Dorfromantik: The Board Game

Dorfromantik: The Board Game
The board game cover art
DesignersMichael Palm, Lukas Zach
PublishersPegasus Spiele
PublicationNovember 2022
GenresCooperative tile-laying game
Players1–6[1]
Playing time30–60 minutes[2]
Age range8+[2]
Websitepegasusna.com/Dorfromantik-The-Boardgame/PNA51240.USA

Dorfromantik: The Board Game (German: Dorfromantik: Das Brettspiel)[a] is a board game by Lukas Zach and Michael Palm based on the video game of the same name. The game was published by the German game company Pegasus Spiele in 2022. Dorfromantik is a cooperative game in which players lay hexagonal tiles to create a landscape of various terrains, while also managing tasks to score more points. Dorfromantik also has a campaign mode in which players open boxes as they play games to continually increase their scores. It has won several awards both in Germany and abroad, including the 2023 Spiel des Jahres (German: Game of the Year).

As of April 2026, two mini-expansions for Dorfromantik have been released, The Great Mill and The Wetterau. In addition, two subsequent games have been launched: Dorfromantik: The Duel and Dorfromantik: Sakura. In October 2025, a compact version of the game was released, Dorfromantik: Light Luggage.

Background and development

The video game Dorfromantik was developed in Berlin by Toukana Interactive. Toukana is a German indie game studio which was founded in 2020 as part of a master's degree program at the HTW Berlin.[4] The video game version of Dorfromantik was inspired by board games and designed to look like one.[5] The first prototype of the video game was published in April 2020 during a game jam called Ludum Dare, and released into early access in March 2021.[4] The game was released in full on 28 April 2022.[6] Dorfromantik: The Board Game is based on and named after the video game.[1]

When the video game Dorfromantik won the Deutsche Computerspielepreis (transl. German PC Game Award) in 2021, Zach's studio was nominated as well.[7] This drew Zach's attention to the video game, as it was similar to a hex-placing board game that he and Palm had been working on for several years.[8] They soon started communicating with Toukana to begin collaboration on a board game version of Dorfromantik, agreeing on a licensed cooperation.[9] After much playtesting the two teams first met in person at Essen SPIEL.[8] Karsten Esser, CEO of Pegasus Spiele, said of the process that they "worked the other way around" from normal, as usually a successful video game publisher will approach board game designers instead of the reverse.[10]

Release

A small amount of copies were presented at Essen SPIEL 2022; however, the full release came later.[11] Dorfromantik: Das Brettspiel, the German version of the board game, was first released in November 2022.[12] The English edition premiered in the United States in March 2023.[13]

Gameplay

Dorfromantik is a cooperative game and consists of the basic game and a campaign.[14] In the basic game, players place hexagonal tiles, or hexes, to create a landscape with wheat fields, forests, villages, meadows, railroads, and rivers while trying to complete tasks to gain points.[1] At the conclusion of a game, players advance along a campaign sheet, and eventually unlock small campaign boxes which contain new material for future games.[1] The game is designed for 1–6 players.[14]

Basic game

In the basic game of Dorfromantik, there are two main types of tiles: Landscape tiles and Task tiles.[15] In Dorfromantik, there are six terrain types. The five terrains with task tiles are wheat fields, forests, villages, railroad tracks, and rivers, and the remaining "neutral" terrain type is meadows.[1] With the exception of railroads and rivers, any terrain can stop or continue on any hex edge, meaning that terrain features do not need to match at tile edges.[7] Except for the very first tile, all tiles placed must be connected by at least one edge to the rest of the game map.[7]

When a task tile is placed, a random task marker of the same terrain type is drawn.[7] On one side, task markers have a terrain type, and on the other side is a number from four to six.[16] The number on the front of the task marker is exactly how many tiles of the terrain shown must be connected in order to score points.[7] The greater the number on the front of the marker, the more points are scored by completing the task.[7] Flags printed on tiles score more points for large territories, as long as the territory has been closed off (i.e., no tile edges with the type of terrain matching the flag are open to the edge of the map).[15]

To start, players draw three task tiles and place them down to start the map.[2] After these three original tasks are drawn and placed, landscape tiles start being drawn.[15] These landscape tiles are used to expand territories, and therefore complete tasks for points.[7] Once a task is completed, the next player draws another task to always bring the number of tasks to three.[15] Once the task pile is exhausted and no task tiles remain, the game ends immediately and scoring begins.[16] In the basic game, points are scored based on completed tasks, flags, and the longest railroad track and river.[15]

Campaign

After scoring is complete, players may start or continue a campaign.[3] On the campaign sheet, players round their score down to the nearest ten, then match their rounded score to the number of "bubbles" to advance and consult the number of steps on the sheet that they can fill in.[16] The number shown on the sheet corresponds to bubbles on the sheet, which are filled in by the players to unlock campaign boxes and achievement cards.[2] The campaign starts with five closed boxes.[7][9] These boxes contain other ways to score points such as new tokens, tiles, or achievement cards.[17] In addition to the tiles from the basic game, there is also a third type of tile that comes in the campaign boxes, Special tiles, which can be identified by a printed black signpost.[7][2] While there is no definitive end to Dorfromantik, the campaign eventually runs out of boxes and achievements to unlock, which usually takes 15–20 games.[3] Following this, the game does not have any more campaign content remaining.[3] Players can either start the campaign again or keep playing without unlocking any more campaign content.[18]

Solo play

While Dorfromantik does not come with a dedicated solo mode, the game is compatible to be played solo with few major adjustments.[16][3] The German online board game magazine Reich der Spiele (transl. Realm of Games) said that the game functions best in solo mode.[7]

Mini-expansions and other games

Dorfromantik: The Duel

A new competitive game based on Dorfromantik was released by Pegasus in late 2023 called Dorfromantik: The Duel (German: Dorfromantik: Das Duell).[19] Dorfromantik: The Duel is similar in style to the original game, however it is competitive and places two players against each other.[20] It introduces new task types as well as a tile-matching system between the two players, eliminating most aspects of luck and making the game perfectly symmetrical.[21][20] As opposed to the base game, in Dorfromantik: The Duel the two players each have their own game space.[19] During play, players draw the same tile and place it on their personal board.[19] Task and landscape tiles work similar to the original Dorfromantik, but there is a larger ratio of tasks relative to landscape tiles.[19] Tasks themselves are also mostly the same as in the original.[22] The game, like the original, has flags that score for enclosed territories.[22] Dorfromantik: The Duel has two new types of tasks: wraparound and double tasks.[19] Wraparound tasks, like in Dorfromantik: Sakura, are completed once the listed number of tiles have been placed surrounding the task tile.[19] For double tasks, two landscape options are shown.[19] When either of the options have reached the required number of tiles, the task is completed.[19] The playtime of Dorfromantik: The Duel lasts longer than the original game, often reaching up to two hours.[19]

Although Dorfromantik: The Duel does not have a campaign progression system, being the only stand-alone Dorfromantik game without one, it does contain two "modules".[19] Unlike the campaigns from other games, the modules can be unlocked at any time and are optional to play with.[19] Module 1 contains nine new task cards,[22] and Module 2 contains markers that activate new mechanics, such as hearts, photographers, and special tiles.[19] Dorfromantik: The Duel also comes with several new tiles, counters, and cards for the base game of Dorfromantik.[3] The new task types, wraparound and double, can be integrated into the original game, as well as the special tiles and photographer from Module 2.[19]

Reviews of the game have been mixed. The game has been criticised for taking up an excessive amount of space on the table.[21][3] Due to the nature of the tile-matching, all 183 tiles have to be spread out on the table, taking up a lot of room.[21] Dorfromantik: The Duel has also received criticism for the incredibly close final scores, as small mistakes near the beginning of the game can have a large effect on the end result.[21] In a review, Spieletest.at enjoyed how the game is competitive, but with limited interference between players.[22]

Dorfromantik: Sakura

About a year after the release of Dorfromantik: The Duel, a new stand-alone game, Dorfromantik: Sakura, was published in autumn 2024.[23] It is based on the original design of Dorfromantik but is set in a Japanese landscape.[3] Dorfromantik: Sakura retains the campaign system from the original game, with six boxes and 40 achievements.[24] The rules of Dorfromantik: Sakura are very similar to the original, with only the terrain art design greatly changed.[24] In Dorfromantik: Sakura, cherry blossom trees replace forests from the original Dorfromantik, rice paddies replace wheat fields, and roads replace railroads.[23] However, the campaign part of the game is modified to fit the new theme, with a new campaign sheet and new achievements which unlock new game material unique to the expansion.[24] While the original Dorfromantik only requires points from game scores, Dorfromantik: Sakura has another campaign mechanic, cherry blossoms.[23] These allow the player to progress further in the campaign, unlocking new boxes.[23] Reviewers of the game noted that, while it does bring some new campaign material, the basic game rules are almost entirely the same as the original.[23][24]

Dorfromantik: Light Luggage

Dorfromantik: Light Luggage (German: Dorfromantik: Leichtes Gepäck) is a compact, stand-alone version of Dorfromantik[25] which released in German in autumn 2025.[26] This smaller version of the game includes most of the base game's features, but tiles are fewer and smaller, playing time is reduced, and the campaign rules are simplified.[26] Dorfromantik: Light Luggage can also function as an introduction to the game and is more accessible to a wider audience.[27] Some material from Dorfromantik: Light Luggage can be used when playing the base Dorfromantik game.[26]

Mini-expansions

In 2023, a mini-expansion for Dorfromantik was released called The Great Mill (German: Große Mühle).[28] It contains a small cardboard standee of a windmill which is used to score extra points in field tiles, as well as two new cards.[28] The mini-expansion was announced following Dorfromantik's Spiel des Jahres win in 2023.[28] In June 2024, another mini-expansion, The Wetterau (German: Die Wetterau), was released consisting of three new tiles depicting landmarks in the Wetterau.[29]

Reception

Dorfromantik has received overall positive reviews. IGN has said that the game "only gets more addictive the more you play".[15] Dicebreaker has described the game as "charming" and a "relaxed, satisfying experience from beginning to end".[1] The Tabletop Gaming magazine described Dorfromantik as "the board game equivalent of a warm bath with candles and relaxing music, followed by a lovely cuddle" and that it was "the perfect game if you want a relaxing, laid-back experience without any competitive pressure or heart-breaking failures".[30] Reich der Spiele called Dorfromantik a "feel-good game" (German: Wohlfühlspiel).[7] Following its announcement as the winner for 2023, Dorfromantik was described by the Spiele des Jahres jury as "idyllic" and a "feel-good game" that "takes the pressure out of everyday life".[31] Dorfromantik also received some early criticism over the game's lack of a way to lose.[16][3] On the board game forum and database BoardGameGeek, the base game of Dorfromantik ranks #325 with an average rating of 7.6 out of 10 as of May 2026.[32][33] By November 2023, around one year after Dorfromantik's release, the game had sold 500,000 copies according to Pegasus.[34]

Awards

The designers of the board game Dorfromantik holding their Spiel des Jahres awards.
Dorfromantik won the 2023 Spiel des Jahres award.

Dorfromantik has won several awards from various countries. Its first award—and the most prestigious—came in 2023, when the Spiel des Jahres jury awarded the game first prize.[9][31] That same year, it also won the silver medal at the Deutscher Spiele Preis (transl. German Games Prize). In 2024, Dorfromantik was awarded the Adult Game of the Year from Guldtärningen (transl. Golden Die)[35] and was recommended in the Casual Games category by the American Tabletop Awards.[36] Gra Roku and Guldbrikken received nominations for Dorfromantik in their Family Game of the Year and Best Family Game categories, respectively.[37][38]

Year Award Category Result Ref.
2023 Spiel des Jahres Spiel des Jahres Won [31]
Deutscher Spiele Preis German Games Prize 2nd Place [39]
2024 American Tabletop Awards Casual Games Recommended [36]
Guldtärningen Adult Game of the Year Won [35]
Gra Roku Family Game of the Year Nominated [37]
Guldbrikken Best Family Game Nominated [38]

Notes

  1. ↑ Dorfromantik in German literally translates to "Village Romance".[3]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Jarvis, Matt (10 October 2022). "Dorfromantik: The Board Game is just as chill and charming as the video game, but you can now play with friends". Dicebreaker. Archived from the original on 28 April 2026. Retrieved 26 April 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Brettspiele-Magazin.de (6 March 2023). "Dorfromantik - Spiel des Jahres 2023". Brettspiele-Magazin.de (in German). Archived from the original on 28 February 2026. Retrieved 29 April 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Ritvanen, Sampsa (31 January 2025). "Dorfromantik: The Board Game -lautapelin arvostelu" [Dorfromantik: The Board Game - board game review]. Lautapeliopas (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 9 September 2025. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
  4. 1 2 Couture, Joel (18 July 2021). "Sparking joy through tile placement in idyllic village builder Dorfromantik". Game Developer. Archived from the original on 30 April 2026. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  5. ↑ Toukana Interactive (8 December 2021). "Interview: Toukana Interactive tells us more about Dorfromantik" (Interview). Interviewed by GOG.com. Archived from the original on 4 December 2025. Retrieved 7 May 2026.
  6. ↑ Nightingale, Ed (25 March 2022). "Dorfromantik will leave Early Access for full release in April". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved 27 April 2026.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Weber, Michael (10 July 2023). "Dorfromantik Brettspiel - perfektes Legespiel" [Dorfromantik Boardgame - Perfect Tile-laying Game]. Reich der Spiele (in German). Archived from the original on 5 November 2025. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
  8. 1 2 Pfaff, Nadine (23 September 2023). "Interview – Dorfromantik – The Board Game Authors and Toukana Interactive". Pegasus Spiele (Interview). Archived from the original on 5 August 2025. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
  9. 1 2 3 ""Es ist unglaublich": Das »Spiel des Jahres« kommt aus Friedberg" ["It is unbelievable": The "Game of the Year" comes from Friedberg]. Wetterauer Zeitung (in German). 17 July 2023. Archived from the original on 8 January 2026. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
  10. ↑ Didymus-True, Mike (31 October 2023). ""It's clear there are too many games being published": Pegasus Spiele's co-founder talks Dorfromantik, economic uncertainty and how it keeps winning board gaming's biggest prize -". Board Game Wire. Retrieved 27 April 2026.
  11. ↑ Grashorn, Johannes (15 September 2022). "Dorfromantik | Brettspiel Umsetzung des Videopiels" [Dorfromantik | Board game adaptation of a video game]. Brettspiel News. Retrieved 30 April 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  12. ↑ Krause, Daniel (30 November 2022). "Dorfromantik das Brettspiel im Handel verfügbar" [Dorfromantik the board game is available in stores]. Brettspiel News. Retrieved 30 April 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  13. ↑ Dohm-Sanchez, Jeffrey (25 January 2023). "Pegasus Spiele Will Release 'Dorfromantik' into U.S. Retail". ICv2. Archived from the original on 12 October 2024. Retrieved 7 May 2026.
  14. 1 2 Carter, Chase (15 September 2022). "Idyllic village-building video game Dorfromantik gets a cooperative tabletop adaptation". Dicebreaker. Retrieved 29 April 2026.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Thrower, Matt (16 August 2023). "Dorfromantik: The Board Game Review". IGN. Archived from the original on 30 April 2025. Retrieved 26 April 2025.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 "Weź i zbuduj wieś... ale taką za 400 punktów! Dorfromantik: Gra planszowa. Recenzja - Board Times" [Go and build a village... but make it 400 points! Dorfromantik: The Board Game. Review - Board Times]. Board Times (in Polish). 9 December 2024. Archived from the original on 5 August 2025. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
  17. ↑ Gartner, Frank (9 March 2023). "Rezension/Kritik Spiel: Dorfromantik: Das Brettspiel" [Critic's Review Game: Dorfromantik: The Board Game]. H@LL9000 (in German). Retrieved 7 May 2026.
  18. ↑ Städele, Dominik (6 March 2024). "Dorfromantik". spieletest.at (in German). Archived from the original on 7 May 2026. Retrieved 7 May 2026.
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Gartner, Frank (31 January 2024). "Rezension/Kritik Spiel: Dorfromantik: Das Duell" [Critic's Review Game: Dorfromantik: The Duel]. H@LL9000 (in German). Archived from the original on 6 August 2025. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
  20. 1 2 Carter, Chase (22 July 2023). "Dorfromantik board game sequel trades idyllic calm for a village building competition". Dicebreaker. Archived from the original on 4 November 2025. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
  21. 1 2 3 4 Magdziak, Piotr (23 May 2025). "Dorfromantik: Pojedynek - recenzja. Wsi spokojna, wsi wesoła" [Dorfromantik: The Duel - review. Peaceful village, joyful village]. gram.pl (in Polish). Archived from the original on 27 July 2025. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
  22. 1 2 3 4 Schulz, Hannes (18 July 2024). "Dorfromantik: Das Duell" [Dorfromantik: The Duel]. spieletest.at (in German). Archived from the original on 14 July 2025. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
  23. 1 2 3 4 5 Gartner, Frank (3 March 2025). "Rezension/Kritik Spiel: Dorfromantik: Sakura" [Critic's Review Game: Dorfromantik: Sakura]. H@LL9000 (in German). Archived from the original on 16 February 2026. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
  24. 1 2 3 4 Göldenitz, Gerhard (29 March 2025). "Dorfromantik - Sakura". spieletest.at (in German). Archived from the original on 7 May 2026. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
  25. ↑ "Video Dorfromantik: Leichtes Gepäck (Pegasus... | Cliquenabend". Cliquenabend. Archived from the original on 28 April 2026. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
  26. 1 2 3 Gartner, Frank (4 April 2026). "Rezension/Kritik Spiel: Dorfromantik: Leichtes Gepäck" [Critic's Review Game: Dorfromantik: Light Luggage]. H@LL9000 (in German). Archived from the original on 7 May 2026. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
  27. ↑ Breuer, Hendrik (7 December 2025). "Gesellschaftsspiele: Zehn Weihnachtstipps für die ganze Familie" [Cooperative games: Ten Christmas tips for the whole family]. Der Spiegel (in German). ISSN 2195-1349. Archived from the original on 20 December 2025. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
  28. 1 2 3 "Brettspiel-News.de - Mini-Erweiterung zu Dorfromantik - Spiel des Jahres 2023 - angekündigt". Brettspiel News. Archived from the original on 31 December 2025. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
  29. ↑ Pfaff, Nadine (23 September 2024). "Game Presentation – Welcome to the World of Dorfromantik". Pegasus Spiele. Archived from the original on 13 August 2025. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
  30. ↑ "Dorfromantik: The Board Game Review". Tabletop Gaming. 27 September 2023. Archived from the original on 18 May 2025. Retrieved 26 April 2025.
  31. 1 2 3 "Spiel des Jahres 2023: Dorfromantik". Spiel des Jahres. 21 July 2023. Retrieved 26 April 2025.
  32. ↑ "Dorfromantik: The Board Game". BoardGameGeek. Archived from the original on 23 April 2025. Retrieved 23 April 2025.
  33. ↑ "Browse Board Games | BoardGameGeek". Board Game Geek. Archived from the original on 5 November 2025. Retrieved 25 April 2025.
  34. ↑ "Dorfromantik ist Spiel des Jahres 2023: Verlag Pegasus stockt auf" [Dorfromantik is Game of the Year 2023: Publisher Pegasus increases production]. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (in German). 23 November 2023. Archived from the original on 30 July 2025. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
  35. 1 2 "Sällskapsspelen som vinner Guldtärningen 2024" [Board games that will win the Guldtärningen 2024]. NewsMachine (in Swedish). 7 October 2024. Retrieved 6 October 2025.
  36. 1 2 "Casual Games". American Tabletop Awards. 16 September 2019. Archived from the original on 13 December 2019. Retrieved 26 April 2025.
  37. 1 2 "Nominacje konkursu Planszowa Gra Roku | Edycja 2024" [Competition nominations for the Board Game of the Year | 2024 Edition]. Konkurs Planszowa Gra Roku (in Polish). Archived from the original on 15 August 2025. Retrieved 6 October 2025.
  38. 1 2 Kristensen, Tine (12 September 2024). "Dorfromantik" [Dorfromantik]. Guldbrikken (in Danish). Archived from the original on 8 July 2025. Retrieved 6 October 2025.
  39. ↑ "Deutscher Spiele Preis 2023 - Gewinner steht fest!" [German Games Prize 2023 - The winner has been named!]. Abenteuer Brettspiele (in German). 4 October 2023. Retrieved 23 April 2026.
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