Breaking Games Dwellings of Eldervale Board Game – Standard Edition | Strategy, Adventure, and Fantasy for 1-5 Players | Ages 14+

Dwellings of Eldervale is one of those games that look very complex (and complicated) when you see photos of the setup and people playing the game. While it does have a lot of elements and certain mechanics that come into play at different times this first impression couldn't be more misleading! Once you are done with the setup (which does take a bit of time) understanding the rules comes faster than you think... and once it all "clicks" you enjoy the game so much you just want to play it again right after it ends. It is a fantastic package that blends a serious amount of fun with fairly easy-to-understand and absorb set of rules with deeper mechanics and lots of "moving" parts. Fantastic for anybody who wants to play something more involved than Monopoly and enjoys fantasy-themed games.

This game is so well produced. It looks amazing and it plays just as well. The Gamy Trayz are designed very well to make for a quick setup and clean up, which means more time actually playing the game. There is so much variety with all of the different factions you can be and the tile laying that happens when you are discovering the board. We really enjoy this one.

It’s a really nice game to play with but the box was slightly ripped which is not a big deal for me because I have been waiting forever to get my hands on a copy. Just feels bad

I had no idea this was an open product. So was very surprised when i opened and pieces were all over the place after a hour of sorting most parts presant except 3 clear glass beads. Admittly description does not state is new but it also does not say used. Missing pieces easly replaced but show have been there. I guess as a plus all cards came sleeved. Not thrilled that product was used but happy moat game pieces presant.

Dwellings of Eldervale is a game I had my eye on for quite some time, though maybe not as long as Tidal Blades. The largest, most ambitious game released by Breaking Games, Dwellings of Eldervale, is an epic design that combines worker placement elements, tableau-building, engine building, resource management, and area control mechanisms.It only takes one glance at the box cover to understand what you are getting yourself into. There are giant monsters, dragons, wizards, elemental landscapes, and a whole lot of awesomeness. While it may seem a bit intimidating at first, it breaks down into several key sets of simple mechanics on its own but blends into a game of depth and complexity.The goal of the game is to score the most points at the end of the game. The end game is triggered once a player has placed all six of their dwellings or the last terrain tile is drawn and placed. You will score points from your dwellings, quest cards, card tableau, glory track, and placements on the elemental track.With so many different ways to earn points, there are many different paths to victory. You can try to focus solely on one aspect, spread the wealth, or rely on a few core mechanics to boost your score and trigger the endgame. Be it building dwellings, focusing on combat, dungeons for cards, or pulling spells and quests, there are always interesting choices to make at every turn.There are even optional modules you can add to the game for added depth and opportunities. The Deluxe and Legendary Editions even include different terrains and more monsters to change things further.Dwellings of Eldervale comes in a HUGE box, which kind of seems the norm for epic Kickstarter games these days. It doesn’t matter if you get the Standard, Deluxe, or Legendary Edition of the game. The box is the same size. Everything fits inside beautifully thanks to expertly designed Gametrayz.This also means that there’s some space inside the box if you get the Standard Edition. There are some cardboard spacers placed inside to make sure nothing moves around, which helps a ton. Still, it kind of stinks that there’s so much air if you do not have the fancy bits.Each player color gets their tray for their worker meeples, resources, dice, dwellings, score markers, and a double-sided faction board that fits on top to secure everything. With eight different colors to choose from, that makes sixteen factions you can play as, each with their special abilitiesThere are also trays to hold all the resources and magic cards, the dungeon cards and treasure tiles, and keep the terrain tile draw deck organized. Other components include a board for elemental and glory scoring, a rulebook, a reference guide, solo rules, monster standees, quick reference cards, and various other cards and tokens needed.If you snag the Deluxe or Legendary Editions, you also get monster miniatures, wooden resources, extra tiles and cards, and even SFX bases for the monsters that let you hear what they sound like. One of these days, I am going to need to snag all that goodness.If you boil Dwellings of Eldervale down to its basics, you are either just placing a worker down on your turn or recalling your workers. Of course, that would be lame, but it emphasizes how each of Eldervale’s parts is pretty simple when you break them down. You will use your workers to earn resources, fight other players or monsters, build dwellings, expand the world, draw cards for your tableaus, or expand your workforce.Three types of special workers are good for moving, fighting, or other things. Each player has the opportunity to get their wizard, dragon, or warrior on the board, each with their special abilities. All workers have the opportunity not only to be placed on tiles but can be placed on your card tableau when recalled instead of placing them in your ready pool.As you are doing all these actions, you are also earning glory for combat and elemental points for dwelling in different terrains and drawing different dungeon cards. Each player can score in only four different types of elements and can earn special orbs to use for more points on either the orb track on or in their card tableau if they are the first to reach the top of a curtain track.It almost seems like too much to take at once, but you can only focus on one thing when it is your turn, which helps keep everything manageable and moving at a fairly quick pace. While Dwellings of Eldervale takes around 30 minutes per player, there is not much downtime. The rules are also written so that you can learn as you play once the initial setup is finished.If you could not tell already, I am a big fan of Dwellings of Eldervale. More so than I thought I would be. Breaking Games certainly has a hit on their hands with this game, hitting so many high points during play while not having many downsides at all. It is beautiful, accessible, and satisfying to play.Of course, as with most games, it is not for everyone. If you are turned off by fantasy, or longer games, steer clear. If neither of those things bother you, I would still check it out, even if you are not generally a fan of one or more of the mechanics. Everything blends so well in a thematic and genuinely enjoyable way.Now, if I could just get those Deluxe and Legendary pieces…

Dwellings of Eldervale is just a masterpiece board game that truly revives fantasy in the best beautiful and gorgeous way with its art design and concept. Box came sealed and totally new with its all corresponding Standard Edition components. Be aware this box comes with two small empty boxes inside that is from the deluxe edition so that’s why they are empty because this is the standard. But everything is perfect, new and just a board game that impress.