MELDOREI!
Find out how the game plays in 5 slides or less, download the rulebook, and a print-and-play demo.
Meldorei is fast, silly and chaotic. Casting spells requires a lot of hand-waving and shouting gibberish, and most of the game plays in real-time. Even though it is an easy-to-play game for the whole family, there is a tactical element for those who want to think about it which makes it suitable for adults as a “filler” game or a party game.
2–6 PLAYERS | 10–20 MINUTES | FAMILY/PARTY GAME | 9+ YO
The goal of Meldorei! is to gain the most ritual tiles of all players. On each ritual tile a shape is displayed, you claim the tile by arranging the tokens on the board to the desired shape.
PLAYING THE GAME
Each player has their own tile, which they can't rotate; they must create the shape in the same direction as on the tile. The coloured spot means that on the field there needs to be a token of specific colour (in this case, a pumpkin, since the spot is orange), if the spot is black, any token on the corresponding field will do, if it is empty, it does not matter whether there is or isn't a token, the field is not a part of the shape. In the case depicted in the picture, the player needs to move the pumpkin one field to the left to claim the ritual tile.
MOVING THE TOKENS
To move a token, the players quickly flip cards from their decks to find the ones suitable for their need. The cards are slotted into their respective coloured slots. Once all cards are in, they form a sequence, described by the icons on the cards. The one in the picture reads: Move—pumpkin—two fields away from—leaf. Once the cards are in, the player can pause the game,m read the incantations and wave their hand(s) in the direction of the arrows on the card. Once this is done, the player can move the pumpkin token to any field which is two fields away from the leaf; in this situation, one field to the left, thus claiming the ritual tile by saying Meldorei!. Once this is done, the player takes another tile and the game resumes.
OVERALL
Even though Meldorei! is simple and silly, it manages to be accessible without being dumb. Those who like to think can play more prudently, those who are less think-y can just cast one spell after another and try to get their desired results out of those. The game can be explained in under 5 minutes and plays around 10 (depending on the number of players) and it is language-independent.
HOW FAR ALONG IS IT?
- Core mechanics tested and finalised
- Functional prototype
- Wide testing
- Streamling and simplification
- Language independent
- Finding the publisher
Meldorei is, concerning its mechanics and the actual play, finished. Given my limitations as a graphic designer, it needs a graphic overhaul and I would gladly test it more in 6 players to make sure it plays well 100% of the time since groups like this were lately hard to come by.
The game was made easier after I received feedback from Ravensburger thanks to being selected into the shortlist during the Ravensburger Game Inventor Days: originally, there were three tiles common for all the players each time and the players fought for who will claim them; for some people, this led to decision paralysis, which is game-breaking in a real-time game. This is now streamlined and the game now flows fluently and seamlessly.
RULEBOOK IN ENGLISH
Download full rulebook in English.
PRINT-AND-PLAY DEMO
Download printer-ready 11 A4 page demo for two players in English (print more cards for more players).