Elfenland

Description

--- "Elfenland is a strategic travel board game where fledgling elves visit 20 cities over 4 rounds using fantastical transports, balancing routes, cards, and interference to maximize points." Key mechanics include: - *Tile drawing and placement* Players draw 4 transport tiles (face-up or blind) and place one per road between cities, enabling or blocking paths for all. - *Transport card matching* Cards match tiles and terrain types; fewer cards needed for fast terrains (1 symbol), more for slow (2+), impossible for none. - *Movement via cards* In stage 2, play matching cards to traverse tiles; caravan with any 3 cards if unmatched. - *Terrain-specific travel* Unique rules per transport (e.g., rafts on rivers/lakes: 1-2 cards based on direction/size). - *Trouble tiles* Each player places one to force extra card or 4 for caravan on targeted routes. - *Scoring and penalties* Collect 1-point city markers; after 4 rounds, subtract distance penalty from secret home city. - *Carryover limits* Retain 1 unused tile and up to 4 cards between rounds. Elfenland, a redesign of Elfenroads, immerses players as fledgling elves starting in the capitol, tasked with visiting as many of 20 Elfencities as possible over 4 rounds using transports like Giant Pigs, Elfcarts, Unicorns, Rafts, Magic Clouds, Trollwagons, and Dragons. Each receives 8 transport cards, one face-down movement tile, a secret home city card (endgame penalty per space away), and places colored markers in all cities (1 point each upon visit). Rounds divide into two stages: first, players draw from 5 face-up tiles or blind stack to acquire 4, then sequentially place one tile per road (one per road max), strategically aiding self or hindering others by dictating travel modes. Tiles interact with hand cards via terrain symbols: 1 symbol for fast (1 card), 2 for slow (2 cards), absent for impossible; rafts bypass tiles on rivers/lakes (1-2 cards by flow/size). Post-placement, players move elf-boots by playing cards, collecting markers; unmatched tiles allow caravan (3 any cards). Trouble tiles add spite, requiring +1 matching card or 4 for caravan. Limited carryover (1 tile, 4 cards) encourages planning. Victory immediate if all 20 cities visited by round 3 end; otherwise, after round 4, reveal homes, deduct distance from city points for highest score. ---