Munchkin maker revives classic board game Revolution! in the world of Pathfinder RPG
Viva la revolución, Korvosa!
Well-loved strategy board game Revolutions! will see the light of day once more thanks to a crossover with the popular fantasy RPG Pathfinder. The aptly named Pathfinder Revolution, which combines elements from the original and its expansions, will be brought to retail by Munchkin maker Steve Jackson Games.
Steve Jackson launched a Kickstarter campaign in 2022 to port the 2009 board game over to RPG publisher Paizo’s fantastical realm of Golarion, but it failed to garner enough funds to hit their goal. Despite that apparent setback, Pathfinder Revolution will hit retail shelves later this month thanks to the company’s distribution wing - Warehouse 23.
The original Revolution! was designed by Phillip duBarry (also known for WWII cooperative board game Black Orchestra), and much of the original rules and interactions remain largely untouched. In Pathfinder Revolution, three to six players vie for control of powerful factions within the city of Korvosa, which has replaced the generic colony setting of its predecessor. This gateway to the region of Varisia was introduced in the Curse of the Crimson Throne adventure path and will be the scene of a hidden war using blackmail, bribery, statecraft and - where necessary - a threatening show of force.
All players want control of the city’s factions, whether it's the scholars of the university or the artisans who follow the Guildmaster’s leadership. Approaching each group will need different strategies, as some will respond to coins greasing their palms, while others might only budge when you insinuate their dirty laundry might be aired in public. Some stubborn factions will need to see you have the power to bring them to heel before they will follow your bid to control this war-hardened settlement.
Players bid secretly during each round, spreading their available resources between would-be conspirators. They will need to out bid all of their opponents, predicting where they will focus their own limited resources. Bluffing is the name of the game if you hope to win - make everyone think you’re intent on conquering the Hellknights while quietly shifting gold and blackmail material into the hands of the Arbiter’s Hall.
Winning the game is as simple as accruing the most victory points, but a bunch of equally hungry upstarts stand between you and control of Korvosa. The rules are relatively simple but claim to create a intriguing mixture of double-bluffing, careful resource management and social deduction across one or two hour sessions.
Pathfinder Revolution folds in the original’s two expansions, including a flipside to the game board that can support a fifth and sixth player. It should be arriving in local game stores and other retail outlets on November 13th. Sam Mitschke and Randy Scheunemann developed the original’s rules for this new release, and more information can be found on Steve Jackson Game’s website.
If you came to this article because of the odd Pathfinder link, you might be interested to read more about Paizo releasing remastered Pathfinder 2E books that will distance the RPG from Dungeons & Dragons decades of lore, and its science fiction sibling, Starfinder, will receive second edition core books in 2024.