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Rules assistance for Valda: Rise of the Giants
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–5 players
- 60–150 min
- 12+
- Complexity 2.3/5
Rules assistant for Valda: Rise of the Giants
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Valda: Rise of the Giants is an expansion for Valda released in 2022 for 2–5 players, 60–150 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Nathan Vermeulen and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Hand Management, and Take That.
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About the game
SUMMARY Valda: Rise of the Giants is a an expansion to Valda. As in the base game, it is a power-building strategy game where you as a viking warchief use divine powers, manage a village and resources, play powerful spells and build temples. You gather followers, fight off enemies and climb the steps to divinity. This expansion gives you the chance to discover the power of the Giants. 15 new cards for the base deck and 68 new Giant cards that offer you brand new powers with never before-seen graphics. A new powerful resource, 7 Giant powers, double sided action tokens and 5 new player boards complete this expansion. STORY All was peace and quiet in Asgard. The Gods continued being worshipped and led their easy immortal life. Until Hel, Queen of the Underworld wanted to broaden her empire. She seduces Surtur to form a powerful alliance. Thirsty for destruction Surtur calls his fellow brethren to reclaim their territory. After decades of hiding the Giants rise again. War is among us. HOW TO PLAY (AND WIN) In Valda: the Rise of the Giants, you now have a choice between Gods and Giants and their powers to use to your advantage. Now every player finishes 4 phases during their turn. The player starts with the Valda phase where he/she scavenge and explore the newly formed world by drafting and playing cards and actions. Building temples in the different God or Giant domains is an important way to gain divine abilities, and get access to more powerful spells. The attack phase is played similar to the base game. So every player can attack the player in turn once. In the follower phase you worship a God or Giant by building a temple in the specific God or Giant area. Resources (divine blood, gold, diamonds, runes), cards or (dice) eyes can be transferred into followers. In the last phase you roll dice to harvest rare resources for your tribe. The viking chieftan who has the most followers when the ship arrives in Asgard, is worthy enough to climb the world tree Yggdrasil and becomes a God! Oh.. and he/she also wins the game. —description from the publisher
Questions and answers
Valda: Rise of the Giants supports 2–5 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 Valda: Rise of the Giants is 60–150 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.
The catalogue lists Valda: Rise of the Giants for ages 12 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Valda: Rise of the Giants has a complexity rating of 2.3 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Valda: Rise of the Giants belongs to these categories: Fantasy, Territory Building, and Ancient. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Hand Management, and Take That. 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 Valda: Rise of the Giants are: Nathan Vermeulen. 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 Valda: Rise of the Giants as an expansion for Valda. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Valda to use it. Check that your edition of Valda is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.