To celebrate the launch of Netflix’s The Witcher TV series, I’m reviewing R. Talsorian Games’ Lords and Lands: a Witcher TRPG Expansion. Why not review the Witcher RPG core rulebook? Because I did a brief review of their Free RPG Day quickstarter offering, Witcher: Easy-Mode, on EN World (here) and d20 Radio’s own Linda Whitson did a deeper dive into the book here. But, if you’re looking for the full rules, on EN World you can read Richard Jansen-Parkes’ review of the core rulebook here. Because the system is well-reviewed and, while that’s not a bad thing, it does take the spotlight, so I thought I’d break new ground and look at this package of GM essentials offering a new race, profession, and a nice batch of extras.
WHAT IS THE WITCHER?
This is a courtesy pass of the core concept as I imagine you wouldn’t be reading a review of the TRPG expansion if the property was not already on your radar.
The Witcher is a Polish fantasy series by author Andrzej Sapkowski, a series of video games developed by CD Projekt Red, a Polish movie and TV series, the aforementioned English-language series from Netflix, and, of course, a tabletop RPG from R. Talsorian Games. The RPG is based more on the video games than the novels (while the Netflix series harkens back to the novels for inspiration). The story follows Geralt of Rivia, a type of monster hunter known as a “Witcher.”
In the RPG, your characters exist during the time that Geralt lived, the 3rd Nilfgaardian War. That world is ready-made for RPG adventures as, generally speaking, Witchers are professional monster hunters who are both needed and reviled. You’ll be able to take contracts hunting monsters, yet never stay in one place for too long.
Let me toss in this note, R. Talsorian Games’ Witcher RPG is the second time this property has been transformed into a tabletop RPG. The first occurred in 2001 when MAG published Wiedźmin: Gra Wyobraźni (The Witcher: A Game of Imagination).
WHAT ENGINE DOES THE WITCHER RPG USE?
For this game, R. Talsorian Games uses a variation of their Cyberpunk system. If you know Cyberpunk 2020, this will be familiar. All Skill Checks are 1d10 + the appropriate Skill and other modifiers against a Target Number (unless it’s an opposed roll). Combat is the same but offers more variety of attacks and defenses. It’s been around in one form or another for decades and, as such, is a deadly system, making it perfect for The Witcher universe.
WHAT IS LORDS AND LANDS: A WITCHER TRPG EXPANSION?
L&L is a four panel GM screen and a 16-page booklet offering NPCs, a new race, a new profession, weapons, and more. Using this expansion, the number of player races moves from four to five and the number of classes goes from nine to ten.
Because the Witcher RPG uses an old-school RPG engine, NPCs are more time-consuming to produce than they would be with a modern system. To help alleviate that challenge, the L&L booklet shares a variety of baseline NPC professions/stats. These NPCs are not specific characters, but the backbone for you to build characters atop of. Need an artisan, criminal, entertainer, laborer, merchant, or scholar? This book offers you their Attributes, Skills, Weapons, Inventory, and more. You only need to add a name and personality.
For players, if they want to play a halfling, a Pherian in The Witcher, this book is a necessity. It includes the race-specific Perks and notes for your PCs.
Did you want your PC to be a Noble? This booklet includes the rules for that Profession including their Notoriety and Skill Tree. What would a Noble be without an estate? Poor. They’d be poor, Kyle. L&L includes rules for your Noble character’s estate with options to expand it based on their Skill level, not simply their income. These expansions are worthwhile as, for instance, building a barracks adds guards for the Noble to command while spending your ranks on a personal physician offers healing to your PC and allies.
R. Talsorian has a free PDF with the basic items that are for sale via Rodolf’s Wagon (an example store in the game). In L&L, the wagon’s contents go from basic to premium. This includes weapons with stats like a flail or mancatcher, alchemical items from poisons to healing potions, and general gear like the all-important plague mask.
The GM screen is four panels of charts with small bits of art on the GM side. As I mentioned with the NPCs, this is an old school system and having information at your fingertips is critical in moving your gaming sessions forward. The tables and rules are useful and, in my estimation, a collection no GM would want to forego for a game of the Witcher RPG. Here’s a full list and, if you’ve read the core rulebook, you’ll see the value in putting these in a single location:
Social Standings, Bonus Melee Damage & Unarmed, Weapon Effects, Effect Table, Actions, Extra Attacks & Defense, Difficulty Checks, Example Modifiers, Light Level Modifiers, Ranges & Target DC, Human Damage Location, Common Cover Table, Falling, Critical Wounds Table, Death Saves, Stabilization, Stabilizing Criticals, Healing Over Time, Healing Critical Wounds, Healing Hands or Healing Spells, Vigor, Magic Fumble Table, Elemental Fumble Table, Learning Magic, Fixing Broken Weapons & Armor, Encounters, Curses: Penance & Suffering, I.P. Rewards, Currency, Selling Goods, Lodging, Food & Drink, and Services
The art on the player’s side of the screen features fourteen beautiful images of characters from the Witcher universe. It’s a well-arranged collection of pictures that evoke the world in total.
SHOULD YOU BUY LORDS AND LANDS?
This comes down to how dedicated you are to playing a longform Witcher tale. If you’re planning to run a Witcher campaign, something where you’re going to want to offer all of the options possible to your players as well as simulate kinetic combat like the novels, video games, and TV series, you will want this booklet of extras and the GM screen. They will improve the game for the players and increase the speed by which you can judicate actions. For my Witcher RPG games, I would not want to play them without the Lords & Lands Expansion.
If you have not tried the tabletop RPG but you liked The Witcher on Netflix and want to give the game a shot, take Linda Whitson’s advice and try out the free Witcher: Easy-Mode on DriveThruRPG. If you’re ready, then dive in and try all of R. Talsorian Games’ The Witcher products, including the core rulebook, on DriveThruRPG or check out R. Talsorian Games’ website for more information.
NOTE: This article includes affiliate links to DriveThruRPG. As a DriveThruRPG Affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases.
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