Dwellings of Eldervale Review – Somethin’ to Dwell On

Dwellings of Eldervale is an ambitious undertaking that seeks to meld a myriad of aspects from the board game medium. Naturally, such a concept necessitates a high level of complexity, which may be hard to stomach for casual gamers. However, in the case of this intricate offering, the juice is definitely worth the squeeze. Those who manage to wrap their head around the rules will find a rewarding experience with an enormous potential for replayability.

Dwellings of Eldervale
Publisher: Breaking Games
Price: $150
MonsterVine was provided with a copy of the game for review

Approaching a board game for the first time can be a lot like sitting down to a meal. That is to say, you eat with your eyes first. My first impression of Dwellings of Eldervale was that the publishers certainly didn’t skimp on the presentation! The production quality of this game is superb and the artwork is entrancing. For a game with so many moving parts, it seems like a lot of effort was put into designing things to be visually distinctive and striking. My second impression was that I was going to need a take-out bag. Weighing in at just under 10 lbs this monster of a board game looks very intimidating. Thankfully, after the first playthrough this is not the case at all. The designers were considerate and thoughtful enough to include interlocking, sealable trays for all of the pieces. Subsequent playthroughs can be set up in no time at all, which if you’re anything like me, can be the deciding factor between whether or not a board game becomes a household favorite or a one hit wonder.

The setting of Dwellings of Eldervale is quite enticing, feeling both very familiar and new at the same time. This game isn’t afraid to pay homage to its conceptual predecessors, and why should it be? You play as one of 8 factions, assuming the role of their glorious / horrible leader. From chittering hordes of chaos rats to shining cat warriors, you are immediately immersed in a realm of epic fantasy. The name of the game is gaining elemental power, but you are not locked into your starting faction’s affinity. This is where the fluid structure of this game really begins to shine, as it is possible to branch out into mastering several elemental disciplines for endless combinations of shenanigans. 

Moving past the exterior we come face to face with the meat and potatoes of any game, the mechanics. I will not sugar coat it, this game is not for beginners. The learning curve is steep, and the sheer amount of options and strategies you are presented with at any given time can make your head swim. Dwellings of Eldervale bills itself as a “worker placement” game, and at its core it accomplishes that very well, but it is SO much more. You will find no pastoral farming simulation here, combat is the beating heart of Eldervale. Aside from workers, you gain access to a stable of units, each with unique placement rules. These can be used to explore or exploited to set cunning traps for your opponents. Every faction has unique special rules for its units, compounding the multitude of strategies available to you. Oh, and did I mention wandering monsters lurk around every corner just waiting to send your little guys to the underworld?

In addition to strategically positioning your units, you are equipped with an arsenal of other tools to score victory points. Spells can be drawn from a deck, giving you quests or nasty little surprises to throw at your enemies. You can send units to explore the dungeon, revealing new realm tiles and giving you powerful passive effect cards. The combinations are limitless, which I believe is Dwellings of Eldervale’s greatest strength and greatest potential stumbling block. Once the game really begins to kick in around turn 3, you will find yourself trying to keep track of about 7 things at the same time. That said, there is nothing quite like watching a plan come together, especially when it requires deep, tactical preparation.  

Despite the initial setup and learning curve, once you have an understanding of the rules this game actually moves along at a very steady clip. There is never a dull moment, as you will spend every second that is not your turn plotting out your next turn. Due to this, games can seem to fly by and I would say that (after the first game) you are probably looking at 30 minutes to an hour for a full game. The ease of setup and teardown, the brisk pacing, and the sheer volume of ways you can win all combine to make this one very replayable game.  And when the game is over and you sit there triumphant in victory or crestfallen in defeat, you will already be pondering which whacky combo you’ll try to pull off next time.

The Final Word:
If you can make it past the initial learning curve, Dwellings of Eldervale is a game that fires on all pistons. The built-in ease of use and quality of life improvements it provides really make it stand out from the crowd. There lies something for every board gamer to enjoy among the limitless ways to play this game.  

– MonsterVine Rating: 4.5 out of 5 – Great