What’s New? | Journal #1 | Monster Hunter World Iceborne: The Board Game
Gather ‘round, hunters, one and all!
New here? Welcome to the Fifth Fleet! Your adventure starts now.
Returning backer? Welcome, old friend! It’s good to see you again.
Whichever camp you land in, on May 18 this year, we’ll brave a frozen world together that’s ruled by MASSIVE monsters.
Who knows what lies in store?
It seems someone does. Someone who calls themselves ‘Lead Designer’ of Monster Hunter World Iceborne: The Board Game, and has been keeping a journal of all the threats you’ll face out there in the snow.
In the weeks to come, we’ll be sharing excerpts from that journal, so you can prepare to join the ultimate frozen hunt!
One thing’s for sure:
Even if you’ve joined us in the New World before, these monsters won’t be like anything you’ve seen before.
And remember, hunters: the more monsters you slay, the better the weapons you can craft, the bigger the monsters you can hunt!
Ready? Then let’s begin.
(P.S. Don’t miss the launch! Fire your Clutch Claw this way to get notified.)
What’s New in the Iceborne Board Game?
by Jamie Perkins, Lead Designer & Product Owner
As you’ve probably figured out, today’s journal entry gives a sneak peek at some of what’s new in the Iceborne board game.
Specifically, I’m talking about new gameplay mechanics. (The monster journals are coming soon and, boy, are you in for a ride!)
We’ll start with the basics:
In the video game, Iceborne is DLC for Monster Hunter: World. But in the world of tabletop, the Iceborne DLC package is so massive that it just had to be its own board game for us to do it justice.
So, Monster Hunter World Iceborne: The Board Game is not an expansion for Monster Hunter World: The Board Game.
Instead, Iceborne is a standalone board game that uses the core engine from the World board game with some cool Iceborne twists. (Pun intended.)
That means you don’t need to own World to play Iceborne. You can dive right into Iceborne and start your campaign at Hoarfrost Reach.
If that’s you — you’re new to the Monster Hunter board games, and will be starting with Iceborne — you can skip the next section and head straight to the juicy details.
(Or, if you’re feeling studious, we’d recommend checking out the Monster Hunter World journals so you can get down some of the basics: How Hunters Work, How Monsters Work, Upgrading Your Hunter, Arena Quests)
Cross-Compatibility
Those of you who do own World (or are thinking of getting it in the retail release later this year) are probably wondering about cross-compatibility.
The short answer is:
- World and Iceborne are compatible mechanically.
- You can take hunters or monsters from one game into the other in arena quests.
- The campaigns aren’t designed to be mixed for balance and onboarding reasons, but we’ll be working with the community and sharing advice on how you could do it.
- Any new mechanics we’ve introduced for Iceborne are intended to create a different, not better, experience. World is a great game in its own right, and one we’re very proud of.
For a more detailed answer, check out this thread. There will also be a live Q&A on Friday 21 April where you can ask any questions the thread doesn’t cover. (More details coming soon.)
Now, Did Someone Say ‘Juicy Details’?
Not only do we have a whole new roster of monsters to hunt, but we’re also bringing brand new game mechanics for you to sink your teeth into.
- New monsters specific to Iceborne, some of which will be revealed before launch
- New elder dragons
- All 14 hunter classes will return with brand new weapons, armour, and Iceborne-themed sculpts
- AND exclusive content for you to HUNT down and unlock during the campaign…
What else is new in Iceborne? Quite a lot, actually!
Clutch Claw
Of course the infamous Clutch Claw is in the board game!
But how does it work on the tabletop?
First off, whichever hunter you play with, the Clutch Claw will be in your base deck. So, you’ll have it right from the start of the game.
Once you’ve drawn it, there are a couple of ways you can use your Clutch Claw.
One less obvious way is to rapidly cross the game board by grapple hooking onto terrain. Ranged hunters, like the bow or bowguns, can use it this way to get a better angle for their next shot.
My melee-oriented friends will prefer the primary use of the Clutch Claw, though — grapple hooking their way straight to the monster so they can land heavy hits!
It’s like a zipline, only better, because there’s a giant monster waiting to crush you at the end.
And the best part?
Once you’ve Clutch Clawed your way to the monster, their armour will temporarily be lowered, so you can do maximum damage!
Monster Turf Wars
One monster is bad enough. So, when two monsters have a showdown and you get caught in the middle?
Hold on tight, because it’s going to get wild.
In Monster Hunter World Iceborne: The Board Game, some monsters are so aggressive that they’ll appear out of nowhere to battle you — and the monster you’re hunting.
To succeed (read: not get flattened), you’ll need to completely reevaluate the situation.
Do you turn your attention to the invading monster?
Do you try to ignore it and complete the quest?
Whatever you decide, you’d better do it quickly before your quest timer runs out!
That’s all for now, hunters, but we’ve got so much more to show you.
We’ve not even touched on enraged monsters, deep snow terrain, mantles, and new downtime activities for the Seliana headquarters.
And don’t get me started on all the new monsters we need to introduce you to…
…but we’ve got plenty of time for that. Your new adventure has just begun.
Stay frosty, hunters, and don’t forget to follow the Kickstarter now so you get notified when we launch on May 18!
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