Hey, ‘Scapers! This article is here to give you a rundown of the King Black Dragon Expansion for the RuneScape Kingdoms board game, RuneScape Kingdoms: Shadow of Elvarg. 

In it, you’ll find answers on what the expansion adds to the game, including a useful new skill, terrifying boss, and infamous NPC…

Bob the Cat NPC

 Got your catspeak amulets handy? Hope so, because we’re taking a look at everyone’s favourite feline: Bob the Cat!

“Meow meow meow.” Or, if you’ve got the catspeak amulet, “Erm, hello? Can you understand me?”

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Bob, he’s a popular NPC from RuneScape and (before his untimely death) Old School RuneScape who wanders Gielinor with his girlfriend, Neite. With the widest wander radius in the game, this cat has been known to crop up all over the map — from Edgeville to Port Sarim, and even the Wise Old Man’s house.

No RuneScape board game collection would be complete without this enigmatic (and, let’s be honest, a bit sadistic) creature. Rumoured to be the reincarnation of an ancient hero, Robert the Strong, Bob has a reputation for mischief.

So, where does Bob come into the board game? You’ll find him waiting to help you dispatch ol’ KBD themselves… or so he says.

Bob’s Got a Job For You…

Considering Bob has boasted of being friends with the King Black Dragon in the past, you might find this a little suspicious. Still, given Bob isn’t the most loyal of creatures, he could always be using you to get one over on his former friend.

Plus, because the King Black Dragon Expansion is designed to follow on from the core box, you should be more than experienced in slaying dragons by the time you take on this campaign. Green ones, sure, but three-headed dragons probably aren’t that different.

And, as Bob says, you did such an impressive job of taking care of Elvarg, KBD will surely be a piece of cake… right?

But wait. Most of the board game campaigns are based on quests from the video games — Demon Slayer for Delrith, Dragon Slayer for Elvarg, and so on.

And as some of you may have realised, there isn’t a dedicated quest for King Black Dragon in either of the video games… which means the King Black Dragon campaign is brand new content for the board game!

So, we won’t spoil any more of the story here. Instead, let’s talk about how Bob can appear in the rest of your game. That’s right! Once you’ve got the King Black Dragon Expansion, you can add Bob into any of your other campaigns.

But why would you want a cat of questionable character to pop up in the rest of your game, you ask? Because Bob can be a handy ally when you’re on his good side, particularly given he has a habit of moving around…

A Helping Paw

If you happen to be in the same region as Bob, there are a few ways he can lend a helping paw:

There’s a price, of course! Before you can ask Bob for help, you’ll need to spend ingredients to load up his card with RS tokens first.

These tokens are a shared pool anyone in your group can use. So, if someone has a lot of eggs in one basket — literally — trading those in to place RS tokens on Bob’s card (‘Bob tokens’, if you will) could be a good way to go.

Once you’ve loaded Bob up with tokens, you can spend those to improve dice rolls and even change the course of your adventure!

How, you ask? When you travel to a region, you can choose to explore that region, which involves drawing a card from the exploration deck. Sometimes, you might not like what you find!

If you draw an exploration card you don’t like the sound of, spending a Bob token lets you discard and draw again. Think of it as Bob causing a distraction to get you out of a sticky situation.

Of course, for any of this to work, Bob needs to be nearby. Lucky for you, Bob’s famous for his wandering ways, and you can coax him in your direction by spending a token. If you’re feeling generous, you could even use your turn to load up his card with tokens and send him in the direction of a friend in need!

Bob’s usefulness doesn’t end there. As well as the general benefits of his presence, you’ll also need this charismatic creature to advance certain quests crucial to the King Black Dragon campaign.

Of course, the King Black Dragon Expansion isn’t ALL about the King Black Dragon. Bob’s a vain creature with his own trials and tribulations, so you’ll find Bob-centric side quests in the expansion box, too:

And that’s not all: Bob’s got loads of fun interactions with other well-known, well-loved NPCs. We’ll leave that to your imagination for now!

Scapin' on a Prayer

The King Black Dragon Expansion doesn’t just add a new NPC to your games, it also adds a whole new prayer skill!

That’s right. With this expansion, you get an all-new skill to max to 99. And that skill doesn’t just work in the expansion. It works in your entire board game!

So, what does prayer do? If you’ve played the video games, you’ll know it as a combat skill trained by burying bones and using altars. Here’s how we’ve translated that to the tabletop…

Prayer in the Board Game

Because it’s one of the expansion skills, prayer is a special skill that can help you in some interesting ways, but let’s start with the obvious: passing skill tests.

The higher your level, the more dice you roll, the more likely you are to pass. Pretty straightforward so far.

But skill tests aren’t the only reason to pray. Praying will also earn you prayer points, which you can spend on special abilities like adding extra dice to help you pass other skill tests!

The more skilled you are, the more points you’ll generate when you pray. So, let’s look at how you level up.

One way is to visit an altar and — you guessed it — pray. Simple, right?

Of course, there is another way, if you don’t mind getting your hands dirty. As long as you’ve got some fish or meat handy, you can actually pray anywhere on the map.

Why do you need fish or meat? So you can bury the bones, of course!

Whether you’re praying at an altar — or burying definitely-not-suspicious bones like any normal, self respecting adventurer — you’ll pray by taking a skill test, which will gain you prayer XP alongside your prayer points.

So, the more you pray, the more XP you’ll gain, the higher your prayer level will go, the more prayer points you’ll generate when you pray.

You can even choose to gain XP in prayer whenever you spend a prayer point to pass a skill test of a different kind. So, there are plenty of ways to level up!

Prayer in the King Black Dragon Expansion

Just like Bob the Cat (and most of the other NPC’s), the prayer skill has a special role to play in the expansion it comes in. You’ll find prayer is a key skill for at least one player to level up in, if you want to stand a chance of winning the King Black Dragon campaign!

Speaking of which…

Tale of the King Black Dragon

The King Black Dragon Expansion features a brand new quest storyline not seen in the video games. So, even experienced players will be in for some surprises!

For those of you who’ve managed to steer clear of him so far, the King Black Dragon is a fearsome three-headed beast with a habit of dealing death to misguided adventurers.

Burning, freezing, poisonous, and shocking — in both senses, probably — death. And the same is absolutely true in the board game.

Still, Bob the Cat thinks you’re more than capable of taking KBD down, and building your reputation as a fearless dragon slayer! So great is KBD’s hubris that he’s grown bored of unworthy challengers, Bob confides. Maybe you’re the one who’ll show him a real fight?

If so, you’ll need to be prepared. Because KBD doesn’t just breathe fire. This dragon has three heads, each one nastier than the last — and they all deal different attacks!

Not only that, but those attacks all inflict conditions; insidious, lingering effects that cause more damage and leave you increasingly vulnerable as the battle goes on…

• Fire burns fast and spreads, dealing a lot of damage in a short space of time
• Poison lingers, chipping away at your health
• Freeze slows you down, making you more vulnerable to KBD’s revenge
• Shock partially paralyzes you, reducing the number of dice you can roll in skill tests

Dealing with these conditions is key to defeating the powerful King Black Dragon.

But we won’t be sending you into battle unarmed! You’ll have the chance to equip yourselves with plenty of iconic equipment before you charge into the fray.

Here’s a sneak peek at what’s available…

Into the WIlderness - New Board Game Location!

As well as new side quests, enemies, weapons, equipment, and Bob the Cat, the King Black Dragon Expansion introduces a whole new area for you to explore in your game: the Wilderness!

A dangerous wasteland to the north east, the Wilderness is where you’ll find the King Black Dragon’s lair. You’ll also get the chance to roam the Wilderness in the earlier phase of your campaign (if you’re feeling brave)!

While you can be safe in the knowledge your group won’t engage in a little light PKing — it’s a co-op board game, after all — you aren’t totally in the clear.

In an area famous for PVP, there’s a good chance you might draw exploration cards representing encounters with other players who don’t have your best interests at heart…

Which means, of course, that the Wilderness also comes with a brand new exploration deck!

How to Get the King Black Dragon Expansion

If you’re ready to take your ‘scaping to the next level, the RuneScape Kingdoms: King Black Dragon expansion is available here, and you can also find it out in the wild at your local game store! Packed with new side quests, vault cards and events, the King Black Dragon expansion is sure to expand your RuneScape Kingdoms universe!

Got questions, comments, or photos to share? Then join the Steamforged Discord or RuneScape Kingdoms Facebook group to hang out with us and other RuneScape Kingdoms fans!

Please note that a copy of RuneScape Kingdoms: Shadow of Elvarg is required to use this expansion.