Silberzwerg

About this board game

Silberzwerg is a 2000 board game for 2–4 players, with play taking about 60 minutes. Players manage dwarves, mine gems, and fulfill randomly distributed contracts in a race to achieve the highest score.

Each turn, all players simultaneously decide where to send their dwarves. Four of the dwarves are miners who produce a particular color of gem depending on their placement. Gem prices are set each round, with a color becoming cheaper as more dwarves mine it.

Players also control two boss dwarves. Each boss can be used as either a shadow dwarf, carrying out evil actions against other players, or a silver dwarf, which generally provides beneficial actions for its owner.

• Place miners to gather specific gem colors.
• Respond to changing gem prices based on mining activity.
• Use shadow or silver dwarves for different effects.
• Assemble gems to complete contracts or sell them for cash.

When a player has the correct assortment of gems and assigns a silver dwarf, they can score their own contract or choose one of two open contracts. A silver dwarf can also be assigned simply to sell gems and generate cash instead of completing a contract.

The game ends with a high score when all contracts are gone, although someone usually wins before that happens by reaching 600 points. Silberzwerg combines simultaneous placement, changing gem values, special dwarf roles, and contract timing into a focused mining competition.