Dragon Island (2017) Board Game

Dragon Island is a board game released in 2017 that combines exploration and fantasy elements. Designed by Kerem Beyit and William Bricker, the game features a modular board and tile placement mechanics that offer a unique gaming experience. With stunning artwork by R&R Games, Dragon Island has garnered attention from players looking for a thrilling adventure game.

Game Components of Dragon Island

Double-sided terrain tiles

Wizard figures and shields (also serve as player aids)

Dragon figures with unique abilities

Energy cubes

Gold coins

Treasure map cards

Building tokens

How To Setup Dragon Island

To set up the game, each player chooses a wizard and receives a player shield. The terrain tiles are shuffled and placed face down in a bag. Each player draws two tiles to keep behind their screen for planning their next turn. The remaining tiles are used to create the island by placing them one by one, generating the game board dynamically.

Gameplay Mechanics and Game Objective

Tile Placement: Players place a tile on their turn, which generates Active Energy based on the colors of the tile and adjacent tiles.

Wizard Movement: Players move their wizard to a different tile, which may contain dragons or other actions.

Dragon Interaction: Players can tame or capture dragons, each providing unique abilities or fame points.

Building Construction: Using Active Energy, players can construct buildings.

Treasure Maps: Players can reveal treasure map cards if the tile colors match, earning fame and gold.

Game Objective: The player with the most fame, earned through taming/capturing dragons, constructing buildings, and completing treasure maps, wins the game.

Player Experience

In **Dragon Island**, players embark on a magical quest to explore an uncharted island filled with dragons. The game encourages strategic planning and decision-making, as players manage resources like energy cubes and gold coins. Each turn is dynamic, involving tile placement, dragon capturing, and strategic wizard movement. However, the game can suffer from downtime, especially with four players, as players have to wait for their turns while the game state changes significantly.

Pros

Good components

Strategic gameplay with resource management

Customizable setups for different player counts

Unique dragon abilities for combo plays

Cons

Clunky gameplay

Generic fantasy theme

Significant downtime with more players

Personal Thoughts on Dragon Island

**Dragon Island** is ideal for fans of tile-laying games and those who enjoy strategic resource management. While it shares similarities with games like **Takenoko**, it offers its own twists with dragon interactions and treasure maps. However, the game’s clunkiness and downtime may deter some players. It is a good fit for family game nights and for players who appreciate the challenge of setting up complex combos to maximize their fame points.

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