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2-4 Players     60-90 mins      Ages 12+

Almanac: The Dragon Road is a game of trade, travel, and adventure through a whimsical fantasy realm!

Players will visit strange places, acquire and sell goods, and face an unpredictable set of encounters as they travel from the Outpost to the Dragon City.

In Almanac: The Dragon Road, adventure and riches are just a turn of the page away!

The Dragon Road PLEDGE HERE

Our Thoughts…

The Dragon Road is the first entry in the Almanac series of games from acclaimed designer Scott Almes (Harbour & Tiny Epic series) and despite being a prototype it’s already off to an immersive start as the freshly laser-cut smell of burnt wood brings the scent of an exotic campfire to the table.

Firstly we have to discuss the shelf appeal – the box is representative of a large, ornate and bejewelled tome and is full to the brim with tokens, meeples, essential coins and the illustrious Almanac itself…

The Almanac holds pages of unique and exotic locations that are beautifully illustrated by one of our favourite artists: Jacqui Smith and each turn of the page expands the world ahead of us but importantly forms the game board for the current round.

The premise of the game finds you travelling across 6 out of 17 branching locations competing to become the most renowned caravan merchant by gaining the greatest Fame (Victory Points).

Along that winding road to victory you must earn gold, gain wagons, perform deeds and ultimately gather goods along your journey. But remember: all journeys start with a single step and at the very outset players are issued hidden objective Contracts to resolve that will also result in essential points or even deduct them if unresolved…

With a clever twist on worker placement for each new location, combined with a fun bidding phase for turn order, Scott has introduced some really great mechanics throughout these pages and the branching structure in conjunction with a full set of Encounter Cards results in a great variety of outcomes.

As such the experience of The Dragon Road is certainly a fun one that creates plenty of interaction between players and the key to this has to be the initial bid that puts you at the front of the Caravan train.

This allows you to not only select the best commodities and resources on the board first, but in an element of take that you can also deny players opportunities (depending on the rules of the current location) by leaving them no available options for maneuver or gain.

Aspects of economics and gamble also come into play as each location will value resources differently so you can choose as and when to sell your wares for the highest price, hoping to steer the journey into regions that benefit you or may impair others…

But with great responsibility and boon comes caution and the pay off along The Dragon Road is that being at the front of the train comes with potential consequences!

Via some aggressive Encounters that can be drawn the lead merchant is often the first into a fight which will rob them of resources and this encounter passes through the players until resolved – that said however positive Encounters will give them first dibs of any spoils…

The culmination of the game when you consider all these elements at play (Worker Placement, Economics, Take That etc) there’s an overriding feeling that’s very much a kin to a Choose Your Own Adventure and will see you drawn into fantastical encounters to battle bandits, dangerous creatures and so much more.

And for that alone we love this game! But what about longevity?

Well consider all the possibilities along The Dragon Road: there’s 17 stunning vistas to visit, each with very different rules to add spice.

Combine that with the cut-throat nature of player interactions, then add a dash of random encounters and your journey is spiraling into a lively adventure…

Even your position in the caravan train can make or break a gambit!

All of this variation results in a hugely differing experience on each playthrough and that’s going to add greater replayability to keep you entertained until the next eager chapter of the Almanac.

Harking back to the Choose Your Own Adventure comparison, The Dragon Road gives you the choice in how you replay: Do you opt to travel the common road of past endeavors or do you dare to adventure and gain treasures on the road less traveled?

Coming to Kickstarter in January 2020 Almanac: The Dragon Road is a title you will certainly want in your collection given its unique mechanics and stunning presentation – it’s an instant modern classic.

The Dragon Road PLEDGE HERE