Gnomeville
🐸 Dettagli da BoardGameGeek
Consiglio BGG sul numero di giocatori
Categorie
Meccaniche
Design & Art
Lingua
Pre-order - leggi i dettagli
🐸 Una rana saggia sa quando dividere l’ordine… e quando aspettare il salto giusto.
Pairs well with
FroGames — Moments You'll Remember
After the first attack, everyone breathes. After the second, someone starts counting the remaining tiles. After the third, you no longer count: you survive.
WHAT IT IS ABOUT
A village to rebuild before the trolls return
Gnomeville comes from the mind of Björn Lindberg, published by Adam's Apple Games with illustrations by Katya Kirdoglo. It's a game that takes the bag-building we know and pushes it into new territory: tile placement, match-3 puzzles, tower defense. All played simultaneously by 1 to 4 players, with a layer of push-your-luck that keeps the tension high.
Draw from your bag, place tiles on your village, create combos of three identical elements to activate powerful effects. Train gnomes, forge weapons, build defenses. When the troll attack comes, everything must hold. And if it holds, you start over. With fewer resources, less time, more fear.
What they say abroad
A mix of mechanics that shouldn't work together on paper. And yet they do.
— FroGames
The bag gives you hope. The board gives you choices. The trolls take both away.
— FroGames
Gnomeville
Gnomeville in solo mode follows the same rules as multiplayer: you face troll attacks and try to build the most resilient village. The experience is complete and scalable in difficulty, but lacks direct interaction with other players. Ideal for those who want to optimize strategies and test different bag builds.
FrogScore · FroGames editorial rating · based on rules, international reviews and play sessionsThe pieces of the village
What you build and what you risk
Village Tiles
Each tile represents a part of your settlement. Place them to create match-3 combos and activate special effects. The more you build, the more the village grows. But every exposed tile is a target for trolls.
Personal Bag
The heart of the game. Draw resources, gnomes, weapons. The more you optimize it, the more you control chance. But if you draw poorly at the wrong time, the trolls won't wait.
Gnomes and Weapons
Your gnomes come out of the academy and must be equipped. Swords, hammers, defenses. Without weapons, a gnome is just a target. With weapons, he is a hope.
Troll Attacks
Random events that hit the village. Damage, destruction, panic. Each attack is a test: does your village hold or collapse? There is no second chance.
In an hour you will have rebuilt three times. And lost twice. But that third time, when everything holds, you'll remember why you tried.
A game in five acts
What happens at the table
Not the rules. The experience.
The First Tile
Everyone draws from the bag, places their first tile, hoping to draw something useful immediately. No one knows yet if their strategy will hold up. For now, it's just optimism and planning. Concentrated silence.
The First Combo
Someone aligns three identical resources, activates an effect, smiles. Others draw poorly and improvise. The gap between those who optimize and those who adapt begins to show. But it's still recoverable.
The Attack Arrives
The first troll strikes. Some had prepared defenses, some hadn't. Those who invested in gnomes and weapons repel the attack. Those who built too quickly lose tiles. The village begins to take shape, or to crumble.
The Second Wave
Now it's a race. Everyone rebuilds, optimizes their bag, seeks more efficient combos. The second attack is stronger, and those without solid defenses lose ground. Someone starts counting their remaining tiles. Others pray for a good draw.
The Final Round
The final attack decides everything. Those who built a resilient village survive. Those who relied too much on luck collapse. In the end, only one thing matters: how many tiles you saved. And if you have enough to win.
How to play
The flow of each round
Each round is a dance between building and defending. Simultaneous, frantic, calculated.
Everyone draws a number of tiles/resources from their personal bag. What you draw determines what you can do this turn.
Place tiles on your village board, try to create match-3 combos (three identical adjacent elements) to activate special effects. Train gnomes, forge weapons, build defenses.
If a troll attack is coming, make sure you have equipped gnomes and defensive structures ready. Without defenses, you will lose tiles.
Draw event cards or troll attacks. Resolve damage, update your bag, repeat. The player with the most resilient village at the end wins.
Why it's different from others
Six mechanics that make the difference
Simultaneous Bag-Building
You don't wait for others' turns. Everyone draws, places, builds simultaneously. The pace is always high, downtime is zero. Every second counts, every choice is yours.
Strategic Match-3
Align three identical resources (wood, stone, food) on your board to activate powerful effects. It's not random: you build your village to create the combos you need. It's a puzzle game within a Eurogame.
Integrated Tower Defense
Trolls attack at regular intervals. Your defenses must hold. It's not enough to build, you must defend. Without gnomes and weapons, your village crumbles. With gnomes and weapons, you have a chance.
Calculated Push-Your-Luck
Every draw from the bag is a risk. Do you draw useful resources or useless tiles? You build your bag to minimize chance, but chance remains. And when you draw poorly, it hurts.
Scalable 1-4 Players
It works great solo (with an official mode), and also with 2, 3, or 4 players. The difficulty scales, attacks adapt, the experience remains tense at any player count.
Village Asymmetry
Each player builds their own village, with different layouts, different priorities, different bags. In the end, no two villages are alike. And no single strategy is 100% victorious.
How it ends
How to win and how to lose
The game ends after a fixed number of rounds. The player with the most resilient and developed village wins.
Victory
- Survive all troll attacks and keep the most village tiles intact
- Optimize your bag and create efficient match-3 combos to accumulate victory points
- Build a balance between expansion (new tiles) and defense (equipped gnomes)
Defeat
- Your village takes too much damage from troll attacks and you lose critical tiles
- You draw poorly from the bag at key moments and can't build defenses in time
- Other players build more resilient villages and accumulate more victory points
Gnomeville is a game that rewards those who plan but can adapt. The bag gives you hope, combos give you power, and trolls take both away. In the end, the winner isn't the one who built the biggest village, but the one whose village holds up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Gnomeville FAQ
Is it suitable for those who have never played bag-building?
Yes, Gnomeville introduces bag-building in an accessible way. The flow is clear (draw, place, fight), and the mechanics interweave gradually. The first few games require 15-20 minutes of explanation, but after the first troll attack, everything becomes intuitive. Ideal as a first thematic bag-building game.
Does it really work well solo?
Absolutely. The solo mode is official and uses the same rules as multiplayer: you face troll attacks and try to build the most resilient village. You can scale the difficulty and test different strategies. The experience is complete, even if direct comparison with other players is missing.
How much does luck weigh compared to strategy?
The bag introduces variance, but you build it yourself. The more you optimize (by adding useful cards and removing useless ones), the more you control chance. Match-3 combos and building timing are strategic. Let's say 60% strategy, 40% managing chance. It's not the lucky one who wins, it's the one who can adapt.
What is the actual playing time?
45-60 minutes stated, realistic. Solo is about 30-40 minutes. With four players, including setup and explanation, you reach 70 minutes for the first game. From the second game onwards, a stable 50-60 minutes. Simultaneous play greatly helps to keep times down.
Is it available in Italian?
No, this edition is in English. The texts on the cards are present (names of buildings, effects, events), so a basic knowledge of the language is required. However, the mechanics are very iconic (match-3, tile placement), so after the first few games, the reliance on text is reduced.
Gnomeville is a strategic board game for 1-4 players, ages 10+, lasting 45-60 minutes, designed by Björn Lindberg and published by Adam's Apple Games. It combines simultaneous bag-building, tile placement, match-3 mechanics, and tower defense into a unique experience. Draw from your personal bag, place village tiles, create match-3 combos to activate special effects, train gnomes, and build defenses to repel troll attacks. It works great solo with an official mode, but scales perfectly up to 4 players. High replayability due to variable setup and asymmetric bag evolution. Available on FroGames.it.
Frequently Asked Questions
The answers you're looking for, no beating around the bush.
📸Do the images match the actual product?
The photos on the website often come from BoardGameGeek and are intended to give you an idea of the game. They may vary slightly from the version you receive. The content declared by the publisher is always binding.
📦Does the content of the box match what is indicated?
We always strive to provide the correct content, but minor variations are possible due to reprints or updates. The information comes directly from the publishers. If you have any questions, please contact us!
⏳How do pre-orders work?
Pre-order the game before release, payment is immediate, and the game is reserved for you. As soon as it arrives, we'll ship it right away! If there are any delays, we'll update you promptly.
🔒Can I trust buying here?
Absolutely! Secure payments, tracked shipments, and a team that loves board games as much as you do. If something goes wrong, we'll do our best to fix it.
🛠There's a problem with my order, what should I do?
Write to us now! Whether it's a missing part, damage, or an error, we'll help you resolve it as soon as possible. Your experience truly matters to us.