Get your spells ready! Brendan Stern and Atlas Games are bringing not one, but two new expansions for Godsforge to Kickstarter! With the introduction of Godsforge: Return of the Dragon Gods and Godsforge: Twilight of the Great Houses, players can change the size of their games from 2-4 players to 1-6. Each of the expansions adds new mechanics to the game and can technically be played as standalone experiences as long as players have access to the base components, or even just some standard six-sided dice, a collection of proxy tokens, and a way to track life totals.

So, what is Godsforge? The background fluff states that Etherium, a once plentiful resource, has begun to dwindle. Players will take on the role of powerful spellcasters as they vie for control of the last known place to harness this powerful asset: the Godsforge. Each round a player will roll dice, attempting to create specific combinations that will allow them to play cards from their hand. These can be creations that enter the play space and continue to have effects as the game progresses or spells with powerful one-time effects. Action is often quick and bloody allowing for most games to complete in 20 minutes or less as each player’s initial health plummets and damage is dealt. Defenses can be built up, but a choice must be made each round. Each game can be drastically different than the last with tactics needing to be adjusted on the fly as the game goes on. The core game includes enough excitement to justify its inclusion in our collection, and we are very excited to introduce and recommend the new expansions to the game:

Return of the Dragon Gods

The Dragon Gods once ruled the skies. However, like many gods in history, their reign could not last forever. When they fell, they created the Etherium Forges that dot across the entire realm – including the Godsforge. They have not been seen for many years since the forges all went cold and dwindled in number. Until now. Dragon Gods such as Brontagus, Dragon of Artifice, and Zanthra, Dragon of Night, are waking and dominating the battlefield once more as they clash with the spellcasters for power.

With the Dragon Gods reestablishing themselves as a force to be reckoned with, this 55-card expansion naturally brings more dragon-themed creations and spells to the game. Players can now find Ironbelly Dragons, Frostwyrm Dragons, Crystal Hydras, Syphoning Serpents, and even Faerie Dragons among the new cards. Additionally, this deck focuses heavily on forge-themed inclusions such as anvils, hammers, a Mystic Smith, and more. New mechanics abound within these cards. Card synergy allows cards to work together for additional bonuses based on keywords such as “Golem” or “Dragon.” Upgradable cards have also been added to the game. To get the upgrades, players can add Veilstones to these cards during the upkeep phase. These upgrades do stack, making certain creations much more powerful.

Twilight of The Great Houses

This is not the first time battles have been fought over the Godsforge or the other Etherium Forges. Long before the flames went out, the Great Houses of the realm tussled amongst themselves for control. Presently, their skirmishes have escalated as only the Godsforge remains and the Etherium diminishes.

The Great Houses introduced in this expansion provide players with an ongoing effect that is unique to their specific House. These Houses will also help to guide players toward a particular playstyle determined by the House’s ability. For example, the House of the Spellweavers tends to push players away from playing most creations in the deck and focusing more on milling for spell cards. There are sixteen Great Houses in total to choose from. Though the House cards are double-sided, players may choose to share a card if they wish to. There are also rules that allow players to choose two Houses each and treat them as allied forces. Many of the cards in this 55-card expansion grant players life as a way to counteract the newly introduced mechanic, “Lose Life.” Any health lost due to “Lose Life” can not be reduced/blocked, making these life-giving cards crucial for survival. Another noticeable theme within this expansion is creation manipulation. Some cards prevent players from playing creations, hinder the damage done by creations, change ownership of creation cards, and more.

Final Thoughts

Godsforge has been on our list of favorites more or less since its initial release in 2019. The brutal, fast-paced, spell-slinging combat appealed to us and clicked immediately with our group. To say we had played the game to death may be an understatement, but these new expansions are a great way to breathe new life into it- regardless of using them with the base game or playing them on their own! Each expansion brings its own flavor to the mix and plays very differently from the others. For those looking for more of a defensive playstyle, Return of the Dragon Gods is a great expansion to get. Being able to buff one’s Creations through upgrades and/or card synergy, generate large quantities of Veilstones, and have more opportunities for life gain will help players survive against the more offensive-oriented playstyles. Twilight of the Great Houses, on the other hand, will, in our opinion, appeal more to players who utilize a more spell-heavy playstyle. When playing it independently, we found that there was a lot of balance between life gain and life loss to the point where neither of us could do enough damage to actually knock out the other opponent. Due to this, we highly recommend mixing the Twilight of the Great Houses expansion with either the base game or Return of the Dragon Gods. We will be excitedly waiting to add both of these expansions to our collection and can not wait to see what else the future holds for Godsforge!

All images of Atlas Games products were taken and edited by Krista unless otherwise stated. This review uses a combination of prototype PNP (Print-and-Play) and first-edition components.