Dwellings of Eldervale
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The FroGames card
You place your wizard in the crumbling tower and choose Fire. Across the table, someone summons a Water giant. The third player sends two warriors into the depths. In an hour, someone will have built a kingdom. Someone else will only have ruins.
WHAT IT IS ABOUT
A magical world where you build your kingdom element by element
Dwellings of Eldervale is the debut of Luke Laurie (2020) born from a Kickstarter explosion that raised over 3 million dollars. The art team — Anton Fadeev, Brian Valeza, Sergio Chaves and seven other illustrators — created a fantasy world where eight elemental powers (Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Light, Darkness, Order, Chaos) govern everything: from giant miniatures to the custom dice you roll in dungeons.
You control an asymmetric faction competing for elemental dominance of Eldervale. You place unique workers in key locations — a summoning portal, an ancient mill, a lost fortress, deep dungeons — to gather resources, summon giant monsters, fight dragons, and build dwellings that grant points and permanent advantages. Each turn you choose whether to expand your engine with magic cards or activate what you have already built. The board is modular, factions have completely different abilities, and elemental dice change every encounter.
What they say abroad
"An ambitious blend of worker placement and area control with stunning table presence"
An ambitious blend of worker placement and area control with stunning table presence
— Meeple Mountain
Dwellings of Eldervale is a game that presents you with real choices right from the setup. Each faction opens different paths, each element forces you to look at the board with new eyes. It's not a lightweight game disguised as fantasy: it's dense strategy within a world that asks you to explore it.
— FroGames
Dwellings of Eldervale
The game includes an official solo mode with an automa that simulates an opponent: it draws cards to place workers and build dwellings according to dedicated rules. The strategic experience is complete — you optimize the engine and compete for elemental dominance — but you lose the tactical interaction in dungeons and the reading of opponent's moves. Excellent for testing factions and building strategies.
FrogScore · editorial rating FroGames · based on rules, international reviews and play sessionsThe elements of your kingdom
Four pillars that build (or destroy) Eldervale
Unique workers
Each faction has different workers: some place faster, others unlock special actions, still others fight better. They are not generic pawns — they are the DNA of your strategy.
Elemental dice
Eight sets of custom dice, one for each element. You roll them in battles against monsters and opponents. Each element has different faces: Fire burns strong, Water controls, Order is stable. Choose the right element for the right dungeon.
Dwellings
Build permanent structures on the board that grant victory points and unique abilities. The more dwellings you have in an elemental land, the more you dominate that element. They are the engine that fuels everything.
Giant monsters
You summon enormous creatures (dragons, elementals, beasts) that occupy the board and fight for you. The miniatures are up to 10 cm tall. They are not decorative: they block territories and provide real tactical advantages.
Recommended sleeves 429 cards in 2 sizes ▼
If you play often, we recommend protecting your cards with clear sleeves to make them last longer.
| Size | Quantity |
|---|---|
| 63 × 88 mm | 309 |
| 45 × 67 mm | 120 |
| Total cards | 429 |
Come si gioca
Video dimostrativo di gameplay.
🎲How to playThe rules in four steps▼
How to play
The flow of each round
A round of Dwellings alternates between worker placement (one at a time, clockwise) and tableau activation. There's no rush — but those who place workers in key spots force others to change their plans.
On your turn, choose: (A) place a worker in an available action space (portal, mill, fortress, dungeon, wizard tower, elemental lands) and immediately perform that action, OR (B) pass and activate your tableau of magic cards (resolve all built cards, then retrieve workers). The first player to pass takes the first player token for the next round.
Each space provides resources, allows you to draw magic cards, build dwellings, summon monsters, or explore dungeons. In dungeons, you fight: you roll your elemental dice, sum the results, pay any costs, and win rewards (legendary cards, resources, points). Some spaces are blocked until the next round.
If you passed, you activate all magic cards you have built in your personal tableau: they produce resources, grant permanent abilities, and unlock combos. Then you retrieve all your workers. Those who have built a strong engine generate more value in this phase than by placing workers.
When everyone has passed and activated, a new round begins. The round marker advances (the game lasts 8 rounds), the elemental dominance track is updated (whoever has more dwellings in each land gains bonuses), and the new first player begins. The final phase tallies final points from dwellings, dominance, cards, and objectives.
⏱️Your first gameThe chronicle, moment by moment▼
A game in five moments
What happens at the table
Not the rules. The experience.
Asymmetrical Setup
Everyone chooses a faction and discovers that the rules change: some start with extra workers, some have boosted dice, some build faster. The board is modular – different elemental lands each time – and you immediately understand it won't be a linear race. Someone eyes the dungeons, someone else counts the magic cards.
First Placements
The first turn is slow: you study the actions, place a worker in the portal to summon a small creature, someone goes to the mill for resources. Then you discover that spaces get blocked and whoever reaches the dungeons first gets the best treasures. The second wave of placements is already a positional war.
First Combat
Someone enters a deep dungeon and rolls elemental dice against a dragon. The faces come up poorly – the dragon resists – but another player spends magic cards to modify the result and wins. They take a legendary card and immediately build a dwelling. The others realize that whoever controls the dungeons controls the rhythm.
Engines in Action
Mid-game: the magic card tableaux start to interlock. Someone activates a combo that generates cascading resources, another summons a giant that blocks half an elemental land. The board is full of miniatures, dwellings, and dominance tokens. Every action triggers three consequences. The tension rises as you see others' points climb.
Dominance Count
End of game: dwelling points, elemental dominance (who has more presence in each element), secret objectives, and magic cards are tallied. The winner is whoever built the most balanced kingdom – or whoever completely dominated two or three elements while ignoring the others. Someone only now realizes that a vertical strategy beat a horizontal one.
🐸What to know beforehandThree honest things, from friends▼
What to know beforehand
Three things you should consider
Real Downtime
With 4-5 players, turns can be long: everyone needs to study the board, calculate combos, and decide which element to push. First games over 2 and a half hours are not uncommon. If you play with 2-3 players, it flows better and faster (90-120 minutes), but interaction decreases slightly.
Steep learning curve
The rulebook is clear but there are many systems: unique workers, dice combat, hand management, dwelling construction, elemental dominance. The first game is didactic — you only understand the synergies by the second. Whoever loses the first game often gets revenge later.
Dice present but manageable
Combat uses custom elemental dice, so there's variance. You can mitigate this with magic cards, faction abilities, and choosing the right element, but an unlucky roll can ruin a key turn. If you completely hate dice, be aware that they matter here (but don't dominate the game).
🏆Victory and defeatWhat the ending rewards▼
How it ends
How to win and what eliminates you
Dwellings ends after 8 rounds. The winner is the player with the most points from built dwellings, elemental dominance, magic cards, and secret objectives. There is no direct elimination — everyone plays until the end.
Victory conditions
- Build more dwellings than others (each worth 2-5 points depending on the level)
- Dominate as many elements as possible: whoever has the most presence in each elemental land at the end of the game earns significant bonus points
- Complete secret objectives and collect legendary magic cards from dungeons (they are worth points and grant unique abilities)
How you lose ground
- You ignore elemental dominance: someone monopolizes 3-4 elements and gains a flood of points that you can't recover
- You don't build dwellings: without permanent buildings, you don't dominate territories and your engine remains weak
- You fight poorly: you waste entire turns in failed dungeons, while others accumulate legendary cards and resources
Dwellings is not just another worker placement game with a fantasy theme glued on. It's a strategic sandbox where you truly build a different kingdom every time — and where miniatures serve tactics, not just aesthetics.
💬Frequently asked questionsQuick answers before checkout▼
Frequently asked questions
FAQ about Dwellings of Eldervale
What mechanics does Dwellings of Eldervale use?
Worker placement with unique workers (each faction has different workers), area control (you dominate elemental lands by building dwellings), engine building (you build a tableau of magic cards), hand management (you draw and play cards strategically), dice combat (you roll custom elemental dice in dungeons), variable player powers (16 asymmetrical factions), and a modular board (different setup each game).
Is it a long game to explain?
Yes, a full explanation takes 20-30 minutes because the systems are intertwined (unique workers, combat, magic cards, dominance). You can do a "learn-as-you-play" game but it slows everything down. A dedicated tutorial with an experienced player is better. From the second game onwards, it flows much better.
Are the miniatures just scenery?
No. The giant monsters you summon occupy spaces on the board, block territories for opponents, and provide concrete tactical advantages (combat, movement, resources). The miniatures are functional to the gameplay, not just eye candy. That said, the production is spectacular, and the scenic presence aids immersion.
Does it scale well at all player counts?
Best with 2-3 players (90-120 minutes, high tactical interaction, low downtime). With 4 players, it works but takes longer (150+ minutes). With 5 players, the wait between turns becomes heavy, and the game can exceed 2 and a half hours. The game supports all counts but shines in the low-to-medium range.
Is it available in Italian?
This edition is in English. The game has significant text on magic cards, faction abilities, and dungeon cards — a medium knowledge of English or the use of a translation aid is required. The basic mechanics (worker placement, dwelling construction) are language-independent once learned.
The people behind the game
Who invented it, who designed it, who published it — and what else they've done.
Dwellings of Eldervale is a strategic board game for 1-5 players, ages 14+, lasting 60-150 minutes. Designed by Luke Laurie and published by Breaking Games, it combines worker placement with asymmetrical workers, elemental area control, engine building through magic cards, and tactical custom dice combat. The 16 unique factions and modular board guarantee high replayability. Includes official solo mode. 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.
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