Brotherwise Games, the exclusive publisher of tabletop adaptations from Brandon Sanderson's interconnected Cosmere universe, is preparing to launch War for Roshar, billed as the most ambitious board game the studio has created to date. The game will arrive via Kickstarter later this year, bringing Stormlight Archive fans their first major strategic war experience set on the storm-wracked world of Roshar.
The game places players in command of either the Coalition or the forces of Odium, with each side fielding two leaders from the books. Coalition players choose from Kaladin, Dalinar, Jasnah, or Shallan, while Odium's commanders include Taravangian, Nale, Leshwi, and Raboniel. Each leader brings distinct abilities and upgrade paths tied to the Stormlight Archive's magic system, allowing characters like Kaladin to gain flight capabilities or Dalinar to replenish allies' Stormlight reserves.
War for Roshar strips away randomness entirely. Combat resolves through pure force calculation, with optional trick plays available through battle cards, but no dice determine outcomes. Players manage two core resources: the cards in their hand and Stormlight, the magical energy needed to deploy stronger units and unlock leader abilities. Victory comes either by crossing a moving threshold or accumulating the most points across eight rounds.
The design avoids traditional "dudes on a map" warfare. Neutral factions present constant obstacles, attacking both player forces indiscriminately and potentially pouncing on the survivors of battles between major powers. Territory control and diplomatic positioning matter as much as direct military engagement. The game's most novel mechanic centers on Oathgates, mystical waypoints that serve as victory point generators. Both sides assign tokens to gates at the start of each round, deciding whether to lock down their own strongholds or cripple opponent positions. A gate might be worth 0, 1, 2, or 3 points depending on the token assigned, creating a miniature strategy game within every round's point calculations.
Players recruit units through a mustering system tied to regional tiles, which also grant bonuses like Stormlight recovery or stronger Radiant units. Symbol-heavy gameplay creates a learning curve, though design leads at Brotherwise confirmed components remain under refinement. The prototype displayed a blend of finished artwork and placeholder sketches, all visually grounded in the established Cosmere aesthetic.
More than 30 artists contributed to the 100-plus card deck and detailed plastic miniatures, with Brandon Sanderson's team approving all artwork as canonical to the Stormlight universe. The core gameplay loop proved intuitive within a few rounds, though mastering the full tactical depth requires extended play. The Oathgate system stands out as a particularly elegant solution to preventing blowout games, functioning as what designer John Clair called a "mercy mechanism" that tightens the victory margin as rounds progress.
Brotherwise Games previously published Mistborn: Deck Building Game, Shards of Creation, and a growing tabletop role-playing system across the Cosmere. War for Roshar represents the studio's most elaborate board game offering and delivers a war game designed first and foremost for Sanderson readers seeking deep strategic play rooted in their favorite fictional universe.
Author Emily Chen: "War for Roshar actually plays like a proper war game, not a theme park ride wearing military aesthetics."
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