From Hatchling Games comes Dragon Dowser, a solo journaling game made using Peach Garden Games’ Carta system, designed by Rich Oxenham, and written by Kathryn Oxenham. This is the first solo game from the UK based publisher who is also behind INSPIRISLES, the first tabletop game to teach both British and American sign language. I’ve been excited about Dragon Dowser since first hearing about it last Fall and am so pleased to have the chance to be reviewing it! One of my favourite things about writing TTRPG reviews is all the different creators and publishing houses I get to work with, and Hatchling Games is one I’ve wanted to work with for a while. My personal excitement about getting to share this review with you aside, let’s get into the game!
Dragon Dowser takes place in a desolate, war-torn future set against the backdrop of The Yolk Walks, a terrible conflict instigated by the Mecharch leaders of Praeler. On discovering the power found within dragon eggs, the Mecharchs began to slay the very dragons whose arrival had brought their survival. Some rallied against this violent injustice, believing that by rescuing abandoned eggs and raising the resulting hatchlings, the kingdom would be forever changed. These people were known as Dowsers, and you play as one of them. Using your dowsing crystal, you must overcome the elements, uncover ancient mysteries, battle long-buried machines and save the last of the dragon eggs.
I received a complimentary copy of Dragon Dowser for review purposes and will always be transparent about times where this happens!
Overview
The aim of Dragon Dowser is simple: locate the abandoned dragon egg and return it to a sanctuary. If you succeed in doing so before using all your resources, you’ve succeeded and the hatchling you’ve rescued can be reared to change the kingdom forever!
With an expected game length of 30-60 minutes, playing Dragon Dowser will require a deck of playing cards, a six-sided dice (d6), tokens, and something with which to record your experiences. The game is suitable for all ages – all of Hatchling Games’ releases are – but there will still be moments of challenge and peril throughout. While failing the objective is possible, death does not come to your character in this game. It is worth noting that the ongoing conflict – The Yolk War – does come up, with the Dowser being confronted with moments that make the conflict more tangible and real.
Once your materials are collected, you choose which dragon egg you will be trying to find! There are four to choose from, each associated with its own card suit, element, season, and theme. This was the hardest choice for me, as I had multiple ideas for Dowsers based on each egg. After some card shuffling and removal, you’ll be placing the remaining cards into a 6×4 rectangular spread, including the ace, with your two jokers off on either side to represent your sanctuaries. Set aside 8 tokens (these represent your resources) and place your d6 on one of the jokers. With that, you’re ready to begin!
My Thoughts
With its sister’s last breath, she crawled to the back of the lair and set off the traps, collapsing the tunnel above the Mecharch soldiers…
For my playthrough I decided on the Ace of Diamonds narrative. Associated with Earth, Autumn, and Mysteries it took my attention right away – but I still had trouble choosing between it and Spades! Normally, you start the game with 8 resources (represented by your tokens) but I used one of the alternate rules to begin with 10. As it turns out, I would have been okay with 8 but there were multiple moments where my resources swung wildly in one direction and then the other. I was glad for my extra little buffer when those swings brought me close to 0!
I loved the horizontal spread for Dragon Dowser, and how the layout was used to full advantage to present full-page illustrated examples right next to written instructions. Being able to look over and see what something looked like made it much easier for me to follow what I was meant to do. There are visuals for setup and for movement, and as someone who finds it helpful to have setup and mechanics explained in a variety of ways, I was happy to see this.
The design of the book itself is gorgeous. I love the scale texture used on all the pages, and how the card suits are indicated at the tops and bottoms of the pages their prompts are associated with. The page borders, too, elevate the beauty and feeling of the book with little dragons and dowsing crystals on the interior borders of each page – it’s very charming!
The full example of play was a nice touch. Having an example of play is the piece of feedback I give most often when doing beta reads – it’s a great way to show the mechanics you’re talking about. I also like this because it shows you, right there in the text, that you don’t need to write novels for each prompt! I know I get stuck in my head quite often about not writing ‘enough’ for each prompt. Seeing right there in the book that you can, you know, play the game as a no-stress, fun activity helps me tell my brain to take it easy! I also love examples of play because they give the opportunity to read someone else’s story. What isn’t to love about that? I enjoyed the one presented here, and it helped me set guidelines for how I wanted to frame my own entries.
As for the prompts, I liked their variety and how they were organised. Their themes are Community (culture and people), Machine (machines and warfare), Mystery (exploration and secrets), and Survival (landscape and weather). Having read through all the prompts I think there’s a good mix to have all sorts of unique adventures, with no playthrough ever quite going the same way. One of the tensest prompts for me was one where Mecharch soldiers raid the place you’re staying overnight. Thankfully, they don’t find out you’re a Dowser, but the worry (if not fear) of them discovering your profession is made quite clear. There are also moments of conflict involving dragons themselves, with them either being blamed for something they have not done or seeking retribution for their family who have been slain. I would suggest giving the prompts a glance over before beginning the game as, through them, you find out a lot more about the world your Dowser is entering – including that you might have a hatchling with you on this adventure already!
There’s a lot of replayability in Dragon Dowser. It’s a short game, and the prompts make clear that you have been doing this long enough that you might already have hatchlings on you. You can skip between years, if you want, or if your game ends in failure can pick it back up once your Dowser hears about a new lead. There’s betrayal, innovation, community building, and so much more in this beautiful little package of a game.
To Conclude
Dragon Dowser engages with themes of war, environmentalism, and empathy in a dangerous far-future world. With a short game-length and almost endless replayability, it’s easy for me to recommend it! The book itself is gorgeous as is – and I forgot to mention this above – the musical tracks included with the game. They do an excellent job of setting the atmosphere and were a delightful surprise!
Dragon Dowser launches on Kickstarter later this month, and you can follow its funding [here]! If you’d like to know more about Hatchling Games you can explore their website, which offers more information about other upcoming projects to be on the lookout for, [here]. You can also find them on Twitter [here], Facebook [here] and, if you want to get more involved with the Hatchlings community, join the Discord [here]!
Stay cozy!
The Cozy Cauldron 