Game: Dragon Strike

Thread: Re: Scan of cards and DM screen

Cringing Dragon — 2008-11-22T07:46:06+00:00

No worries, scans sent. Enjoy.

Thread: Re: Scan of cards and DM screen

BigD145 — 2008-11-22T06:47:50+00:00

Most games now have card scans. Just as an example, I think most every card for Race for the Galaxy is here on BGG. But, I'll abide by your requirements. Scan of my trap cards (all that I got) and a photo of box and bits and wrong DM screen:
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/image/400108
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/image/400109

Email address sent in your next GeekMail.

Thread: Re: Scan of cards and DM screen

Cringing Dragon — 2008-11-22T01:58:07+00:00

DM screen shows rules, so no can do on that score (it's against the rules to upload rules scans).

This existing image shows one trap card (front & back). All the trap card backs are the same, and if I scanned the all fronts I'd (rightly) get pinged on the rules rule.
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However, if you have a partially complete set which is missing pieces, then GeekMail me a photo of your partial set, including something distinctive so I can tell it's your set (a handwritten note or something), just to ease my conscience, and I'll send you what you're needing. I just won't upload them here, as it is breaching the rules.
I don't think you can add attachments to a GeekMail, so upload your photo to your gallery, and you'll probably need to send me an external e-mail address (I promise not to spam you ).

Thread: Scan of cards and DM screen

BigD145 — 2008-11-21T20:59:31+00:00

Can we get a scan of the Trap cards, and others if you want, along with the business side of the DM screen?

Thread: Re: A Game that Spans Eras

Zimeon — 2008-10-01T09:44:08+00:00

Thanks for a great review – I see immediately that I'll absolutely love this game, it just might be the ultimate dungeon crawler for me personally. I'm glad I picked up a copy, and I'm excited to see it… it's sitting at my sister's in Cambridge… :P

Thread: Re: A Game that Spans Eras

steinley — 2008-10-01T05:58:04+00:00

Tom,

Ha -- I was re-reading the review after it was posted and it dawned on me to see if YouTube had the video. I edited, found it, and posted. Lo and Behold, you put it in your response at the same time. Cool -- two links to the Dragon Strike video might cause the all of BGG to implode.

Doug

Thread: Re: A Game that Spans Eras

Kingdaddy — 2008-10-01T05:49:18+00:00

Since you mentioned the video...

Youtube Video

Thread: A Game that Spans Eras

steinley — 2008-10-01T04:54:37+00:00

Dragon Strike sits on the crossroads of two eras of fantasy dungeon crawl games, and this review argues why it is often overlooked and, if possible, should be picked-up if seen at a flea market or thrift store. Prior to Dragon Strike, there was the wildly popular game of HeroQuest (and to some extent DungeonQuest) by Games Workshop and Milton Bradley. It seems as if TSR was determined to capitalize on this success by basically melding elements of Dungeons & Dragons, HeroQuest, and Dungeon.

At first blush, Dragon Strike might seem to be of little interest because of the general perception that it falls short of its predecessors. However, what we see is that it contains many elements that appear in several of today’s popular games (e.g., Descent: Journeys in the Dark, Runebound, and Last Night on Earth, The Zombie Game, to name a few). Well, let’s dive in to the details of Dragon Strike (DS from here on).

Components
Before getting to the components, I would be remiss not to mention the video that comes with the game. The video is supposed to serve as a background setting for the game and a tutorial into game play. The video is narrated by the “Dragon Master”, who is a guy (who looks eerily similar to Prince Humperdink from Princess Bride) that only wears a black turtleneck – to make it better, he is always filmed in a black soundstage, making it look as if he were just a floating head. The video itself is horrendous, but does have a certain campy B-horror movie feel to it. We watched it once when we got the game, the only other time it made its way into the VCR was in college after a long night of drinking. On an upshot, there are some classic “one-liners” that can be found in the dialog, and sometimes (unexplicably to me) the video can be found without the game.

Youtube Video

For 1993, the components of DS are top notch. The minis are nice, sculpted pieces – similar to that of HeroQuest and Dark World – contemporary games of the time. On the other hand, by today’s standards, the minis would be something one could expect to find from a reputable game company, but not the quality of the standard minis seen from Fantasy Flight or Days of Wonder.

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All together, there are 19 minis, consisting of 4 heroes and 15 monsters. The heroes are the standard fare of warrior, wizard, thief, elf, and dwarf (accommodating up to 5 hero players – as an aside there are male and female thiefs; however, only one can be in the party). Each hero gets a character card – where the artwork can be thought of like a poor man’s version of Flying Frog production values. The pictures on the cards are of the actors from the movie; however, the costumes were so bad it is a blessing that the info is on the back of the cards so you can just play with them facedown.

Like Descent, one player takes on the role of the Dragon Master (i.e., Overlord or Dungeon Master). The Dragon Master is somewhere between the guide the players through role of Dungeon Master and the fiercely competitive Overlord – we always play as the latter.

Monster Specifics

Part of the game that “shines” is the variety of monsters – which were not common at the time. These include: bugbears, orcs, death knights, gargoyle, troll, evil wizard, fire elemental, manscorpion (i.e., manticore), giant,, and dragon. The neat thing about the monsters though, is each received their own unique ability

Bugbear: The work horse of the evil forces – a standard melee attacker.

Orc : Able to make both melee and ranged attack.

Death Knight: A melee attack where a successful attack results in a loss of life and paralysis the next turn.

Gargoyle: Two melee attacks and can fly.

Troll: Standard troll, regenerates one HP a turn.

Evil Wizard: The wizard receives a set of spells that he is able to cast within a quest.

Fire Elemental: Can only be hit with magic or magical weapons and is immune to all flame.

Manscorpion: Gets three attacks (dual weapons and stinger).

Giant: A big baddie that can throw boulders.

Dragon: Flies and has the option of three melee attacks or a breath weapon. The breath weapon is very similar to descent. In this case, it can travel up to three spaces and acts like a blast 1 after it hits.

Boards
While it isn’t a modular board like Descent, DS does come with two front/back boards, representing a valley, castle, city, and dungeon. The quality and the make of boards themselves are very similar to what is found in HeroQuest – the four boards does add a level of replayability that is much appreciated. Additionally, there are various terrains that alter play by slowing movement (water), blocking movement but not line of sight (portcullis), blocking movement and line of sight (boulders), limits line of sight and costs double movement (forest).

Gameplay

To play an adventure, the Dragon Master chooses a quest from a questbook containing sixteen different quests. The quests have four different difficulties -- easy (3), average (6), difficult (4), and very difficult (3) -- with a recommended number of heroes for each quest. The quests can be played with any number of heroes, but work best with the recommended number. The quests range from deliverying packages to stealing dragon eggs.

Somewhat unique is that a solo adventure is included with rules for controlling monsters and their responses. This adventure is okay and let's a player have a go at the game when they can't find any gaming partners.

Movement: Movement is identical to Descent. Each hero gets a certain amount of “speed” and that is how many spaces they can move each turn. However, heroes can either move and then perform an action or vice versa. Movement allows moving to any adjacent space and flying creatures have the option of hovering at the end of their turn.
The actions available to the heroes are (1) attack, (2) cast a spell, (3) search for treasure, (4) find and disarm traps, (5) search for secret passages, (6) question a monster, and (7) perform a feat of strength or dexterity. Clearly, from this list of actions, the influences of classic Dungeons & Dragons can be seen.

Attacking: The attack action is very straightforward. Heroes start with a base weapon that is associated with a dice (d8, d10, or d12). Melee attacks must be made to adjacent characters and a “hit” is scored when the roll of the attack die exceeds the armor class of the enemy. A successful hit inflicts one damage – weapons can be upgraded to higher dice or more than one damage by finding specific treasures. Ranged attacks are governed by standard line of sight rules, where the target only has to be more than one space away (usually the ranged attacks are associated with less powerful attack dice).

Spells: The elf, wizard, and evil wizard can all cast spells. The spells themselves have different levels and an appropriate number of spells of the correct levels are chosen by these three characters during set-up. Some spells are helpful (like healing) and some spells are attack oriented (like lightning bolt). Additionally, some of the spells of area of effect conditions and will affect figures in adjacent squares to the target. Each spell can only be cast once an adventure and both heroes and monsters have a chance to “save vs. magic” (where a 6 or better indicates a success).

Searching: Heroes can search chests and dead monsters for treasure. Success is guaranteed and the trade-off is using an action to do a search. Treasure consists of different items that can be used by the heroes. Quest specific treasures are indicated in the quest book used by the Dragon Master.

Disarming Traps and Searching for Secret Passages: Success on these actions requires a successful role of the die associated with these skills for whichever hero is doing the searching. Upon triggering a trap, a card is drawn from the trap deck (e.g.,DungeonQuest).

Questioning Monsters: Monsters can be questioned. Some will have useful information, while others are itching for a fight. The onus is on the Dragon Master to truthfully play the role of the monster and answer questions appropriately. Heroes are allowed to ask four questions for each action spent on monster questioning.

Extraordinary Feats: Like D & D, the heroes can propose feats of strength or dexterity to alter the general rules of the game. Common feats are things like jumping, kicking down a door, throwing a lightweight object, etc. Each hero has a strength and dexterity ability, which requires a successful die roll for the feat to be successful. Like a standard Dungeon Master, the Dragon Master makes all decisions about the feasibility of the proposed feat.

Game Timer
The one aspect of DS like Runebound is the fact that there is a game timer (aka, a type of Doom track). Each quest starts the doom track at a different number of turns between 10 and 20. After the heroes have had the prespecified number of turns, the dragon, Darkfyre, appears on the map and a sort of reckoning begins. If the heroes haven't found treasure yet, defeating Darkfyre will be a tall order. Additionally, this makes most games last less than an hour. Personally, I think that this is a great addition.

Conclusion

By today's standards, I wouldn't say that this is a great game. I think it is the closest that TSR got to successfully implementing some D&D ideas for a younger generation. At the very least it is purchaseable for just the extra minis, game board tiles, and game boards. However, I would say that is a very good game under the right conditions.

If your group is already into Descent, then there is not much reason to go back and play Dragon Strike. On the other hand, the game itself is perfect for players too young for Descent -- I would say 7-10 years old, depending on the player. A lot of the mechanics are the same or very similar, so the transition can be easier made for a younger player if they have Dragon Strike under their belt. This is like training wheels for more advanced dungeon crawls.

Edit 1: For video.
Edit 2: For typos.

Thread: Thief Upgrades

Sandal_Thong — 2008-09-24T23:31:04+00:00

The Thief is a character most likely to die because of limited hit points and low armor. One of the things I intend to do is give him/her 1 additional hit point next time. But that's not why I'm writing.

For a while (since we went in Darkfyre's Lair) I've been thinking that we need another character with a ranged weapon. If people ever played the dwarf, they might get the magic hammer. Throwing away a dagger, like in the video, doesn't seem like a viable option. The thief also was shown using the bullwhip and it IS listed on the card. As it stands there's no reason to use it in the game. So I intend to make the bullwhip a 1-2 space attack weapon, with the ability to hit an adjacent monster in the air! Note that Sneak Attacks would still only work with a dagger.

Thread: Re: My Cleric

J Malcolm Grey — 2008-09-23T19:19:43+00:00

Fantastic addition! After picking this game up first from a thrift store a few years back, then from the closet a few weeks back, I'd approached some friends about giving it a shot. The crafty player's complaint, though, was that there was no healing class, yet they were expected to bash their way through things. His missing the point aside, it did seem a bit strange to be missing a primary healer.

This is, of course, a very well-rounded solution. Thanks much!

Thread: Re: Against the Giant

nobeerblues — 2008-08-12T04:45:47+00:00

This was a fun read!

Thread: Against the Giant

Sandal_Thong — 2008-08-11T19:42:20+00:00

My hero players finally won a couple Dragon Strike adventures. Here's how they did in "Against the Giant."

SETUP
First, I changed the map of the cavern (for all adventures) so there is a passage from the upper left starting corridor to the corridor leading to F. For this scenario I eliminated the left start zone (heroes can still exit there) and replaced it with the one on the bottom right. Since they played this scenario before, I moved around the contents of rooms as follows:
A - A (empty)
B - G (I could have put Super-Orc in A)
C - E
D - F (including door)
E - I ("I" means the 6 squares in bottom right)
F - H (empty)
G - D (I could have left them at G)
H - C (added a tunnel marker there for "Hidden Bugbears")
I - B (empty)

I decided that the giant could start in A, F, or H; and picked F - his treasure room. I pulled out the 4 cards for the Super-Orc, including Wonderous Plate Mail (not Magic Plate Mail). One of my heroes was the Dwarf (I'd changed his move to 5, since no one would play him) and the other was the Warrior. I gave them 17 turns instead of 15. Also, I made sure they had 4 cards total that were usable by someone in the party (Dwarf, Warrior, or Any Hero).

START
They decided to enter from the North, which made me smile; the Dwarf leading. He met the Gargoyles in E and wisely chose to talk. The Dwarf offered a Potion of Levitation in exchange for the treasure chest, but then changed his mind. I would have taken it since the chest was empty. They learned the three possible locations for the Giant and moved on. At the end of the hall the heroes fought and killed two Orcs. Next they saw two Bugbears with their chest at C and killed one. A hero opened the chest, which caused the other two Bugbears to jump out, just like if they'd still been at H. At some point the Warrior revealed he had the Shield, which saved some hits. In short order the Bugbears were killed, and after one had nothing on them, the heroes left the other three bodies. The Warrior was about to take a healing potion but changed his mind since he'd only lost a couple hit points. He may have taken it later, which doesn't count as an action.

The Warrior wanted to explore the lower-right cave. He was one step away from the trap before his partner reminded him their mission was to slay the Giant and where the Gargoyle said he could be. The heroes passed separately through the Hall of Slime (A), so Super-Orc got at least two free shots from above with his crossbow. Super-Orc then went around and fought the Warrior on the "stairs." The Warrior was surprised that:
(1) his attack roll of 5 missed,
(2) the Super-Orc used the black die to hit, and
(3) the hit caused 2 damage.
He asked me for Super-Orc's stats, but I didn't reveal them.

Meanwhile the dwarf headed to the Giant's room, and sprung a spear trap that missed. On his second attempt he busted open the door, discovering Grunt the Giant (represented by my Ogre figure from Battle Masters, which is more impressive) and his chests (plastic models from Hero Quest). He attacked the Giant once and fled back toward the Dwarf, drinking a Potion of Flight so he could end his turn in the air (raising the model on a plastic stand). The Giant followed and threw a boulder (his long-range D10 attack) which hit. Finally the Warrior killed the "glowing" Super Orc, and next turn, on the advice of the other player, searched him for treasure. Since 3 of the 4 trasure cards were for the Dwarf/Warrior, this treasure was well-received, and the Warrior's armor class became 9!

Time was up, which meant Darkfyre the Dragon came out (but didn't move that turn). Fortunately, the Warrior took the Giant's last two hit points with his newly-acquired Gauntlets of Ogre Power. The heroes fled up my new passage to the top-left exit, the Dwarf flying with a move of 10. They each felt Darkfyre's fiery breath on their backsides and failed their save rolls, but next turn they were both still able to escape the cavern alive. Time: 20 turns.

It was satisfying for all. There were only two complaints by the player controlling the Warrior: he didn't get to explore the entire cavern and he didn't get to attack the dragon! Maybe next time he'll want to play "Darkfyre's Lair!"

Thread: Re: The Dragon Orb adventure, from Dragon Magazine

Usagi3 — 2008-07-01T19:23:00+00:00

Many thanks !

Thread: Book Review

Sandal_Thong — 2008-06-29T19:06:42+00:00

All these books somewhat build around the story in the DS video: Teraptus and The Sunstone.

The Comic Book starts just before the video. The Warrior and Elf are fighting Death Knights in the forest. The Warrior goes on without him and fights some highway robbers. He meets the female Thief who defeats the last of them. They head to the celebration hosted by King Halvor II in his castle.

Now we get to the start of the video where the dwarf has just created the Sunstone for Teraptus in his castle.
"So whadaya gonna do with it?"
Teraptus casts a spell, causing darkness to cover the land. The Wizard spies this and flees, but is detected. Teraptus turns into a dragon and puts a tooth in him before he escapes. The Wizard makes it to King Halvor's banquet hall, followed by Lord Fear and his death knights. The heroes defeat them, and the king's Cleric heals the Wizard.
"Death hosts this banquet!" says the Elf, and they discuss the danger from Teraptus.
"Quest with me, then!" says the Warrior as the comic book ends.

For those who don't know or remember:
The video continues as the nameless heroes (they call each other "Thief" or "Warrior") walk through the woods to Teraptus's castle where they are attacked by trees and the dragon, before teleporting. The heroes infiltrate the castle and end up fighting the manscorpion. The Dwarf hears them and shouts for help, so they recover his hammer and free him from the wall. The Dwarf joins them in their quest. In the final battle they face Teraptus and his Fire Elemental in the chamber of the Sunstone. They break the ropes holding the Sunstone, which is made of ice, so it falls on the fire elemental and is destroyed. Teraptus changes into a dragon and the heroes flee through a magic mirror (without the Dwarf) to King Halvor's hall. The Cleric smashes the mirror before Teraptus can use it. The video ends with the four heroes walking in the direction of a city or castle in the sky, seeking more adventure and riches.

"Forest of Darkness," an Endless Quest book (a choose-your-own style adventure), changes this ending. You are Dare the Warrior. Together with Silverthorne the Elf, Keela the Thief, and Deathmark the Wizard you have escaped Teraptus's castle and entered the woods. Unfortunately, the name "Endless Quest" is appropriate as the story drags on for countless pages without choices. There are only 4 possible endings: killed by troll, teleported to another world, returned to warn King Halvor, or achieved victory in the forest. It's as if the author wrote 2 long story lines and didn't want to have readers make decisions after all.

The Endless Quest book, "Dungeon of Fear", continues the story after the heroes have returned to the kingdom, though it may have been published before the other one. This time, you are the Male Thief, Kir Trelander a.k.a. Shadow, who robbed some nobles the night of the king's banquet and left before the excitement. You meet up with Keela and Dare who learn that a Crystal Skull was taken from the royal vault that night. Recovering it is your quest, and Lord Fear is your prime suspect. The book would be more aptly called "Dungeon of Halvor" since there are 4 paths that put you there in the end, and no story paths that I noticed which put you in Fear's dungeon. Again the author (Michael Andrews is, I believe, a pseudonym) doesn't want to let you "control the adventure", as the cover indicates.

For example:
>If you choose the small opened door, go to A.
>If you choose the heavy locked door, go to B.
A: The room is a broom closet. Go to B.

Lot's of decisions turn back like this, and where it doesn't the wrong choice is fatal. The message is clear: you WILL follow my story line or DIE.
There is one interesting "choice" that appears late in the story that could have been used in other books of this type:
>If you have the item, go to C
>If you don't have it, go to D
The paths would join to follow the same thread after the early decision, but split again later when it has consequences.

The 4 other "Micheal Andrews" books are narrative background stories for the four heroes.
"The Thief's Tale", (by Andria Hayday?) tells the story of how the female thief, Keela helped to uncover the secret of a young man named Conor for Duke Edward. At the end she leaves for King Halvor's lands.
"The Wizard's Tale", (by Timothy Brown?) starts with Deathmark as a prisoner of Lord Halvor, before he became an apprentice Wizard. It does not tell how he came to Teraptus's castle, whose name is misspelled, "Teraptis".
"The Elf's Tale", (by Bruce Heard?) is a story featuring Greenthorne the Elf. If there was any connection to King Halvor or Teraptus I missed it.
"The Warrior's Tale", (by Bruce Nesmith?) features Dare, weapon master to King Halvor, who takes leave for an adventure.

None of the books show an adventure that could be translated into the game Dragon Strike. Only the video really has anything to do with the game. It provides mood, showing how the DM and players can get into the game. It also gives clues for The Sunstone adventure (rated Very Difficult), without which the heroes would not find the Dwarf. It shows at least two rules mistakes, since monsters cannot trigger traps, and heroes cannot use a Feat to injure a monster.

Of great hilarity, the Response Card in my game asks, "Did you purchase the Dragon Strike Game because of
___The video or ___The game?"
Someone must have thought the story from the video was the thing. What a waste for all those hours making the video and the books, when they could have improved the game! I'd still like to have a look at those Dragon Knights newsletters, if they exist.

Thread: Under Construction adventure: NARRAN'S TREASURE

Sandal_Thong — 2008-06-23T21:28:40+00:00

You've returned to Lord Narran's castle only to find it in an uproar. Lord Narran gives you the bad news.
"While you were out, Teraptus breached my castle and stole the treasure chests containing the magical items I normally loan you. Fortunately, only someone holding my special seal can open it, for now. I fear that once Terraptus discovers how the magic works, he will use these chests for his own purposes, as well the artifacts inside. Hurry after the villains, and return with your chest. Since I cannot give you aid now, I give you my seal so that when you find a chest you can use the contents to prevail and make your escape."

Object: Find the magical chests (one for each hero) and carry them off the board by indicated exits.
Starting Treasure: none. Give Narran's Seal to a hero.
Number of Players: 1-5.
Time Limit:
Map: any

Setup:
1. For each hero playing, hide one chest on the map behind your screen. It will contain the two treasure cards for that hero and have a guardian as follows:
Warrior > Wondrous Plate Mail and Magic Sword > guarded by Manscorpion;
Dwarf> Gauntlets of Ogre Power and Magic Battle-Axe > guarded by Troll;
Wizard> Wand of Lightning and Potion of Invulnerability > guarded by Fire Elemental;
Elf> Magic Bow and Scroll of Spells > guarded by Gargoyle(s);
Thief> Magic Dagger and (Ring of Spell Storing, Boots of Speed, Potion of Invisibility OR Ring of Protection?) > guarded by Evil Wizard?

2. If there are 3 or more heroes playing then you must hide one treasure chest in the sealed carriage; if there are only 2 heroes then this is optional. Place the carriage behind your screen until the heroes can see it, as follows:
Cavern: Hall of Slime;
Castle: Courtyard;
City: Stable or outdoors;
Valley: not on woods space.

3. Place the Giant (sleeping) somewhere on you map so that he's unlikely to be woken up by normal combat unless the heroes try to pass him.

4. Depending on the number of heroes and difficulty, decide what minor monsters, traps, and treasure chests are on your map. Likewise, determine if areas of your map are out of play (bridge out, shops boarded up, cave-in), or if you need a secret door in your castle. Then pick a good time limit.

5. When the heroes discover Narran's chests, place the guardians so that a lone hero can attempt to reach the chest. There could either be a path to it, or a space next to the chest for the hero to get past the monster by a Feat of Dexterity or flying. If you normally allow figures to occupy the same space as a chest then keep the guardian off it. For example, a Dwarf by himself cannot defeat the Troll without the Gauntlets of Ogre Power, which are in the chest. If he can't get past the Troll to the chest, he will lose the game.

6. Show the players the allowed Start areas and exits.

Special Rules:
1. The DM must tell the heroes whether a treasure chest they find is normal or one of Narran's magical chests.

2. The magical treasure chests can only be opened by the hero carrying Narran's Seal. They cannot opened by force or the Knock Spell. If Dispel Magic or the equivalent is cast, the result is only that the Seal won't work.

3. The chests are heavy (empty or not). Any hero carrying one finds movement Speed is halved.

4. Heroes may invent feats to move the chests (e.g. tying a rope around it, then casting Levitate and pulling it at normal movement Speed; or taking a Potion of Strength to carry one at normal move or two at half-speed).

5. The carriage has an Armor Class of 8 and 2 Hit Points. Arrows do not damage it. The horses cannot be attacked.

6. Heroes cannot see into the carriage. When hit once, flip it to the damaged side and place a treasure chest on it; they can now see it, but can't reach it. If the carriage is destroyed, place the chest on the ground.

7. The horses can be controlled by a hero who rolls a successful Feat of Dexterity.

8. Once controlled, the horses will remain under hero control for the rest of the adventure. The carriage moves last after the heroes. The horses can pull the carriage at a movement rate of 3 spaces as long as there is an adjacent hero to guide them (before or after it moves). If the carriage leaves the board it (and the chest) is out of play; this counts as success for recovering any chest inside.

Explain rules 1-3 to the players. After they discover the carriage, explain rule #5. If they succeed on contolling the horses, explain rule #8.

Note: I felt this adventure first had to work with just one hero player. Whether any lone hero you pick can win remains to be seen. Can the Dwarf win against the Troll? Should his guardian have been the Giant, instead? Is the Fire Elemental too tough for the Wizard? Can the Thief beat Teraptus? (One of Teraptus's spells can destroy a treasure, so should the Thief's treasures be random?). Obviously it would be easier to defeat the guardians when there are more players. The trade-off would be increased time (but I left the time limit for you to determine). If you find the dragon comes out too early, substitute by having the Giant wake up and take a Potion of No-Doze which protects him from further Sleep.

Thread: Fixes for THE CURE and A DARING RESCUE

Sandal_Thong — 2008-06-23T20:49:39+00:00

THE CURE
It seems like there should be a secret door on your map between L and M.

A DARING RESCUE
The treasure on the map in B is labelled incorrectly from the key. It should be [trap & treasure], not [lock & treasure].

Thread: Additions to DARKFYRE'S LAIR

Sandal_Thong — 2008-06-23T20:47:49+00:00

DARKFYRE'S LAIR
(1) The Hidden Treasure is not easy to find. So place the rubble marker in cave B or its wall to give a hint to search for treasure.

(2) King Halvor informs the heroes that there is a weapon in Darkfyre's lair that could kill him: an Arrow of Dragon-Slaying!

Arrow of Dragon-Slaying
(Elf or Orc Ally)
This arrow can be fired from a bow or crossbow only by a character who normally uses that weapon.
Upon attacking the dragon, it adds 1 to the die roll (a roll of 7 becomes a hit).
If the attack succeeds then the dragon is killed!
These effects do not apply against other monsters.
Once used, the arrow is lost.

Setup: Add it to an unfriendly Orc or a treasure chest, including the alarmed one!

If you want to allow its use against other monsters, you could make it do 2 Hit Points of damage (like Gauntlets of Ogre Power), and/or count as a magical attack (against the Fire Elemental). But once used the arrow would still be lost.

Thread: My Cleric

Sandal_Thong — 2008-06-23T20:24:07+00:00

Since watching the video, (and seeing characters die) I've wanted to have the Cleric character as a healer. I wanted it to be a substitute for the Elf or Thief and more vigorous than the Wizard. Unfortunately, my players have passed on testing it until recently, and then picked him instead of the Wizard but didn't use his healing! Here's what I've come up with so far after seeing him in action and realizing he needs more power on the attack (i.e. spells). I added Faith points like the Witch Hunter has in Warhammer Quest. There's two Thief cards, so one can be used for the Cleric until you make your own.

CLERIC
Hit Points: 5
Speed: 6
Attack: d8 (staff)
Armor Class: 5 (leather armor)
*Save vs. Magic: d12
*Find/Disarm Traps: d8
*Find Secret Passages: d8
*Feat of Dexterity: d10
*Feat of Strength: d10
*+Heal 1 Hit Point: d10

* Success on a 6
+ The Cleric can attempt a die roll to heal one wound on himself or one adjacent hero or ally while he has his medical kit.

Equipment: rope, food, mirror, medical kit (bandages, salves, pain relief etc.)

5 Faith: Each may add 1 to your die roll.
[Example: your Feat of Strength roll is a 4; so you spend two faith points to make it a successful 6.]

CHOOSE 5 SPELLS from these:

-Cure Light Wounds; restores 4 Hit Points to any hero.

-Find Traps; the target's Search-for-Traps action automatically succeeds, but a roll must still be made to disarm traps. The target also finds traps immediately before triggering them by walking or searching. The DM should draw trap cards and mark their locations. Lasts the entire adventure. (4 turns wasn't enough).

-Resist Fire; target hero loses 1 fewer Hit Points whenever contacting fire or flame. It protects against attacks from the Dragon's Breath and the Fire Elemental.

-Resurrection; The Cleric may use this spell to resurrect an adjacent hero or ally in the first 3 turns after death. Neither can move or act through the next turn. Attacks against the Cleric automatically succeed the turn the spell is cast. If the Cleric survives, the target is restored to 1 Hit Point.
[Example:] The Wizard was killed by a gargoyle. The heroes kill the gargoyle on their turn, and a Bugbear the next turn. It's now the third turn since the Wizard died, so it's the Cleric's last chance. The Cleric moves beside him and casts Resurrection. Then the last Bugbear attacks the Cleric, automatically hitting him for 1 Hit Point. The Warrior goes first but he can't use his Potion of Healing because the Wizard is still dead. Next, the Cleric misses his turn and the Wizard is brought back to 1 Hit Point, but can't act now, regardless of turn order. The Elf goes last, and uses his Heal Light Wounds spell to restore the Wizard to his full 4 Hit Points. If there were any monsters left, then the Cleric and Wizard defend normally and both can act next turn.]

-Shield; target hero gains a base Armor Class of 7. The Shield also blocks Magic Missiles. Lasts 4 turns.

-Speed; target gets +4 to Speed for 4 turns.

-Strength; target hero inflicts 2 Hit Points damage when attacking with a hand weapon. Also, Feats of Strength automatically succeed. Lasts 4 turns.

-Turn Undead; Up to 3 Death Knights you can see must "save vs. magic" or be destroyed.

-Vampiric Touch; The Cleric can drain 1 Hit Point from any adjacent living monster. The monster has one chance to resist: a "save vs. magic." If successful, nothing happens. If it fails, the Cleric gains the Hit Point!

NOTE: These spells should be separate cards, like Teraptus's. So even if the Elf and Wizard select both Shield or Cure Light Wounds cards, the Cleric may still choose these spells.

TREASURE for Cleric:
If its marked "Any Hero",
Boots of Speed (should be marked "Any Hero"),
Crystal Ball (Wizard, Cleric),
Elven Cloak (Thief, Elf, Cleric),
Elven Boots (Thief, Elf, Cleric),
Scroll of Spells (Wizard, Elf, Cleric).

Thread: Re: The Dragon Orb adventure, from Dragon Magazine

Sandal_Thong — 2008-06-23T20:07:16+00:00

MY OPINIONS:

+I like leaping one space being a Feat of Strength instead of Dexterity.

+Dragon Fire to destroy the Orb sucks; Lightning would be better.

If you change it, let the players figure out the options for themselves:

1- Cast Lightning Spell. In the event the heroes find a treasure which gives random spells, secretly pull out Lightning (if the Wizard didn't pick it) and put it on the bottom after shuffling. [Obviously they should draw from the bottom so you don't know the spell level like you do for the top card].

2- Use the Wand of Lightning (Maybe the Troll has one to torture Cloudscraper. If the heroes get it then it would only have one charge left, but anyone could use it).

3- Levitate (or Fly!) the Orb from the top of the tower during the thunderstorm. Decide at the start how many Hit Points (4?) would be lost due to being struck by real lightning and falling out of the sky just in case they cast Fly on one of them (or a Charmed Monster!).
"A fierce thunderstorm rages across the land, but that is not what worries Lord Narran...."

4- Hold it while triggering the Electrical Trap (which is really a Lightning Spell trap). Remove this card during setup, making the specific trap in O.
O: There's now a chest that has the Electrical Trap but is empty (unless the Orb is inside). If the trap is triggered then the Dragon Orb is destroyed if it's either inside the chest or held by the player triggering the trap. (Teraptus didn't know this could destroy it). If a player successfully "finds" the Electrical Trap, reveal this trap card. If he/she knows from Cloudscraper that the Orb can be destroyed by lightning, then ask him/her if she still wants to "disarm" it.

Thread: The Dragon Orb adventure, from Dragon Magazine

Sandal_Thong — 2008-06-23T20:05:08+00:00

What follows is a description of the article "The Dragon Orb" by Bruce Nesmith(?) published in Dragon Magazine #196 in 1993. Check your mapbook for the letter key, since the castle adventures use the same letters for rooms.

THE DRAGON ORB
Problem: Teraptus has found a Dragon Orb (crystal ball marker) which allows him to control (ride) Darkfyre. It cannot be destroyed by swords or spells.
Object: Find and destroy the Dragon Orb and escape alive.

Location: Castle.
Time: 12 turns.
Heroes: 2 to 3.
Level: Very Difficult.
Treasure: 3 cards per hero (4 for only 2 heroes).
Start: At drawbridge.

Setup:
-Place a pit marker in the third square in corridor J.
-Place the Fire Elemental in G, I or N.
-Hide the Dragon Orb in H, N or O. If the Orb is with the Fire Elemental, then it is inside it, and cannot be taken until the monster is destroyed. Note: N & O don't have a chest to put it inside, but H does.

Special Rules:
-The Dragon Orb can only be destroyed by the Dragon's fiery breath.
-Darkfyre appears at the drawbridge with Teraptus riding him.
-Teraptus can cast spells but cannot attack while on him.
-If Darkfyre sees the Orb then he will breathe fire on it.
-Teraptus jumps off the dragon when the Orb is destroyed.

A: Portcullis is up, but gate is locked.
B: 2-Bugbears (1 next to door). Chest has trap and random treasure. Secret door to N.
C: 2-Bugbears (1 next to door).
D: Manscorpion (not next to doors). Trap in front of door to E. After 2 turns of combat the doors to B & C automatically open and the Bugbears can join the fight.
E: Secret door to M.
F: Secret door to G.
G: Trap behind door to E. Secret door to F.
H: Death Knight (not next to door). Chest has random treasure (and perhaps Dragon Orb).
I: Secret door to K.
J: Pit on third square from E. Trap in front of door to K. A Feat of Strength can be used to jump the pit. [Note1: the rules previously said jumping was a Feat of Dexterity. Note2: jumper will land on the trap!].
K: 2-Gargoyles, Troll (none next to doors). Secret door to I. Description: "A noble-looking giant lies chained to the floor. To the side is a troll sharpening a dagger. In the corner are two gargoyles stirring a boiling pot over a fire."
If set free the giant will talk. His name is Cloudscraper and he is not evil.
-Why are you imprisoned?
"Teraptus stole the Dragon Orb from me. Now he is trying [to] get me to tell him all its secrets."
-Where's the Orb?
"I don't know where it is."
-How can we destroy it?
"Only the fire of a dragon's breath can destroy the Orb. Darkfyre hates the Orb so much he will breathe on it as soon as he sees it."
-Will you join us?
No. He will not go or fight. When the heroes leave the room he disappears.
L: Empty.
M: 3-Orcs, Death Knight (none next to doors). Chest is locked; contains random treasure. Secret Door to E.
If the Orcs are asked about Dragon Orb: "Oh, that hunk of glass we stole from Cloudscraper? Now he's in the dungeon, where you're gonna be soon!"
N: Empty (unless Orb and/or Fire Elemental). Secret Door to B.
O: Empty (unless Orb).

Thread: Re: Expansions and Related Products

Sandal_Thong — 2008-06-21T20:27:40+00:00

reapersaurus wrote:
Has [Dragon Magazine #196] been added as additional content, in a BGG file or something yet?
I have writen it up HERE, since the rooms in the castle all have the same letter code.

For info about these products, [dragonstrikecentral] has the most expanded content for Dragon Strike that I know of (it's in the Links section of this game)

I've given up on that site. Every couple years the forum section gets lost, deleted, etc. It seems to have happened again this past week.

As for the CLERIC, I'm working on my own version that should look like the one in the video and be related to the D&D type. Mine should be healthier than the Wizard (St, Dx, HP) and focused on life-force magic, casting spells that the wizard can't. I planned it to be a substitute for the Elf who can cast a few spells. I finally got someone to try it out, but I didn't learn much (since he didn't heal anyone) other than he needs more power. I've written up 9 spells from which he can choose 4-6. New ones include Turn Undead, Fire Resistance, Resurrection, Speed, and Strength. I think I might add 5 Faith markers like the Witch Hunter has in Warhammer Quest. Each may add 1 to a roll of his die, so if he rolls a 4 on a Feat of Strength, then he can spend 2 Faith to make it succeed.

Thread: Re: Why this game didn't succeed

vintermann — 2008-06-21T09:20:16+00:00

After that video, we pronounced cleric Slaarish for a very long time :-)

Thread: Re: Why this game didn't succeed

Kingdaddy — 2008-06-21T06:53:25+00:00

Since the video, which has all the charm of Plan 9 From Outer Space, is available on YouTube, there is no reason to buy this game.

Youtube Video

Thread: Re: Why this game didn't succeed

gary_webster — 2008-06-20T19:04:41+00:00

I agree with your sentiments, John; I have this and HeroQuest, and this game has a lot more going for it in general. I think the rules could be a bit tighter, or a campaign set of scenarios could have been offered by the designers, which might have helped. One thing I found bothersome in the "instructional video" was the idea that a simple dexterity roll could force the manscorpion (monster) to sting himself. I really don't think that's terribly likely. It's sort of "if I'm dexterous, then the monster's become stupid" thing, which I wouldn't allow.

I like your ideas about the game master becoming a narrator rather than a player per se. It removes the problem of the weak characters to some extent, though a good group will have to protect them if the original rule is followed.

Good article!

Thread: Re: Why this game didn't succeed

Suppe Kasper — 2008-06-20T15:19:29+00:00

I believe if you have the sleep spell card; if successful it causes instant death. If I remember right it has a high success rate and the dragon doesn't have any better defence against it.

Thread: Re: Why this game didn't succeed

jkopena — 2008-06-20T12:11:24+00:00

What is the "cheat" you mention?

Thread: Re: Expansions and related products

reapersaurus — 2008-06-20T00:39:41+00:00

Sandal_Thong wrote:
Dragon magazine #196: The Dragon Orb (a castle adventure). Has this been added as additional content, in a BGG file or something yet?

Two "choose-your-own" type adventure books.

Marvel comic book.

Dragon Knights Club products?
Per flyer they should be: die, miniature, posters, membership card, T-shirt, and two newsletters containing new adventures and tips. For info about these products, this site has the most expanded content for Dragon Strike that I know of (it's in the Links section of this game):
http://www.geocities.com/dragonstrikecentral

I'd like to hear some playtest results from his 2 fan-made adventures, his Cleric player class, and the 4 new monsters.

Thread: Why this game didn't succeed

Sandal_Thong — 2008-06-19T20:50:46+00:00

I've played all the adventures, plus one from Dragon Magazine #196. Most of the time I was the Dragon Master, but for a couple adventures I let someone else take that role. My question is, "Why wasn't this game as popular as HeroQuest?"

1. Hero Quest came out around 1990, while Dragon Strike premiered in 1993.
2. Dragon Strike was at least $10-15 more expensive.
3. It came with a video, and although this gave ambience and clues for one adventure, it was not a video tape-related game like Atmosfear - the Harbingers, which may have disappointed some buyers.
4. The cover showed combat between knights on horseback, but that wasn't indicative of the game.

Now the above are sales points. What about the game itself?

Personally, I found the adventures to be more exciting than anything found in Hero Quest, Warhammer Quest or the sci-fi role playing game, Mutant Chronicles: Siege of the Citadel. Here there were four boards (village, castle, dungeon and valley) which define the area and allow for more variety than a typical dungeon crawler. Clearly this was meant to be a step towards real role playing games like D&D, which don't really use boards. The player characters are encouraged to do more than move, search and attack; such as talk to monsters or perform feats of strength and dexterity. Solving the quest may require some thinking on the part of the players.

Another difference is that this game is not set up for campaigns; you start each adventure fresh. This means the heroes don't grow or advance. Instead, each adventure they start with random treasure (artifacts). The rules state that at the start they are stuck with treasure cards for heroes not playing, but I let them trade for another card until all the treasure they start with can be used. If the heroes can get or find a wand for the wizard then this is a lucky break to help them win.

One of my complaints with Hero Quest is that you play an entire quest, and then leave with just a few coins to buy better weapons or armor, while artifacts are hard to come by; (it was actually an advantage for the barbarian to die, since someone picked up his broadsword to use in the next adventure, while the new barbarian brought his own broadsword!).

There were some problems with the instructions. For the heroes to win they must solve the quest and all escape alive OR kill the dragon. A serious flaw is the notion that the Dragon Master (DM) "wins" by thwarting the heroes. That's fine in a game like Mutant Chronicles, where the forces are more balanced and where a campaign involves the players alternating as the monster-mover and scoring points each adventure. In Dragon Strike, three of the five heroes are weak (elf, thief and wizard) and therefore a successful gang-up could kill a hero, preventing them from winning. It is very difficult to protect the weak and wounded, especially from flying monsters. It would be better to say that the Dragon Master doesn't win, but is telling the story. There should be guidelines that the monsters would either split up randomly 1 per hero, attack an adjacent hero (like in Warhammer Quest), or else the last hero who hurt him.

Some of my players don't like the time limit. One summed up the situation, "It's stupid! We play for a while, then the dragon comes out and kills us." Killing the dragon is the alternate victory condition and my heroes once found a "cheat" that had to be disallowed for future adventures.

Summary
An agressive DM and/or an omnipotent dragon results in the heroes losing a lot, and this takes the fun out of the game. Furthermore if your group contains 4-6 people willing to play a dungeon adventure, chances are someone already has the "real" game this is patterned on: D&D.

Thread: Expansions and related products

Sandal_Thong — 2008-06-19T20:31:35+00:00

Dragon magazine #196: The Dragon Orb (a castle adventure).

Ral Partha metal miniatures (including Cleric?).

Four fiction books: Thief's Tale, Wizard's Tale, Warrior's Tale, Elf's Tale.

Two Endless Quest "choose-your-own" type adventure books: Forest of Darkness, Dungeon of Fear.

Marvel comic book.

Dragon Knights Club products?
Per flyer they should be: die, miniature, posters, membership card, T-shirt, and two newsletters containing new adventures and tips.

Thread: House Rules

Sandal_Thong — 2008-06-19T20:20:49+00:00

DM: The DM's purpose is story-teller.
The DM does NOT win by killing a hero or lose by the heroes succeeding as the rules state.

Attacking Heroes: The DM should find another reason for attacking a hero other than it's the weakest one. Examples: the Warrior is closer, the Dwarf just attacked or wounded the monster, another monster is attacking that hero.
Previously, the DM wanted to have it's monsters pass or fly over the stronger heroes to gang-up on and kill the weaker ones.

Starting Treasure: Deal out the starting cards as indicated. If anyone gets a card that states none of the heroes can use it (e.g. Thief Only, when no Thief is playing) then they can put it on the bottom of the deck and draw another one.
Previously they were stuck with bad treasure cards.

Order of Play: Once during the adventure the heroes can change turn order (including allies), but they must get off their behinds and change chairs.
This is for sticky situations such as a locked door or portcullis which slows things up.

Sleep Spell: (1) Death Knights and Fire Elemental are not affected; (2) Target gets Save vs. Magic roll; (3) Attacks against a sleeper automatically hit.
Previously it was kill.

Dwarf Speed: Increase Dwarf move to 5.

Treasure:
Potion of Giant Strength: Feats of Strength automatically succeed.
Gauntlets of Ogre Power: Feats of Strength involving hands automatically succeed.
Boots of Speed: Any Hero

Thread: Re: Sleep spell broken?

Sandal_Thong — 2008-06-19T20:05:02+00:00

Yes, the Sleep spell is broken. My heroes tried this cheat once, but then we changed it next time.

Here's the changes:
Sleep doesn't work on undead;
Targets get Save vs. Magic roll;
Attacks against a sleeper automatically succeed.

Thread: Tactics and Cheat(s)

Sandal_Thong — 2008-06-19T19:58:13+00:00

Ways to avoid fighting monsters:
Charm spell,
Sleep spell,
Close the door,
Shove it (Feat of Strength) then close the door,
Shove it off the map (Feat of Strength),
Grapple (Feat of Strength) + Tie it up (Feat of Dexterity).

Cheat to kill the dragon:
The wizard hit it with Sleep spell when it was next to the Warrior, who then attacked it, killing it with one blow.
After that, the DM changed the rule allowing it to Save vs. Magic, and saying an attack against a sleeping monster automatically succeeds rather than kills (which is how Sleeping Gas trap works).

Order of Play:
If you might need to lift the portcullis, have the Warrior go first.
If you want to use the Wizard to help others with spells, he should go early.
Weak characters can go first using long-range attacks (Elf & Wizard), then the Dwarf and Warrior can move in front of them to protect them.

Thread: Re: Crazy Zombie Reviews: Dragon Strike

DJ Kuul A — 2008-05-06T20:53:06+00:00

That could be the GREATEST VIDEO EVER MADE.

Thread: Re: Crazy Zombie Reviews: Dragon Strike

Old Dwarf — 2008-05-05T21:21:50+00:00

Kingdaddy wrote:
EclipsedHalo wrote:
Whoa.... I thought we were talking about this one here: Dragon Strike Very different games...

Damn! Now I have to come up with a different title for my new game design, depicting bare-knuckled labor negotiation tactics among dragonkind.

Well there is always Dragon Work Slow Down

Thread: Re: Crazy Zombie Reviews: Dragon Strike

Kingdaddy — 2008-05-05T19:27:50+00:00

EclipsedHalo wrote:
Whoa.... I thought we were talking about this one here: Dragon Strike Very different games...

Damn! Now I have to come up with a different title for my new game design, depicting bare-knuckled labor negotiation tactics among dragonkind.

Thread: Re: Crazy Zombie Reviews: Dragon Strike

EclipsedHalo — 2008-05-05T18:12:11+00:00

Whoa.... I thought we were talking about this one here: Dragon Strike Very different games...

Thread: Re: Crazy Zombie Reviews: Dragon Strike

handofachlys — 2008-05-05T17:56:39+00:00

Even if you just thumb through everything once, the video alone is worth it... That video is proudly displayed alongside the Star Wars Holiday Special, Cthulhu Mansion and Deathstalker II as the absolute best things to watch while horribly, horribly drunk.

Amen to that.

Thread: Re: Crazy Zombie Reviews: Dragon Strike

Kingdaddy — 2008-05-05T15:08:28+00:00

ynnen wrote:
Even if you just thumb through everything once, the video alone is worth it... That video is proudly displayed alongside the Star Wars Holiday Special, Cthulhu Mansion and Deathstalker II as the absolute best things to watch while horribly, horribly drunk.

If you can't wait for the eBay copy to arrive...

Youtube Video

Thread: Re: Crazy Zombie Reviews: Dragon Strike

ynnen — 2008-05-05T12:31:33+00:00

If I were to give this game some "retro-review" teeth, I'd bump up the rating for the quality of the components -- for the time it came out, not only did you get a lot of components, they were of pretty darn high quality... sturdy cards, nice dice (instead of the cheapies that chip at the corners), a variety of minis (granted, sculpts not as good as heroquest, but not bad), double sided bi-fold gameboards and the videotape.

It was a great value for the time. And if you can snag it on eBay or somewhere else for $15 or less, it's a steal today.

Even if you just thumb through everything once, the video alone is worth it... That video is proudly displayed alongside the Star Wars Holiday Special, Cthulhu Mansion and Deathstalker II as the absolute best things to watch while horribly, horribly drunk.

Thread: Re: Crazy Zombie Reviews: Dragon Strike

Old Dwarf — 2008-05-05T10:29:02+00:00

I just purchased this game off ebay mainly as the price was a steal
(around $5)but also I was looking for something with an easy learning
curve to play with my grand nephew.

The game was complete and all the plastic figs were there an intact
(I was rather suprised)and the boards are nice with a lot of
potential to use in other games.

Nice Review I can't believe a week after I picked up this long OoP
game a Review popps up

Thread: Crazy Zombie Reviews: Dragon Strike

handofachlys — 2008-05-05T05:39:28+00:00

DRAGON STRIKE
Designer: hyperReality
Year: 1993
Players: 2- 6
Ages: 12 and up

Presentation:

This game consists of 2 double sided boards (allowing for 4 different settings). The boards are nicely decorated and easy to read, they also stand the test of time. It also includes 3 books: The instruction manual, the adventures, and the maps. These are also well organized and easy to read. The adventure booklet steps the DM through every part of the each adventure, making it totally idiot proof. The art is nothing to write home about, but it is nice. There are many types of cards, including hero cards, spell cards, trap cards, treasure cards, monster cards, and reference cards. The monster cards are just reference information for each monster, which is also found on the DM Screen. The DM Screen is a nice cardboard screen that has a cheat sheet of rules on the DM side and fantasy art on the player’s side. (Just the keep with the mood). Tons of monster and hero figures are included which are unpainted for those who enjoy personalizing their figures. However, these flimsy plastic figures do not weather well. Lastly, and most importantly, is the VHS that comes with the game. This game is worth it just to watch the cheesiness that is this video. The 33 minute Dragonstrike video is a horribly tacky story about the main characters of the board game with occasional interludes on how to play the game. The CGI is horrendous and the script is absolutely hilarious. The presentation of Dragonstike gets only two crazy zombies because three quarters of my figures are glued back together. However, it gains one because of the AWESOME movie!

Rules:

Dragonstrike is Dungeons and Dragons in a box. You have 6 possible characters (warrior, elf, wizard, male thief, female thief, and dwarf) and you receive stats (Attack, Armor Class, Save vs. Magic, Find/Disarm Traps, Find Secret Passages, Dexterity, and Strength) and with those stats you can do whatever you want during the adventure. One player acts as the Dungeon Master (DM) and sets up the adventure for the other players. This person will be manning the monsters, describing the setting, and deciding difficulty for unusual roles. Technically, if the DM kills all the players, they win. However, it is usually more fun if the DM is not trying to win but make it as interesting as possible for the rest of the players. Magic is used with spell cards and wand cards, which will be in a magic character’s starting materials or picked up as treasure throughout the adventure. Combat, or any skill checks, are done with a d6, d8, or d10, usually with a difficulty of 6. There is a very small learning period on this game, as rules are explained within less than 10 small pages in the instruction manual, and most of it is common sense. (For Example: If you are behind a door, the person on the other side of the door can’t see you.) The rules of Dragonstrike get five crazy zombies because they are so easy to learn and very broad allowing for interpretation and freedom.

Time:

This really depends on how many people are playing. There are adventures for just the DM and a single player. However, there are also games for a DM and 5 other players. The larger games usually take longer since combat is often extended. There are also difficulties of adventures, ranging from easy to very difficult. This too can extend or shorten the length of the game. However, the length of the game also depends on luck. If the heroes just happen to find the best route, with the least monsters to achieve their goal, than Game Over. However, if the thing they need just happens to be in the very last room they decide to look it, it’s gonna be a long game. The time of Dragonstrike gets five crazy zombies because it gives you so many options on game length, and the length of the game is well worth the enjoyment playing it.

Replay-ability:

This is a problem. This game has 16 adventures that change very little between plays, so once you know where things are, you pretty much know where they are forever. The instruction booklet gives you basic directions on how to create your own adventures, which is not at all difficult, however if you really want to stick to reading pre-made adventures, you are quite limited. Expansions with new adventures would have been an excellent addition to this game, however they were never created. If you search really hard you can find some player made ones on the internet, however there is a definite limit to its replay-ability unless you make your own. The replay-ability of Dragonstrike gets only one crazy zombie because I have memorized all the adventures, however gets one extra because they do tell you how to make your own.

Overall:

I am a little biased on this one. Dragonstrike is my favorite game ever. I am fully willing to admit that it is silly and archaic compared to some of the RPGs of today. However, after playing Descent and getting very frustrated that all we could do was battle, I still maintain that Dragonstrike is an EXCELLENT choice for a 30 min- 90 minute D&D game. It allows for more strategy than just combat and while being a board game, still allows players the freedom of a tabletop roleplaying game. Overall, Dragonstrike gets five crazy zombies, because no one likes a really good RPG like crazy zombies.

Thread: Re: [Dragon Strike from TSR] Missing Female Thief card ?

deedob — 2008-04-30T14:39:21+00:00

the female thief card has the exact same stats as the male thief card.

Since you can't have two thieves in a game (not enough cards for both thieves), the only thing you are missing is the photograph of the female thief "actor" in front of the card.
That is to say, you're not missing anything...

Thread: Re: I need your houserules, varients, conversions and creations

Papyrus — 2008-04-24T00:42:20+00:00

No I don't. I'd like a computer video file copy.

It is on youtube.

Thread: Re: I need your houserules, varients, conversions and creations

chiron.42 — 2008-04-23T01:40:49+00:00

Wow...I haven't played this game in ages; I'll have to dig it out and play it again. Do you know of anyone that's copied the tape onto DVD?

Thread: Re: I need your houserules, varients, conversions and creations

daedalus_t — 2008-04-23T01:24:02+00:00

I just remembered that I had this game from forever ago, need to rescue it next time I'm at my parents' house. Anyway, as I recall, my brother and I basically did a PvP variant that satisfied us for a little while... I think after that though we broke out the D&D manual and used those rules and stats on our characters and combat. We might have also leveraged the random miniatures from our D&D box to do more army miniatures combat. (If we didn't, that sounds like a good idea!)

Thread: Inventory of game components

herman_the_german — 2008-03-14T22:59:19+00:00

· VHS Video Cassette

· 2 Full-Color Double-Sided Game Boards

· Instruction Book

· Adventure Book

· Map Book

· 6 Hero Cards: Warrior, Wizard, Male Thief, Female Thief, Elf, Dwarf

· 110 playing cards

o 30 Hero Spell Cards

o 10 Teraptus Spell Cards

o 38 Magical Treasure Cards

o 12 Trap Cards

o 10 Monster Cards

o 5 Sneak Attack Cards

o 5 Reference Cards

· 24 Plastic Miniatures

o 6 Heros

o 1 Dragon (Darkfyre)

o 1 Evil Wizard (Teraptus)

o 1 Manscorpion

o 1 Fire Elemental

o 1 Troll

o 3 Orcs

o 4 Bugbears

o 1 Giant

o 2 Gargoyles

o 3 Death Knights

· DRAGON MASTER™ Screen

· 24 Plastic Clips

· 22 Plastic Bases (12 small, 10 large)

· 43 Cardboard Markers (Doors, Treasures, Etc.)

· 3 Dice

Thread: Re: Certain spells broken?

Acoriano3 — 2008-01-27T21:24:02+00:00

ebridge wrote:
Please advise how you have adjusted some of these issues in the past.

1) Throw out the rulebook
2) Keep all the useful components (minis, maps, dice, Adventure Book--for reference and conversion, etc.)
3) Get on ebay and find a cheap, complete copy of HeroQuest
4) Get online and download FOR FREE the rules and Questbooks for HeroQuest, both official, hard-to-get expansions and homemade fan expansions which continue storylines that continually make the game more challenging and fun as the Heroes progress.
5) Keep in touch with the active HQ community which has made many improvements to an already great game.
6) Find uses for the extra DragonStrike components you already own.
6) Enjoy the simple, fun dungeon crawl you've been looking for!

Thread: Re: Certain spells broken?

elucid8 — 2008-01-07T05:57:40+00:00

Woops. Forgot to post this a while back...

I've just added to my rules that the "Sleep" spell will not affect the undead (Death Knight) or the more powerful monsters (Troll, Evil Wizard, Manscorpion, Giant, Fire Elemental, Dragon). For all other monsters the spell works as described.

Thread: Re: Certain spells broken?

elucid8 — 2007-11-27T13:21:21+00:00

I'd say we're definitely looking at the need for a Hit Die limit (well... Hit POINT limit since it's Dragon Strike not D&D).

It's getting late here, but I might drag the box out of the cupboard tomorrow night and have a look at this one more closely.

Thread: Re: Certain spells broken?

chockle — 2007-11-26T18:24:30+00:00

Wow! This exact thing happened with us this past weekend, except that I gave the Giant and the Dragon saving throws, which they each failed, so the game was over.
Even with the save against magic, that seems way too powerful for a 1st level spell.

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Jormi_Boced — 2007-10-30T16:16:56+00:00

Pieces still in the box

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Jormi_Boced — 2007-10-30T16:14:54+00:00

The Giant only got two wounds.

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Jormi_Boced — 2007-10-30T16:09:29+00:00

The end of my solo play.

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Jormi_Boced — 2007-10-30T16:07:42+00:00

Poor Dead Dwarf

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Jormi_Boced — 2007-10-09T03:59:00+00:00

I painted my Darkfyre.

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Jormi_Boced — 2007-08-12T04:19:31+00:00

Nasty Fire Elemental

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Jormi_Boced — 2007-08-12T04:12:34+00:00

I think the heroes are in trouble.

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Jormi_Boced — 2007-08-12T04:09:17+00:00

Darkfyre awaits new paint.

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Jormi_Boced — 2007-07-27T19:53:34+00:00

View from the DM seat.

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herman_the_german — 2007-05-21T19:25:36+00:00

Troll - Suggested paint job from cards.