a mind-tangling puzzle game where the longest dragon wins!
Hexdragon is a hexagonal tile-based strategy game about building dragons for 1 - 4 players.
Utilising a very well known connection mechanic, we set out to create a strategy game for everyone. Adding the star token as a unique twist + a handful of clever tweaks to make it an awesome experience.
Rules and Features
- Game starts with a 6-tailed piece in the center.
- Everyone gets 3 "head" pieces and 3 "body" pieces and a star token. Body pieces are refilled to players as the play, but heads are not!
- Players take turns putting 1 of their pieces anywhere on the board, or using the star token to reserve a place for some of their later turns.
- Points are awarded for connections of any kind - be it tail-head, head-head, tail-tail or a loop.
A few key features make HexDragon way more fun than what you see on the first glance:
Heads
- Each player has only 3 heads for the whole game - the challenge is to use them right.
- Heads can be selected in different ways, giving players more options for customization.
- Each head dictates the strategic situation around it, so each game is slightly different even in this detail.
Tails
The tails only come from the start tile and the heads themselves, so there are no golden pieces to throw off the strategic balance. This also compliments the clean design and very moderate number of components.
Stars
Every player has a single opportunity to reserve a place ahead of time. This splits the plane of options into more dimensions of strategy and provides a fresh edge to otherwise ordinary game.
Secret ingredient: the distribution
We carefully tested Hexdragon with over 100 players, and did some maths. You know how in games the best cards are often the rarest?
We did the exact opposite - the distribution of the connecting pieces is shifted, so that the most useful are also the most abundant.
In this particular design, it makes the game much more enjoyable.
Plus, since there is a very countable number of certain pieces, perceptive (and counting) players can gain an advantage.
Modes of play
Hexdragon provides a completely different feeling not only with each kind of player you play with, but also with different number of players:
- Solo game is a calm puzzle to try for the highest possible score.
- 2-player game is the balanced strategy battle of positioning and reading your opponent.
- 3-player game brings in the hilarious element of alliance, bargain and betrayal.
- 4-player game is a rather chaotic derby about bluffing and seeking the opportunities others might overlook.
Current state
Hexdragon has undergone 5 years of testing (including some greatly enriching public tests at SPIEL Essen, UK Games EXPO and some local gaming conventions), been in hands of ~100 players between ages 7 and 70 and now it is under the final process of being published.
Why HEXDRAGON?
- Language independent.
- Suitable for any age category.
- Ready to expand in any direction.
- Well known mechanic with a unique twist.
- Players love it!
We went through the process with my first game Kombo Klash, now being published by Hub Games. I believe HexDragon to be another step up, which is why I am now offering the final part of its journey to pubishers.
Hexdragon online
If you would like to try HexDragon online, we also play on Screentop.gg. Going through the brief rules is recommended.
For more details or questions contact me at nero@nerogames.sk.
