Trollhalla – the Trolls are on the loose!

When we heard from Alf Seegert that he had designed another troll board game, we were anxious to get our hands on it. You may recall that last year, Z-Man Games published his game Bridge Troll and our family has really enjoyed playing it. So when he told us that the trolls were leaving their bridges behind and heading off to pillage and plunder surrounding islands, we were excited to give it a try.

And while this may spoil the suspense, we’ll tell you right up front that we like it even more! There’s many things to keep you thinking in Trollhalla, so even when it’s not your turn, you’re still engaged in the game thinking about what to do next. Of course, chances are high that your plan might get messed up just before your turn anyway – but that’s one of the reasons why we really like it.

See what a game about pillaging and plundering trolls is all about in Jaden’s video review of Trollhalla.

Can the whole family enjoy Trollhalla?

The suggested age for the Trollhalla board game is 8+. And we think that age is pretty accurate. Because of the planning involved and the number of things to keep track of, Trollhalla, won’t appeal to your younger children. They may love placing troll tokens and moving boats around, but we don’t think they’ll pick up on the strategies of the game.

 

We think it’s great though for teenagers though. If you have teenagers that love games with a chance to mess with the other players, then Trollhalla would be a good one to get. You can always see the other player boards, so you know what items they want to get from the islands. And by playing your cards right, you can divert the boats to different islands, or turn them completely around.

How much luck is involved in Trollhalla?

We think there’s just enough luck to keep the game exciting. For family games, we prefer those that have a good mix of strategy and luck – and we think Trollhalla fits in that mode perfectly. As you can see in the video review, your main objective is to collect items to put on your player boat (mat). So placing your trolls in boats and directing them to certain islands is key to winning the game. But each turn you also roll the dice to determine which boat gets activated. So even with your best planning, the boat you board may not move. Or the spot on it might get filled with a chief token just before your turn. Or the player just before you might remove your scouting trolls and the boat sails to a different island.

But that’s what we love about the game – because it evens the playing field. The children have a great chance to win over the parents.

Is the theme of pillaging trolls appropriate for families?

We think the theme in Trollhalla is fine for families. As you can see, the artwork is done in a whimsical manner and there isn’t any eating or destruction. It’s almost like you’re just picking up passengers and taking them for a ride on your boat. In fact, if you want to explain it that way to your family, then we believe the board game would play out just the same.

 

Add some variety as well
We’d also like to point out (since it’s not mentioned in the video) that there is a game variant that lets you mix up the weather spots. Rather then just playing with the weather spots that are on the board, the game also includes some weather tiles that you can randomly place on the board to cover up the existing weather spots. It’s a great way to change it up so you’re not always scouting the same locations if you really like the sun cards for example.

As you can tell, Trollhalla’s a game that we’d recommend for your family game night.

Thanks Alf Seegert and Z-Man Games for another great family board game.

And if you haven’t see our review of Bridge Troll, what are you waiting for?

The Board Game Family Game Ratings
	Caleb
	Brooke
	Jaden
	Trevor
	Mom
	Dad
	Average

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