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How to Play

Knarr

2-4 players 30-30 min 7.5 Board Game Geek Rating

Command a Viking band by recruiting crew members and exploring territories. Each turn, either add Vikings to activate matching abilities and gain resources, or venture to new destinations for trading opportunities. Success depends on strategic crew management and territorial expansion, as reaching valuable locations with the right Vikings increases your reputation and wealth.

Published 2023

Knarr

Get Ready

Setup the game with these step-by-step instructions before diving into your turn.

1
Prepare as two-player game
Set up the game as you would for a two-player game, including randomly selecting a starting player
2
Position opponent's hand
Place the opponent's hand face down and separate the cards as shown in the illustration
3
Create crew area
Arrange the opponent's crew area with cards face down as indicated in the setup diagram
4
Gather a six-sided die
You will need a six-sided die for the opponent's turns
5
Famous Warrior
The opponent starts with 3 reputation and gains 1 victory point every turn for increased difficulty
6
Legacy
If using artifacts, randomly draw one and place it in front of yourself; only you can use this artifact
7
Ruler
If using the Legacy rule above, the ruler starts with a random trade territory (ᚣ) from the deck and upgrades their trade

On Your Turn

What you can do during your turn.

1
Follow standard rules
The game progresses and ends according to normal rules
2
Check exploration first
On the opponent's turn, first check if the opponent can explore
3
Opponent explores influence only
The opponent only explores influence territories (ᛒ)
4
Check hire tokens
Remember to check the opponent's hire tokens when determining exploration ability
5
Select highest value destination
If the opponent can explore, they acquire the destination with the highest victory points they can afford
6
Break ties by rewards
If multiple cards have equal points, use this priority based on immediate rewards: (reputation → silver → influence → bracelets)
7
Spend hire tokens first
To pay for destination costs, the opponent spends hire tokens before burning Viking cards
8
Keep cards by priority
When burning Viking cards and having choices, the opponent keeps cards using the above priority order
9
Roll die if cannot explore
If the opponent cannot explore, they will hire instead; roll the six-sided die
10
Determine card by die result
Die result 1-2 selects first position, 3-4 selects second position, 5-6 selects third position
11
Play Viking card face up
The opponent plays the determined Viking card face up in their crew area and gains resources as normal
12
Recruit matching Viking
The opponent takes a Viking from the main board matching the color of the card they hired
13
Place new Viking face down
Put this new Viking face down in an empty space in the opponent's hand
14
Trade with 3 bracelets
If the opponent has 3 bracelets, they spend them for trade and gain their trade rewards
15
Final trade (⚓)
If it is the opponent's last turn, they spend remaining bracelets for trade even if they have fewer than 3

Winning

How to claim victory.

1
End game normally
The game ends according to standard end-game conditions
2
Compare final scores
Calculate victory points for both you and the opponent
3
Account for ongoing points
If using the Famous Warrior rule, remember the opponent gains 1 victory point each turn throughout the game
4
Highest score wins
The player with the most victory points wins the game

watch & Learn

Let the pros teach you with these top videos.

Como Jugar a Knarr

Como Jugar a Knarr

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Cómo jugar a Knarr - Devir

Cómo jugar a Knarr - Devir

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FULL rules

Looking for the full details? Grab the complete rulebook as a downloadable PDF.

PDF RULEBOOK

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