Elfenland Board Game

If you like Ticket to Ride, you will love the Elfenland Board Game. This route plotting game was also created by Alan R Moon… and there are many similarities. HOWEVER… Elfenland has ELVES and dragons and giant pigs… need I say more?

Now, I can’t tell you how excited I am that Elfenland is back in print! We got our set years ago, and the kids and I spent a lot of hours blissfully plotting our way through the land of Elves. And then it went away….But don’t despair! The old game is still out there (kind of expensive). But now Amazon the NEW Elfenland, and it is much less expensive! If love board games, seriously consider adding this gem to your collection.

How Do you Play the Elfenland Board Game

The premise is this… each player is a young elf on a quest to collect as many tokens from as many towns as possible in their four turns.

But it gets tricky.

The game board is set up with these cylindrical tokens on each town. Since different routes have different travel requirements, some planning is required. At the beginning of each round, each player is handed 8 cards with different travel modes – Elf Cycles, Giant Pigs, Ferries, Unicorns and Dragons! Each card indicates the type of travel, and how many of that particular card to travel across certain terrain. You plot your route with the help of these cards (can’t cross water without the ferry… can’t take a pig over water). To add to the difficulty, players also get 5 Travel Counters that allow them to claim the mode of travel on that route.

At the beginning of the round, players take turns placing a Travel Counter on a route. This does not mean that others can’t USE the route, it just forces players to use the method chosen. (Keep in mind, the Tiles must match the type of terrain). There are also obstacle tiles, that can only be played once… to muck up someone’s day.

Then it’s time to move the boot. Cards matching the travel counters must be played. And you collect cylinders as you go.

The winner is the Elf who collects the most cylinders in 4 rounds.

If you want to add even more complexity, you can deal out destination cards. Players must end their fourth turn at their destination, or be penalized.

All in all, Elfenland is fun to play, and a great looking game to have. Plus, you get to be a junior Elf!

Who Can Play Elfenland Board Game?

I played this game with my kids from about age 8 on (I notice that Amazon says 12-16). This game has enough complexity (and Elves) for older players to keep things interesting.

The game lasts around 45 minutes.