Cthulhu Wars: Yig, the Father of Serpents (Great Old One Guide)

Who is Yig, the Father of Serpents, in Cthulhu Wars?

Yig is the Father of Serpents, a Great Old One from the Cthulhu Mythos who commands the Children of Yig, his serpent-people followers. In Cthulhu Wars, Yig is not a faction of his own. He's one of the neutral, independent Great Old Ones introduced in Great Old One Pack 1, an entity that any faction can recruit to its side during a game rather than a fifth player color you sit down and play.

That identity goes back to "The Curse of Yig," the Lovecraft-revised story by Zealia Bishop. Yig appears there as the snake-god of the central plains, devoted to his progeny and quick to curse anyone who harms them. Petersen Games translated that mythology into the entity's design: a god who rules through his children and his curse rather than raw physical dominance.

Because Yig is a neutral Great Old One, he sits on top of whatever faction you're already playing. He gives players who've run the base factions a new mid-game option and a strong mythological flavor. You can find him in the Cthulhu Wars collection at Petersen Games as part of Great Old One Pack 1.

What is Great Old One Pack 1, and where does Yig fit?

Great Old One Pack 1 is a $39.99 expansion that adds five colossal neutral Great Old Ones to Cthulhu Wars: Abhoth, Chaugnar Faugn, Cthugha, Mother Hydra, and Yig. Each comes with its own colossal figure, a unique spellbook, and game-changing abilities, and each one can be recruited by any faction in the game. That's the key distinction: these are shared entities available to whoever meets the cost, not a faction locked to a single player.

Mechanically, that makes Yig a strategic option rather than a strategic identity. When a Great Old One like Yig is on the table, every player is weighing whether to spend the resources to bring him in and unlock his spellbook. That "first come, first served" tension is a big part of what the Great Old One packs add to the game: a shared prize that reshapes each session depending on who reaches for it.

For anyone curious about the Mythos background, the H.P. Lovecraft Wiki has a solid overview of Yig's origins and appearances in the canon that feeds directly into how Petersen Games designed the entity.

What does Yig bring to the table?

A colossal figure, a unique spellbook, and abilities themed around serpents, transformation, and cursing enemies. Great Old One Pack 1 gives each of its five entities its own spellbook, so recruiting Yig isn't just dropping a big miniature on the board; it opens up a distinct set of abilities the recruiting player can lean into.

Yig's thematic association with cursing and transformation shapes how his abilities read on the table. He's less a bludgeon than a complication for the other players, an entity whose presence changes the calculus around your opponents' units and positioning. Exactly how much he swings a game depends on which faction recruits him and when.

Because he plugs into any faction, Yig is genuinely flexible. A player leaning on cultist economy uses him differently than one built around monster combat. That adaptability is part of why the Great Old One packs stay in rotation for experienced groups: the same entity plays differently depending on who's holding it.

How does Yig compare to the rest of Great Old One Pack 1?

Yig shares the pack with Abhoth, Chaugnar Faugn, Cthugha, and Mother Hydra. All five are neutral Great Old Ones with their own spellbooks, and all five are available to any faction on a first-come basis. Where they differ is theme and effect: Cthugha is fire and destruction, Abhoth is endless spawning, Mother Hydra ties to the deep-sea entities, Chaugnar Faugn brings its own menace, and Yig brings the serpent god's curse.

For the collector, that variety is the appeal. Great Old One Pack 1 isn't a single new strategy; it's five distinct entities, each with a colossal sculpt and a spellbook, that can drop into any game. Yig's serpent-people aesthetic is visually unlike anything in the tentacled core box, which makes him a standout on the shelf as much as on the table.

For a full breakdown of how the Great Old One packs and the faction lineup stack up, BoardGameGeek's Cthulhu Wars community has extensive player discussion, strategy threads, and content comparisons built up over years of play.

Is Yig a good pick for experienced Cthulhu Wars players?

Yes, and Great Old One Pack 1 as a whole is a natural next step once you know the base factions. Neutral Great Old Ones add a decision layer on top of the game you already understand: whether, when, and how to recruit a shared entity that your opponents also want. That's a read-the-table skill, which is why the packs land better with players who've already internalized the core loops.

Once you've put in the sessions, an entity like Yig becomes a satisfying tool to reach for. The serpent theme runs all the way through from the lore to the miniature, and the way he plugs into any faction gives experienced groups fresh angles on positions they've seen before. That kind of thematic unity is something Sandy Petersen has consistently built into Cthulhu Wars.

Collectors will also find the sculpt distinctive. Yig's serpentine design is ancient, scaled, and dangerous in a different register than the core box's tentacled horror.

What do you need to add Yig to your game?

You need the Cthulhu Wars base game first. The O4 Edition is the current version, and it gives you the four core factions, the Earth map, the full rules, and a complete competitive experience before you add a single expansion. Great Old One Pack 1, which contains Yig, is compatible with all Cthulhu Wars products and drops into that foundation.

Once the base game is on the table, adding Great Old One Pack 1 puts all five neutral Great Old Ones into the mix at once. There's no separate faction to learn, no new player color to slot in, just five colossal entities any player can recruit, each with a spellbook that can change how a session plays out.

If you're building a Cthulhu Wars collection and you want Yig on your table, start with the core game and add Great Old One Pack 1 once your group is comfortable with the base rules. Browse the complete Cthulhu Wars collection at Petersen Games to see what's currently in stock. In-stock orders process within 48 hours, and US shipping runs via USPS Ground Advantage (2-5 business days).