
- BGG rank
- BGG #18,035
- BGG rating
- 6.9
Rivality
- 1–4 players
- 20 min
- Complexity 2.0/5
- 2023

Rules assistance for Gnome Tribes
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Gnome Tribes is a board game released in 2001 for 2–4 players, 120 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by François Bachelart and its main mechanics are Auction / Bidding, Area Movement, and Area Majority / Influence.
The four great gnome tribes (forest, swamp, mountain and plains) are at war. These gnomes are small, itching for a fight, very ingenious but terribly avaricious. From their castles, they invent the war machines that will guarantee victory. Since the victory condition is unknown until the very end, you must balance all three domains of achievement (wealth, power and invention) to have a chance of being declared Great Gnome. The box contains: a board, a 44 card deck, 64 gnome pawns, 4 victory point pawns, 4 six-sided dice and 100 "GnomGold" bills (paper money). Oddly, the game isn't displayed anywhere on Tilsit's web site.
Gnome Tribes supports 2–4 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Gnome Tribes is 120 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Gnome Tribes for ages 12 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Gnome Tribes has a complexity rating of 1.4 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Gnome Tribes belongs to these categories: Fantasy and Territory Building. Its main mechanics are Auction / Bidding, Area Movement, and Area Majority / Influence. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Gnome Tribes are: François Bachelart. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Gnome Tribes as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.