Reasons why I like In the Year of the Dragon

1. It always leaves me wanting to play again. Even if I win, I always feel that I could have done just a little bit better, saved a person somewhere, used an action differently, whatever the case may be. Even though the game has been described as "Hitting yourself in the head with a hammer, but trying to do it less than your opponents", I still want to keep playing it. Which brings me to reason number 2.

2. It is a different view on playing games. Many of the Euro games I play tend to be building & economic engine games. Though ItYotD has that in it, there is much more of resilience to bad events. Rather than trying to get better stuff so that you can build better stuff, you instead get better stuff so that you can avoid the bad things coming your way. Notre Dame has this same kind of feel with the rats, but not near to the level as ItYotD. I guess it is something fresh in the world of Euros.

3. It is relatively short. With 3 players who have played before, the game can be played in 30-40 minutes once set up. With 5 it takes 60-75 minutes. Either way, for a game that I consider medium to medium-heavy, that is a very short amount of time for the deepness of the game. Other games, such as Power Grid or Princes of Florence, which I would put on the same depth take closer to 90-120 minutes. Because it is shorter, I am much more likely to get a game of this on the table, than some of my other favorites.

4. The people track is something else I really love about the game. Though the game can be won and has been won by ignoring the people track, it is difficult to say the least (at least in my experience). Variable turn order is not new to games, but the way the turn order is changed around in this game seems to be. Often designers will choose to use an auction, or who is in last place on the victory point track, or some other method to decide turn order. The agony that comes with choosing between a younger person with more people points or an elder person with better abilities is great!

5. The different ways to victory. Now, I know this might be a hot topic, but there do seem to be multiple ways to victory and having to conform to what your opponents are doing is very important. Though I would agree with most here and say a turn one Double Dragon is very important, I have seen the game won in several different ways. From building a lot of palaces, stocking up on Monks, getting 6-7 dragon scrolls, using the Lady of the Night very effectively, and even I believe one victory by a scholar laden strategy.

This review is completely bias of course and you can disagree with it if you like, but those are the reasons I like In the Year of the Dragon.