HIGHLANDER 2E REVAMPED - WOUNDS UPDATE
- Randi McFarland
- Aug 11
- 5 min read
Updated: Sep 16
As part of the Highlander: The Card Game 3.0 Rules Updates, Wounds have officially become their own Card Type with unique mechanics, giving players fresh deck-building and strategic opportunities. This change has been over twenty years in the making, with extensive playtesting going on behind the scenes in the last two years, to ensure that Wounds feel impactful, balanced, and fun to play. Let’s explore the history of Wounds, their gameplay mechanics, and what this means for deck-building in Highlander!
A Brief History of Wounds
While the only way to truly kill an Immortal is to take their Head, immortals can become injured during a duel. Those injuries will heal, but the immortal must find ways to get around their Wound until it does. That concept has always seemed like a perfect addition to the game.
The idea of Wounds were first explored in earnest during the development of the never-released Ramirez Edition from Thunder Castle Games for1E. Although it never saw the light of day, the concept persisted in the minds of both designers and players as 2nd Edition was released. In our effort to make Wounds a stand alone concept, we spoke to as many former game designers as possible to see what they felt they got right and what could have been improved. The 1E design team was on the right track. They had made Wounds their own card type with their own mechanics. The original 2E design team went in a different direction. One that inadvertently resulted in Wounds becoming a forgotten card.
Wounds in 2nd Edition
When 2nd Edition launched, Wounds made their official debut — this time as a card subtype of Situations. While this brought them into the rules framework, it also created hurdles for players to consider.
Timing Issues - Situation: Wounds had to be played the turn after an attack landed. Which also meant the "wounded" player could go a whole turn not being wounded.
Hand Clog - having to hold onto your Situation: Wound hoping to land an attack made for slow deck builds that hinged too strongly on chance.
They were Special Cards - We all know you can only (normally) play one Special Card per turn. A Situation: Wound would eat your Special Card slot if you ever got to play one.
They were Permanent Cards - A Situation: Wound could in effect, last the entire rest of the game once it was in play. From a lore standpoint, this never quite made sense. Immortals heal rapidly — the idea that a Wound could last the entire game felt wrong both thematically and mechanically. A Wound was treated as a permanent effect created balance concerns and reduced flexibility in design.
With 2E Revisited, all Wounds were errata’d to instead be put into play the turn after an attack landed, rather than played from Hand. This solved the “Special Card slot” problem — but it didn’t fix the hand clog, timing issues and the fact that they were still a Permanent card.
Updated Wounds
The new Wound system is one of the few mechanics in Highlander that can meaningfully happen on your opponent’s turn. This adds a layer of interaction and tension without turning the game into a rapid-fire, back-and-forth exchange like Magic: The Gathering. Players still get to enjoy Highlander’s unique turn structure, but with the added thrill that even when it’s not your turn, the game state can change in a significant way.
For competitive players, that means new tactical considerations and counter-play opportunities. For casual fans, it means more cinematic moments where a well-timed strike leaves a mark — but only for as long as it makes sense in the world of Immortals.
Why This Matters
Shifting Wounds to become their own Card Type and with it, their own mechanics, fixes the aforementioned issues with gameplay.:
1.) Wounds are NOT Special Cards.
2.) They are NOT permanent cards. They use a DURATION [#] Subytpe. Which means the effects of an inflicted wound are self limiting, fitting with the lore of Highlander.
3.) Wounds will not get stuck in your Hand, clogging up precious resources.
How they Actually Work Now
We’ve talked about the history of Wounds — now lets dig into how they actually function in the 3.0 rules. If you’re coming from earlier editions, you’ll notice that Wounds now feel more dynamic, thematic, and tactical than ever before.
Two States — Un-Inflicted and Inflicted
Every Wound card exists in one of two states:
Un-Inflicted – In play but not yet doing anything or having an effect on play. Un-Inflicted Wounds are put into play Face Down and remain Face Down until they become Inflicted. Each Wound has an Infliction Requirement. This is the thing that will trigger the Wound to become inflicted.
Inflicted – Face up, actively making your life harder.
Let’s break those down.
Un-Inflicted Wounds — The Setup Phase of Pain
At the start of your Attack Phase, you may put one Un-Inflicted Wound into play from your hand, face down at the start of your Attack Chain. You can only ever have one Un-Inflicted Wound in play at a time.
If you put an Un-inflicted Wound into play, you must still play another card during your turn such as a Defense, Special Card, or Attack—or make a Hard Exertion.
You may keep an Un-inflicted Wound in play for multiple turns while attempting to fulfill its infliction requirements. Un-inflicted Wounds are not Swept during your Sweep Phase.
You can bump an Un-Inflicted Wound from play with another Un-Inflicted Wound similarly to how Locations bump other Locations from play.
Inflicted Wounds — Bring on the Pain
Most Wounds become inflicted after a successful attack is made. If an attack that is declared successful fulfills the infliction requirements of an Un-inflicted Wound in play, immediately Inflict that Wound. Some Wounds become inflicted by other effects, like direct damage etc. Once the infliction requirements of an Un-inflicted Wound in play are fulfilled, the Wound is immediately inflicted unless card text specifies otherwise.
Move the Inflicted Wound to where you would keep Permanents in play. The Inflicted Wound remains in play for the stated Duration on the Wound. Once the Duration has expired—reached [0]—during the next Sweep Phase, the Inflicted Wound is Swept from play and goes to the owner’s Discard Pile.
We suggest you read our blog entry detailing the new DURATION card Subtype, as Wounds use the DURATION mechanic.
What's Next?
All current Wounds have been released in the 3.0 Errata Pack with the updated Card Icon and relevant Card Text.
A dedicated Wound AdPack will be released shortly.
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