Unlike some games that add additional rules or mechanics to increase difficulty, Gnomes at Night only does this with more complex mazes. Because of this, the game play can get a little stale with older gamers. Still fun, but ultimately you are doing the same thing as board A, just with a higher difficulty level. They are also considered great storytellers, and due to their long lifespan, they enjoy sharing their long history with the younger gnomes to preserve their legacy and educate their young. They enjoy a variety of fruits, nuts and vegetables and some folklore suggests that honey mead is also part of their festivities. Gnomes Love to Tinker

For the review, I will describe the two-player directions; there’s small variations for three or four players that includes use of the Team Cards. Goal This idea was well-founded in folklore, with gnomes being depicted as helpful and cheerful creatures. But some are evil. Conclusion

Components

Gnomes are known for their generosity and love for children. They are said to be fond of children’s laughter and playfulness. They also love music and dancing. Because they are so friendly with children, some people say that gnomes can teach them how to speak with animals or find hidden treasures. The goal of Gnomes at Night is to cooperatively gain as many treasures as you can over three rounds. Setup The setup for ‘Gnomes at Night.’ Photo by Elizabeth MacAndrew. The components seem to be of a decent enough quality and should stand up to quite a bit of play. How to Play Gnomes at Night It’s unavoidable that there is some down time with more than two players playing, but the spectator aspect of Gnomes at Night is strong. So, it wasn’t a problem for our family, but something to note. The history of these little fellas began in Germany in the 1840s where Phillip Griebel created terracotta statues of them for sale at his pottery shop. It didn’t take long before other potteries across Europe began making their own versions, which were typically bearded men wearing pointy red hats, brandishing lanterns and pipes. It draws an image which we still recognize today. Gnomes are Beloved by Children and Adults alike.

Gnomes have been around for hundreds of years and no one really knows where they came from or why people started making them. Some people think that they might be magical creatures who grant wishes to people who put food in their mouths. Gnomes involve themselves in human affairs, helping them mend, clean and grow their flowers and vegetables if the humans are virtuous, If not, the gnomes will spend many hours creating havoc with hidden items and general disarray. Sound confusing? That’s probably because it is. However, Gnomes at Night does not take long to get used to and become a fun challenge. At least that’s my perception as an adult playing the game. Although I’ve done my best to explain gameplay, a simple overview really would not suffice and adds to the level of how confusing and difficult this game really is.Each treasure card shows two colors, which are the active players' colors while that card is being played. Only the active players talk and move the gnomes for that round. There’s something about garden gnomes. They are a phenomenon. No other garden accessory gets so much play or is as ubiquitous or controversial. There are groups like the Gnome Liberation Front, who ‘rescue’ gnomes and return them to the wild, and then there’s the French town of Le Puy-en-Velay that has a legion of these little guys. Players move by drawing cards. If they draw a color, they can fly to that color, but players have to be mindful of helping other players get to the nest so it becomes necessary to work together. If players draw a sun card, they have to move the card at the top of the board closer to dawn. What’s great about this is that even the sun and moon are smiling and adorable, which reinforces the idea that just because things didn’t go as you wanted does not make them bad or wrong. In life, things don’t always go as we planned. We don’t have to get mad about it, just work together for a solution. I would have liked the magnets on the gnomes to be a little stronger, as sometimes it feels like the lightest touch will separate them and cause them to fall into the tray below; resulting in restarting in a corner. But this might be part of the difficulty on purpose!