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The Witcher: Old World is an epic prequel produced in partnership with CD Projekt Red

The board game is already one of the most successful Kickstarters of the year

Cover art for The Witcher: Old World shows a witcher, sword drawn, shadowed by a leshen. Image: Go On Board/CD Projekt Red
Charlie Hall is Polygon’s tabletop editor. In 10-plus years as a journalist & photographer, he has covered simulation, strategy, and spacefaring games, as well as public policy.

The crowdfunding campaign for The Witcher: Old World is going extremely well. With a little more than two weeks left in the Kickstarter campaign, developer and publisher Go On Board has already raised more than $3 million. That will almost surely rank it among the top 10 campaigns of the year. The success is not all that surprising, given the global popularity of the brand. What is impressive is how much energy CD Projekt Red is putting into the game.

The Witcher: Old World was announced in February. It’s a prequel to the modern video games. It uses a novel deck-building mechanic that mirrors the in-fiction training of monster hunters from multiple martial schools. Design is being handled by Łukasz Woźniak, with incredibly close support provided by the team at CD Projekt Red — including its own in-house board game designer, Rafał Jaki. In fact, the list of credits on the CD Projekt side of the house is much longer than the Go On Board side.

While the art and design of the game seem fairly well locked in, the video pitch for the campaign makes it sound as if things are still a bit up in the air. Fans are encouraged to join the community of backers with a goal of helping shape the final game.

Oddly, plastic miniatures of the game’s monsters — often the biggest draw on these types of crowdfunding campaigns — are only being offered with the deluxe version. That will set you back at least $153 plus shipping. That restriction applies to all stretch goals as well. Even though new monsters have been unlocked, and shown off in plastic, you won’t get those miniatures unless you back the project at the deluxe level.

Plastic Witcher miniatures (at a heroic 40 mm scale) will be included with the base game, which will set you back at least $86 plus shipping. Delivery is set for June 2022. The campaign runs through June 11.

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