I was very impressed by Quest of the Dragonlords when it came out. I had some small concerns about the game, but overall, it was a good mix of a questing game and a light war game, all wrapped around a terrific fantasy theme. The plastic pieces, the gold nugget coins, the quest cards, the art – all of it added up to a very fun play experience. Now, I’ve had the pleasure of play testing and playing the first expansion to the game, called the Crystal of Power, 5-6 player expansion to Quest for the Dragonlords (Dragonlords, Inc., 2003 – Robert Johannessen.) Let me explain a bit about the expansion: (In writing this review, I assume that you already know how to play Quest for the Dragonlords)

1.) The additions:
- First of all, and probably most importantly, two new armies are included – the Amazons (purple) and the Necromancers (black). This allows up to six players to play the game, as well as make the army selection more diverse. Both the Amazon and the Necromancer units have a special attack they can do (Amazons can charm adjacent enemy units, taking them captive, while Necromancers can raise the dead who have been lost in battle). The Necromancers’ powerful special ability is held in check by the fact that they have the weakest units in the game. Also, the wizards for each of the two armies have a few different spells than the other, older armies.
- Secondly, a whole pile of scroll cards have been added, some of them duplicates of scroll cards from the original game, and some of them new spells. (There are now 14 new spells, adding quite a bit of variety). The rules go into quite a bit of detail explaining how the scroll cards are used in combat, etc., helping smooth the flow of game play.
- Twelve new quest cards have been added, with new monsters, new quests, and new rewards! (If only other games, such as Starfarers of Catan would add new cards like this – it really helps keep games to stay more varied.) The artwork on these cards is all different, and is really incredible – with an excellent fantasy feel. The new monsters also have new special abilities, making some of them very difficult to defeat (but with great rewards!)
- Shards have been added (nine glass stones, each of a different color). At the beginning of the game, each player randomly takes one of these stones, and places it in one of their territories. Each shard has a different power (a certain spell) that the spell caster of that army can use if in that space. Players can capture shards from other players, demand them as tribute, or even win them in quests.
- Heroes are able to be gained now. Whenever a player wins a victory against at least five enemy units, or a monster with a defense of 10 or more, a hero is made! A new counter is placed under one of the units, making that unit a hero. Heroes can also be “upgraded” by future wins, going to the second and third levels. Each hero adds +1 attack per level to all units in its territory.

2.) The changes:
- The gold nuggets, much as I loved them, have been replaced. (Of course, if you play with me, you are still using the nuggets!) Enough players asked for just counters as coins, and Dragonlords has delivered – giving cardboard coins that can be used in place of the lovely, but often unwieldy golden nuggets.
- The plastic counters with stickers in them have been replaced by cardboard counters. I don’t know why – and I’ll still be using the stuff from the original game, but I guess that the new cardboard counters are easier for most people to handle.
- The attack rules have been modified, making missile attacks more powerful, also explaining exactly how healing works.
- There are now three endings: 1). The first player to capture four shards or four kingdoms, 2). the first player to capture all nine shards or all six kingdoms, or 3) the last player alive. I personally prefer number two, as I really enjoy playing with the shards.

3.) The optional rules: (And if you play with me, they are all NOT optional! Many of these were suggested by players, but since the fan base was split, they were only added as optional)
- Dragonlords can only teleport five units maximum, and cannot teleport to a kingdom territory.
- Spell casters can only use one spell each round.
- Some spell cards that are powerful can be removed from the game (this one I don’t always use.)
- When a player loses their king, they can still play (this helps with people who don’t like player elimination). The player can’t win, but can affect the outcome of the game, and still have fun.

4.) The bad: (and these are minor quibbles)
- While the artwork is great, it is fairly intense, and may turn off some potential buyers.
- The necromancers and Amazons not only have special abilities like the other races, but also have a different set of spells. That’s good and all, but I think it gives them a slight edge. (But only extensive playing will determine this.)

5.) The good:
- The shards are great – and a whole new level of strategy to the game, and variety. Besides that, they look really sharp on the board.
- The two new races are nice, and the ability to play six player games is great, even if it can be more chaotic.
- The quests are more varied, with new rewards, and dangerous foes.
- All the components are extremely good quality, fitting in a box that is the same size as the original box.
- The rulebook is very detailed and helpful, and provides a FAQ at the end. Not only that, but the rules are very easy to pick up for returning players.

Overall, if you liked Quest for the Dragonlords, you will love the expansion. Games are not changed too much, but enough to improve game play, and the additions are fantastic. I really liked the game before, and I like it even more now. Quest of the Dragonlords + Crystal of Power, in my opinion, is one of the two definitive light fantasy war games (the other is Warangel), and is certainly the best game that combines quests with tactical battles. Lead on to the dungeons!

Tom Vasel