The Druids of Edora: A Magic Potion That Works Wonders

I discovered The Druids of Edora on a rainy October day in my brand-new game room set up in the garage. You know, the kind of perfect day for unpacking a surprise package. When I saw the Ravensburger logo on the review copy parcel, I immediately hoped it would be a new Feld. And bingo! The Druids of Edora. Needless to say, the excitement was at its peak. As an absolute fan of The Castles of Burgundy (I even splurged on the deluxe version, oops), I'd been waiting for this moment with anticipation.

We got set up right away, unable to resist the urge to discover what the master had cooked up this time. But honestly, what struck me first when opening the box was the smell. A rather strong odor of cardboard and chemicals. Nothing alarming, but it was noticeable enough that we all laughed about it around the table. Past that detail, we dove into the setup, and I must tell you that we didn't emerge until three hours later, with the immediate desire to play again.

Before going further, here's what you need to know: The Druids of Edora plays with 2 to 4 players, for games lasting between 60 and 120 minutes. It's a game published by Ravensburger under their alea label, and it was designed by Stefan Feld with illustrations by Fred Gissubel. The recommended age is 14 and up, which seems consistent given the strategic depth of the title. You can find it for around 37-40 euros, which remains very reasonable given the quality of the components and the experience offered.

A Mystical Forest That Comes to Life

The pitch is simple: we play as druids and priestesses wandering through a mystical forest, visiting different sanctuaries to gain prestige. The heart of the game revolves around managing two main resources: food and dice. Each turn, I move my druid through the forest, paying one food ration per sanctuary crossed (with an extra cost for dark zones), then I place a die on an available action. And there's the crux: my die's value determines not only how much food I must spend, but also who will control the sanctuary at game's end.

What stands out in this title is the richness of actions and the ability to always do everything. I can erect menhirs that trigger all my previous bonuses, place steles whose effectiveness depends on my die's value, cut mistletoe to prepare potions, advance my sickle to unlock medicinal herbs, or even consult the oracle to collect objectives. And when I encircle a hearth with my dice, boom, I instantly collect 2, 3, or 4 cascading bonuses. It's exhilarating.

Feld's Dice Mastery

Stefan Feld remains the master of dice and has no equal in using them with finesse. At the start of the game, I roll my four active dice and immediately see what I'll have to work with for quite a while. A 6 will cost me dearly in food but will allow me to dominate a sanctuary. A small 1 will be economical but risks making me lose control against other players. You have to adapt: if I only have small dice, I'm certainly not going to place menhirs or steles, since I won't be the one collecting them at game's end.

What makes the system brilliant is that there are no "better" dice. During our third game, Emily rushed the game with mainly small dice, placing her thirteen dice in no time while I was exhausting myself feeding my big rolls. Result: she finished first despite less control over the sanctuaries, simply because she optimized other scoring axes. It's this strategic freedom that makes the game fascinating.

A Purring Engine

What I particularly love is the game's fluidity. Turns flow naturally, with no downtime. While one player thinks about their move, I can already plan my next two or three turns. And when my engine gets going thanks to the medicinal herbs I've unlocked, it's a real combo festival. For example, during one game, I had activated the herb that gave me an extra mistletoe with each harvest, combined with the one that let me adjust my dice. So I was able to prepare potions in a chain while placing optimal dice. This progressive power build-up is extremely satisfying.

Everyone around the table agreed that the game doesn't invent anything, but it mixes all these mechanics with taste, with strong tension and interaction, choices to arbitrate that offer a good decision space. That's exactly what I felt. It's not a revolutionary game, but it's haute cuisine with ingredients we know well.

The Player Count Question

I have to be honest with you: at two players, The Druids of Edora loses its luster. The interaction, which makes up a good part of the game's appeal, largely evaporates. Sanctuaries fill up less quickly, competition for dolmens becomes anecdotal, and you have way too much breathing room. At three, the game really starts to make sense. At four, it's a party: you're constantly stepping on each other's toes, cursing when someone takes the action you were targeting, and movement management becomes crucial. If you really want to enjoy Edora in all its splendor, I strongly recommend being at least three around the table.

The Pebble in the Shoe

As someone who is colorblind, I had some difficulties with the board's readability. That famous green-on-green lacks a bit of contrast. Between the forest, the sanctuaries, and the different elements, I found myself several times having to squint to properly distinguish certain areas. It's a shame, because with a bit more contrast or additional visual markers, the game would have been perfectly accessible. After a few games, you get used to it, but I regularly have to ask my gaming partners for confirmation on certain board details. It's not a dealbreaker, but it's present enough to deserve mention.

The Feld Point Salad

Like in any good Feld, we have a nice point salad. You score prestige during the game via sanctuary controls, then at game's end you count points from the sickle, completed objectives, the amulet filled with gems, and finally the big piece: the majority at each sanctuary multiplied by your position on the knowledge track. The differential can be huge: one player can gain 36 points while another gains 6. But that's precisely the beauty of the system: multiple paths lead to victory, and you must constantly arbitrate between scoring points now or investing for the endgame.

My Verdict

The Druids of Edora is a gateway+ game as we love them: rich, fluid, and terribly satisfying. I've brought it out five times in three weeks, which is exceptional in my collection. Each game, I explored a different strategy: focus on potions, rush with small dice, building a menhir empire... And each time, I had a blast. It's an excellent Feld and a personal favorite.

Sure, it has its little flaws: the smell when opening, the perfectible readability of the board for colorblind folks, and this need to be at least three to really shine. But these points don't tarnish the overall experience at all. It's a game that asserts itself with intelligence and elegance, that rewards planning without ever being punitive, and that offers that exhilarating feeling of seeing your engine run at full throttle.

If you love dice management games, optimization, and combos, go for it. If you're looking for a game with real decisions each turn and excellent replayability, go for it. If you want to discover why Stefan Feld is considered a master of the genre, go for it too. The Druids of Edora is a gem that fully deserves its place in your game library.

My rating: 9/10

A big yes, with just this small asterisk: play it with at least three players minimum to savor all its richness.