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Dwellings of Eldervale
A gorgeous fantasy kitchen sink that somehow holds together.
Designed by Luke Laurie · 2020
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It throws worker placement, area control, engine building, and dice combat in one box and, against the odds, makes them play nicely. Heavy, beautiful, and a little chaotic, but the chaos is the point.
Best for: Groups who already love medium-heavy euros and want one with monsters and a map.
What it is
Dwellings of Eldervale is Luke Laurie tossing worker placement, area control, engine building, and a map you build as you go into one very large box. You run a faction across eight elemental regions, drop workers that are also fighters, claim adventure cards, and race to plant dwellings. What players keep saying is that it shouldn't cohere, and then it does. The clever bit is reclaiming workers, which turns a fiddly chore into a real decision.
The catch
Here's the honest part. This is a medium-heavy game wearing a friendly fantasy coat, and casual players can bounce off the rules load and the long setup. Combat is dice with modifiers, and a lone warrior can sometimes wreck a carefully stacked position, which drives the planners up the wall. Some folks also feel the winning line narrows to grab good spots, build dwellings fast, and rush the end. Fair criticism, not a dealbreaker.
Who it's for
If you and your group already enjoy games heavier than Everdell or Viticulture, this earns its shelf space. The art is lovely, the factions give you years of replay, and the table presence is hard to beat. Play it at three or four. Two feels sparse and five gets long with downtime. Come for the monsters and the map, stay for how oddly well the messy parts fit together.
What other players say
This write-up is grounded in real reviews and player discussion, not just one opinion. A few worth reading:
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