Midgard RoadsHow to Play Midgard Roads: Tile-Laying Board Game Rules for Beginners
Play now Free · 2–5 players · no download, no sign-up
Midgard Roads is a free tile-laying board game you play in your browser with 2 to 5 friends. If you have never played a game like this, you can learn it in about five minutes. This guide covers everything you need for your first match.
What is a tile-laying board game?
You build the map together. On your turn you take one tile, attach it to the tiles already on the board, and then (if you want) put one of your little adventurers on it to claim something. When a thing you claimed is finished, you score points. When the tiles run out, the highest score wins.
Midgard Roads has 72 tiles, and the first one is already in the middle when the game starts. Each guild (that is, each player) has 7 adventurers — the little pieces board-gamers call meeples.
What do I do on my turn?
Every turn has the same three steps.
1. Place a tile (required)
The game draws a tile for you automatically. Tap one of the green cells on the board (it only shows cells where the tile really fits), rotate the tile if you like, and tap Place tile.
The one rule: a new tile must touch an existing tile, and every touching edge must match — fort to fort, road to road, field to field. If the tile you drew fits nowhere, the game discards it and draws another.
2. Send an adventurer (optional)
You may put one adventurer on the tile you just placed — never on an older tile. Where it stands decides its job:
| Placed on | Role | Scores when |
|---|---|---|
| Fort | Knight | the fort is completely closed in by walls |
| Road | Merchant | both ends of the road are closed (a crossroads, a fort or a dungeon), or it loops back on itself |
| Dungeon (the warp circle) | Priest | all 8 tiles around it are filled |
| Field | Hunter | at the end of the game only |
You cannot place on something that already has an adventurer on it — the whole connected stretch counts, not only the tile in front of you. But if two stretches claimed by different players get joined later by new tiles, both claims stay. That is how you steal a big fort.
If you are out of adventurers, this step is skipped. You can also tap Skip any time.
3. Scoring (automatic)
Anything you finished this turn scores immediately. The adventurers standing on it go back to their owners' hands, ready to be used again. Place one and finish the thing in the same turn, and you score and get the piece back at once — a favourite trick.
One exception: hunters do not come back until the game ends. Think twice before sending one into a field.
How many points is everything worth?
| Feature | Finished during the game | Unfinished at the end |
|---|---|---|
| Road | 1 point per tile | 1 point per tile |
| Fort | 2 points per tile + 2 per guild flag | 1 point per tile + 1 per flag |
| Dungeon | 9 points | 1 + the number of tiles around it |
| Field | — | 3 points per finished fort touching the field (end of game only) |
A guild flag is the pennant printed on some fort tiles; it makes that fort worth more. Tiles are counted once even if a road passes the same tile twice.
What happens if two players claim the same thing?
The player with the most adventurers on it scores in full. If there is a tie, everyone tied scores the full amount — nothing is split. Players with fewer adventurers get no points, but they still get their pieces back (except hunters).
How does the game end?
When the tile pile is empty, everything still unfinished is scored (roads, forts and dungeons first), then the fields. Highest total wins; a tie is a shared win.
A few beginner tips
- Start with a short road or a small fort: quick points, and your adventurer comes back fast.
- Always keep 2–3 adventurers in hand so you can react.
- A fort with a guild flag is worth a lot. If a friend has claimed a big fort, try to attach yours to it.
- Dungeons are easy to place and score 9 points when surrounded.
For a deeper look, read the scoring tips and strategy guide. Want to try an extra twist? See the river start option.
Ready to play?
You don't need an account. Make a room, send the link to a friend, and the host taps Start game once 2 to 5 players have joined. Set up a game night with friends, or just open the game and press Create a room.
Prefer playing together instead of against each other? The site has a second game, Midgard Wardens, where 2 to 4 friends win or lose as one team.
Play now Free · 2–5 players · no download, no sign-up