Völuspá
Völuspá Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Objective
The players play tiles with different characters and creatures of Norse Mythology. They try to dominate other tiles and score points this way. The player who scores the most points by dominating other tiles wins the game.
Components
- 60 tiles of the base game: 6x Odin, 8x Thor, 6x Troll, 8x Dragon, 8x Fenrir, 9x Skadi, 9x Valkyrie, 6x Loki
- 25 tiles of the expansion Saga of Edda: 5x Hel, 8x Hermod, 6x Jotunn, 6x Sea Serpent
- 25 tiles of the expansion Order of the Gods: 6x Dwarf, 8x Freya, 6x Raven, 5x Niohoggr
- 6 tiles of the expansion Lightning Bolt: 6x Lightning Bolt
- 5 score markers (1 for each player)
- 5 "+50/+100" tokens (front and back)
- 16 booster tokens (2 each of 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 1 each of 2, 3, 4, 10, 11, 12)
- 20 zero tokens
- score track
- rulebook
Setup
Shuffle all tiles face-down. Place all tiles in piles on the table.
Each player draws five tiles and takes these in his hand. Don't show the tiles in your hand to the other players.
Draw one tile and place it face-up in the centre of the table. If this is a Troll, return it and draw another tile (repeat this until you don't draw a Troll). Shuffle the returned tile in a pile of choice.
Each player chooses a colour and places his score marker next to the score track.
Randomly choose a start player. He'll take the first turn.
Game Sequence
The game is played in turns. Players take turns in clockwise order. Each turn the active player performs the following actions in this order:
Play One Tile
Choose one tile from your hand and place it in the game area following these rules:
- Each tile must touch at least one side of another tile already on the table.
- Each individual line of tiles (horizontal or vertical) cannot exceed seven.
Note: Many tiles have special powers. See "Overview of Tile Powers" for a list and description.
or Discard One Tile
If you cannot play any of your tiles (which is very unlikely), you must discard a tile. Remove this tile from the game and put it back in the box.
Score Points
A line of tiles is always dominated by one or more tiles. In most cases the dominating tiles are those with the highest value. For example, in a line where a Thor tile has a value of 7 (the highest in the line), the Thor tile dominates the line.
The tile that you place during your turn will score a line if it breaks the current domination of that line and becomes the new dominator of that line. To break the current domination of a tile that has the highest value in that line, tying its value is not sufficient.
For example, if you place an Odin (value 8) in a line currently dominated by Thor (value 7), you will score this line because Odin's value is higher than the current dominator's value.
Placing a tile can score the column or the horizontal line it is placed in, or both. Column and horizontal line are both checked separately for new domination and scoring.
You score an amount of points equal to the number of tiles in that row and/or column.
Important: To score a line it must consist of at least two tiles.
Note: Beside having the highest tile value there is another way to dominate a line: see the special ability of the Valkyrie tiles below.
If you have discarded a tile this turn, you won't score points.
Special Case: Some tiles may be placed on top of other tiles, replacing them on the board (see the chapters about Dragon, Skadi, Hel, Lightning Bolt and Raven).
If the only tile on the board is the start tile and you place a Dragon, Skadi or Lightning Bolt tile on top of it, you'll score 1 point. If you place your Hel tile on such a start tile you'll score zero points.
Example: Bart places the Thor tile and scores 6 points; his tile is the highest value in both lines. Tom places the Troll tile and scores no points; the value of his tile ties with the highest value in that line.
Draw a Tile
Refill your hand to five tiles by drawing a tile from a pile.
Note: If you played a Skadi this turn to capture a tile, you don't draw a new tile.
End of the Game
The game ends when all tiles are drawn and every player has no tiles left.
Note: After the draw pile is empty it may occur (because of Skadi and Hermod) that some player still has tiles in hand while others already have empty hands. In this case the player has several turns in a row, laying out his remaining tiles, while the other players must pass.
The player with the highest score wins. In case of a tie, the player who reached the highest score first wins the game.
Overview of Tile Powers
Many tiles have special powers. Some powers affect scoring points, while other powers affect playing other tiles. The special powers of the tiles remain active throughout the game.
Odin (6x) — Father of all Gods
No special power.
Thor (8x) — God of Sky and Thunder
No special power.
Troll (6x) — Foul and Fierce Creature
No other tile (except Trolls and Dwarfs) may be placed adjacent (horizontal or vertical) to this tile after it's been placed.
Dragon (8x) — Dangerous Flying Creature
Place this tile the normal way or on top of another tile. Any powers of the covered tile are nullified.
- You cannot place a Dragon on top of a tile next to a Troll.
- You can place a Dragon on top of a Troll.
- You cannot place a Dragon on top of a Dragon.
Fenrir (8x) — Wolf: Monstrous Son of Loki
The value of this tile is the sum of all Fenrir tiles in the same row or column, depending on whether you check the row or column for scoring. This means that, for example, the row value of a lone Fenrir is 4 points, even if there are more Fenrir tiles in its column.
Fenrir tiles next to Loki tiles are worth zero and do not contribute to the value of other Fenrir tiles.
After placement, Fenrir tiles continue to be worth the sum of the Fenrir tiles in the line. Therefore, for example, in a line that contains only three Fenrir tiles (and no Loki tile next to the Fenrir tiles), each of these Fenrir would have a value of 12.
A newly placed Fenrir in a line where one or more Fenrir are already placed has a higher value than the other Fenrir at the moment the new Fenrir is placed. After placing this Fenrir, all Fenrir in this line take on the same value as the newly placed Fenrir. Another way to think of this is that all Fenrir tiles in a line work together as a pack. So, for example, given the Fenrir dominate a line, then as long as placing another Fenrir tile in that line increases the value of all Fenrir tiles in the pack, you score.
Example: If Odin is placed below a Skadi, above a single Fenrir, Odin scores because the row value of the Fenrir is 4 (= 4 + 0). But if that Fenrir is in a column with two other Fenrir, Odin does not score because the column value of the Fenrir is 12 (= 4 + 4 + 4).
Skadi (9x) — Goddess of Hunting and Winter
Place this tile the normal way, or exchange a tile on the table with the Skadi and add the exchanged tile to your hand.
- You can't capture a tile next to a Troll.
- You may not use Skadi to take a Skadi.
- You may choose a Dragon: the tile covered by the Dragon is removed from the game while you take the Dragon to your hand.
Valkyrie (9x) — Angelic Guides to Valhalla
Like the other tiles, the Valkyrie can dominate a line by its value (2). Additionally, when you place a Valkyrie at the one side of a line so that the line begins and ends with a Valkyrie, you'll dominate and score that line.
If two Valkyries dominate a line by bookending it, their domination cannot be broken by placing a tile with higher value (a Dragon, Skadi or Raven) between them. It's because they still bookend the line and therefore keep on dominating it.
Loki tiles change the value of Valkyrie to "0", but this doesn't prevent them from scoring when placed at the end of a line.
Loki (6x) — Trickster God
Tiles adjacent (horizontal and vertical) to Loki have a value of "0" (except other Loki tiles).
Expansion Module: Saga of Edda
Setup
The setup is equal to the base game with the following exceptions:
- Separate out the five Hel tiles. Each player gets one Hel tile. All unused Hel tiles are removed from the game and returned to the game box. Important: in a two player game, each player gets two Hel tiles.
- Shuffle the new tiles with the base game tiles.
- Deal five tiles to each player.
The rules are the same as in the base game.
Overview Tile Powers "Saga of Edda"
Hel (5x) — Goddess of the Dead
This tile must be placed (face down) on top of another tile (not Hel). Any powers of the covered tile are nullified.
Hel is treated as a gap in a line. Lines up to seven tiles may form in all four directions from the Hel tile.
Score one point for each tile adjacent (horizontal, vertical and diagonal) to this tile.
- Hel tile doesn't count toward the five-tile hand limit.
- You don't draw a replacement tile after playing a Hel tile.
- You may play Hel next to a Troll.
- No other tile can be placed on top of this tile.
- Skadi cannot capture a Hel tile.
You may place a tile adjacent to only a Hel tile. This will start a new line of one and scores 1 point. Sea Serpent is the only exception to this rule: in order to dominate and score, it must still be the highest in its row or column — if it isn't, it doesn't score.
If you place a Niohoggr tile adjacent to only a Hel tile you score 3 points: 1 point + the 2 extra bonus points of the Niohoggr.
If you place a tile adjacent to several Hel tiles, but only Hel tiles, that play also scores only 1 point.
Jotunn (6x) — Giant: Ancient Race of Enormous Beings
Place this tile the normal way, or you may bump any tile (except Hel) to either end of its line. If you do, put the Jotunn in its place. You don't score the bumped tile.
- When you bump a Dragon, both the Dragon and the tile underneath it are bumped.
- You can bump a Troll.
- A non-Troll tile cannot be bumped next to a Troll.
- Whether the Jotunn is bumping or placed the normal way, it may not end placed next to a Troll.
- You may not create a line longer than seven tiles.
- The bumped tile cannot pass any gaps (including Hel tiles).
Sea Serpent (6x) — Monstrous Son of Loki
The Sea Serpent only scores when it has the highest value among all tiles in its row/column, including tiles across gaps (including Hel tiles). The score is based on all tiles and gaps in this row or column (and may exceed seven).
You can only score one column or row. You choose which one is scored. (In the implementation at Yucata.de, the column/row that would score more points is automatically chosen.)
Hermod (8x) — Messenger of the Gods
After placing Hermod, you may immediately place another tile in the same line as Hermod is placed. At the end of your turn refill your hand up to five tiles.
- You can play multiple Hermods on the same turn.
- After placing Hermod, you may place another tile (Dragon, Skadi, Jotunn, Lightning Bolt or Raven) on top of the Hermod just played.
- You may play a Hel tile, as long as it is adjacent (horizontal, vertical or diagonal) to or on top of the Hermod just played.
- Score each tile immediately after playing.
- If you cannot play any of your tiles after playing Hermod, you must discard a tile. Remove this tile from the game and put it back in the box. This happens very rarely.
Expansion Module: Lightning Bolt
The power of the gods is in your hands with the addition of the Lightning Bolt tile that can zap any tile and score any line.
Setup
The Lightning Bolt expansion can be played with the base game and any other expansion (or recommended tile set listed in the Order of the Gods expansion). The rules and setup for the tiles from the base game and its expansion remain the same.
Overview Tile Powers "Lightning Bolt"
Lightning Bolt (6x) — Power of the Gods
Place the Lightning Bolt on top of another tile. The Lightning Bolt scores the shortest of the two lines it is in (lightning always takes the shortest path to the ground), even if this tile does not have the highest value in that line. The shortest possible line is two tiles.
Exact scoring definition: look at the horizontal and vertical line the target tile is in, and among them check those that have a length of two or more. Score an amount of points as high as the number of tiles in the shortest of those lines.
In the rare case where a Lightning Bolt is placed on top of the solitary start tile, or on a solitary tile adjacent to only a Hel tile, you score 1 point.
- You cannot place a Lightning Bolt on top of a Lightning Bolt, a Hel tile, or on top of a tile next to a Troll.
- You can place a Lightning Bolt on top of a Raven or Dragon.
- If both lines are the same length, choose which line to score. This matters when there are Niohoggr tiles (+2 points) in the lines.
- A Lightning Bolt scores 2 extra points if placed on top of a Niohoggr tile.
- A Lightning Bolt scores even if it is placed upon a tile in a line that is bookended by two Valkyries.
(In the implementation at Yucata.de, in case both lines are the same length, the line that would score more points is automatically chosen.)
Expansion Module: Order of the Gods
The balance of power is shifting among the order of the gods! The goddess Freya can permanently increase the value of other beings. The resourceful Dwarf taps the power of neighboring gods. The monstrous Niohoggr hoards extra benefits for anyone brave enough to defeat it and the quickly flying Raven can score twice in the same turn!
Setup
The tiles in this expansion can be combined with the base game and the Saga of Edda expansion. To maintain a reasonable game length, it is recommended that you not play with all of the tiles in one game.
The rules and setup for the tiles from the base game and its expansion remain the same. When playing with Freya from this expansion, place the booster tokens number-side up in a supply next to the tiles.
Recommended Sets
Order of the Gods — Use all tiles from the Völuspá base game and all tiles from this expansion. This set is highly recommended for your first play with this expansion to get to know all new powers.
King of the Giants — Use all tiles from the Völuspá base game, plus Hermod and Jotunn tiles from the Saga of Edda expansion, plus Freya and Niohoggr tiles from this expansion.
Rise of the Serpents — Use all tiles from the Völuspá base game, plus Sea Serpent and Hel tiles from the Saga of Edda expansion, plus Freya and Dwarf tiles from this expansion.
Master of Ravens — Use all tiles from the Völuspá base game, plus Hermod and Hel tiles from the Saga of Edda expansion, plus Raven and Niohoggr tiles from this expansion.
Overview Tile Powers "Order of the Gods"
Dwarf (6x) — Race of Short but Sturdy Beings
When you place this tile, sum the values of all adjacent tiles and score half of that sum, rounded down. The Dwarf only scores this described way. It never (also) scores lines.
Keep in mind that the actual value of a Fenrir tile in a line is the sum of all Fenrir tile values in that line: add the Fenrir column value if it's north or south of the Dwarf, add its row value if it's west or east of the Dwarf (see the Fenrir rules of the base game). Fenrir tiles next to a Loki tile have a value of "0".
Example: while the face value of a Fenrir tile next to Loki is zero, it may still have a final strength of 8 due to other Fenrir tiles in the line — the Dwarf would then score 0.5 × ((4 points for one Fenrir) + (4 points for another Fenrir) + (0 points for the Fenrir next to Loki)) = 4 points.
Loki doesn't affect a Dwarf's scoring ability, but its value will change to "0" (important when another Dwarf is placed next to it).
You can place a Dwarf next to a Troll.
Freya (8x) — Goddess of Fertility
Place this tile the normal way, or discard Freya to immediately play another tile from your hand and place a booster token on it that is one higher than the tile value. At the end of your turn refill your hand up to five tiles.
- Discard multiple Freya tiles in the same turn to boost a tile multiple times.
- Boosted tiles adjacent to Loki still have a value of "0".
- The booster token remains on top of its tile for the rest of the game, with some exceptions: if the boosted tile is covered up by a Dragon, Raven, Lightning Bolt or Hel tile, the booster token is returned to the supply. If a boosted tile is taken by a Skadi, gain the tile plus a number of Freya tiles from the discard pile equal to the number of times the tile was boosted, and put the booster token back in the supply. Discard down to 5 tiles by the end of your turn.
Raven (6x) — Companion of Odin
You may place the Raven twice in the same turn, scoring points for each placement. Each placement must be unique. The Raven remains in the second placement.
Place the Raven the normal adjacent way or place it on top of another tile, following the same placement rules as the Dragon. You may cover up a Dragon, but not another Raven.
- When you bump (with Jotunn) a Raven, both the Raven and the tile underneath it are bumped.
- If a Skadi takes a Raven, any tile(s) underneath the Raven are discarded.
- If you boost the Raven using Freya, it has this boosted value in both its first and second placement.
- The second placement of the Raven is optional.
Niohoggr (5x) — Monster from the World of the Dead
When you score a line with one or more Niohoggr tiles in it, you score two extra bonus points per Niohoggr in the line.
- If you cover up a Niohoggr with a Dragon or Raven tile, you score the two extra points only if you score the line.
- If you kill a Niohoggr with a Hel tile, you get the extra 2 points.
- You still score two extra bonus points if Loki is next to a Niohoggr.
- If you place a Niohoggr and it scores a line, you get its 2 extra points.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) and Special Cases
Q1: When are the tile powers active? Is it only when placed initially or ongoing throughout the game?
A: The tile powers are active throughout the game. The Loki tile continues to make adjacent tiles worth zero. The Troll tile continues to block non-Troll tiles from being placed adjacent to it. Fenrir tiles continue to be worth the sum of the Fenrir tiles in the line. Therefore, a line with three Fenrir tiles in it would have a top value of 12, and placing an Odin (8) tile in that line would not be sufficient to win that line. If a line begins and ends with Valkyrie tiles, those Valkyrie tiles continue to dominate the line until they no longer bookend the line. For example, if a line has a Valkyrie, Odin, and Valkyrie, placing a Dragon tile on top of the Odin would not dominate the line since the Valkyrie tiles still bookend the line.
Q2: What happens if I place a Valkyrie tile next to a Loki tile? Does the special power of the Valkyrie still work?
A: Yes. If a line begins and ends with Valkyrie tiles, then the Valkyrie tiles automatically dominate all other tiles in the line. This bookending power of the Valkyrie still works even if one or both Valkyries are next to Loki tiles. However, the value of a Valkyrie tile next to a Loki tile is zero.
Q3: What happens if I place a Fenrir tile next to a Loki tile? What is the value of a Fenrir tile next to a Loki tile?
A: The value of a Fenrir tile is the sum of its face value plus the face value of all other Fenrir tiles in the line. However, if a Fenrir tile is placed next to a Loki tile, its face value is changed to zero. Therefore, when a Fenrir tile is placed next to a Loki tile, its value is simply the sum of all other Fenrir tiles in the line. Since this Fenrir tile only ties previously placed Fenrir tiles, this Fenrir tile does not dominate the line and does not score.
Q4: Does Sea Serpent score with Hel as only line end?
When laying Sea Serpent with the only other tile across a gap being Hel, does Sea Serpent score for the gaps in that row?
A: No. Once a Hel tile is played, it's considered a gap.
Q5: Does a Hel tile beside a Hel tile increase the score?
If you place a Hel tile beside another Hel tile, does the Hel tile already on the table increase the score you get for laying your Hel tile?
A: No, a Hel tile beside a Hel tile doesn't increase the score. Once a Hel tile is played, it's considered a gap.
Q6: Does Sea Serpent score a line bookended by Valkyries?
Can a Sea Serpent score a column in spite of the column containing a line where Valkyries are dominating?
A: The Sea Serpent would score if it has the highest value in the column. The Sea Serpent would not score if it were in between two Valkyries on a connected line — in that case, the Valkyries are the highest. However, if a Hel tile separates the Sea Serpent from the Valkyrie-bookended line, the Sea Serpent would score, since the power of the Valkyries only works on a connected line and the Hel tile starts new lines in all directions.
Q7: Can the special power of the Dwarf score the 2 bonus points of a Niohoggr?
A: The Dwarf does not get the extra points for the Niohoggr. The Niohoggr +2 points is only for scoring a line with a Niohoggr in it. The Dwarf does not score lines.
Q8: Does Raven take away booster tokens already in its first placement?
If Raven is first placed upon a boosted tile, will this booster token be removed from the game?
A: The Raven takes away the booster tokens during its first placement as well as during its second and final placement. However zero tokens remain on the tiles; the reason is because as long as Loki is adjacent to a tile, that tile's value remains zero.
Q9: Can Sea Serpent get the 2 bonus points from Niohoggr?
If the Sea Serpent is placed below Hel, does it get 4 or 6 points? (The line is separated via Hel.)
A: When the Sea Serpent scores, the scoring tiles are considered a "line", so yes, in this example the Sea Serpent would get the two extra points.
Q10: Does Skadi get the two extra points when placed on top of Niohoggr?
Imagine Skadi being placed on top of Niohoggr, scoring a line. Does Skadi get the 2 extra points from the Niohoggr like the Dragon would get them in this case?
A: Skadi is not placed on top of a tile. It swaps with another tile, so, no, it would not get the bonus 2 points.
The above questions and answers have been taken from the official FAQ or have been clarified with the designer of the game.
Variants and Implementation Notes
- Tile removal on capture: the tile that the Dragon, the Lightning Bolt, the Raven or the Hel tile is played upon doesn't stay in the area of played tiles but is placed on the discard pile. This has no effect on the game.
- Tiebreaker for a tied final score: the player who reached the highest score first wins the game.
- "No late Hel" variant: from a strategic point of view it makes sense to keep the Hel tiles until the game end is close. When there are no tiles left in the draw deck, every player will place his 5 hand tiles, giving him 5 remaining turns. If he has one or several Skadi tiles left, he will also have additional turns, but the placement of Skadi usually yields no or only a few points. However, if a player has kept his Hel tiles until the end, he will still have additional turns because he effectively has more remaining turns than five. Therefore usually all players will play their Hel tiles when the game end is close, which will make the interesting gap function of Hel irrelevant. For this reason it's recommended to use this variant, which only allows Hel tiles to be played as long as the draw deck still contains tiles: right after drawing the last tile from the draw deck, all remaining Hel tiles of all players are automatically removed from the game.