Points are generated in 3 ways; the perfect placement of tiles, completing quests and closing flags. All three ways are required to obtain a high score in Dorfomantik. For every quest that is completed 5 free tiles are granted, 5 tiles given for a closed flag, and 1 free tile for every perfect placement.

Throughout the game, the perfect placement of tiles is important, and it becomes more important the longer the game continues. Effort should be made to make perfect connecting sides/placements, and to tile as optimally as possible, to help make perfects easier in the future.


It is easier to complete quests in the early phase of the game vs the later stages. There is a risk of "perfect tile" perfectionism at the start of the game, resulting in tiles being lost because quests have not been completed fast enough. A balance between completing a good amount of quests, and optimal placement/perfects, at the start of the game should be the goal. Then focus on making perfect placements the primary long term objective.


In general quests will get you going at the start, and perfect placements will sustain you for the longer game and higher scores.

Tiles can be categorised as having "elements" which are the types of landscape that are present. There are 3 different types of element- fields, houses and forests. Grass is common and universal across all tiles, so it is not considered an element.

Use the "2-3-1" rule to make placements more optimal and easier to find future perfect placements.

Avoid having more than 2 different elements, for a 3 sided tile placement. For a tile placement that has more than 3 sides, avoid having more than 1 element type.

Wrong Way

This placement creates a 5 sided tile placement with 2 different elements.

Right Way

This placement follows the 2-3-1 rule.

The more elements, and/or connecting sides a tile placement has, the harder it is to find perfect placements.

Even though you should try and find placements that follow the 2-3-1 rule, do not fall into perfectionism, there will be times where it will need to be broken- it is a guideline that may not fit all scenarios.

Make the most of your tiles by always looking for better placements. Once a potential placement has been found, ask yourself; Is there a better one? Is there another one that joins more sides making better use of the tile? Try and find placements where tiles make the best connections, rather than just creating large clusters of each element type.


By accumulating small advantages with better positioned tiles, it can make it easier to score higher.

It is always beneficial to tile as optimally as possible, as perfect placements grant free tiles, and better edges gain more points, however, quests are easier to complete in the initial stages of the game, and completing many of them early grants a significant tile boost.


Try and complete as many quests as possible at the start of the game, even if you have to break the 2-3-1 rule, and to an extent, imperfectly place tiles. If possible, tile as perfectly as you can whilst quest hunting, however don't fall into the trap of perfectionism- it is better to complete quests fast, so new ones drop down.


The criteria for quests increases the longer the game continues, and the bigger your open groups become. Using imperfect tiles to close large groups in the early game, to drop quests with lower criteria can ensure quests are completed fast and efficiently.

Slight imperfection is optimal in the early game if more quests can be completed.

After the starting stage of the game is over, it gradually becomes more important to focus on perfect placements, as quests become harder to complete. This can vary between game to game however it usually is somewhere between 150 to 180 tiles laid.


Your primary objective for the longer game now transitions to the perfect placements of tiles.

Once the initial starting phase has concluded, do your best to tile as compactly as possible. A compact map is more efficient, as perfect placements become easier to make; there are less tiles with a higher number of connecting sides. It also gives you a faster chance to make perfect placements before your tile stack runs out. Try and play without large gaps and holes in the map. Work towards compactness, but maintain perfect connecting sides wherever possible!



Try and balance perfectionism with pragmatism. The tile stack is limited, and only placing perfect edges, at the expense of compactness, can risk the game ending early.

The largest open group determines the quest size for that particular element. Instead of simply building large groups of each element type, focus on finding placements that have the best tile connections. The larger the group, the larger the quest criteria. It can be advantageous to keep groups small, especially during the opening segments of the game.

Joining up different groups of the same element can be useful for completing quests.

Close your largest open groups if possible, but avoid using imperfect tiles to do so. Sometimes closing a group, containing multiple flags, with an imperfect tile can be beneficial, especially if your tile stack is low. In general, a successful game of Dorfromantik, is a balancing act between perfect placements, quest completion and map compactness.

Even though perfect placement of tiles is the main long term aim, if the game ends, your score also comes to an end. Sometimes there is no other option but to place imperfectly. If your stack size is running low; less than 10 for example, then survival becomes your priority.

The lower your stack size, the greater acceptability for placing imperfect tiles.

When trying to survive look for ways to generate the most tiles from what you have. Where can I generate the most perfect tiles? Are there quests that are close to being completed? Can I close any flags? What is the best solution to generate tiles?



There are also situations where some tile configurations may be extremely difficult to connect perfectly. A slightly imperfect tile may be the best option as the perfect tile is unlikely to fall. What is the likelihood of such a tile dropping again in the near future? Sometimes using an imperfect tile, that meets most of the criteria is the best option.

Failing unachievable quests, will generate new ones with no penalty. This is helpful as there is a limit to how many quests can be present at any one time. An inability to complete quests, possibly due to difficult to find river/rail tiles can be detrimental to development.


Even though perfect placement of tiles is the main long term aim, you still need to complete quests to maintain and increase your tile stack. A bottleneck of unachievable quests can risk your tile stack running out.

Be realistic about which quests are achievable with your current tile stack.

River and rail tiles are harder to find perfect connectors for. These problematic tiles should initially be kept away from the main build location. Normally, it is a good idea to "branch" river and rail systems out, and gradually build off them. It can be difficult to find perfect tiles, for river and rail tiles that contain other elements.

River and rail networks can be seen as "pioneers" that forge the route the map will expand into.

The station is a special tile that can be used to connect difficult river and rail tiles. It is a unique tile, able to perfectly connect to all water tiles (including rivers), rail and grass edges.


Don't forget grass, ponds/water and stations can perfectly connect to each other. This is extremely useful to bear in mind when creating perfect placements as it gives flexibility and more options.


Ponds, fully water tiles and stations can also connect perfectly onto rivers. These water patches could then be connected to grass sides, creating more possibilities, and providing the option to completely remove water from the area.

The river tile by itself cannot connect to grass.

There are some tile configurations that appear more frequently than others. By learning what they are, you can use this to your advantage to help make perfect placements and fulfil more quests.


Tiles containing only a single element, mixed with grass are quite common. Tiles containing 3 elements are less common. Combinations involving river or rail, and multiple elements are rare.

By placing a tile, and then undoing it, you will see the next tile. This is beneficial as it provides information about the tiles that will fall in the future. In times when the tile stack is low, this information is valuable, as it can help in making better decisions about where to focus limited resources. For example the next card could complete a quest, which generates 5 extra times, potentially giving you more options.

The game is largely randomised in nature, and some starts can be harder than others. It may be easier to restart a bad game, for a more advantageous set of tiles.

Quit when tired. The larger the map becomes the more time it will take to find the best tile placements. If your in a hurry, stop playing, high scoring requires patience.

Attempt the puzzler achievement where only perfect placements are allowed. Practising this achievement forces the player to look for better tile placements which will be beneficial when they replay for high scores.


Only perfect placements are allowed for this achievement, so better play is encouraged, which ultimately unlocks higher scoring runs.

GL and thank you for reading this guide