
- BGG rank
- BGG #13,501
- BGG rating
- 8.7
Black Rose Wars: Revised Edition
- 1–4 players
- 90 min
- Complexity 2.5/5
- 2026

Rules assistance for Master of Wills: Waterborne Expansion Faction Deck
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

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Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Master of Wills: Waterborne Expansion Faction Deck is an expansion for Master of Wills released in 2021 for 2–4 players and 15–60 minutes per game. It was designed by Randy Van Gelder and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Area Movement, and Area Majority / Influence.
A group of nomadic sea travelers were forced to inhabit two islands in the cold and distant northern hemisphere centuries ago. These rugged people somehow survived the tidal apocalypse when a comet damaged the planet’s moon, however they did not escape the wrath of the comet completely. Dust-like particles from the comet penetrated the atmosphere affecting only their small area of the arctic world. It would be decades before the true nature of this unknown infectivity would be realized. On the island of Svalrland, the conditions of life were harsh. Living in a frozen tundra, in constant low light and darkness required a hardiness not known to most. But the contamination of the comet’s dust took form in strange and haunting ways in this environment. Children were disappearing, blood stains in the snow were consistently found and inhuman sounds could be heard almost every night. Things not seen before in this world had arrived. The truth was that some of the inhabitants had transformed into what many might describe as monsters. Some became ravenous and bloodthirsty, but most had a moderate level of control over both their appearance and habits. These people became the powers of their conclaves and once each recognized that they were not alone, they formed a more cohesive ideology. The other island was called Annarr and the conditions were not as harsh. There was a healthy population of animals and just enough warmth to have a limited food supply. People developed a strong bond with the animals living around them. At first it seemed innocent, like loving a family pet. However, many began experiencing a cerebral link to the beasts. All who formed a bond would experience a distinct variation of the connection. Sight, smell, sound, power and even thoughts could be found through these links. These people were seen by the collective as remarkable and they became tribal leaders, gaining influence through the relationship with the different species. As the resources on both islands became exhausted, leadership decided it was time to search for new lands. They took to the seas once more and in time arrived one foggy day at the shores of Novus. There was a particularly uninhabited area of harsh cliffs and rough terrain which these wanderers took for themselves. The leadership of both islands were aware that there was a potential darkness hiding amongst them, so they decided to use their skills and knowledge of the waters to disguise their true nature and power. They found Factions controlling the city and chose to join the ranks by declaring themselves a new Faction named Waterborne. The secrets of Waterborne are real. Their powers are stranger than fiction. Can they take advantage of these powers or will the other Factions discover how much of a threat they pose and align against them? Waterborne is coming and they will explore an entirely new mechanic to bring to the field of battle. —description from the publisher
Master of Wills: Waterborne Expansion Faction Deck supports 2–4 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Master of Wills: Waterborne Expansion Faction Deck is 15–60 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
Master of Wills: Waterborne Expansion Faction Deck belongs to these categories: Card Game and Expansion for Base-game. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Area Movement, and Area Majority / Influence. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Master of Wills: Waterborne Expansion Faction Deck are: Randy Van Gelder. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Master of Wills: Waterborne Expansion Faction Deck as an expansion for Master of Wills. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Master of Wills to use it. Check that your edition of Master of Wills is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.