The Gnomes of Zavandor

About this board game

The Gnomes of Zavandor is a gem-trading strategy game for 2–4 players, played in about 90 minutes. Compete to become the most successful gem-trading mogul in a fantasy economy built around sparkling stones and wondrous machines.

Each turn begins at the gem exchange, where you can buy and sell sapphires, rubies, mystical gems, and other valuable stones. These transactions influence future market prices: buying gems makes them more valuable, while selling them reduces their value. You can also take gold, trade with the central supply, and purchase cards and tokens using gems rather than cash.

The game features two central boards. One is a price grid that shows the current value of each gem type and whether its price is expected to rise or fall next turn. The other is a star-shaped arena containing randomly positioned mining-rights tiles. Their locations determine the mixed selection of coloured gems required to purchase them.

Mining rights provide new gems at the end of each turn, but adding those gems to the economy can affect their future value. Your purchases can include equipment that improves efficiency, jewels that provide victory points, and mining rights that expand your production.

• Buy and sell gems while adapting to a changing market.
• Acquire equipment, jewellery, and mining rights.
• Use mining income to shape your future investments.
• Watch new areas of the star-shaped board become accessible.

At the end of each round, market values are adjusted based on the actions taken, equipment prices may be discounted if the optional rule is used, and another area of the mining-rights board opens. The Gnomes of Zavandor ends when a player reaches the victory-point target for the number of players, with jewellery offering significant—but expensive—scoring opportunities.