Oathsworn Board Game Review
Oathsworn: Into the Deepwood combines campaign-driven storytelling with tactical boss battles in a dark fantasy setting. Designed by Jamie Jolly and published by Shadowborne Games in 2022, this ambitious debut title has earned recognition including the 2023 UK Games Expo Best Boardgame Award. The game supports 1-4 players, runs 30-90 minutes per session, and carries a 14+ age rating. This review examines whether the gameplay matches the impressive production quality.
Oathsworn: Into the Deepwood Overview
Players take on the role of Oathsworn fighters who have pledged to defend the realm from supernatural threats. The party investigates mysterious events in a local town, uncovering a storyline filled with twists and morally complex decisions.
Each chapter follows a consistent structure. An exploration phase presents narrative choices through a companion app or physical storybook. These choices lead to a climactic boss encounter where positioning, resource management, and tactical decisions determine survival.
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Designer | Jamie Jolly |
| Publisher | Shadowborne Games |
| Year Released | 2022 |
| Players | 1-4 |
| Age Range | 14+ |
| Playing Time | 30-90 minutes per chapter |
| Game Type | Campaign, Boss Battler, Cooperative |
| Complexity Rating | 3.69 / 5 |
What’s in the Oathsworn Box
The base game includes standees for heroes and enemies, a hex-grid battle board, character decks, dice in four colours, and an extensive storybook. The miniature edition adds sculpted figures with an innovative armory system. Weapons can be physically swapped between character models using a push-fit mechanism.
Component quality stands out as exceptional. The optional terrain pieces and oversized boss miniatures create impressive table presence. Even the standee edition maintains high production standards with thick cardboard and clear artwork.
| Component | Notes |
|---|---|
| Battle Board | Double-sided hex grid |
| Character Decks | Asymmetric abilities per hero |
| Combat Dice | White, yellow, red, and black sets |
| Storybook | Branching narrative passages |
| Mystery Boxes | Sealed boss encounters |
| Companion App | Optional with voice acting |
Oathsworn Pros and Cons
Pros
- Narrative features professional voice acting from James Cosmo and meaningful branching choices
- Each boss encounter feels unique with distinct attack patterns and weaknesses
- Combat offers strategic depth through positioning and the battleflow card system
- Companion mode simplifies multi-hero management for solo or smaller groups
- Production quality rivals premium releases from established publishers
- Dice and card combat resolution options let players choose their preferred randomness level
Cons
- Even lowest difficulty can punish players with unlucky draws or rolls
- High defense enemies can make powerful attack chains feel unrewarding
- Premium price point puts complete experience out of reach for budget-conscious buyers
- Combat complexity takes several sessions to fully grasp
How to Play Oathsworn: Into the Deepwood
Setup begins with selecting four heroes. Each player can control multiple characters, or unused slots become companions with simplified action cards. The exploration phase uses a time track where actions consume resources before triggering the boss encounter.
Exploration Phase
Players navigate narrative choices through the companion app or storybook. Visiting locations, investigating events, and making decisions all consume time. Moving too slowly triggers an enemy ambush. Finishing quickly provides bonus battle tokens for the upcoming fight.
Combat Phase
Heroes share a collective turn, spending Animus points to move and play action cards. The battleflow system organizes cards by power level from 0-3. Playing a card in one slot pushes existing cards down the track. Only cards reaching the zero position return to hand next round.
Attacks resolve through dice or cards. Players choose how many white dice to add for potential extra damage. Rolling two or more blanks causes a complete miss. Critical hits trigger additional dice rolls. Enemies take damage to specific body locations, each represented by a die that decreases as wounds accumulate.
Victory Conditions
Players win by reducing all enemy location dice to zero. Heroes have limited health and can fall quickly to focused attacks. The campaign spans approximately 20 chapters with persistent character progression between sessions.
Where to Buy Oathsworn: Into the Deepwood
| Retailer | Notes |
|---|---|
| Official Oathsworn Store | Direct from Shadowborne Games |
| Amazon | Various editions available |
| Noble Knight Games | New and used copies |
| BoardGameGeek Market | Second-hand listings |
Oathsworn Game Mechanics Explained
The battleflow system creates interesting hand management decisions. Powerful level-3 cards take three rounds to cycle back unless players spend battle tokens. This prevents spamming top abilities while encouraging varied play patterns.
Combat resolution offers genuine choice. Dice provide exciting variance with exploding criticals. Cards give strategic players more information about remaining outcomes. Groups can mix approaches, using cards for heroes and dice for enemies.
Boss AI operates through phased attack decks. Early phases feature manageable attacks. As players break body locations, the enemy escalates to devastating abilities. This creates natural tension curves within each encounter, similar to other campaign dungeon crawlers.
Who Should Play Oathsworn
Oathsworn rewards groups who enjoy narrative-driven campaigns with substantial combat. Solo players benefit from the companion system that reduces overhead when controlling multiple heroes. The game suits those who appreciate cooperative board games with meaningful story progression.
Players seeking light, quick experiences should look elsewhere. The complexity rating of 3.69 reflects genuine tactical depth. Sessions require table space for the battle board, character sheets, and card displays.
Fans of games like Gloomhaven or Kingdom Death: Monster will find familiar territory. Oathsworn distinguishes itself through stronger narrative integration and the optional dice-or-cards combat resolution.
FAQ
Is Oathsworn: Into the Deepwood good for beginners?
Oathsworn has a complexity rating of 3.69 out of 5, placing it in medium-heavy territory. The tutorial chapter teaches core mechanics gradually. New players should expect two or three sessions before combat flows smoothly. The companion system helps by simplifying multi-character management.
How long does an Oathsworn campaign take to complete?
The campaign contains roughly 20 chapters. Each chapter runs 30-90 minutes depending on exploration choices and combat length. A complete playthrough typically requires 40-60 hours across multiple sessions. Progress saves between sessions through persistent character sheets.
What is the best player count for Oathsworn?
Oathsworn plays well at all counts from 1-4. Solo players control multiple heroes using the streamlined companion mode. Two players each managing two characters provides good balance between control and complexity. Four players offer the most immersive experience with dedicated roles.
Do I need the companion app to play Oathsworn?
The companion app is optional. All content exists in the physical storybook. However, the app provides professional voice acting, tracks choices automatically, and eliminates page-flipping during exploration. Most players find it enhances the experience significantly without being required.
What games are similar to Oathsworn: Into the Deepwood?
Gloomhaven shares the campaign dungeon-crawler structure with tactical combat. Kingdom Death: Monster offers similar boss-battling intensity. Middara combines anime aesthetics with narrative campaigns. Tainted Grail emphasizes exploration and storytelling with lighter combat mechanics.
