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OG Link: https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/3463944/core-set-strategy-guide-from-runner-and-wiccan
The most important tip is to control the three villagers who place two assets: ''Doctor Annie'', ''Preacher Wulfric'', and ''Widow Atkins''. Generating more Secrets/Clues than your opponent will give you more flexibility. If you control all three of these villagers, you will place twice as many assets as your opponent each turn.


'''Introduction'''
Note that Visiting an occupied Villager will cost 2 actions (one to Ready, one to Visit) and you only have 2. Prioritize based on your opponent's actions. The most important Villager in the game is the one who can place two assets on the True Witch.


As an ex-Netrunner married to a proud Wiccan, my husband and I fell in love with Pagan the moment we laid eyes on it at the game store. One month and 25 games later, we can't stop playing nor stop forcing our friends to learn it.
==The Witch==
The Witch has an advantage, especially for newer players. Its deck has a greater density of powerful cards, allowing multiple strategies and the ability to make mistakes for bluffs to fail.


This basic strategy guide reflects our experiences with the starter deck in the core box, and we hope we to jump-start strategy discussions and debates in the community with our guides.
When placing Secrets, focus on one or two Villagers at a time. Convert Secrets to Favors as quickly as possible. Getting the second Favor on a Villager allows you to use their ability twice, boosting your economy. A Favor can be created in a single turn with the help of a Villager that can give 2 asset tokens. If the Hunter is careless with his Action Pawns and Clues, they may be stuck with no options when the third Favor is added.


'''The Most Important Strategy Tip'''
Four general strategies can be used when playing the Witch:


The heart of the game in the core set is the control of the three villagers which place two assets: Doctor Annie, Preacher Wulfric, and Widow Atkins. All things being equal, if you are generating more secrets/clues than your opponent you are going to win, and if you control all three of these villagers, you will place twice as many assets as your opponent every turn!
'''Rush''': Put Secrets and Favors on the True Witch as fast as possible. If the Hunter fights for control over the matching two-Secret Villager, they will never have enough Clues to Eliminate the True Witch before you can Perform the ritual. If they don't, the Hunter needs to play precisely and carefully to stop you. This strategy is most effective if the True Witch can place assets on its own color (''Nestling Mia'', ''Stranger Sue'', and ''Native Pamuy''). Abandon this strategy if the Hunter controls the two-secret Villager. The Hunter may believe you were rushing two Favors to let you use the Villager's ability twice.


Controlling all three of these villagers is difficult, as you only get three action pawns and it takes two of them to wrest control of a villager form your opponent - one to ready and one to visit. Prioritize based on your opponent's actions, and remember that the most important villager in the game is the villager that can place two assets on the True Witch!
'''Shell Game''': Get multiple Villagers to three Favors on the same turn, obscuring which one is the True Witch. The Brews '''Jar of Glibness''', '''Surplus Elixir''', and '''Blend of Nature''' are key for this strategy. First, get as many Villagers to two favors as possible while preparing these 3 brews. In one turn, Consume the Brews and visit three Villagers (including the True Witch) to add their third Favor in a single turn. The Hunter will not have enough resources to stop all of them, and they only have a 1 out of 3 chance of guessing the True Witch correctly.


'''The Witch'''
'''Checkmate''': Create a board state where the Hunter cannot discover the True Witch before the ritual is performed. The cards '''Flagon of Oblivion''', '''Misdirection''', and '''Hypnotism''' are key for this strategy. On the turn you place the third Favor on the True Witch, use the Flagon of Oblivion and/or Misdirection to strip the True Witch and their allies of Clues. Playing Hypnotism will waste the Hunter's action, removing their chance to control the True Witch on the next turn. If you can, use Brews to get to 4 Favors on the True Witch on this turn. The Hunter's only solution to a good Checkmate strategy is '''Bribe''', but an extra Favor negates that.


The Witch player is at an advantage in the core set, especially for newer players. Your deck has a greater density of powerful cards, you have multiple strategies to pick from, and you can afford to make mistakes and have bluffs fail.
'''Murder, He Wrote''': Rush, Shell Game, and Checkmate can also be used to bluff, tricking the Hunter into killing the wrong Villager. If the Hunter Eliminates the wrong Villager, all Clues are wiped from the board, leaving you wide open to Perform the ritual. Plus, you may be able to make the Hunter lose by Eliminating three incorrect Villagers.


When placing secrets, focus on one or two villagers at a time, converting secrets to favors as quickly as possible. Getting the 2nd favor on a villager to double their ability is a major boost to your economy while putting pressure on the hunter. It's possible to create a favor from nothing in a single turn with the help of a two-secret villager, and if the hunter is careless with their pawns and clues they may be stuck with no options when that 3rd Favor hits the table.
Keep note of the pace the Hunter is Exonerating suspects. Start taking actions to win by Performing the Ritual when the 4th suspect card is drawn, especially if you have no way of removing Evidence. Any longer and you risk running out of time, even if you set up a Checkmate, because the Hunter may draw the last suspect card before your winning turn.


We bucket the witch's general approaches to a few key strategy types:
While a successful bluff can win the game, a series of failed bluffs often leads to the Witch losing. Each Villager the Hunter exonerates brings them closer to success. Be very careful when bluffing a Shell Game play unless you think you can trick the Hunter into a third kill. Setting up multiple Villagers simultaneously for the ritual is expensive. If the Hunter doesn't take the bait, they know exactly who you ''aren't''.


- Rush: Just shove as many secrets and favors on the True Witch as possible. If the hunter doesn't respect this and fight for control over the matching two-secret villager, they will never have enough clues in place to eliminate the True Witch before you're ready to perform the Ritual. Even if they do respect it, it can require precise and careful play from the hunter to stop it. This strategy is most effective if the True Witch is one of the self-asset villagers: Nestling Mia, Stranger Sue, and Native Penny. If the hunter gets an iron grip on the two-secret villager linked to the True Witch, abandon your rush! The hunter may believe you were rushing two favors just to double the villager's ability, and you can come back for a Checkmate play later.
Save '''Pyrokinesis''' and '''Discredit''' for destroying the Hunter's ''Village Center'' Location and ''Operative'' Ally. Without these cards, the Hunter can't gain extra Clues and has far less room for error. Save '''Hypnotism''' for a Checkmate play. While the combo with '''Isolation''' looks tempting, Isolation is too expensive for the Witch and too easy for the Hunter to remove. Isolation only restricts visiting, not raiding or eliminating.
- Shell Game: This strategy focuses on getting multiple villagers to three favors on the same turn, forcing the hunter to guess at which one is the True Witch. The Brews Jar of Glibness (031), Surplus Elixir (030) and Blend of Nature (026) are key cards for this line of attack. First, get as many villagers to two favors as possible while preparing a full three-brew cocktail. In one turn, pop all of the brews and use your visits to get as many as three villagers, including the True Witch, to their third favor in a single turn. The hunter will not have enough resources to stop all of them, and if they guess wrong the game is over; 2/3 odds of victory are good odds!
- Checkmate: This strategy tries to create a board state where the hunter cannot stop the True Witch on the turn the ritual is prepared. The cards Flagon of Oblivion (026), Misdirection (035), and Hypnotism (040) are key to this line of attack. On the turn you place the 3rd favor on the True Witch, use the Flagon and/or Misdirection to strip the True Witch and their faction allies of as many clues as possible. Playing Hypnotism on this turn is often fatal, as wasting the hunter's action can render it impossible for the hunter to re-take control of the True Witch on the next turn. If you can, use brews to get to four favors on the True Witch on this turn - Bribe (007) is the hunter's only solution to a good Checkmate turn, and an extra favor protects you from it.
- Murder, He Wrote: Rush, Shell Game, and Checkmate can all be faked to trick the Hunter into killing the wrong villager! Rush a villager completely unrelated to the True Witch. Shell Game two unrelated villagers. Pull a Checkmate when you know they have an answer in hand. A single incorrect kill wipes all of the clues from the board, leaving you wide open to safely perform the ritual. Don't forget your second win condition: get the hunter to make three incorrect eliminations. (This strategy is even more viable with certain expansion cards, where it's possible to take a villager directly from 0 to 3 favors in a single turn.)


Whatever strategy you choose, keep careful track of the pace at which the Hunter is Exonerating suspects. You need to start executing on a Ritual-based victory plan by when the 4th suspect card is drawn, especially if you have no way of removing evidence. If you wait longer, you risk running out of time; even if you set up a perfect Checkmate that the hunter has no answer for, you still lose if the hunter draws the last suspect card before your winning turn.
==The Hunter==
The Hunter has a disadvantage. The Hunter deck contains a few weak or dead cards. Your economy has a hard time keeping up with the Witch. A single mistake can cost the game, letting the Witch move fast or preventing you from taking action to stop the ritual.


A note on bluffing: While a successful bluff can win the game, a series of failed bluffs is the most common way we've seen new players to lose as the witch. You are on a clock, and each time the hunter exonerates a villager that clock is one tick closer to defeat. In particular, be very careful when bluffing a Shell Game play unless you think you can trick the hunter into a 3rd kill - getting multiple villagers simultaneously prepared for the ritual is expensive, and if the hunter doesn't take the bait you've told them exactly who you aren't.
Stall the Witch as much as possible. Buy time to gather Evidence and make deductions. If you can draw all suspects from the deck, you win. Every turn the Witch isn't preparing for the ritual is a turn you are gathering Evidence and Exonerating Villagers. Evidence comes naturally as the board fills with clues, so prioritize slowing the Witch down.


Some advice on specific cards: Save Pryokenisis (036) and Discredit (034) for destroying Village Center and Operative, respectively. Without these cards providing the hunter with extra clues, they have far less room for error. Save Hypnotism (040) for a Checkmate play; while the combo with Isolation (044) looks tempting, Isolation is too expensive for what it does and too cheap for the hunter to remove. Isolation only restricts visiting, not raiding nor eliminating.
Rush for Evidence after drawing the fifth suspect card. Once you have five suspects, the Witch has little time to prepare the ritual before you've acquired 9 more Evidence. Save '''Ransack''' and '''Combine Information''' to surprise the Witch by stealing time they thought they had.


'''The Hunter'''
Don't leave the two-asset Villagers ready or it can lead to the Witch being able to perform the ritual before you can Eliminate or Exonerate anyone else. If you can deduce the faction the True Witch belongs to, you only need to control a single two-asset villager. Investigations, like the card '''Quarantine''' turn a two-asset Villager into a zero-asset Villager to the Witch, freeing you to focus on others. Eliminating a two-asset villager early can cripple the Witch, slowing the growth of their Brews and halving the number of Secrets a faction can receive in a turn. This technique can only be safely used early in the game, though '''Operative''' and '''Village Center''' can push that window further. Those cards, plus '''Bribe''' are your best cards. The first two generate Clues, protecting against the Witch's speedy economy. Play Bribe if you think the Witch is close to performing the ritual.


The hunter is at a disadvantage in the core set. There are quite a few weak or even dead cards in your deck, your economy can hardly keep up with the witch, and a single mistake can lose you the game by leaving the witch open for a Rush or Checkmate!
Investigation cards are your next most powerful tool. The Witch can only stop Investigation cards with '''Qualm'''.


Where the witch has multiple strategic options, you have a single core strategy: Stall the Witch. Buy as much time as possible to gather evidence and make deductions. The witch gets to pick their strategy, but you are the one with an inevitable victory: drawing the entire suspect deck. Every turn the witch isn't threatening the ritual is a turn you are printing evidence and exonerating villagers. Evidence comes naturally as the board fills up with clues, so prioritize slowing down the witch with your turn over printing an extra evidence. (Note that expansion cards make evidence rush and other strategies more viable, but stalling the witch is your best chance with the starter deck!)
Most Locations aren't very useful. Visiting a Location does not place Clues and does not control a Villager, giving advantage to the Witch. The ideal three Locations are '''Village Center''', '''Message Board''', and '''Headquarters'''. The others are all too slow and best fed to the '''Clerk''' Ally to generate Influence.


The time to rush for evidence is after you've drawn your fifth suspect card. Once you have five suspect cards in hand, it's game over for the witch if they haven't prepared the ritual before you've acquired 9 more evidence. Try and save Ransack (013) and Combine Information (008) for this point in the game, where you can surprise the witch by stealing away time they thought they had!
==== Raid a Villager ====
Raiding places no Clues and spends three of them. Unless you have '''Operative''' or '''Village Center''' on the table, repeated Raids give the Witch too much of an advantage in Secrets. Elimination of a Villager, especially if they have more than one Favor token on them, is usually more effective.


Keep a close watch on the two-asset villagers. Leaving the wrong two-asset villager ready on the wrong turn can leave you open to Checkmate. You can't control all three of them at the start of the game, but you have some tools to address that:
==== Do's and Don'ts ====
- Deduction: If you can deduce the Faction the True Witch belongs to, you only need to control a single two-asset villager.
'''Do''' Raid a ready two-favor Villager. It will slow down the Witch.
- Investigations: specifically, the card Quarantine (015) turns a two-asset villager into a zero-asset villager for the witch, freeing you up to focus on the others.
- Elimination: Death is the ultimate control. Killing a two-asset villager early can cripple the witch, slowing the growth of their brews and halving the number of secrets a faction can receive in a turn from four down to two - a major blow if that faction houses the True Witch. Be careful with this technique, it can only be safely used early in the game without leaving yourself open to Checkmate, though Operative (004) and Village Center (023) can push that window further into the mid-to-late game.


The most important cards in the your deck are Operative (004), Village Center (023), and Bribe (007). The first two are the only two cards in the deck that generate clues, making them your only safety net against surprise Rush or Checkmate plays. The latter should not be played unless the ritual is ready - Bribe is often the only escape you have against a powerful Checkmate setup.
'''Don't''' perform a Ready action, then Raid. That uses two of your three actions and four Clues. On the next turn, the Witch can create more Secrets than you removed.


Outside of those three cards, the most important card type in your deck is the Investigation. The witch has only one answer for Investigation cards in Qualm (049), and that answer still requires they visit a villager under Investigation, and it doesn't even discard the Investigation.
'''Don't''' leave a Villager with 0 clues. This leaves you open to the Witch Performing the Ritual before you can Eliminate anyone. Recovering a Clue on one Villager is easy, but '''Misdirection''' can turn one Villager with 0 Clues into three.


Be aware that most of the locations in the starter deck are traps. Visiting a location does not place clues on the board and does not control a villager, creating a tempo advantage for the witch. The ideal three location spread is Village Center (023) for clue printing, Message Board (024) to make Exonerate actions more efficient, and Headquarters (021) for its sheer efficiency and as an "emergency switch" when you get caught without an answer in hand. The other locations are all too slow to use, and are best fed to Clerk (002) to generate influence.
'''Do''' Raid when you can win by drawing all 8 suspects. Even if you have to Ready beforehand, raiding is safer than Eliminating the wrong Villager. Count your Evidence and examine your hand to see if you can gain an extra turn or two to compensate for a bluff from the Witch.


Lastly, a note on Raids. Raiding is very expensive, as it places no clues and spends three of them. Unless you have **Operative (004)** or **Village Center (023)** on the table, repeated raids give the witch too much of a secret advantage for you to recover from. Early in the game, Elimination of a villager is usually more effective, destroying multiple favors in a single action. Here are some general raid do's and don'ts:
[https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/3463944/core-set-strategy-guide-from-runner-and-wiccan Source]
- Do: Raid a ready, two-favor villager. If the witch leaves one of their two-favor villagers open, raiding can be an efficient way of slowing them down.
- Don't: Ready-then-raid: Ready-then-raid uses 2/3 of your actions and burns four clues, leaving the witch wide open to create more secrets next turn than the ones you removed.
- Don't: Leave a villager with 0 clues: Leaving a villager with 0 clues after a raid leaves you open to Checkmate! Recovering a clue on one villager is easy, but a surprise pair of Misdirections from the witch can turn one clueless villager into three, which is much harder to recover from.
- Do: Raid with an exoneration victory in hand: If you can see a clear path to an exoneration victory, raiding, even if you have to ready beforehand, is safer than elimination. Count your evidence and tally your tricks in hand and see if an extra turn or two can guarantee your win rather than risk falling for the witch's bluff.

Latest revision as of 20:23, 15 November 2025

The most important tip is to control the three villagers who place two assets: Doctor Annie, Preacher Wulfric, and Widow Atkins. Generating more Secrets/Clues than your opponent will give you more flexibility. If you control all three of these villagers, you will place twice as many assets as your opponent each turn.

Note that Visiting an occupied Villager will cost 2 actions (one to Ready, one to Visit) and you only have 2. Prioritize based on your opponent's actions. The most important Villager in the game is the one who can place two assets on the True Witch.

The Witch

The Witch has an advantage, especially for newer players. Its deck has a greater density of powerful cards, allowing multiple strategies and the ability to make mistakes for bluffs to fail.

When placing Secrets, focus on one or two Villagers at a time. Convert Secrets to Favors as quickly as possible. Getting the second Favor on a Villager allows you to use their ability twice, boosting your economy. A Favor can be created in a single turn with the help of a Villager that can give 2 asset tokens. If the Hunter is careless with his Action Pawns and Clues, they may be stuck with no options when the third Favor is added.

Four general strategies can be used when playing the Witch:

Rush: Put Secrets and Favors on the True Witch as fast as possible. If the Hunter fights for control over the matching two-Secret Villager, they will never have enough Clues to Eliminate the True Witch before you can Perform the ritual. If they don't, the Hunter needs to play precisely and carefully to stop you. This strategy is most effective if the True Witch can place assets on its own color (Nestling Mia, Stranger Sue, and Native Pamuy). Abandon this strategy if the Hunter controls the two-secret Villager. The Hunter may believe you were rushing two Favors to let you use the Villager's ability twice.

Shell Game: Get multiple Villagers to three Favors on the same turn, obscuring which one is the True Witch. The Brews Jar of Glibness, Surplus Elixir, and Blend of Nature are key for this strategy. First, get as many Villagers to two favors as possible while preparing these 3 brews. In one turn, Consume the Brews and visit three Villagers (including the True Witch) to add their third Favor in a single turn. The Hunter will not have enough resources to stop all of them, and they only have a 1 out of 3 chance of guessing the True Witch correctly.

Checkmate: Create a board state where the Hunter cannot discover the True Witch before the ritual is performed. The cards Flagon of Oblivion, Misdirection, and Hypnotism are key for this strategy. On the turn you place the third Favor on the True Witch, use the Flagon of Oblivion and/or Misdirection to strip the True Witch and their allies of Clues. Playing Hypnotism will waste the Hunter's action, removing their chance to control the True Witch on the next turn. If you can, use Brews to get to 4 Favors on the True Witch on this turn. The Hunter's only solution to a good Checkmate strategy is Bribe, but an extra Favor negates that.

Murder, He Wrote: Rush, Shell Game, and Checkmate can also be used to bluff, tricking the Hunter into killing the wrong Villager. If the Hunter Eliminates the wrong Villager, all Clues are wiped from the board, leaving you wide open to Perform the ritual. Plus, you may be able to make the Hunter lose by Eliminating three incorrect Villagers.

Keep note of the pace the Hunter is Exonerating suspects. Start taking actions to win by Performing the Ritual when the 4th suspect card is drawn, especially if you have no way of removing Evidence. Any longer and you risk running out of time, even if you set up a Checkmate, because the Hunter may draw the last suspect card before your winning turn.

While a successful bluff can win the game, a series of failed bluffs often leads to the Witch losing. Each Villager the Hunter exonerates brings them closer to success. Be very careful when bluffing a Shell Game play unless you think you can trick the Hunter into a third kill. Setting up multiple Villagers simultaneously for the ritual is expensive. If the Hunter doesn't take the bait, they know exactly who you aren't.

Save Pyrokinesis and Discredit for destroying the Hunter's Village Center Location and Operative Ally. Without these cards, the Hunter can't gain extra Clues and has far less room for error. Save Hypnotism for a Checkmate play. While the combo with Isolation looks tempting, Isolation is too expensive for the Witch and too easy for the Hunter to remove. Isolation only restricts visiting, not raiding or eliminating.

The Hunter

The Hunter has a disadvantage. The Hunter deck contains a few weak or dead cards. Your economy has a hard time keeping up with the Witch. A single mistake can cost the game, letting the Witch move fast or preventing you from taking action to stop the ritual.

Stall the Witch as much as possible. Buy time to gather Evidence and make deductions. If you can draw all suspects from the deck, you win. Every turn the Witch isn't preparing for the ritual is a turn you are gathering Evidence and Exonerating Villagers. Evidence comes naturally as the board fills with clues, so prioritize slowing the Witch down.

Rush for Evidence after drawing the fifth suspect card. Once you have five suspects, the Witch has little time to prepare the ritual before you've acquired 9 more Evidence. Save Ransack and Combine Information to surprise the Witch by stealing time they thought they had.

Don't leave the two-asset Villagers ready or it can lead to the Witch being able to perform the ritual before you can Eliminate or Exonerate anyone else. If you can deduce the faction the True Witch belongs to, you only need to control a single two-asset villager. Investigations, like the card Quarantine turn a two-asset Villager into a zero-asset Villager to the Witch, freeing you to focus on others. Eliminating a two-asset villager early can cripple the Witch, slowing the growth of their Brews and halving the number of Secrets a faction can receive in a turn. This technique can only be safely used early in the game, though Operative and Village Center can push that window further. Those cards, plus Bribe are your best cards. The first two generate Clues, protecting against the Witch's speedy economy. Play Bribe if you think the Witch is close to performing the ritual.

Investigation cards are your next most powerful tool. The Witch can only stop Investigation cards with Qualm.

Most Locations aren't very useful. Visiting a Location does not place Clues and does not control a Villager, giving advantage to the Witch. The ideal three Locations are Village Center, Message Board, and Headquarters. The others are all too slow and best fed to the Clerk Ally to generate Influence.

Raid a Villager

Raiding places no Clues and spends three of them. Unless you have Operative or Village Center on the table, repeated Raids give the Witch too much of an advantage in Secrets. Elimination of a Villager, especially if they have more than one Favor token on them, is usually more effective.

Do's and Don'ts

Do Raid a ready two-favor Villager. It will slow down the Witch.

Don't perform a Ready action, then Raid. That uses two of your three actions and four Clues. On the next turn, the Witch can create more Secrets than you removed.

Don't leave a Villager with 0 clues. This leaves you open to the Witch Performing the Ritual before you can Eliminate anyone. Recovering a Clue on one Villager is easy, but Misdirection can turn one Villager with 0 Clues into three.

Do Raid when you can win by drawing all 8 suspects. Even if you have to Ready beforehand, raiding is safer than Eliminating the wrong Villager. Count your Evidence and examine your hand to see if you can gain an extra turn or two to compensate for a bluff from the Witch.

Source

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