I am not trolling here…

In the Hall of the Mountain King is an amazing game. 😍 You play as trolls who lost a war against the gnomes and were driven out of their ancestral home. After many years have passed, the gnomes are gone and you are trying to reclaim your old home - digging tunnels with muscle and magic, carving out great halls and unearthing statues to earn honor and be the most successful clan at the end. 🏆

The primary mechanics are resource management, tile placement and pickup-up and deliver. The way you generate resources is very unique – you will recruit trolls into a pyramid shape. New troll cards will not only give their own resources but will activate trolls under them in a cascading effect. You will have to use up the resources on trolls effectively though, because only empty slots can generate again. 🧐

You will build polyomino-shaped tunnels throughout the game. This is also an interesting balancing act - if you build near the edge of the board you can cover up resources and statues, earning them, but you will have to also dig near the heart of the mountain, because if you bring statues there they earn you more points. You can also activate workshops if you reach them with your tunnels, which give you useful resource conversion opportunities. 🛠

There are also lots of spells you can cast and a ton of mechanics and nuances that don’t fit inside an instagram review, so I just implore you to check out the game, as it is truly incredible. For me, In the Hall of the Mountain King is definitely one of our best euros, though I feel it is flying a bit under the radar. There is always a lot to think about and plan for and you can make satisfying plays. The replayability is also splendid. 👌

The component quality is top-notch. We managed to get the deluxe version but the retail
version already has shaped wooden markers and thick cardboard tiles. 🤩