''Dragon Strike'' is a 1993

adventure board game An adventure board game is a board game in which a player plays as a unique individual character that improves through gameplay. This improvement is commonly reflected in terms of increasing character attributes, but also in receiving new abilitie ...

from

TSR, Inc. TSR, Inc. was an American game publishing company, best known as the original publisher of ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D''). Its earliest incarnation, Tactical Studies Rules, was founded in October 1973 by Gary Gygax and Don Kaye. Gygax had bee ...

based on the ''

Dungeons & Dragons ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (RPG) originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by TSR (company)#Tactical Studies Rules ...

'' (''D&D'')

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

role-playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within ...

. It was intended to be a pathway for beginners to start with, and for players to eventually play the full ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' tabletop game after kindling their interest.

Overview

''Dragon Strike'' is a hybrid between a board game and a table-top role playing game. It was designed to be a gateway into ''

'' for new and young players. The game used a ruleset that was simpler than the basic ''Dungeons & Dragons'' rules to make it easier to play. The designers hoped to attract players as young as eight years old. The game came with several fold-out maps, cards, dice, an instructional VHS video, and a number of plastic miniatures. They represent the

player character A player character (also known as a playable character or PC) is a fictional character in a video game or tabletop role-playing game whose actions are controlled by a player rather than the rules of the game. The characters that are not control ...

s, monsters, traps, treasure and status effects. The game included several pre-created quests available for play, one of which could be played solo.

VHS video

A video titled ''Dragon Strike'' came with the game on a VHS tape, intended to make the game more accessible to young players. It tells a story of the quest of a band of heroes, while demonstrating how to play the game. The "host" is playing the

Dragon Master ''Dragon Master'' is a 1994 in video gaming, 1994 2D fighting game, fighting arcade game developed and published by South Korean company UNiCO Electronics. It was released during the fighting game trend in the early 1990s that started with Capcom ...

, trying to kindle the imagination and giving instructions on gameplay. The video also shows a live action story, featuring real-life actors. The video bears only a moderate resemblance to the actual board game. At the end of the tape is a section for the Dragon Master, which includes tips and tricks to help the players have fun, as well as making the game challenging. The tape was prepared by

Flint Dille Flint Dille (born November 3, 1955) is an American screenwriter, game designer and novelist. He is best known for his animated work on ''Transformers'', '' G.I. Joe'', '' An American Tail: Fievel Goes West'', and his game-writing, '' The Chronicl ...

and his Hollywood contacts, albeit on a low budget. The production was filmed with extensive use of blue screen, with actors acting against a blue screen, and a fantasy background replaced in post-production. The shooting and script were based on an early draft of the rulebook before the game was finalized, so does not match the actual game perfectly. Monsters such as Minotaurs and Owlbears, plus the

cleric Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

class, make an appearance in the video but not the game itself.

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 Theft is the act of taking another person's property or services without that person's permission or consent with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it. The word ''theft'' is also used as a synonym or informal shorthand term for some ...

, and other fantasy archetypes. Each player receives a card representing his character, which shows ratings for

Armor Class Health is an attribute in a video game or tabletop game that determines the maximum amount of damage or loss of stamina that a character or object can take before dying or losing consciousness. In role-playing games, this typically takes the for ...

, Speed, Attack Strength, and special abilities. A clip attached to the side of the card keeps track of the character's

Hit Point Health is an attribute in a video game or tabletop game that determines the maximum amount of damage or loss of stamina that a character or object can take before dying or losing consciousness. In role-playing games, this typically takes the for ...

s. 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. The Dragon Master controls the actions of the monsters and

non-player character A non-player character (NPC), or non-playable character, is any character in a game that is not controlled by a player. The term originated in traditional tabletop role-playing games where it applies to characters controlled by the gamemaster o ...

s. 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 Bruce Nesmith is a game designer who has worked primarily on role-playing games. He was Creative Director at TSR, working on a variety of games including ''Dungeons & Dragons'', and is a senior game designer at Bethesda Game Studios, where he ha ...

and Andria Hayday, and published by TSR, Inc. in 1993. In August 1993, issue #196 of

Dragon Magazine Dragon Magazine may refer to: * ''Dragon'' (magazine), an American magazine for ''Dungeons & Dragons'' players * ''Dragon Magazine'' (Fujimi Shobo), a Japanese light novel magazine {{disambig ...

included an additional scenario/adventure titled "The Dragon Orb." ''DragonStrike'' was part of an initiative by TSR to make their games accessible to young players. A 1992 introductory product called ''Dragon Quest'' and ''

First Quest First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...

'' in 1994 was also part of this effort.

In other media

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

published a one-shot

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

authorized

adaptation In biology, adaptation has three related meanings. Firstly, it is the dynamic evolutionary process of natural selection that fits organisms to their environment, enhancing their evolutionary fitness. Secondly, it is a state reached by the po ...

of ''Dragon Strike'', written by

Jeff Grubb Jeff Grubb (born August 27, 1957) is an author who writes novels, short stories, and comics and a computer and role-playing game designer in the fantasy genre. Grubb worked on the ''Dragonlance'' campaign setting under Tracy Hickman, and the ''F ...

, penciled by

Mike Harris Michael Deane Harris (born January 23, 1945) is a Canadian retired politician who served as the 22nd premier of Ontario from 1995 to 2002 and leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario (PC Party) from 1990 to 2002. During his time ...

, and inked by

Frank Percy Frank or Franks may refer to: People * Frank (given name) * Frank (surname) * Franks (surname) * Franks, a medieval Germanic people * Frank, a term in the Muslim world for all western Europeans, particularly during the Crusades - see Farang Curre ...

. 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 as 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 Rick Swan is a game designer and author who worked for TSR. His work for TSR, mostly for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, appeared from 1989 to 1995. Swan also wrote ''The Complete Guide to Role-Playing Games'' (1990), published by St. Martin's Pre ...

reviewed ''Dragon Strike'' for TSR's own ''

Dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...

'' magazine #200 (December 1993). 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". 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 Strikes "Role-playing Lite," I suspect most players will be salivating for the real thing." The game sold acceptably well, selling out its initial printing of 100,000 copies, with orders for 50,000 more from toy and hobby stores. The financial success of the product was compromised by overprinting, however. TSR CEO Lorraine Williams opted to do a reprint of 150,000 copies rather than the 50,000 additional copies ordered. The extra 100,000 orders did not appear with time, and the excess copies largely sat in a warehouse. The excess copies were eventually sold at deeply discounted clearance rates, as low as a dollar a copy, compromising the overall profitability of the product for TSR.

Dale Donovan Dale A. Donovan is a game designer who has worked primarily on role-playing games. Career Dale Donovan began working in the hobby-gaming industry in 1989. A past editor of Dragon magazine, Donovan worked for TSR, Inc., Wizards of the Coast, and ...

described the overprinting of ''DragonStrike'' as "snatch ngdefeat from the jaws of victory". The overprinting did have the benefit of allowing TSR to essentially take out a "loan" from Random House, as TSR's contract with them allowed them to ship the excess copies to Random House for immediate payment, and only be charged with debt later after the unsold copies were returned.

Hasbro game

In 2002, Hasbro released a board game called
Dragon Strike
', which was unrelated to the 1993 version of Dragon Strike.“Dragon Strike.” BoardGameGeek, https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/4892/dragon-strike. Accessed 26 Oct. 2020.

References

External links

* (The 1993 game by TSR, Inc.) * (The 2002 game by Hasbro)
IMDB page for the video included with game.
{{Dungeons & Dragons board games 1994 comics debuts Adventure board games Board games introduced in 1993 Dungeons & Dragons board games TSR, Inc. games