The Gods War

Designed by Sandy Petersen and set in the mythic world of Glorantha, The Gods War is a fast moving multiplayer strategy game set in a universe on the brink of disaster.  In The Gods War, you take the part of powerful elemental forces, battling to determine the fate of the cosmos.  The Gods War was in development for more than three years and is tightly balanced.  It is highly asymmetric featuring wildly different factions.  Fight over territory, perform miracles, and command monsters and gods.  Storm the gates of heaven itself or watch the world collapse into the Chaos Rift.

Unique Asymmetric Gameplay

The tightly-balanced empires play extremely differently. Each seeks to complete its own heroquests while simultaneously establishing itself in the world and gathering runes of power. One of its many unusual facets is that when constructing buildings, you must choose whether you wish breadth: many, but inexpensive, buildings; or if you seek depth: fewer, but more powerful buildings. The former provides more Victory points, the latter more Power which you can use to summon your faction’s units, to move, to fight, and to place more buildings. Each empire also has a plethora of unique abilities and no two empires share a single unit type - every single player will have his or her unique miniatures that operate differently than other players!

Game Info


Game Stats


Game Design

Sandy Petersen


Art Director:

Rich Fleider


Want to learn more about Glorantha?

Glorantha was first discovered by Greg Stafford in 1966. It has spawned board games, role-playing games, and video games.  You can find out more HERE.

The Gods War takes place during the creation (and potential destruction!) of the universe.  To learn more about this specific place in Gloranthan myth, you can download the Mythic Lore Summary here!

The Gods War Expansions

The Empires Expansion

Add four new empires to your game of The Gods War, including Earth, Moon, Sea, and the Invisible God.  They are just as bizarre and asymmetrical as those in the original core game.  You can mix and match the core game's empires with these new ones, and even expand your game up to eight players at a time!  Also includes a new 6-8 player map, and all needed tokens and figures.

Elder Races Expansion

Add twelve amazing Elder Races to your game of The Gods War.  These can be recruited via diplomacy and then add their weird abilities and even mythic Gifts to your empire.  Includes the Dragonewts, Dwarfs, Vadeli Raiders, Elves, Giants, Waertagi Dragonships, Ducks, Boggles, Maidstone Archers, Slarge reptile folk, Luathan Demigods, and the Scorpion Folk, all with figures, loyalty cards and everything needed.

The Monsters Expansion

There are three Monsters expansions for The Gods War.  Each adds three enormous, frightening monsters: the Dragons, Chaos Monsters, and Cosmic Monsters.  All three types change the game in dramatic ways, representing powerful cosmic forces of the universe!

Game Info


Game Stats


Game Design

Sandy Petersen


Art Director:

Rich Fleider


Game Info


Game Stats


Game Design

Sandy Petersen


Art Director:

Rich Fleider


Awards

Reviews

GreyWizardGaming

VIDEO REVIEW

"Super fun game!"

- Richard Mathis, GreyWizardGaming

Hobby Games

WRITTEN REVIEW

"Glorantha: The Gods War sees hobby legend Sandy Petersen at the height of his very considerable design skills. The beautifully sculpted minis will draw you in; the rich strategy and strong replayability will keep you coming back. Player knowledge of the grand setting of Glorantha is strictly optional, but The Gods War does such a fine job capturing Glorantha's spirit that newcomers will find it a perfect gateway to that legendary world."

—James Lowder, editor Hobby Games: The 100 Best

Chaosium

WRITTEN REVIEW

"Gods War is the most fun and exciting fantasy board game I've ever played. It is also a fantastic romp through the fantasy mythology of Glorantha, where you get to play the gods themselves as they battle it out in the Gods War. Greg Stafford and I were very proud of Sandy Petersen's Gods War I, and Gods War II is even better."

Jeff Richard, Creative Director, Chaosium, and lead designer RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha.

Nerdly

WRITTEN REVIEW

"A superb and hugely exciting addition to any collection"

Matthew Smail, nerdly.co.uk

Read The Full Review on Nerdly

Boardgame Geek

WRITTEN REVIEW

"To my mind it is a superb game, perhaps a little better than CW, and you should pick it up in the The Gods War 2 Kickstarter later this year if you can possibly afford it. Start saving now." 

-Christian Jensen Romer, boardgamegeek.com

Read The Full Review on BGG

Board Game Quest

WRITTEN REVIEW

“If you love area control games that focus on war and use asymmetrical factions, then Glorantha: The Gods War will be a perfect fit. The unique map elements and the Council Phase bring a welcomed amount of negotiation and discussion that you will not find in games like Cthulhu Wars.”

-Brian Winters, boardgamequest.com

Read The Full Review on Board Game Quest

Gamers Alliance

WRITTEN REVIEW

My evaluation of The Gods War is largely positive.  This is a rowdy conflict game.  Each faction has unique units who operate in unexpected ways.  Each game I have played has had an exploration element to it...the specialties of the factions...will provide many more hours of exploration for my game group....My final assessment is that Glorantha: The Gods War succeeds in delivering a fun and interesting combat game. Theming is rich, the game space vibrant and I will enjoy it for years to come.  I heartily recommend this game for players who enjoy such games...

-Kevin Whitmore, gamersalliance.com

This review was originally published in the Fall 2019 issue of Gamers Alliance Report.  Visit their website at www.gamersalliance.com

READ THE FULL REVIEW

Gamerati Game Day Testimonials

VIDEO REVIEW

We showed Glorantha: The Gods War to a number of fellow game designers at the July 2016 Gamerati Game Day in Tacoma, WA. Here's what they had to say... Produced by The Gamerati

Mythic Games

WRITTEN REVIEW

The Gods War, how good it is to be a God of Glorantha!

This afternoon we had the chance to welcome the excellent Pit De Cazernal, who came to our office to give us a demo of Sandy Petersen's Glorantha: The Gods War...We instantly backed this game during the Kickstarter campaign, and I was eager to try it...not only do I appreciate the excellent asymmetrical mechanics of Cthulhu Wars, but I am also a huge fan of the mythical world of Glorantha, one of the most complete and original fictional universe ever created in my eyes...the result exceeds my expectations. It's really a fantastic game I played, and it's interesting to say that my colleagues, who did not know Glorantha at all, loved it too......

-Leonidas Vesperini, mythicgames.net/en

Read The Full Review on Facebook

Boardgame Geek

WRITTEN REVIEW

"Best Asymmetrical Area Control Game in the World Today"

Compared with Chulhu Wars, The Gods War is much more strategic, and luck is reduced. Geographically, the gods wars are significantly more strategic than Cthulhu Wars, and some areas have their own rules...This game balance is very high, you can catch up from behind, even ahead of the opponent, because the game's income and scores are separated...After five games, the game was too crazy, too exciting, with more euro/calculation and I wanted to keep playing. It greatly exceeded the original expectations and surpassed Cthulhu Wars...this game is very exciting...If you are looking for an Asymmetrical area control game, this game is a "must buy." I think this game maybe the best Asymmetrical area control game in the world today.

Read The Full Review on BGG

Game Info


Game Stats


Game Design

Sandy Petersen


Art Director:

Rich Fleider


The Gods War News

Game Night Is Still On March 23, 2020
The Gods War February 26, 2020
A Song for Gods February 17, 2020
The Art of Gods War (Video) February 13, 2020
Four Special Reveals February 8, 2020
The Lore of Glorantha February 6, 2020
Hobby Games: The 100 Best February 4, 2020
Praise for The Gods War February 4, 2020
The Lore of Glorantha January 28, 2020
Praise for The Gods War January 25, 2020
Lore of the Sea January 21, 2020
Live Now on Kickstarter! January 20, 2020
New TGW Turntables Complete January 18, 2020
More Lore: The Skydome January 12, 2020
The Lore of Glorantha January 10, 2020
The Lore of Glorantha January 4, 2020
Lore From Glorantha December 29, 2019

Game Info


Game Stats


Game Design

Sandy Petersen


Art Director:

Rich Fleider


General Downloads

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The Gods War Mythic Lore 2.14 MB 1221 downloads

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The Gods War Quickstart Rules 11.87 MB 1011 downloads

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The Gods War Rulebook (English) 117.95 MB 4904 downloads

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    Game Info


    Game Stats


    Game Design

    Sandy Petersen


    Art Director:

    Rich Fleider