Dwellings of Eldervale Game Review
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Dwellings of Eldervale is a grand Euro with a heavy Ameri admixture. It is clear that the author tried to create a hit that used the best principles of boards, and in many ways he succeeded.
The main game mechanic is the banal exhibition of workers, but done in an unusual way. First, workers (after the first) are placed in locations only in the neighborhood of their other workers, which forces you to think over the plan of future moves in advance. Second, each worker has unique properties: wizards ignore the neighborhood rule, dragons fly and are strong in combat, warriors can start spreading immediately from battle, and villagers can be turned into houses. Transform in the literal sense, defying them from above the roof. Moreover, each of the 16 factions gives unique properties to units. Thirdly, the most interesting thing: often the display of workers starts battles - with monsters or rivals, or even with all of them at once.
Battles in the game are made very gambling: players throw dice according to the amount of their strength, but the player whose one dice showed the greatest value wins. You can't reroll, so even a frail peasant has a chance to defeat a monster or an opponent's army. It's very intense and fun! Well, it's not fun for everyone - it's sad for the loser. However, the game is not push-your-luck: the reward for winning a battle is not so great, and the units of the loser will be returned to him for free. It is entirely possible to beat the game without winning a single battle.
Cards are an important part of the game. They are interesting and diverse, in particular, there are many unpleasant surprises for opponents. Many cards are laid out on the table and later workers returning from the field can be placed there. By the way, a unique point: frequently obtained treasure tokens can not only be dropped for the specified reward, but also placed on the map by pumping its bonus. You can significantly strengthen some cards with spheres, although it is much more difficult to get spheres.
Despite the randomness of dice and card output, the game remains a complex euro with a lot to think about. Yes, players receive victory points for their maps and settlements depending on how advanced they are in the element. By the way, you can advance in only 4 out of 8 elements, so it is worth acting in "non-core" elements only to cut the opponent.
Another question of strategy is whether to put all the workers on the field or to perform the return action early. When "regrouping", the player can place any workers returning from the field on their cards, which gives powerful bonuses, especially if you buy several useful cards. However, there is a risk that evil rivals will kill your workers. They will also return to the player's supply, but without putting them on the cards.
When reading the rules, it may seem that Dwellings of Eldervale is a game overloaded with rules and nuances. However, this is not the case: the rules in the game are of medium complexity, and it takes relatively little time to explain them. For example, there are only 6 types of locations, and their actions are simple: take cards, treasure tokens, hire a new employee, etc. The difficulty may only be the text on the maps for those who do not speak English well, as the game is not localized.
I would like to note separately the excellent design of the game, detailed figures of monsters, convenient organizers and even the presence of sound design in the form of stands for monsters that make sounds. But it's in the deluxe edition.
In general, there are very few games that combine a mixture of Euro and American - only "Champions of Midgard" and "Above and Belove" come to mind. However, Dwellings of Eldervale is much bigger, more dynamic and more interesting than this game. For me, it is one of the best board games.
I would like to stop at such sweet words, but since the article has not been paid for, I cannot but insert a spoonful of tar. Unfortunately, many players have limited impressions about the game and it will not suit everyone. Euro fans will cringe when their carefully planned strategy is overturned by one bad roll of the dice, and some will be put off by the aggressive interaction between players. American players, who have learned to withstand the variability of randomness, may find the game too difficult.
I would recommend the game to those who like to think about strategy, but at the same time are ready to play as a fan and feel the excitement of cube battles. There are no direct analogues of the board, but the game reminded me of a mixture of "Champions of Midgard" and "Blood Rage". Anyone who likes these games should also like Dwellings.
USEFUL LINKS
Dwellings of Eldervale on BGG
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/271055/dwellings-eldervale
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