Raiders of Scythia, the spiritual successor to Raiders of the North Sea, is landing this year

Viking strategy board game Raiders of the North Sea is receiving a spiritual successor in the form of Raiders of Scythia.

Built on the core gameplay of Raiders of the North Sea, the upcoming board game sees you playing the ferocious horse-mounted Scythian raiders and adds a slew of new features on top of its spiritual predecessor.

According to publisher Garphill Games, some of these include variable player power, an improved rule set and more of a focus on engine-building. (Not sure what an engine-builder is? Check out our board game types explainer.

For up to four players, Raiders of Scythia sees you competing to raid the most settlements, take the best plunder and complete quests. The upcoming game can also be played as a solo board game.

Scythia was a region from classic antiquity based in central Asia. Initially a nomadic people, the Scythians dominated the Pontic steppe from around the 700 BC to 300. They are generally believed to be of Iranian origin.

In Raiders of Scythia, each of you will have to assemble a crew, train animals - the Scythians were known for their epic war-eagles - and gather provisions. Whoever has the most victory points at the end wins.

Raiders of the North Sea was set during the Viking age, and saw players assembling crews, collecting provisions and then heading north to plunder unsuspecting settlements. Victory points were earned predominantly by raiding settlements, getting plunder and making offerings to the mighty chieftain.

Raiders of the North Sea saw two expansions, and was part of the North Sea trilogy of games, including Shipwrights and Explorers of the North Sea. The series was later spun out into a tabletop RPG, along with an expansion that allowed all three titles to be played together in a campaign.

Raiders of Scythia is designed by Shem Phillips, who created the North Sea trilogy, plus its follow-up trilogy set in the West Kingdom - comprising Architects of the West Kingdom, Paladins of the West Kingdom and the upcoming Viscounts of the West Kingdom.

Raiders of Scythia will be headed straight to retail in late 2020.