Review: Dragonology
So every new game I get, whether it’s something bought by the family
because it looked cool and “John Plays Everything” or something I’ve picked up
myself, is going to get reviewed.
This one was bought by the family, Cheers Ted, and is based from the
best selling franchise of the same name.
On first look, excellent production values, big box, plenty of detail,
and that’s where the first problem occurred.
The box is huge...
Not a problem if it’s filled with things so that you’ve got all the
counters and all the tokens and everything else, but when it’s filled with a
single plastic insert that’s three inches high and then the rest is empty
space, it doesn’t bode well...
But, onwards...
Figures and miniatures, all painted, check
Good production values and artwork on the cards, check.
All good thus far.
The board, my god the board, looks brilliant, and for a second, I found
myself thinking “This is going to be Ticket to Ride crossed with Reign of Fire,
how much win could there be?”
Then I read the rules...
And at this point, folded it all up with a heavy heart and put it away.
The rules dictate that you roll your way around the board, no skill
involved, no placement of things, no strategy, nothing that would interest a
person who actually plays games,
rather than someone who likes aimlessly rolling dice to see who gets to a
particular score first. The cards have
some effects, but they’re not metered or measured, there’s one card (eight of
which in the deck) that allow the player to take another turn, thereby drawing
another set of cards and possibly getting another turn, no rule in place to
stop a player taking all the free turns though.
There’s another card that shuffles everyone elses cards but yours and
gives you more cards in the process, and there’s nothing the other players can
do to stop that either.
This, I find, is where the problem occurs when companies who really aren't games companies try and rush
something out to capitalise on something, not thinking “My god we’ve got this
awesome licence, let’s make an awesome game and then more people will buy
things,” But instead thinking “These idiots will buy anything, let’s just put something
out and get them to buy it”. The first
option will have people buying more (see the Dr Who licence from Cubicle 7),
the second option will consign most of these things to the bargain basement,
where who knows, they may one day provide inspiration...
In my case this one certainly has, I’m making the game that I thought
this was going to be and it’s going to be all the awesome I wanted this game to
be...
But for playing this one?
Sadly not.
