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The Witcher Adventure Game isn’t an adventure game, but a digital board game

The Witcher Adventure Game pulls in four key characters from the series.

The headline news of CD Projekt’s pre-E3 show yesterday was either The Witcher 3 release date or maybe the ambitious new GOG client, Galaxy. But overnight the swirling morass of information has settled, and an intriguing new prospect has risen to the top: The Witcher Adventure Game.

Developed by CD Projekt RED and designed by respected man of board games Ignacy Trzewiczek, it’s a turn-based affair with “simple rules and intuitive mechanics” which takes a huge chunk of The Witcher’s unnamed Continent as its domain.

Born of a physical product due to be published by board gaming bigwigs Fantasy Flight, The Witcher Adventure Game incorporates key cast members from the series proper – namely monster slayer Geralt, roguish bard Dandelion, plot-hingy sorceress Triss Merigold and dwarf warrior Yarpen Zigrin. Each will have their own skillsets in intimidation, bribery, guile or magic to draw upon.

One by one, these characters will tackle monster hunting missions and mystery solving quests, earning gold and interacting with the people they meet. A big box of quest cards mean a different story every time the game is played. Cards will be drawn, dice will be rolled, and the player heroes will grow in strength throughout the game.

Each character has their own deck of development cards, and CD Projekt expect players will experiment with different builds.

Players can offer each other a certain amount of assistance, but this is not a cooperative experience – eventually, a single winner will be determined. A “versatile” decision-making mechanic means there’ll be plenty of scope for deception.

Trzewiczek is a known name in board games, having put together Stronghold, 51st State and Robinson Crusoe: Adventure on the Cursed Island.

The Witcher Adventure Game is headed for PC and Mac, but also for iOS and Android tablets – which might give you an idea about the pace and hardware behind the thing.

Get your email address to the new Galaxy site for a chance at a spot in the imminent closed multiplayer beta. Do you think this one’s for you?