Iron Dragon

by MayFair Games

Product Features

• For 2-6 players
• Takes about 4 hours to play
• 18XX series game
• Standalone game
• Components include 1 plastic laminated mounted board, 184 playing cards, paper money, 100 commodity chips with labels, 6 pawns, 6 wipe-off crayons, and 1 Rulebook

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 11.6 x 9.8 x 3 inches ; 3 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B00001ZUGZ
• Item model number: MFG467
• Manufacturer recommended age: 13 - 15 years
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #275,525 in Toys & Games (See Top 100 in Toys & Games)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Editorial Review

Everyone knows trains were invented in the 19th century, right? Well, maybe not; the Iron Dragon game pits two to six players against each other to build the finest railway system through a fantasy world populated with elves, trolls, and fairies. And, of course, dragons--modified to haul freight, though. The large game board is sturdy and well designed, and it's made to be drawn on with erasable crayon as players extend their reach over (and under) the land. Based on the well-known Empire Builder game, Iron Dragon offers some new challenges, including underground building and other fantasy-world tasks. How many robber barons do you know of who had to worry about orc attacks? --Rob Lightner

Product Description

Iron Dragon takes railroading games where they have never gone before - to a land filled with elves, cat-people, trolls, and magic. Genetically engineered dragons pull trains across dangerous and unexplored territory. Connect cities, fight off forest creatures, and explore the underground to build a railroad empire. Based on the Empire Builder system, this fantasy game puts classic building strategy and money management tools in a new venue. Players use erasable crayons on a special board and operate a rail empire. Perfect for an evening of fun and adventure with family and friends.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fun railrod game with a fantasy twist, December 11, 1999

By A Customer

= Durability:3.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Iron Dragon (Toy)

Iron Dragon is a fairly complicated and really quite fun strategy game that is not so hard (though not so easy) to learn, and quite hard to master. Like most railroad games, the basic idea of the game is to make money by using your one train engine to transport goods from one city to another dictated by a hand of three cards. To move accross the map, the player needs to spend his money to build railroad tracks.

Iron Dragon is essentially an Empire Builder variant with a ton of special rules, such as foremen, ports and ships, random events, and the Underground. We've enjoyed all of these special rules, though many of our friends who started by playing Empire Builder do not like many of these rules. It is true that some of the special rules have rather strange and extreme effects on play balance.

The materials are quite appealing, and the erasable crayons that are used to draw the railroad lines are excellent. Unfortunately, we've found that the board can peel off if you aren't careful in erasing, and the crayons go fast.

I like this game because there is a lot of strategy involved and rather little cutthroat diplomacy (so you don't see a 3-1 gang up like in many other multi-player games). There isn't much player-to-player interaction (which I prefer, but many of my friends do not like), and the game can get very slow at times (leave an hour per player at least for play time). Still it is one of my personal favorites. END

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars welcome addition to the rail building system of games, November 23, 1999

By A Customer

= Durability:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:3.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:3.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Iron Dragon (Toy)

Iron Dragon is not as good as Empire Builder, North America Rails or Eurorails, but it's a fun game just the same. I like the extra, underground realm of the Orcs. I also like the magical links between certain cities (similar to Star Trek's worm holes). The reason this game isn't quite as fun as other railbuilding games is, the board doesn't seem to be as even as other boards. It's easier to win if you start in one part of the board than another.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I Love This Game!, June 5, 2002

By 

"griffndor" (Roy, Ut) - See all my reviews

= Durability:3.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:4.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Iron Dragon (Toy)

I bought this game for my son because I could not find Empire Builders. Our whole family loves it and we play it over and over again. The game is absolutely fantastic. Other families in our neighborhood liked the game so much after playing ours that they bought it. The game is very addictive, so be careful not to get caught. Adults like it as much as the teens. It is a great way for adults and teens to spend time together doing something they both enjoy. The only bad thing is that the board is really not made to be played the way we play it; the cover is starting to peel off. Also we have had a hard time finding different color grease pencils to use with it. Our crayons were used up long ago.