Quick answer
Integrate Dragon Academy by adding its objective tiles and guilds to the setup, then use the new round tracker for income choices. This expansion layers fresh goals without overcomplicating the core game.
Why add Dragon Academy to Wyrmspan?
The Dragon Academy expansion introduces a round tracker that gives you an income choice each time you pass—a small but meaningful decision that can shift your strategy. The objective tiles and dragon guilds also create new scoring paths, so you're never just collecting points the same way twice.
One trade-off: the extra components (guilds, objective tiles) add setup time and a few more rules to track. If you're new to Wyrmspan, play the base game a few times first to get comfortable with the core cave-digging and dragon-recruiting loop before adding the expansion.
Step-by-step integration guide
- 1. Shuffle objective tiles into the base deck: Take the objective tiles from Dragon Academy and shuffle them into the Wyrmspan objective deck. Draw three at setup as usual. Common mistake: adding all new tiles without removing any—keep the total number of objectives the same as the base game to avoid clutter.
- 2. Place the round tracker and income tokens: Set the round tracker board next to the main game board. When you pass the tracker, take one income token (choose from the options shown) instead of the standard end-of-round bonus. Checkpoint: remind players that the income choice replaces the normal round-end reward—don't take both.
- 3. Introduce dragon guilds: Shuffle the guild cards and place one face-up near the board. At the end of the game, any player who meets the guild's condition scores bonus points. Common mistake: revealing guilds too early—wait until setup is complete to keep the surprise and strategic planning.
- 4. Add new dragons and caves to the supply: Shuffle the new dragon and cave cards from the expansion into their respective decks. Draw from them during the game as usual. Checkpoint: ensure the new cards are mixed thoroughly so they appear randomly, maintaining the base game's balance.
- 5. Explain the income choice to all players: Before the first round, clarify that when you pass the round tracker, you may pick one of the shown income options (e.g., coins, eggs, or cave tiles). This is a one-time decision per pass. Common mistake: forgetting to announce the choice at the moment of passing—remind players to pause and decide.
What you get with Dragon Academy
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Wyrmspan: Dragon Academy: As a budding dracologist, you open an academy for fledgling dragons to achieve their full potential! The expansion to Wyrmspan adds a wide variety of new dragons and caves, objective tiles, dragon guilds, and a new round tracker that presents you with an income choice when you pass for the round. The round tracker's income choice lets you adapt your resource flow mid-game, while guilds and objectives give you flexible scoring goals beyond the base game's end-of-round triggers.
Wyrmspan: Dragon Academy
