[We have a full review of Conquest of Nerath here! Click to check it out!]

Last year Wizards of the Coast decided to take the Dungeons and Dragons to the board game world with Castle Ravenloft which was then followed up with Wrath of Ashardalon. Both games took the 4th edition rules as a jumping off point and stripped out a lot of the rules and left us with a system where the board would run the game and you didn’t need to have a DM. What was left was an engaging dungeon crawl and an excellent way to first introduce people to the concept of combat in DnD.

For their next board game they seem to be going in a wholly different direction, allowing you to command armies and conquer wast territories of land in the more tactically minded “Conquest of Nerath.”

From Wizard’s press release:

In this thrilling new game, players gather armies of footsoldiers and siege engines, monsters, and dragons in an effort to protect the fate of the fragile League of Nerath against the undead. Four great powers struggle for survival in a war of worlds that spans the snowy expanse of the Winterbole Forest and the sun-warmed coasts of ancient Vailin. In the North, the undead legions of the Dark Empire of Karkoth march against the weakening League of Nerath. To the south, the infernal Iron Circle launches its own goblin hordes in a campaign of conquest against the elves and corsairs of Vailin. Players must choose their sides, pickup their weapons, and fight for their destiny.

Conquest of Nerath also includes a variety of tools and accessories that work together to set the stage for the ultimate battle, creating an intense gaming experience for anyone who plays.

I for one am super excited to command large armies like that in a the DnD world. It will serve to scratch both my fantasy world itch and my wargaming one. And seriously, who doesn’t like the idea of siege weaponry?

It’s nice to see Wizards of the Coast branch out further into the realm of board games especially in such a different direction. We were big fans of Castle Ravenloft here but it’s always more fun to play wildly different games than just variations of the same theme.

The game will be hitting store shelves, both physically and virtually, on June 21st. It MSRP’s for $80 but comes with a ton of stuff (like 250+ minis) so it’s a justified price. We’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for this one and you can expect a full review in the future!