Discworld The Witches Board Game

Over the holiday weekend our family, ages 11 to 54, played this game several times and enjoyed it more each time. There is a learning curve and playing in cooperative mode made it even more interesting for all. You don't have to be a Pratchett expert to play but it does add to the game when you know the characters. I have not played the Discworld game yet but look forward to getting it now that I know how well the games are put together. This game is complicated enough to keep you interested and easy enough not to frustrate you. Well done!

I like this game, although not as much as Discworld: Ankh-Morpork. It's a very different sort of game though. It's like a lighter version of Arkham-Horror, which I love but is too complex for most of my friends who got frustrated with it. It plays much faster than Arkham Horror, and has a nice balance between cooperation and competitiveness. Some people have complained that the game can end very abruptly especially if a losing player realizes they can't win and tries to make everyone lose instead. While this is true, it's really no different than a losing player just getting up and leaving in any other game (also ruining the game for all involved). The game is very nice quality, from the art on the board and cards, and even nice attention to detail like including little baggies for all the cardboard pieces. I highly recommend it to people who are fans of the Discworld books. Pick it up now, because it's out of print and will likely get very expensive like Ankh-Morpork.

Originally posted on [...], a new idea everyday!Game-The WitchesProducer-MayFair GamesPrice- $50Set-Up/Play/Clean-Up- 2 HoursTL;DR- A fun, non-competitive, competitive game 87.5%Basics-Welcome to Discworld! Take the role of the younger witches of Lancre. Players take turns setting out random problems. Then players get to do two actions after moving. The actions are solving problems or having tea. When you want to solve a problem, you roll two dice. You can then play cards or run away. If you don't run away, you roll two more dice. If your total beats the number on the problem, you take the problem for its points. If you fail, you must move away and take a cackle token. Ones on the dice are cackles; cackles are tokens you take and when you can't take any you gain negative points. Instead of solving a problem after moving, players can have tea with other players at your space and remove cackle counters from everyone involved. There are two types of problems: minor and major. For every two minor problem's you solve, you increase your hand size by 1. For every two major problems you solve, you gain a permanent +1 to your dice pool. The game ends when all the problems are solved or until a situation where everybody loses occurs. If the problems are all solved, then the player with the most points wins.Mechanics-This came is competitive, but there is no fighting between players. This is an interesting experience. Someone wins, but you can't really hurt them at all. Everybody can lose if you don't work together, but you have to play smart to make sure that doesn't happen. I honestly enjoy the experience. You cheer other players on since if they don't win it gets worse for everybody. The simple mechanics of rolling four dice make turns go fast. Cards give you powers, bonus to your rolls, or movement abilities. The whole game works well together. 5/5Theme- The game does make the Lancre come alive. All the problems of the books show up here. Also, all the major locations from the books are here as well. Players get to be four of the different, junior witches with each one having different starting powers. The randomness of events does take a bit a way as the problems come up in strange combinations. That's not game ending, but it's something to note. 4.5/5Instructions- The instructions are not great. They get the point across, and there is a nice cheat sheet. But, the Board Game Geeks forums are full of questions that should have been answered in the instruction book. 3/5Execution- Tokens are nice quality cardboard. The board and cards all have beautiful artwork that looks like the artwork from the books. I liked what I saw when I opened the box. 5/5.Summary- If you like Arkham Horror and the Discworld novels, this is an instabuy. If you want a game with a winner, but no real losers, then this is a great game. It's fun to play a game with your family where you don't compete so much as just try to be the best. I love this game, my wife loves this game, and most likely you will love this game. 87.5%

We are a family that loves Terry Pratchett in all his incarnations of creativity. This is a fun family favorite, much less complicated than it initially appears with all its various cards and pieces and so forth. Good craftsmanship, attractive illustration, and fun for Pratchett fans. Game play is a bit simple for older players, but just right for mid- to young-ones. I like that it encourages team play while also having an element of independence/competition.

Our whole family LOVES this game. My husband introduced me and our kids to Terry Pratchett a couple years ago. He and I have read all of the witches books (among many others) and our girls have read the Tiffany Aching stories, so this board game was a natural fit for our family. We all enjoy it immensely. It’s complex enough to be interesting and exciting, but simple enough for our 6year old to be included- though he doesn’t quite grasp some of the strategic elements, he really enjoys the basic gameplay. This is our top requested game for family game night.