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Description
Trolls are not big and stupid, as many would have you believe. Not long ago they lived among us and they used their cunning magic to look like us humans.
They lived with their cattle in the mountains. Their caves were beautiful and luxurious with a lot of silver, gold, gems, and a table full of delicious food. In Sweden, there is an expression for this “Rich as a troll”.
Trolls were not evil if you didn’t treat them badly, they could even be helpful to those who treated them well. But they often played tricks on humans. Their magic power (trollkraft) could distort the vision of humans so the troll looked like a human, an animal, a log, and a stone and even become invisible. But they also had some weaknesses. They couldn’t stand the sounds of church bells or steel, not to mention the sight of sun.
Trolls & Princesses is a “worker movement” game. You play as one of four troll clans and to get the mountains king’s favour, you try to impress him. The players get favour (in the form of victory points) when they do what trolls usually do: swap changelings, “hire” humans, tear down church bells, kidnap princesses, build their cave, and use troll magic. To succeed, the players must collect resources and move around their trolls to do different actions. The player with the most victory points at the end can crown himself the ultimate troll clan leader.
—description from publisher
Year Published
2023
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Transcript Analysis
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 4
This page: 4
Sentiment:
pos 4 ·
mix 0 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–4 of 4
Video _gRREJIsZG0
Board Game Dad general_discussion at 0:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 42505 · mention_pk 129109
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- attractive theme that playfully subverts classic monster tropes
- lighthearted tone suitable for a casual session
Cons
- rule complexity and depth not yet tested in this context
- unknown replay length
Thematic elements
- light-hearted fantasy monsters, abducting princesses as a whimsical trope
- fantasy world where trolls strive to live their troll lives
- cute and playful
Comparison games
- Oak
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- worker placement — players place workers to take actions and advance their plans
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I've decided not to do paid Kickstarter previews. we want to hear about what reviewers actually think of games.
- the first one is Trolls and Princesses... I thought it was a cute theme.
- Beacon Patrol is a Cooperative tile placing game.
- it's a draft and write records a game about building a band.
- I don't like trading mechanic but here's the thing when you're trading to a Cooperative end we had a really fun time with it.
- the White Castle is a dice worker placement game which I love. I love engine building.
- Praga Caput Regni... it's messy. teaching it... not fun.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video UHbnj2RgJVY
Unknown Channel game_review at 0:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 40975 · mention_pk 124298
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- High level of interaction and the ability to influence other players' plans
- Clear round progression with King Troll providing foresight into game length
- Engaging player dynamics and opportunities to disrupt opponents
Cons
- Tile market luck can disproportionately influence strategic decisions
- Theme is not strongly integrated; mechanics-driven design
- Relatively light complexity for a Euro game with a longer teaching time
Thematic elements
- Trolls vs Princesses with capture/steal dynamics
- Fairy-tale village where trolls roam, kidnapping princesses and humans
- Abstracted fairy-tale setting with minimal narrative
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Action points — Players accumulate and spend action points to perform actions; other players' trolls can augment or limit available actions.
- Scoring tiles / market-driven luck — Refreshing tiles can yield useful or junk tiles, introducing luck into scoring opportunities.
- Tile market / tile placement — Tiles can be refreshed to draw new options; tile placement and scoring tiles drive strategy and luck.
- tile placement — Tiles can be refreshed to draw new options; tile placement and scoring tiles drive strategy and luck.
- Troll cards and king troll — Troll cards modify actions; king troll provides an extra action point and influences pacing.
- Village actions with interaction — Opponents' actions in the village affect your options, creating direct player interaction and disruption.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I think this is a game with that started with a great idea for game mechanics and then the theme was added to that
- the degree of interaction for a game like this and how much your choices influence other players
- I was initially a little bit more excited about this game's theme
- this is really just a tile placing Euro game with a lot of abstract scoring
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video aQNzhcPwS4o
before you play playthrough at 0:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 9139 · mention_pk 26954
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Deep engine with multiple action paths and synergies
- Strong two-player optimization opportunities
- Cavern tiling system yields varied, emergent layouts and diverse end-game scoring
Cons
- Rule set can be fiddly and state-heavy, risking dead-ends with certain tile layouts
- End-game scoring tables and king-card interactions can be complex
- Balance can vary with card/t tile draws in different runs
Thematic elements
- trolls, bells, changelings, outposts, and princesses competing for points in a skein of actions and tile-building
- fantasy world where trolls vie for favor with the Troll King, manipulating villages and cavern networks
- humorous, tongue-in-cheek, fantasy-themed exploration of mischievous troll politics
Comparison games
- Skeleton Legend
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- King tiles / King’s cards — King tiles grant extra AP or special effects; King’s cards provide additional scoring or powerful actions.
- Resource management — Three main resources (obsidian, diamonds, gold); resources enable actions, outposts, and end-game scoring.
- Set collection / end-game scoring — Score is driven by completing sets of bells, changelings, and outposts; princesses contribute major points.
- Tile drafting / cavern tiling — Players draft cave tiles to place in their cavern networks, unlocking new actions and scoring opportunities.
- Village actions / beds for princesses — Villages provide actions; beds are required to house princesses, influencing which actions can be taken.
- Worker movement / AP allocation — Trolls move to different locations, and actions cost action points; the Troll King provides additional AP in some cases.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- This game is based off of a Skeleton Legend
- This is a medium weight strategy game that features worker movement as well as action point allowance
- Everything you're basically going to be able to do twice on your turn
- Befriend the princess in both villages
- There are a lot of things going on in this game
- The end game scoring is all detailed on the back of your player aid
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 06xqEgq3tbI
John Gets Games rules teach at 0:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 6246 · mention_pk 18504
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Strong thematic flavor with a playful mischief motif between trolls and humans
- Deep strategic depth with multiple paths to score and interact with opponents
- Good emphasis on player interaction via shared resources and crowding strategies
- Tutorial format demonstrates play through concrete turns and decisions
Cons
- Rule complexity can be intimidating for new players
- Prototype components may differ from final production quality
- Games may have longer play times, requiring patience and commitment
Thematic elements
- Trolls build caverns, employ tricks on humans, and capture princesses to enhance their caverns and scoring potential.
- A fantasy world with trolls and humans living in a mountain, caves, and villages; trolls aim to build luxurious caverns, lure humans, and capture princesses.
- Tutorial narrative with thematic flavor and host commentary
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Action point allocation — Each turn grants action points from trolls in a cavern and from the Troll King; these points are spent to perform actions.
- Action points — Each turn grants action points from trolls in a cavern and from the Troll King; these points are spent to perform actions.
- Deck-driven events / endgame timer — Reveal a top card each turn that drives village events and indicates when the game ends.
- Events — Reveal a top card each turn that drives village events and indicates when the game ends.
- King tile activation — King tiles provide special actions; players gain more king tiles and can activate them to influence play.
- Mobility and cauldrons — Move trolls between cauldrons and board areas to enable actions; placement on cauldrons determines available actions.
- Resource management — Track and manage resources like obsidian, gold bars, diamonds, cows, bells, and other tokens to enable actions and scoring.
- tile placement — Place cave tiles to the left of your area or on the village board to expand the caverns and unlock new resource spots.
- Tile placement / network expansion — Place cave tiles to the left of your area or on the village board to expand the caverns and unlock new resource spots.
- Tile/Map Shifting — King tiles provide special actions; players gain more king tiles and can activate them to influence play.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- we are not evil trolls we just want to build out luxurious Caverns
- this card shows a Roman numeral two at the top and then it shows a human in the middle
- it's time to stop playing through the game for the tutorial and instead talk about what happens once the game is over
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–4 of 4