Board gaming is a wonderful hobby; a quick visit to Board Game Geek confirms the sheer magnitude of the world that we belong to. 73,124 games, 14,696 publishers, 20,447 designers. These are big numbers, and they keep going up. What's my point? Well, even those of a certain age who have been involved in board gaming for a few decades will encounter this unwelcome phenomenon: the out of print game. I have only started playing "proper" board games since late last year. My eyes have been opened to this wonderful world and I have had the privilege of playing some brilliant games already. One of my favourites so far is Drakon (third edition), published by Fantasy Flight Games back in 2006. That's 8 years ago; EIGHT. In the blink of an eye, this wonderful game is out of print and with no sign of a comeback. What do I do? There's only one thing I can do: buy a used copy from someone who, for whatever reason, has decided to sell up. Here come 2 more problems: firstly, very few people in the UK want to sell their copy of Drakon; secondly, those who do want to sell feel they are justified in charging a small fortune for a game that retailed for something in the region of £15. Drakon is not a big complex game, made up of 70-odd tiles, a small bag of coins and a few plastic miniatures. So, in my book asking for £49.99 (+ shipping) for a game only in "good" condition is, in my opinion, opportunism bordering on disgusting exploitation. I'm looking at you offwater. Enough ranting. Drakon is a game of fantastic fun and very little complexity and one that as soon as I've finished I want to play again. Each player has a 'hand' of 4 tiles and a miniature. All the miniatures start on the start tile and each player in turn chooses whether to place a tile or move. The aim of the game is to collect coins up to the value of 10 before your opponents manage it. However, you will encounter tiles that force you to lose a coin, or set lose the Drakon, or teleport onto a space of your choice. So many options, so little time. With a short playing time this game is perfect for a filler or intro game. If you're lucky enough to own this game, treasure it: if you're not, good luck finding a copy. |
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AuthorsPeter Hazlewood Archives
October 2016
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