Review: Nidavellir

Introduction & Overview

For millennia, the dwarf kingdom lived in peace. But nothing lasts forever in the wild and frozen lands of the kingdom of Nidavellir. The tranquility soon vanished, giving way to a sinister threat: infernal flames tore through the sky and a horrifying roar shook the very foundations of the dwarven cities. Far away, in the dark and forgotten reaches of the continent, an evil long thought dead was awakening once more. Imprisoned centuries ago by an alliance of wizards and dwarves, Fafnir the Merciless had managed to break free, thirsting for vengeance: to plunder and scorch everything in his path. And as any cunning thief would, he would begin where gold had been hoarded with the greatest greed: the dwarf kingdom! As a venerable Elvaland, a respected council member and war leader, you have been dispatched by the king with a crucial mission: to assemble an army capable of facing and vanquishing this bloodthirsty monster. Visit every tavern in the realm, hire the most skilled dwarves, recruit the most prestigious heroes, and forge the finest battalion you can to vanquish your deadly foe. Be swift, but above all, spare no expense—for the king will generously reward the greatest among all Elvalands, yet he will not hesitate to punish those who muster nothing more than an army of wretched scoundrels.

This is the premise of Nidavellir, designed by Serge Laget (Ad Astra, Shadows over Camelot, Mystery of the Abbey). The game was published in 2020 by GRRRE Games in an English and French edition. The illustrations are the work of Jean-Marie Minguez (Mare Nostrum: Empires, Mr. Jack Pocket, Lady Alice).

It is published in Spanish by Maldito Games (though the game is entirely language-independent except for the rulebook). It accommodates 2 to 5 players, with a suggested minimum age of 10 and an approximate playing time of 30 to 60 minutes. The MSRP is €35. For this review, we used a copy of the Spanish edition, kindly provided by Maldito Games as a review copy.

Important: if you already know the game and/or are only interested in my opinion about it, you can go directly to the Opinion section. The Content and Mechanics sections are especially intended for those who do not know the game and prefer to get a general idea of how it works.

Go to Personal Opinion

Components

Inside a two-piece cardboard box (lid and bottom) measuring 25×25×7.6 cm (a medium square box similar in size to Pelican Bay or Nova Luna, but slightly deeper), we find the following items:

• 118 Cards (54×80 mm):
  • 87 Dwarf Cards
  • 5 Hero Distinction Cards
  • 5 Royal Offering Cards
  • 21 Hero Cards
• 5 Player Boards (cardboard)
• 3 Gem Exchange Reminder Markers (cardboard)
• 6 Gems (cardboard)
• 3 Tavern Signs (cardboard)
• 60 Gold Coins (cardboard)
• 1 Royal Treasure Display (cardboard)
• 4 Card Holders (plastic)
• 1 Scorepad (paper)
• Rulebook

How to Play

Nidavellir is a game of hidden bidding and set collection set in a dwarven kingdom threatened by the dragon Fafnir, where each player takes on the role of a commander tasked with recruiting the most valiant army across the realm’s various taverns. The game spans two ages composed of several rounds in which dwarf and royal offering cards are laid out across three distinct taverns. At the start of each round, players simultaneously and secretly assign one coin to each tavern, keeping two coins in reserve. The taverns are then resolved in sequence: bids for the active tavern are revealed, and players draft cards in descending order of coin value, breaking ties using priority gems that are subsequently swapped among the tied players. The chosen card is added to the player’s army according to its class or used to upgrade coins if it is a Royal Offering; additionally, playing the value-0 coin triggers a “coin-building” mechanism that sums the values of the two reserve coins to trade the higher-value coin for a new one from the Royal Treasure. Completing a full set featuring at least one banner from each of the five classes immediately awards a Hero card boasting unique special abilities or substantial bravery values. At the end of the first age, Distinction cards are awarded for the majority of banners in each class, and at the end of the second age, final scoring takes place by tallying class-specific bravery points (which apply varying mathematical formulas and majorities), neutral hero points, and total accumulated coin values. The player with the highest total bravery score is declared the victor.

Key Concepts

Let us start with the core element of the game: the Age Cards. These make up two decks distributed among the players across the rounds through a drafting mechanism. Within these decks, we find two card types: Dwarf Cards and Royal Offerings. Dwarf Cards represent dwarves belonging to one of the five classes, each defined by an associated color and shield icon (Blacksmiths—Purple; Hunters—Green; Miners—Orange/Yellow; Warriors—Red; Explorers—Blue). The key feature of these cards is their rank (small banners displayed in the upper-left corner). Certain ranks display a printed numeric value (specifically for warriors, miners, and explorers). At specific points in the game and during final scoring, the total number of ranks each player holds in each class will be evaluated to award bonuses and points. Royal Offering Cards, meanwhile, display a coin with a numeric value next to a plus sign, allowing players to upgrade their coins directly.

These cards are displayed beneath the three Tavern Signs, forming groups containing as many cards as there are players in the game (with an exception in two-player games). In every round, each player will draft three cards—one from each tavern.

Coins serve as the primary mechanical driver to determine the drafting order at each tavern. Every player begins the game with an identical set of five base red coins, used to establish turn order during card selection. Players secretly and simultaneously assign one coin to each tavern. When the time comes, everyone reveals their coins, and players draft cards starting with whoever bid the highest value and proceeding in descending order. Playing the value-0 coin triggers an upgrade using the sum of the two coins left in reserve, allowing you to improve one of those two coins; the trade-off is that the 0 coin will almost always force you to draft last from that tavern, as it cannot upgrade itself.

To make this possible, the game includes a supply of golden Royal Coins that will gradually replace the starting base coins, differentiating players’ bidding values as the match progresses.

Naturally, there will be instances where two or more players bid the exact same coin value at a given tavern. In such cases, players turn to their Gems. Each player starts with a gem showing a value ranging from 1 to 5 (depending on player count). When a tie occurs, turn order is resolved in favor of the player holding the higher-value gem. After applying this tie-breaking method, the involved players exchange their gems so that the same player does not always retain the advantage.

Each player has an individual Player Board used primarily to program bids, placing coins face-down on the corresponding tavern spaces while leaving two slots for reserve coins (the pouch). Additionally, this board features two reference scoring tracks for the green and purple ranks, making it easy to check cumulative scores without having to calculate arithmetic progressions or squares manually.

As mentioned earlier, players will compare rank counts in each class on a couple of occasions throughout the game. The first occurs when the Age 1 deck is depleted. The player holding the most ranks in each class earns a special reward represented by Distinction Cards, providing perks for the remainder of the match.

Finally, we have the Hero Cards: powerful special dwarves recruited whenever a player forms a complete set of five ranks, one of each class. These are divided into two categories: class-specific heroes (which belong to a particular class and often feature multiple ranks or scoring modifiers) and neutral heroes (who do not belong to any class but grant unique special abilities and alternative scoring conditions).

That is enough to get started.

Preparación de la Partida

1. Form the Age decks, sorting cards by card back.
   • In games with fewer than 5 players, return cards showing a “5” in the lower-right corner to the box. Shuffle each deck separately and set them aside.
2. Assemble the Coin Treasury display and place all upgraded Royal Coins into their designated slots.
   • In 2- and 3-player games, remove 2 coins each of values 7, 9, and 11, returning them to the box (leaving only one coin of each of those values in the display).
3. Place the three Tavern Signs in the center of the table, alternating them with the Gem Exchange reminder tokens.
4. Set up the card holders and place the Hero and Distinction cards onto them.
5. Place the special gold gem, the value-3 green coin, and the miner with two ranks next to the Distinction card display.
6. Each player takes a player board, 5 basic coins, and one gem. Distribute gems according to player count:
   • 2 Players: gems with values 4 and 5.
   • 3 Players: gems with values 3, 4, and 5.
   • 4 Players: gems with values 2, 3, 4, and 5.
   • 5 Players: gems with values 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.

We are ready to begin!

Game Flow

A game of Nidavellir takes place over two ages, each consisting of a set number of rounds (4 rounds in 2- or 3-player games, 3 rounds in 4- or 5-player games). An evaluation occurs at the end of each age. Each round proceeds through several phases.

Phase I: Tavern Setup

For each tavern, reveal a number of cards from the current Age deck equal to the number of players.

• Exception: in 2-player games, reveal 3 cards per tavern.

Phase II: Bidding

Simultaneously and secretly, all players place their five coins onto their player boards: one face-down coin on each tavern slot and the remaining two in the pouch slots.

The phase ends once every player has finished setting up their coins.

Phase III: Tavern Resolution

Taverns are resolved one by one, from top to bottom. For each tavern:

1. Players reveal their coins assigned to that tavern.
2. Starting with the highest bidder and proceeding in descending order, each player chooses one card from the active tavern. In case of a tie, resolve order using gem values (highest gem goes first). Resolve drafted cards according to their type:
   • Dwarf Card: Add it to your army. If adding the card completes one or more full lines of all five classes, immediately claim a Hero card from the display for each completed line before the next player drafts. Subsequent lines can be triggered in a chain reaction thanks to the bonus ranks on certain heroes.
   • Royal Offering Card: Choose any coin on your board (revealed or unrevealed) and take a replacement coin from the Treasury whose value equals the chosen coin plus the bonus printed on the card. If that exact value is unavailable, take the next higher value available.
     • In two-player games, the remaining unpicked card is discarded.
3. Additionally, if one or more players bid their value-0 coin, they must discard the highest-value coin from their pouch (returning starting coins to the box or gold coins to the Treasury) and take a replacement coin from the Treasury equal to the sum of both pouch coins. If that exact value is unavailable, take the next higher value available; if none higher remain, take the highest-value coin left in the display. Ties are resolved via gems.
4. Finally, if two or more players tied on coin value during tavern resolution, a gem exchange must take place depending on the number of tied players:
   • 2 Players: Swap gems with each other.
   • 3 Players: The player with the highest gem swaps with the player with the lowest gem.
   • 4 Players: The highest gem swaps with the lowest, and the two middle players swap with each other.
   • 5 Players: Follow the 4-player procedure, leaving the middle gem unmoved.

After resolving all steps, proceed to the next tavern.

Once all three taverns have been resolved, the round ends and the next one begins.

When the Age 1 deck runs out, the mid-game evaluation triggers. Check which player holds the majority of ranks (not numerical values) in each class. That player receives the corresponding Distinction Card and gains its immediate or ongoing benefit. If players tie for the most ranks in a class, no one claims that distinction.

Game End

The game ends when the Age 2 deck is exhausted. Players then tally their victory points across all five classes:

• Blacksmiths (purple): Score points according to the progressive scale printed on the player board based on the total number of ranks.
• Hunters (green): Score points equal to the number of ranks squared (precalculated on the player board).
• Miners (orange): Score points equal to the number of miner ranks multiplied by the sum of their printed bravery values.
• Warriors (red): Score the sum of printed bravery values on each card; the player with the most warrior ranks (regardless of total value) also scores the value of their highest coin as bonus points. In case of a tie for majority, all tied players score this bonus.
• Explorers (blue): Score the sum of all bravery values printed on these cards.
• Neutral Heroes: Score any points granted by unaligned hero cards.

The player with the highest bravery score is declared the winner. In case of a tie, victory is shared.

Personal Opinion

Serge Laget is one of those French designers who publishes sparingly, but whenever his name graces a box, it is well worth paying attention to, as he tends to maintain a distinct approach from many of his compatriots. That is not to say his games are overly heavy or convoluted—far from it—but they lean closer to classic eurogames that are not quite so forgiving to the players.

Now, four years after his last published designs, comes Nidavellir, boasting an atmospheric cover where a fierce dwarf prepares to meet his fate against jagged peaks circled by a perilous dragon. Let us see if the gameplay on the table feels as intense as its presentation promises, but not without first thanking Maldito Games for providing the review copy that makes this tocho-review possible.

Much like a chapter straight out of *The Hobbit*, the game challenges us to assemble a company of dwarves to confront this winged menace before it reduces everything to ashes. Without further ado, we set to work drafting the most formidable roster available.

How? Through a streamlined drafting mechanism. Across the few rounds that make up a game (8 rounds at 2–3 players, 6 rounds at 4–5), three sets of cards are displayed on the table, and each player drafts one card from each group to add to their board. These cards primarily depict dwarves belonging to five distinct classes, and assessing the strength of your company simply comes down to calculating each class’s unique scoring formula. At first glance, that might not sound like much.

The brilliance of the design, however, lies in two compelling mechanical twists. The first is the turn-order mechanism used for drafting. Each player manages a set of five coins of differing values. At the start of every round, after forming the card displays, players program their coins on their player board, secretly assigning one coin to each tavern.

Each tavern is then resolved in order, with players revealing the coin assigned to that location. The highest bidder drafts first from the available cards, with the remaining players following in descending order based on their revealed values.

Starting with identical sets of coins means that, early on, there is little room to outmaneuver opponents through bidding alone. This is where the second mechanism comes into play: the *Coin Building System*—embracing the modern publishing trend of giving flashy names to familiar mechanics.

Through this system, players gradually swap their low coins for higher-value ones because the lowest-value coin in the starting set (the 0) allows you to combine the two unplayed coins in your pouch, replacing the higher one with a new coin equal to their sum.

As a result, from an identical starting point, player economies quickly diverge. You are constantly weighing whether to use coins for their high bidding power or to sacrifice priority by pairing them with the 0 coin to forge a stronger economy, knowing that playing a 0 will almost guarantee drafting last at that tavern. Is it better to push a single coin to sky-high values by upgrading it repeatedly, or to distribute upgrades across your coins for reliable positioning everywhere?

It is an engaging setup that might initially bring Ra (read the tocho-review here) to mind, given the fixed bidding values and the quest to steadily upgrade them. As the rounds unfold, however, the overall feel is entirely distinct from Reiner Knizia’s masterpiece.

The odds of two or more players assigning the same value to a tavern remain quite high. Here, Serge Laget introduces an elegant and automated tie-breaker by giving each player a numbered gem that resolves ties in descending order. To ensure fairness, whenever players rely on gems to break a tie, they swap gems afterward, turning the disadvantaged player into the next round’s frontrunner. Since players will frequently play their 0 coin (especially during the first age), reading when opponents might play theirs lets you capitalize on a favorable gem tie-breaker.

While that system is clever, what truly elevates Nidavellir is its set collection reward structure—the other cornerstone of the design. As mentioned, players strive to gather cards across all classes to maximize their end-game scores. This is where completing ranks comes in.

Every dwarf card generally features a class banner (alongside a numeric value for some). Players arrange these cards in columns by class, aligning the banners. Whenever you complete a set of five ranks—one of each class—you immediately recruit a bonus Hero card: either a potent dwarf aligned with a specific class (often providing multiple ranks) or an unaligned hero granting a unique ongoing or scoring ability.

Combo enthusiasts will instantly see the potential here. Optimizing your picks to assemble as many full sets as possible and recruiting a steady stream of heroes is fundamental to winning. Beyond the raw points they provide, drafting class heroes accelerates subsequent sets, reducing your reliance on scarce classes.

This dynamic naturally fuels player interaction. A crucial part of the game involves denying key cards that an opponent needs to complete a set, provided drafting that card still benefits your own board, since every pick is valuable.

By blending coin-building, simultaneous planning, and class synergy combos, the game delivers a highly approachable medium-light experience. Rounds fly by at lightning speed, leaving you with the satisfying feeling of having made meaningful tactical choices within a very tight timeframe.

When you grasp how the game flows, that simultaneous planning phase is immensely rewarding whenever a plan comes together cleanly. You will generally assess the most critical card across all taverns to complete your next set of ranks, then allocate high bids to contested spots while letting less critical taverns ride on modest bids.

A minor drawback of the coin-building system is that tracking opponents’ exact coin values becomes nearly impossible as the game progresses, particularly at higher player counts, introducing a touch of chaos. With two or three players, bidding remains much tighter and more calculated, making these player counts the most satisfying in terms of control. That sweet spot makes it shine brightest, whereas at four or five players, drafting so few cards per person can leave the experience feeling slightly truncated.

Another hurdle the game faces is player expectations. Between the theme and the table presence, it is easy to assume you are sitting down to a medium-weight euro, when in truth it operates much closer to a filler. It is a drafting and set collection game elevated by blind bidding and combos, but it does not stretch far beyond that.

Approached with the right mindset, it is thoroughly enjoyable, driven by a brisk pace that wraps up cleanly in under an hour. If you go in expecting deep strategy or rich narrative immersion, however, it may leave you feeling somewhat underwhelmed.

The same applies to its thematic integration. Much like Roll Player (read the tocho-review here), the game is framed around assembling a band of warriors to defeat a menacing dragon, only for the actual gameplay to end right after recruitment. There is no sign of the dragon inside the box, and reading the back-cover blurb might lead some to expect an actual battle phase. One cannot help but wonder if Serge Laget was traumatized by Peter Jackson’s *Hobbit* adaptation, whose second film delivered one of cinema’s most anticlimactic cliffhangers right when the confrontation with Smaug seemed imminent.

Scalability and replay value comfortably surpass typical fillers thanks to the variety of Hero cards. Exploring different hero synergies across games keeps things fresh and intensifies the coin-bidding battles over their recruitment.

Turning to production, the overall quality meets standard expectations. The cards have decent thickness, smooth finish, and good snap, with the only slight annoyance being their uncommon card size. Sleeving is hardly necessary since decks are shuffled only once and cards are never held in hand. Cardboard components are sturdy and punch out cleanly, despite standard punchboard density. The included card holders and coin display feel somewhat superfluous and cumbersome; the treasury display adds setup time (despite saving table space), while the card racks force everyone to view the hero cards from specific angles. I personally play without either. The rulebook is well-structured, clear, and leaves no ambiguities.

Visually, the game has a distinctive aesthetic. The cover art is enigmatic and minimalist, which I quite like. The cards feature stylized charcoal illustrations that feel unique, though the lack of color can be jarring and makes telling characters apart more difficult on the table. While art style is subjective, adding color would have helped card readability. Iconography could also have used more refinement, as several specific hero powers are not immediately intuitive and require frequent rulebook checks.

And let’s wrap this up. Nidavellir is an engaging medium-light design that blends fast-paced card drafting and set collection with simultaneous secret bidding. Its greatest asset lies in coin management and upgrading, generating constant psychological tension as you balance tavern priority against long-term economic growth. The race to assemble complete class sets to claim hero cards injects subtle and satisfying table interaction, forcing you to monitor opponents’ boards to deny crucial picks while optimizing your own engine. On the downside, coin growth can make predicting rival bids harder at higher counts, and the thematic premise remains disconnected by stopping short of the actual dragon fight. Nevertheless, embraced as an elevated filler, it delivers a brisk, accessible, and decision-packed experience that leaves a very positive impression. For all these reasons, I give it a…