Friday, March 23, 2012

Getting Our Jolly's Part I: "Drakon"

We were slated to start our Twilight Imperium campaign on the 14'th but we had to postpone when Mother Nature decided to be a King Kamehameha bee-hotch and coat the roads with a sheet of ice.

This week we found out that Prodigal Son Mike had an opportunity to come back into the fold for a night of gaming, so we proposed a couple of Tom Jolly classics that he hadn't played yet.

First up: Drakon.


DRAKON RULES & GOOFY PREAMBLE




GAME ONE


I jump out to an early coin lead, effectively pinning a bulls-eye on my back.  After breaking Wind, Andrew summons the wyrm (um, Drakon, I mean) and uses him to block Chad's coin minting factory.  Chad and Mike begin spelunking together (Awwwwwww...).  

After a brief sit n' spin I try to establish a golden loop.  Mike becomes the first dude to control Drakon, but struggles to determine who best to sic him on.  Andrew gets Blown and then proceeds to remodel the dungeon.  Chad finds the Key to efficient movement.  Andrew finally scores some not-so-phat lootz.  Chad puts a Floating Room in front of me and I set course for another Yellow Brick Road.  


After Andrew poops in Chad and Mike's path, I inexplicably undo the damage.  He punishes my temerity by drop-kicking me into an adjacent room.  I throw nobility to the wind and start robbing Chad blind.  Mike starts clocking gold coins like E.T. picking up Reece's Pieces.  After pilfering one too many times from Chad he coats me in BBQ sauce and leaves me for the dragon.

I respond with a tempting rendition of Stairway to Heaven on the harp.  Chad is lured in, but Mike manages to escape and then uses his special ability to score a brand new hand of tiles.  Mike and Andrew set themselves up with dueling Teleport tiles for the photo finish!  






GAME TWO
                 

Mike does a quick switcheroo.  Mighty Drakon appears to be Andrew's bitch, since, once again, he's the first to summon him to the table.  I use a Mind Control tile to dangle Chad in front of the dragon.  Chad sets his tile layout for M.A.S (Maximum Andrew Screwage).  Drakon is dispatched to guard a coin chamber.  

Mike isolates me in my very own section of the dungeon, where I immediately try and hatch a get-rich- quick scheme.  Mike gets windy, Andrew pays nice and I claim a coin.  After stalking Andrew, Chad puts a tile-destroying room in my path which I promptly use to devalue their golden autobahn.  

Realizing their oversight, Chad and Andrew re-construct the link between my desert island and the dungeon proper.  Chad follows up with a Key room, I use my character ability to minimize Drakonic damage and Mike sets up a line of coins that would make Mario proud.  

After I'm caught dipping into Mike's "Honey Pot" (!), Chad uses Magical Shift to screw with my plans.  He then splits from Andrew, concerned about threats of ass-beatery.  Mike keeps remodeling the dungeon and I branch off from a Key chamber to try and cut into his horde of gold.  Chad repos a Harp room to use for an evil scheme.  

Mike retaliates against my pilfering ways with a giant, green, fire-breathing attack dog.  I then proceed to waste several turns thanks to an ill-placed Floating Room.  Chad steals wantonly from Andrew, who keeps throwing caltrops in my path.  Mike makes a premature declaration and it's down to the wire for a surprise win!





I really dig Drakon.  If you're a sucker for a fantasy theme and like watching your opponents rip their collective hair out, this is a must-buy.  It's simple, easy to teach, and rife with strategic possibilities.  And, as part of Fantasy Flight's Silver Line series, it's also not gonna break the bank in these tough economic times!

Four pips outta six! 



No comments:

Post a Comment