Satirical take on imperialism, Here Be Dragons, coming in 2019

PC, iPad, Android Tablets •

While the name Marek Pańczyk might not ring a bell, no doubt readers of Stately Play are aware of his work. One of the co-founders of Big Daddy’s Creations, they were at the forefront of bringing board games–particularly heavier euros–to digital. We’re talking gems like Neuroshima Hex and the brilliant, yet perennially undercooked, Eclipse: New Dawn for the Galaxy. While Big Daddy’s has seemingly gone to that big compiler in the sky, Marek is alive and well and still making games. His new company is Red Zero Games and their first foray on the App Store is an original title that pokes fun of good ol’ Chris Columbus and imperialism in general. It’s called Here Be Dragons.

Here Be Dragons is a turn-based monster hunt set in the Age of Sail and around the globe. The game posits that those dragons and sea serpents drawn on old maps weren’t a figment of man’s fear of the unknown, instead they represented real beasts that needed to be killed. The entire thing has a somewhat Lovecraftian feel, albeit a humorous one.

Here Be Dragons is a satirical turn-based strategy game featuring unique “living map” graphics, where you lead a group of crazed captains and eradicate legendary monsters in order to allow Christopher Columbus the discovery of the New World.

Christopher Columbus discovered the Americas in 1492. In 10 weeks. With 100 men. With 3 ships. This is a LIE! Firstly, someone had to defeat kraken and tritons. Someone had to vanquish the Leviathan. Someone had to banish all the ghost ships. The information about these deeds is missing from the archives, and you can’t find it in any great statesmen’s memoir. The knowledge of the “Avant Armada” was completely erased by some bloody officials. The people who took part in the expeditions were not sane people. Maniacs, psychos and common crackpots were forced by royal orders to eradicate Evil in the uncharted seas. “Here Be Dragons” describes these events.

Features:

• Use original Dice Activation System to attack enemies, heal your crew, and upgrade the fleet.
• Collect and use Command Points to turn the tide of the encounter.
• Cross the seas with an ancient, living map, full of terrible creatures that want to devour you!
• Confront the most fierce beasts that ever lived: leviathans and krakens, predatory whales and lustful mermaids. Decimate tritons, awake Dagon, and then erase them from human memory.
• Meet an extraordinary company of weirdos, madmen and oddballs. Their vices and virtues fuel the journey.
• Experience clashes with bureaucratic machine. Don’t lose your mind when confronted by absurdities spewed by authorities and royal advisors.
• Sniff at pirates. Ignore the settlers. You are above them. You are a monster hunter traversing through the aqua incognita. Who cares if you are insane?

Who indeed? The entire game is drawn in an Old World map style, seemingly living on the surface of a sheet of parchment. It’s a good look and I’m always in the mood for turn-based tactical goodness on my iPad.

Here Be Dragons is set to release for PC, iPad, and Android tablets in Q1 of 2019. We’ll keep an eye on it and see if we can get a preview up before the game goes live.

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