Dragons of Etchinstone

--

Coming 2025: Publishing with Chip Theory Games

Chip Theory Games will publish Dragons of Etchinstone in spring 2025 with all new art and PVC cards. Follow the campaign at this link.

You will still be able to buy the original version of the game for a limited time here on The Game Crafter.

"This game kept me up at night when I first got it...I was in disbelief how this game distills Mage Knight into 18 cards. I just could not believe what I was experiencing...I'm ordering a second copy of this just so I can wear out the cards." -AzureDeath

"I like the experience. I enjoy the puzzle. I think it's incredibly compelling what [the game does] with 18 cards." -Alex Radcliffe, BoardGameCo

Join the Fight for the Fate of Valorfall!

Etchinstone, the last great nation under the wide reaches of Valorfall, is under grave threat of a kind no one saw coming. Four ancient dragons have seized control of pivotal strongholds in every direction--North, South, East and West. It's up to you, the strongest of the rare Ether Mages, to make the perilous quest to each of these strongholds, defeat the dragons, and bring peace back to Etchinstone.

How Does It Play?

In Dragons of Etchinstone, you, the brave Ether Mage, must work your way through four Regions and a challenging final encounter against one of the four dragons. You'll use your Action cards to manage dangerous Journeys and formidable Enemies. Defeat them, and your reward is XP, which you can use to upgrade your action cards. Defeat or narrow victories against Journeys results in losing time, which may force you to face the dragon before you feel ready. Defeat or narrow victories against Enemies results in taking damage, which forces you to downgrade your Action cards and weakens your power.

No Table Needed. Nor is One Wanted.

Dragons of Etchinstone is played completely in your hands with just 18 cards. Play it anywhere--on the couch, in line at the movies, at the DMV (I did this yesterday), or at riveting social events where board games are shamefully not happening.

Think of it as Mobile Mage Knight

Inspired by the puzzly hand management of the classic overland adventure great, Mage Knight: The Board Game. Though gameplay is streamlined, you'll spend minutes each turn thinking over how to use your action cards and arrange your action set to achieve victory as efficiently as possible. Or (often just as frequently) minimize the damage.

Thematic and Immersive Combat

The unique combat system throws you headlong into the world of Etchinstone. Your action cards offer a puzzle of maximizing your movement against Journeys and your attack against Enemies. You can Fuse cards of like color in a pinch. Or, choose to risk it and Go Another Way.

All this, plus unique enemy and journey abilities, as well as variable circumstances, give each encounter a different flavor and a fresh challenge.

Voted Most Handsome (Not to Brag)

Dragons of Etchinstone took 1st in Best Artwork and took 3rd in Overall Best Solo Game in Board Game Geek's 2022 In-Hand Game Design Conest.

Amazingly Replayable

With new strategies to explore with each game, you'll get that feeling of discovery long after your first play. Four unique final encounters give you variable decks to build toward. And, discover your own preferences for honing your action card deck!

Fun for All Skill Levels

With 6 difficulty settings, you'll find yourself coming back again and again to see if you have what it takes to win at the next level. Plus, the game comes with two official rules variants that can make the game even more challenging.

Convenient Game Saving

Dragons of Etchinstone is truly the perfect on-the-go adventure game. Simply return your current hand to the top of the stack and slide the Region card down into the deck. You're done. You just saved your game. Simply open the hook box and draw up your hand to jump back in!

Expertly Designed

Brought to you from the same designer as the recently Kickstarted The Hand of Destiny, and ambitous shrink projects including Gloomholdin' (Gloomhaven), Mage Lite (Mage Knight) and Mistsmall (Mistfall). Not to mention the recent hit, Birdscaping, an 18-card engine building game for 1-2 players.

Can We See a Playthrough?

I'm glad you asked. Watch AzureDeath's full playthrough here:

What Do the Critics Say?

Check out AzureDeath's review!

And OwlDragon Adventures:

And from Aex Radcliffe's (BoardGameCo):

And from Geek Gamers:

Why No Physical Rulebook?

Dragons of Etchinstone does not come with a physical rulebook to keep the cost to the consumer down. Instead, you can download the nicely formatted PDF rules. For a game this small, Dragons of Etchinstone has a lot of rules. Adding a physical rulebook would have made the cost to buy the game way too high. I assure you, I as the designer am not making a large profit margin on the game. I just want the consumer to be able to get the game at a reasonable price.