Tears of The Dragon - Boardgame Review

Robert E. Waters | January 30, 2007  | 0 comments  | Print  | E-mail

Once upon a time, there was a dragon named Erynmil who desired a suitor. She searched the world far and wide, but could not find anyone wise and wonderful enough to match her love of life. Her father, enraged by her stubbornness, turned her into a human and cast her into a tower. He put a spell upon the tower which denied access to all but the one man who could meet her expectations. Many warlords and wizards have vied for the chance to free her, but none have succeeded… until now. Two men have stepped upon the stage. Lord Gorganum and Lord Forseti have gathered great armies and powerful wizards, and are searching the far corners of the realm for the arcane lore that will release Erynmil from her confinement.

Such is the back story for Tears of the Dragon (website), a light fantasy wargame published a few years ago by Avalanche Press. Even though there is no explanation as to why a dragon would desire a "human" mate, and how this would have worked out on the honeymoon, there’s enough to this simple combat game to keep one’s interest.

The system itself is based upon AP’s Grenada. A simple point-to-point system, the leaders, wizards, and armies move and fight from city, town, castle, and port trying to crush their opponent. The basic objective in the game is to search the old ruins spread throughout the kingdom, wherein lies great knowledge that the battling lords must acquire to win Erynmil’s freedom (and her heart). As soon as eight pieces of lore are found, the player may attempt to sail across the sea to the tower where his beautiful dragon/human bride awaits.

The mechanics themselves are simple. Each player rolls a ten-sided die to determine who gets initiative each round; high die wins. That winner becomes the active player and decides whether to activate one leader (and all the units under his command), or whether to tempt fate and roll on an activation table which can yield up to four activations. The downside to rolling on the chart is that you could give your opponent activations, and then you must roll again. So if you’re rolling really badly, you could literally give the enemy a win. It rarely happens, however, that rolling on the chart meets with devastation, so I almost exclusively forego the sure thing for a chance roll. It can be painful, but rarely game ending.

Combat is relatively simple as well. When an army and/or single unit is activated and moved into an enemy-occupied location, each player rolls a die for each unit and compares that roll to the unit’s strength value. If the number rolled is equal to or less than the strength value, that unit has successfully hit the enemy. Hits are taken as "step" damage until a unit is destroyed and removed from the board (although they may return later as reinforcements). In addition, leaders with their armies can add their attack and/or defense values to units, thereby bolstering their strength. Combat continues until either side retreats or one side is eliminated.

Where the fantasy comes into play is through wizards. Each side has a set of wizards with their own spells, and these spells can be cast as indicated by the spell’s description. Some of them aide in movement, others in combat. There are more than enough spells to use, and they can be rather important in your success or failure. In addition to these, the Gorganum player has access to a fairyland where little winged creatures called Cadmin can be recruited. They aren’t the strongest combat units in play, but their numbers more than make up for their lack of muscle. And finally, there is an ancient dragon named Terromax who can be recruited and is the strongest unit in play. But keeping him under control is dangerous: He may wind up eating his handler and going berserk.

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