Flamecraft, a board game about artisan dragons, is GOTY material

Game designer Manny Vega spent more than 20 years working on video games and survived a tour of the pandemic (Mercenary 2), Midway (NBA Bowlers), Electronic Arts, etc. But the game he probably remembers best has no sensible operators or fadeaway jumpers.

flame craftCardboard Alchemy’s newest game, , is an absolute delight from start to finish.And while Vega’s sharply balanced system hums in the background, stealing the show is Sandara Tan’s soul-crushingly adorable art. A fusion of art and design scytheand is the frontrunner for the personal game of the year.

flame craft is a collaborative engine-building game where players work together to populate a Ghibli-style town with artisan dragons. Together, these highly skilled little creatures and their human companions mass-produce goods such as metalwork, meat dishes, and freshly baked bread. The pun is off the charts, and storefronts have him named Fogo de Char (butcher), Gnome Depot (sells cauldrons), Saving Throw (for all your pottery needs), and more. That same kind of playfulness extends to every element of the game, even the dragons themselves, which bear monikers like Cutlet, Dandelion, and Flint.

Coming back to engine building, in traditional engine building games, players use stacks or sideboards of cards on their own to create a series of buffs and bonuses that they can leverage to maximize their points on their turn. Earn. As a side effect, some engine building games can turn into a rather solitary affair, with players fixated on knitting and running numbers next to the table between turns.

flame craft Bring the action and player attention back to the center of the table with the only engine that everyone contributes on their turn: the town itself. Little dragons aren’t static either. They can move and migrate all over the place, ruining their best-laid plans to score big and open up new opportunities for alternative strategies. ) and Dragon (78) ensure that no two games are the same. It’s both satisfying and thrilling, rewarding both planning and meticulousness.

Image: Cardboard Alchemy/Lucky Duck Games

Like many European-style board games, this game has no direct competition. The points players earn stand in for reputation, and the most popular player in town is the winner at the end of the game. This helps reinforce the appeal of family-friendly games. flame craft It’s a constant exercise of discovery, with the town itself expanding each time with fascinating new shops and artisanal dragons. Even the manual includes step-by-step instructions to easily introduce new players and a reliable, easy-to-navigate FAQ detailing individual rules.

A lot of ink has been spilled over the last decade or so about onboarding new players to the world of modern board games.in the meantime flame craft It’s a little too sophisticated to be called a kid’s game, but it fits the bill for a good gateway game perfectly. This is a AAA quality experience that opens the door to a thriving and engaging world in many ways.

flame craft It was reviewed using a retail copy provided by Lucky Duck Games. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not affect editorial content, but Vox Media may earn commissions on products purchased via affiliate links.discoverable Additional information on Polygon’s Ethics Policy can be found here.