DragonStrike (board game)

Dragon Strike is a 1993 adventure board game from TSR, Inc. based on the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) fantasy role-playing game.

Dragon Strike
Box Cover Art
Designer(s)Bruce Nesmith & Andria Hayday
Publisher(s)TSR
Publication date1993
Players1 to 6

Details

Dragon Strike is a table-top role playing game, much like Dungeons & Dragons. It was designed, to be a gateway into Dungeons & Dragons, for new & young players alike. [1] The game used a simplified version of the basic Dungeons & Dragons rules, which made it much easier to play.

The game came with several fold-out maps, and a number of plastic miniatures. They represent the player characters, monsters, traps, treasure and status effects. The game also included several pre-created quests available for play, one of which, could be played solo.

VHS Video

The video titled Dragon Strike was on the VHS that came with the game.[2] It told a story of a quest with a band of heroes, while showing you how to play the game, simultaneously . The "host" is playing the Dragon Master, trying to kindle your imagination and instructing on gameplay. The video also shows a live action story, played by real actors, to prime players for the game. The video only bears only a moderate resemblance to the actual board game, itself. Monsters such as Minotaurs and Owlbears, plus the Cleric (Dungeons & Dragons) class, make an appearance in the video but, not the finished game. The production was rough around the edges, filmed in a green screen style production. At the end of the tape was a section for the Dragon Master, which included tips and tricks that helped the players have fun, as well as making the game challenging at the same time.

Gameplay

The Dragon Strike game presents the basics of role-playing games in an innovative board-game format. The rules cast players in the roles of dwarves, thieves, and other fantasy archetypes. Each player receives a card representing his character, which shows ratings for Armor Class, Speed, Attack Strength, and special abilities. A clip attached to the side of the card keeps track of the character's Hit Points. The Dragon Master—the Dragon Strike equivalent of a Dungeon Master—prepares a session by selecting a mission from the Adventure Book, locates the indicated markers and cards, then responds with monsters, traps, and treasures as the characters wander around the colorful map board. A mission must be completed within a fixed number of turns.[3]

The Dragon Master controls the actions of the monsters and non-player characters. To resolve combat, the Dragon Master compares the Attack Strength to the target's Armor Class; if the Attack Roll is higher, the target loses one Hit Point. Equally simple rules cover spell casting, feats of strength, and flying.

Publication history

The Dragon Strike game was designed by Bruce Nesmith and Andria Hayday, and published by TSR, Inc.[4]

In August 1993, issue #196 of Dragon Magazine included an additional scenario/adventure titled "The Dragon Orb."

In other media

In 1994, Marvel Comics published a one-shot comic book authorized adaptation of Dragon Strike, written by Jeff Grubb, penciled by Mike Harris, and inked by Frank Percy.

Four books were written about each of the major classes featured in the video. Warrior, Elf, Wizard and Thief were the titles, and expanded on the lore and adventures leading up to the video and game.

WildSpace: Announced was a proposed TV series or expansion to Dragon Strike called WildSpace and featuring a return of several of the original cast. This time traveling into Spelljammer's WildSpace setting. Aside from a flyer announcement and a trailer, WildSpace was never produced.

Reception

Rick Swan reviewed Dragon Strike for TSR's own Dragon magazine #200 (December 1993).[5] Swan claims that "If this doesn't lure your kid brother into the hobby, it probably can't be done", calling it "Perhaps the most lavishly packaged, user-friendliest introduction to role-playing ever published".[5] He compliments the game overall by stating: "The much-touted (and unfairly criticized) videotape accomplishes exactly what it's supposed to: Define role-playing for those who wouldn't know a saving throw from a savings bond. What distinguishes the Dragon Strike game from other fantasy board games is, of course, the emphasis on verbal interaction. This may be nothing new to veteran gamers, but for novices, the effect is startling. It's as if pawns on a chessboard started talking back. After a few rounds of Dragon Strike's "Role-playing Lite," I suspect most players will be salivating for the real thing."[5]

Hasbro game

In 2002, Hasbro released a board game called Dragon Strike, which was unrelated to the 1993 version of Dragon Strike.[6]

See also

References
  1. "The History of TSR". Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2008-09-24. Retrieved 2005-08-20.
  2. “Dragonstrike (1993) - IMDb.” IMDb, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0290931/. Accessed 26 Oct. 2020.
  3. Hayday, Andria. Dragon Strike Game Instructions. TSR, Inc., 1993, p. 8.
  4. Hayday, Andria. Dragon Strike Game Instructions. TSR, Inc., 1993, p. 32.
  5. Swan, Rick (December 1993). "Role-playing Reviews". Dragon. Lake Geneva, Wisconsin: TSR (#200): 117–118.
  6. “Dragon Strike.” BoardGameGeek, https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/4892/dragon-strike. Accessed 26 Oct. 2020.
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