Violet and the grumpy Nisse + The Medlings of Madame Kamila (pré-joué) (EN)

The games in the L'As des jeux Bazar are pre-played games. They have been inspected by one of our game experts and are certified "Complete." You may find some minor imperfections, such as light wear on the box or on certain game components.

Set out to meet Ordep the troll after dark, but beware: the path runs straight through the woods that Torech, a bad-tempered nisse (a gnome-like creature from Nordic folklore) kicked out of every household in the village, now claims as his own. In Violet and the Grumpy Nisse, one player takes on Violet, making her way through the forest while managing her lantern fuel and her growing fear, while the other becomes Torech, a master trickster who piles on traps to make her journey as unpleasant as possible. This asymmetric trick-taking game for two swaps the usual scorepad for a real path across the board: Violet advances space by space based on the tricks she wins, while Torech watches two gauges, Violet's fear and her lantern's fuel, both of which he wants to push to the limit before she reaches her friend. Trump changes constantly depending on where Violet stands in the forest, and most cards hide a special ability that only triggers when the card is not used as trump that round. This Bazar copy also includes Violet and the meddlings of Madame Kamila, the expansion that adds a Tarot card draw with the fortune teller Madame Kamila: the card revealed determines the path Violet will walk, adding fresh unpredictability to every session.

Violet and the Grumpy Nisse is for you if you enjoy tense, short card duels where each side plays a completely different game: pacing control for Violet, cunning and traps for Torech. The Nordic folklore storybook mood that quietly turns unsettling, and the double-reading trick system (trump by location, abilities that shut off when a card is played as trump) will appeal to trick-taking fans looking for something beyond a plain scoring track. With the Madame Kamila expansion included, you also get a Tarot draw that reshapes the path every game.

Violet and the Grumpy Nisse was nominated at the 2022 5 Seasons Awards in Portugal, in the Best Portuguese Family Game and Portuguese Game of the Year categories. Another neat touch: instead of a plain scoring track, Violet's progress plays out directly on a path board, and trump changes depending on where she stands in the forest, forcing both players to read the game differently at every stretch of the journey.

Designer Pedro Pereira drew the story from his own life: Ordep is him, Violette (Violet) is his partner, and Torech stands in for their son Hector, born while the couple was still traveling extensively together. The game becomes a gentle reflection on the upheaval that comes with having a child. The artwork is by Karina Duncan, whose muted style sets the nighttime storybook mood of this Nordic forest from the first look.

BOX CONTENTS
Base game Violet and the Grumpy Nisse:
1 board (forest path)
1 Violet pawn
A trick-taking deck of cards
Rulebook
Violet and the meddlings of Madame Kamila expansion:
12 illustrated Tarot cards
6 Torech Event Tiles
12 Advantage Tokens (two copies each)
5 Trust Tiles (with Fortitude on the reverse)
1 Ordep Tile
18 Path Tiles
4 Danger Tiles

Number of Players: 2
Playing Time: 20 to 30 minutes
Age: 12 and up