Horizon Zero Dawn: The Board Game – Sacred Land
Horizon Zero Dawn: The Board Game – Sacred Land Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
1 Rulebook 6 Encounter Tiles
Nora Trapper: 1 Miniature 1 Profile Card 1 Skill Tree Card 3 Starting Equipment Cards 16 Action Deck Cards 12 Upgrade Cards
Nora Scavenger: 1 Miniature 1 Profile Card 1 Skill Tree Card 3 Starting Equipment Cards 16 Action Deck Cards 12 Upgrade Cards
13 Tracking Deck Cards 5 Level 1 Merchant Deck Cards 4 Level 2 Merchant Deck Cards 3 Level 3 Merchant Deck Cards
Redeye Watchers: 4 Miniatures 1 Machine Data Card 1 Machine Behaviour Card
Longlegs: 2 Miniatures 1 Machine Data Card 3 Machine Behaviour Cards
Stalkers: 2 Miniatures 1 Machine Data Card 4 Machine Behaviour Cards
Snapmaws: 2 Miniatures 1 Machine Data Card 5 Machine Behaviour Cards
Bellowbacks: 2 Miniatures 2 Machine Data Cards 8 Machine Behaviour Cards
Hunters
This expansion introduces two new hunters for Horizon Zero Dawn™: The Board Game, offering exciting new playstyle opportunities for experienced players. These hunters have their own profile cards, equipment, action decks, skill trees, and upgrade cards.
At the start of a game, players can select one of these hunters as normal, instead of one of the four hunters included with Horizon Zero Dawn™: The Board Game.
Note that although these hunters are part of The Sacred Land expansion, they've been designed to be playable in both the core game and any other expansion available for Horizon Zero Dawn™: The Board Game.
Nora Scavenger
Only a fool would think hunting is solely about prey, and the Nora Scavenger is no such figure. Hunting is survival, pitting oneself against an unforgiving world. To refute this maxim in search of glory will only leave the victor cold and lifeless, out of resources, left behind. This hunter has instead devoted a lifetime to knowledge of the land, of crafting and harvesting, that they might triumph against adversity where rivals fall.
Salvager: When this hunter draws a salvage card, they may discard a salvage card to perform a free craft action. This hunter ignores the once-per-activation restriction when performing craft actions.
Nora Trapper
Not all hunters engage their foes directly. For some, choosing to risk their life in the pursuit of glory is a crass and needlessly dangerous endeavour, the preserve of the reckless and foolish. For the Nora Trapper, patience is their deadliest weapon, proving its primacy over raw strength as the prey is disabled with ease, allowing a simple strike from the shadows to end the hunt entirely.
Bait: During their activation, this hunter may make a free distract action.
Merchant Cards
The Sacred Land expansion includes additional merchant cards that can be added to the merchant decks included with Horizon Zero Dawn™: The Board Game. These new cards represent the unique items and equipment that can be found at Nora merchants. Before beginning the game, add each merchant card to the merchant deck matching the level indicated on the card.
If the players agree, these items may also be included when playing Horizon Zero Dawn™: The Board Game on its own or with or any other expansion.
Traps
This expansion introduces a new type of trap card that can be placed without using the Tripcaster. These traps function in exactly the same way as a trap placed by the Tripcaster, but instead of setting the traps by performing an attack action, a hunter instead uses a new action, set trap.
Set Trap
A hunter setting a trap chooses either the same or an adjacent square and a trap card in their hand, then places a trap token in the target square. The trap card is placed face up by their hunter's profile card, with a matching trap token on it.
A trap token can't be placed in a square that already contains a trap token. A player can't perform this action if they don't have a trap card in their hand.
Example (printed on page 9): The Nora Trapper performs a set trap action to place a Blast Trap in an adjacent square. The player places a Trap 1 token in the square and then places the Blast Trap card next to their hunter's profile card, with the second Trap 1 token on top of it.
Any enemy entering the same square as a trap token immediately triggers the trap as normal and follows the usual rules for resolving a triggered trap.
The Blast Trap card is shown with a level 1 trap value. Its bottom row of cost/effect symbols appears only as icons on the scan and is not transcribed here; refer to the printed card.
Tiles
The Sacred Land expansion includes six new tiles, representing the vast wilderness of the Nora homeland. These new tiles, marked 1N–6N, are used exclusively with the new tracking cards included with this expansion.
These tiles also include two new terrain features for hunters to encounter when stalking their prey, which are detailed below.
Terrain Elements
Water
Streams, lakes, and rivers are common across the land, even in the sprawling deserts. Although few enemies lurk within the depths, such waters leave hunters vulnerable, as they are forced to swim across.
While in a square containing water, a hunter may only perform the sneak action. If a hunter enters a square containing water during a sprint action, their action ends immediately. A hunter may perform a melee attack against an enemy on a square containing water, provided that the attack action starts on a square that doesn't contain water and then moves into the water as part of the attack.
Zipwire
Brightly coloured ropes dot the land, lashed in place by the Nora for generations to create fast ways of travelling across the landscape.
Some encounters feature a pair of tiles with a zipwire symbol printed on them. A hunter in a square containing a zipwire symbol may spend an action to be placed in the other square containing the zipwire symbol.
Enemies are not restricted by water, as they are far larger than the hunters—and certain enemies even gain benefits from it!
Encounters
The Sacred Land expansion features an entirely new tracking deck, with a new set of encounters and a dangerous quarry to hunt.
If the players want to hit the trail and experience it for themselves, at the start of the game they can choose to replace the original tracking deck found in Horizon Zero Dawn™: The Board Game with the tracking deck contained in this expansion.
Alternatively, players can instead choose to mix and match encounter cards from Horizon Zero Dawn™: The Board Game with the cards from The Sacred Land expansion to create their own custom tracking deck. If they do so, players should maintain the same quantity of each level (four level 1 encounters, four level 2 encounters, four level 3 encounters, and one Hunters' Call card).
Note that we recommend modifying the tracking deck only after you have experienced The Sacred Land with the standard tracking deck setup.
Enemies
The Sacred Land is home to a variety of machines that are uncommon in other lands, offering different challenges for the hunting party.
Each of these new enemies has their own data card and behaviour cards. To represent their unique behaviour, some of these adversaries have new attack icons and rules, which are detailed below.
Stun
Some enemies stun the hunters with a burst of light or sound as part of their attack. When an enemy performs an attack against a hunter with the stun symbol, the hunter must discard a card from their hand before making their evade roll.
Bludgeon
Some attacks made by particularly powerful foes feature the bludgeon symbol. When a hunter suffers damage from an attack with the bludgeon symbol their player must discard cards from their hand if they are able to do so. If they are unable to discard a number of cards equal to the damage from their hand, any remaining damage must be discarded from the top of their deck.
Drag
Powerful enemies are able to grasp hold of hunters and drag them around after an attack is made. If a hunter suffers damage from an attack with the drag symbol, they don't perform a dodge but are instead immediately placed in the same square as the enemy making the attack.
If this enemy moves during the rest of their activation, the hunter that suffered drag is moved with the enemy, so both models remain in the same square.
Move Towards Water
When an enemy performs a movement action with this symbol, it moves towards the closest unoccupied square containing water by the number of squares indicated. If the enemy is already within water, it moves to an adjacent square containing water.
Quick Reference
New Action
Set Trap: Hunter places a Trap token in the same or adjacent square, and a matching token on the trap card which is placed next to the hunter profile. An enemy entering the square triggers the trap as normal.
Terrain Elements
Water: Hunters may only make sneak actions while on tile containing water. If entered during sprint action, ends action. Hunters may move into square containing water as part of a melee attack, if they didn't start in water.
Water does not affect enemies.
Zipwire: Hunter may spend an action while on a square containing a zipwire to be placed in other zipwire square.
Symbol Reference
Stun: Player must discard a card from their hand before evade roll is made.
Bludgeon: Player must discard cards from their hand first, then from their deck.
Drag: Hunter damaged by this attack is placed in the same square as the enemy, and is moved with the enemy for rest of the turn.