SmartGames Dragon Inferno

Kingdom-building, with the constant possibility of fire.

Two players build kingdoms in a dragon valley, laying territory across a shared board and trying to finish with more of it than the other. The complication flies overhead: fire-breathing dragons that reduce whatever they reach to ash. A strictly two-player game, which is rarer than it ought to be at this size and price.

The clever part is that the dragons are not a random hazard, they are a resource. Positioning your own kingdom well means positioning your opponent's badly, and a well-timed inferno can undo several turns of somebody else's careful work. Plays quickly once both sides understand the threat, and the second game is considerably more vicious than the first.

Perfect for: two people who like a short sharp abstract and have run out of things to say to each other over Hive.

2 players | Age 7+