may leave this area without additional Power costs. But entering this area requires paying extra Power, and this is paid for the Move action itself, not for each figure. For example, if the Yellow Sign decides to defile the area, it costs them 1 Power more. Cthulhu will spend more for using the grimoire "Submersion" (if he does not leave the area by "Submersion"). Cthulhu's ability "Devourer" is not an action, so it costs no Power, but applying the grimoire "Dreams" costs 4 Power. The Black Goat's ability "Avatar" requires extra Power if at least one of the figures completes an action in the Ice Age area (even if that figure belongs to another faction). Key and Gate figures may be upgraded without extra Power, since an upgrade is not an action. The Sleeper may also use "Death from the Depths" in the Ice Age area. But if the Sleeper declares "Lethargy" while Tsathoggua is in the Ice Age area, it costs 1 Power.
Q: Capturing and freeing gates are defined in the rules as actions with a cost of 0. Does this mean they will cost 1 in the Ice Age area? A: No. These are the only two actions that the Ice Age effect does not affect. An additional battle still costs +1 Power.
Q: Can Crawling Chaos figures fly over the Ice Age area (without landing in it) without spending extra Power? A: Yes, because they do not complete their action in this area.
Q: If Yog-Sothoth is in an area where you wake Itaqua, can Yog-Sothoth be one of the gates that is replaced with Itaqua? A: If Yog-Sothoth is the only gate in the area, yes. If there are other gates in the area besides him, you must replace those.
Q: Who chooses where figures retreat after Howl is applied? A: The player whose faction the figures belong to decides which figures retreat and where they go.
Q: If Windwalker figures completely surround an area before a battle, and the Windwalker uses Howl, are the figures that must retreat considered destroyed? A: No. They may retreat into areas with Windwalker figures, because Howl does not inflict a "pain" result.
Q: Can figures that retreated because of Howl use combat abilities that have not yet been activated (for example, Nyarlathotep's "Harbinger" or the upgrade from "Legion of the Chosen")? A: No, because they no longer take part in the battle.
Q: Does Crawling Chaos's ability "Madness" let you choose where figures retreat after Howl is applied? A: No. Howl has no "pain" result.
Q: Is the Doom marker advanced when you pay 5 Power for the Ritual of Annihilation with Herald of the Outer Gods open? A: Yes.
Q: If during the Action Phase one player reveals Elder Signs and as a result the game ends, can the Windwalker fulfil the condition of the grimoire "Open this grimoire at any time"? A: Yes. Treat the requirement of this grimoire as the right of all players to reveal Elder Signs at the moment the game ends.