In the Hall of the Mountain King

In the Hall of the Mountain King is a strategic board game for 2 to 5 players, designed by Jay Cormier and Graeme Jahns, and published by Burnt Island Games. Players assume the roles of trolls returning to their ancestral mountain home to rebuild their kingdom by excavating tunnels, unearthing riches, and restoring ancient statues to their rightful places.

Gameplay Overview

• Cascading Production Mechanism: Central to the game is the innovative cascading production system. Players recruit trolls to their workforce, forming a pyramid structure known as the "trollsmoot." When a new troll is added, it activates itself and all trolls beneath it in the pyramid, generating resources such as gold, stone, iron, marble, carts, runes, and hammers. This mechanism allows for increasingly substantial resource gains as the game progresses.
• Tunnel Excavation: Players spend resources to dig tunnels by placing polyomino tiles on the shared game board, starting from their individual entrances. The goal is to connect tunnels to valuable resources, workshops that facilitate resource conversion, and toppled statues that can be transported to scoring locations near the mountain's heart.
• Statue Restoration: Transporting statues through the tunnel network to designated pedestals near the mountain's center is a key scoring strategy. Utilizing carts, players move statues to these locations, earning honor points, especially when statues are placed on matching pedestals.

Game End and Victory

The game concludes shortly after the last player recruits their sixth troll. Players tally honor points earned from tunnel construction, excavation of great halls, and the placement of statues. The player with the most honor is crowned the Mountain King and wins the game.

Components

• Game board depicting the mountain interior.
• Polyomino tunnel tiles.
• Troll cards for building the trollsmoot.
• Resource tokens (gold, stone, iron, marble, carts, runes, hammers).
• Statue and pedestal miniatures.
• Workshop tiles.
• Spell cards offering unique abilities.

Audience and Playtime

Recommended for players aged 12 and up, In the Hall of the Mountain King offers a rich strategic experience with a playtime of approximately 75 to 90 minutes. Its blend of resource management, tile placement, and network building appeals to fans of Euro-style strategy games.

Conclusion

In the Hall of the Mountain King combines innovative mechanics with thematic depth, challenging players to strategically manage resources, construct efficient tunnel networks, and restore their troll kingdom to its former glory. The cascading production system adds a unique layer of strategy, making each decision impactful and engaging.