Will there be a tabletop game in the world of Witcher?

[BZ]

I just finished the "Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales" (a fantastic hybrid RPG/Card game in the world of witcher), and started to think about: Why isnt there any tabletop game in this world (yet)?
The books set up a big, rich universe with a fresh taste of eastern-european feel and fantastic characters. The Witcher games detailled it even more, then the Thronbreaker showed the world from another, more strategic angle. And there are even board games, a tv-show and a classical RPG too. So there is a detailled and very popular world with its distinct taste, a lot of different factions, characters and monsters (which is a very important trait for a tabletop game):
- Nilfgaard (with mass armies of heavily armoured soldiers)
- Nothern Kingdoms (with classical, european medieval armies)
- Toussaint (with a lot of knights)
- Mahakam (dwarfs)
- Skellige (viking-like kingdom)
- Ofir (arabic-like kingdom)
- Zerrikania (african-like kingdom)
- Scoia'tael (a partizan faction with non-humans, mostly elves)
- wizards, witchers, spies, kings, generals
- vampires, trolls, dragons (just to take some of the more or less intelligent ones, which could be possible used in armies)
In my opinion, everything is given to make a really good tabletop game (big battle game or small skirmish game alike). But why isnt there any?
Would be really interested in Your opinions!

[robh]

I don't think the Witcher IP has enough fans to justify the investment that would be needed to produce rules and a range of figures that large. It is nothing like as popular as Lord of the Rings but has a bigger (although less well developed) world.

[BZ]

I don't think the Witcher IP has enough fans to justify the investment that would be needed to produce rules and a range of figures that large. It is nothing like as popular as Lord of the Rings but has a bigger (although less well developed) world.

Songs of Ice and Fire has a miniature game, and I wouldnt think that the Witcher world had a much smaller fanbase (it may generally be smaller, but most of the SoIaF fans are coming from the tv-show, and most of the Witcher fans are coming from the computer-games, and I think that an average tv-viewer is much less interested in a miniature game than an average computer gamer).

[Stroezie]

There's a Witcher tabletop rpg.
https://rtalsoriangames.com/witcher-trpg/

Cheers,
Stroezie.

[BZ]

There's a Witcher tabletop rpg.
https://rtalsoriangames.com/witcher-trpg/

Cheers,
Stroezie.

Its a tabletop rpg. Im not into rpg, so I dont really know whats the difference between a tabletop rpg and pen and paper rpg (and why you couldnt play the last one with miniatures too), but they are definitely not mass battle or skirmish games.

[FramFramson]

I think that it just comes down to the fact that SoFaI is more about the clash of larger armies and nations, whereas in the world of the Witcher they're mostly backdrop for the adventures of small band of heroes fighting monsters.

At first you might think this would lend itself to a skirmish game, but it really only has two sides, and most everyone will only want to play one of them.

[manic _miner]

 Elder Scrolls game by Modiphius seems to be doing well and i would think it being along the same lines as The Witcher for setting background and History.

 Could make for a good game.Rangers of Shadow Deep might be a good rules set to use for it.

[BZ]

I think that it just comes down to the fact that SoFaI is more about the clash of larger armies and nations, whereas in the world of the Witcher they're mostly backdrop for the adventures of small band of heroes fighting monsters.

At first you might think this would lend itself to a skirmish game, but it really only has two sides, and most everyone will only want to play one of them.

I agree, but only partially. Because SoIaF is also much more about diplomatical manipulation and the character stories, than about the actual war. In the books are battle-scenes very rare, and even in the series arent that much. But yes, more than in the Witcher (except Thronebreaker, because its clearly about the war).
Still, this world is at war, and its not Nilfgaard against everybody else. There are occupied/collaborating, and more or less neutral countries and factions, and there are fractures and tension between the nothern kingdoms. And the complete world is very much grey (like in SoIaF), and not black and white (like in LotR). I dont think, that everybody would wanted to play with only one side.

Elder Scrolls game by Modiphius seems to be doing well and i would think it being along the same lines as The Witcher for setting background and History.

 Could make for a good game.Rangers of Shadow Deep might be a good rules set to use for it.

Elder Scrolls is a great example! I bet, that its not as popular, as the Witcher world (maybe in computer-games only, but not overall), it has really only two sides (as I know, but I never played any of them), and still, it has a tabletop game.
Yes, you could home brew rules for it in many systems (for mass battle and for skirmish too), but this is something, you could do to anything. It would deserve an own game (in my opinion).

[FramFramson]

And the complete world is very much grey (like in SoIaF), and not black and white (like in LotR). I dont think, that everybody would wanted to play with only one side.

If we're talking about nation vs nation, I agree, but I was speaking about a potential small-scale skirmish game, which would invariably Witchers vs. monsters, and if anything would be more of a hunt than a skirmish. That sort of thing is more suited to a system built for solo play, as even with players willing to play the monsters, you still severely lack for variety of forces.

[robh]

..... a potential small-scale skirmish game, which would invariably Witchers vs. monsters, and if anything would be more of a hunt than a skirmish.

At skirmish battle level there would be much more scope for gaming if you stick to the wars that are happening in the background, (the bits without Geralt, Yen or Ciri and other characters present) but that kind of defeats the point.
There have been several Witcher projects on here over the past 5 or 6 years, sadly I don't remember any of them going much beyond ideas and first few converted/kit-bashed figures. Maybe they are on personal blogs now but not seen anything on them for a while.

As for a hunt, that may well be an option, something like a version of Tusk perhaps.

[beefcake]

It doesn't necessarily need to be a monster "hunt". I've not read the books and played the game only a bit but in the tv show there was quite a cool monsters vs witcher battle in the hall of Kaer Morhen. Multiple witchers vs multiple monsters.
The witchers could all have different abilities and the varied monsters could make each battle quite different.
I think Rangers of Shadowdeep would suit this very well though.

[Sarmor]

At skirmish battle level there would be much more scope for gaming if you stick to the wars that are happening in the background, (the bits without Geralt, Yen or Ciri and other characters present) but that kind of defeats the point.

That's the main problem with a Witcher-based battle game (i.e. larger in scale than a monster hunt or a small skirmish with 5-10 minis per side) - it shouldn't really feature witchers, since they were just hired monster slayers. Geralt was dragged into a political plot because of the Law of Surprise, and - as robh pointed out - the main characters of the book don't really take part in the big battles (IIRC they do fight in one, but get involved by accident).
And the game would feature mostly human armies, with some wizards and occasional dwarven mercenaries or elven & dwarven guerrillas. To be true to the books and games, there should be no monsters in any army, maybe apart from some summoned demons or a dragon (but these are featured in the games only).
I'm aware that ASOIAF is a fantasy game with almost no fantasy creatures, but it does feature the characters from the book supporting the armies.

[Kourtchatovium104]

Maybe, for a skirmish game, it would be interesting to convert some roman gladiators rules to introduce something like tiredness?

[Sunjester]

I think the simple answer is "probably not" and it there was it would not do what most people want of it (as the answers in this thread show, most people want different things. We tabletop gamers are an awkward bunch!).

No reason not to game in the Witcher World however, just pick the rule set that best suits how you want to play (single figure skirmish, small unit skirmish, mass battle or whatever).

[dadlamassu]

No reason not to game in the Witcher World however, just pick the rule set that best suits how you want to play (single figure skirmish, small unit skirmish, mass battle or whatever).

And, of course, posting AARs and your proxy figures...