Oath is getting its first board game expansion - at some point

Oath: Chronicles of Empire and Exile, the latest release from Root designer Cole Wehrle, is getting its first expansion.

Announced via an update on the board game’s Kickstarter crowdfunding page, Wehrle confirmed that they were currently working on an expansion for Oath. Details about the expansion are yet to be revealed, with Wehrle noting that the upcoming board game release is currently in the “early stages of designing,” with the designer and the development team at Leder Games – the publisher responsible for releasing Oath – working other “projects” at the same time.

Published last year, Oath: Chronicles of Empire and Exile is a board game for one to six players that takes place in a medieval kingdom being vied over by rival leaders. At the beginning of the game, one player takes on the role of the chancellor – who is currently in charge – whilst the others are members of the court looking to assume power.

During the course of the game, players take turns to play cards and perform actions in different locations within the kingdom, potentially taking control of those areas in the process. Players can attempt to acquire power via military strength, espionage or through their cards, but must pull-off their victory before the end of the game in order to take control. At any point in the game, the chancellor can decide to exile a player from their court or choose to ally with anyone in order to maintain their rule.

In Matt’s review of Oath, he praised how the game “inspires stories among its players,” with each new playthrough beginning with a different set up – depending on what happened in the last game, as the outcome of each playthrough affects the start of the next – and inevitably resulting in a new ending. The result of every game of Oath will see players in new positions, such as the chancellor, and with a different set of cards in play.

Besides Oath and Root, Wehrle is also responsible for creating Pax Pamir: Second Edition – a board game about the history of Afghanistan – and John Company, another historical-themed board game. Alongside Oath, Leder Games has released the aforementioned Root, as well as the deckbuilding game Fort.

According to Wehrle, there won’t be any information on the Oath expansion for “several more months,” - but they promised that there are currently “exciting things in the works.”