Elfenland - How to Play 🎲 and Why It's a Gem 💎

[@UnCompress_]

Funny how we all have an other way of thinking about a game. You say with all these transportation tiles you can be blokked if the wrong tile is placed on the wrong location on the map. What you’re missing is that it can also work positive instead of negative. Most of the times my personal tiles don’t match with my hand cards. So now you are looking at the other players to place tiles that match your hand cards. What a joy when you have grass and forests around your current location and only have a giant boar card that can travel these lands but your missing the giant boar tile (you're stuck in the game) and then a hero comes and places a giant boar tile next to you, yeah! You want to stay close to the other players to have more options in the game. You also can choose to go to a part where less players will be on the board, better hope your cards match your tiles. I love this game, you are always involved in the game when it’s the other players turns, thinking what posibilities they create for you. I've never understand why ticket to ride is so popular and this game not, it's so much better imo. Oh yeah and about the unicorn. It’s easy to understand why unicorns don’t run on grassland. They are mystical creatures, have you seen one in real live? No? Offcourse not, they hide so people can’t see them. In grassland there is no way to hide. ;) Also on every card you can see on what type of terrain they can travel, so you don't always have to look at the overview card.

[@markcoomey8954]

Elfenland and the elfengold expansions was one of the very first german boardgames I was introduced to. I've very fond memories of this game. Playing with the expansion was reallt the only way to play with a group of gamers, It contained much more depth and strategy IMO.

[@matttrafton2725]

Just found it in Goodwill for $4. Pristine. Snapped it up and am not disappointed. The sheet of rules in English seemed thrown in as an after thought. Svensk spelar ār bāst.

[@Naledgeizpwr]

I very much appreciate how much you go into detail about different editions for the games you cover. I found Elfenland to just be ok, there are some good ideas in the design, and you can see some of the DNA in Ticket to Ride and even perhaps in some Winsome games, just not a design I have gone back to much over the years.

[@Nahobino777]

This board game (alongside others) appeared a couple years ago in the anime "Houkago saikoro club". For some reason i still remember this one (Elfenland) and Survive: Escape from Atlantis so i was looking for more info and glad i found this video. All the details were clear and easy to understand.

[@BoardGems]

I enjoyed that! I'm not into anime but had to watch it for the games. 🙂 I think the creator likes the same types of games I do! I remember Keltis, Cockroach Poker and Marrakesh were also featured.

[@thorstenkrebs153]

Well, I never was hooked by "Elfenland". So now it's your chance. 😉 Lovely greetings from Düsseldorf 🇩🇪 Thorsten

[@millsdavid]

The Amigo version is the way to go. The Doris Matthäus map is gorgeous and I would prefer to have it over the alternate map + elfengold expansion. I don’t understand why Doris’s art has fallen out of fashion either.

[@MarkusFlorence]

very clearly explained and informative and helpful!

[@matttrafton2725]

Nice map. I'm gonna use it with one or two other fantasy games.

[@MissMoontree]

If you like to play it with 2, the better option is probably the card version. I prefer the card version over Elfenland. Haven't played the other board and expansion of Elfenroad yet, maybe I like that one even better.

[@elgmd]

Hello all.

[@zalmute423]

I think sometimes a game is just a game. Thinking about internalizing the experience to me speaks way too intellectually about a game about elf kids getting from place to place. I suppose many people grew up and threw away their imagination and that is a shame, but for me this game is simply that. A game with a bit of imagination.

[@BoardGems]

The internalisation I speak of is in regards to the game rules. A player is better able to internalise the rules and can enjoy the game more when the theme and setting complement them and there is a connection that's possible to be made in the mind. When they're discordant, it makes it harder, or at least places an obstacle, to learn and enjoy the game. Elfenland is not a complicated game, so that obstacle is small, but it's there. During play, you're frequently checking the player aid because you can't remember how well a giant pig travels in forest, for example, because your mind has a hard time mapping that and creating a connection. Maybe it's not a big deal to some people. Maybe a lot of people. 🙂

[@zalmute423]

@@BoardGems thanks for the the review btw. I look forward to seeing more, especially hidden gems I may have missed.