Emberheart ENG
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The FroGames Card
You send three Scouts to the mountain, you get the red dragon. Your opponent overtakes you with four Grunts and snatches the last Preserve from under your nose. Your dragon is left hanging. The Flame track rises.
WHAT IT IS ABOUT
The island of Emberheart is under siege: you save the dragons, someone else wants them before you do
Designed by Rob Fisher and Adam Porter, illustrated by Andrew Bosley, Emberheart is the new worker placement game from Mindclash Games (Anachrony, Voidfall). You are a Champion of the King sent to the mystical island of Emberheart to protect the last dragons from poachers from the Distant Lands. You recruit heroes, save dragons, build nature preserves, and train your companion dragon. The problem: the other Champions are doing the same, and each location offers limited rewards.
Each turn you choose whether to take a Helper token (a unique bonus for the round) or send a group of helpers to a location. The more you send, the sooner you choose from the rewards, and the harder it will be for opponents to outbid you. You have Grunts (single-use but versatile), Scouts, Rangers, and Wardens (permanent but tied to certain locations), and your Companion Dragon who can join any team for special bonuses. You save Dragons and associate them with Preserves of the same color for Glory. You recruit Heroes with unique abilities. You attack poachers. But every risky action can burn you: advancing too far on the Flame track costs you Glory at the end of the game. After five rounds, whoever has the most Glory becomes the new Dragon Ambassador.
What they say abroad
"The mystical island of Emberheart is home to the last dragons."
— Mindclash Games
A dance between saving creatures and competing for limited resources, with a twist: whoever invests more chooses first.
— FroGames
Emberheart
FrogScore · FroGames.it editorial rating · based on rules, international reviews and play sessionsThe Champion's tools
Helpers, dragons, and preserves: what you bring to the field
Grunt, Scout, Ranger, Warden
Grunts are single-use but go anywhere. Scouts, Rangers, and Wardens are permanent but tied to specific locations. Choose how many to send: one more can win you the location, one less frees you for other actions.
Companion Dragon
Your personal dragon joins any group of helpers to provide bonuses (depending on how you trained it). Using it well can turn a weak placement around. Using it poorly wastes its unique potential.
Heroes
Characters with unique abilities that you recruit at locations. Some facilitate saving dragons, others boost attacks on poachers, still others manipulate the Flame track. Choosing the right hero at the right time makes all the difference.
Dragons and Preserves
You save dragons from the clutches of poachers, associate them with Preserves of the same color for sets that grant Glory. Each completed dragon-preserve is worth points, but the right combinations are scarce: if they steal the preserve you need, that dragon is left hanging.
Recommended Sleeves 139 cards in 2 sizes ▼
If you play often, we recommend protecting your cards with clear sleeves to make them last longer.
| Size | Quantity |
|---|---|
| 44 × 67 mm | 100 |
| 59 × 91 mm | 39 |
| Total cards | 139 |
🎲How to PlayThe rules in four steps▼
How to Play
The flow of each round
Five rounds identical in structure, vastly different in choices. Each round: assistant token or placement, until everyone passes. Then poachers attack.
On your turn, choose: take an Assistant token (giving you a unique bonus for this round) or send a group of assistants to a location. The more assistants you send, the sooner you choose from the limited rewards. Your companion dragon can join the group for extra bonuses.
When everyone has passed, locations are resolved. The player who sent the most assistants chooses first from the rewards (heroes, dragons, preserves, poacher attacks). Those who sent fewer take what's left. The best rewards disappear quickly.
At the end of the round, poachers attack: they draw cards and cause damage. If you haven't defended enough (with heroes or preemptive attacks), you suffer penalties. Some actions advance you on the Flame track, which subtracts Glory at the end of the game.
You recover some assistants (not all: used Grunts are lost), reset Assistant tokens, and repopulate locations with new rewards. After five rounds, Glory is counted: dragons saved + preserves built + heroes recruited + companion dragon training - Flame penalties.
⏱️Your first gameThe chronicle, moment by moment▼
A game in five moments
What happens at the table
Not the rules. The experience.
Setup: you choose who to be
You draw initial heroes, decide how to train your companion dragon, and see which dragons and preserves are in play. Already here you understand if you'll aim for quick sets or powerful heroes. Others do the same, in silence. The tension begins before the first turn.
First rounds: everyone tests the waters
Do you take Assistant tokens to accumulate bonuses, or do you place immediately to get the hero you want? Someone sends three Grunts to the mountain, you respond with four Scouts. The dragon you wanted disappears. You realize that the number of assistants determines the order, and those who go light get the leftovers.
Mid-game: sets are forming, the Flame rises
You've saved two red dragons, you need the red Preserve. Someone takes it before you. You change your plan: you attack the poachers for direct Glory, but the action burns you. The Flame track advances. Someone else accumulates sets without taking risks. At the table, others' moves are counted, the necessary raises are calculated.
Penultimate round: everything tightens up
You have only one Grunt left, your companion dragon already used this round, and the location you need is contested. You send the Grunt alone hoping no one will raise. Someone raises. You take the second choice: a mediocre hero and an extra Flame. You curse under your breath.
Last round and scoring: the Flame presents the bill
Last turn, everyone pushes to complete sets. You have three dragons, two preserves, five heroes. The Flame track is at 4: you lose 8 Glory. Others have fewer sets but a lower Flame. Points are counted dragon by dragon, hero by hero, preserve by preserve. The winner is whoever balanced ambition and prudence. All the painful choices come back to the surface.
🐸Good to know beforehandThree honest things, from friends▼
Good to know beforehand
Three things you need to know
Steep initial learning curve in the first 10 minutes
Setup and the first hand require explanation: types of assistants, Flame track, dragon-preserve pairing, Assistant tokens. After the first round, it flows, but new players take 15-20 minutes to get into it. Allow just under an hour for the first 4-player game.
The Flame track punishes greed
Risky actions (saving certain dragons, attacking poachers) advance the Flame. Each mark beyond the third subtracts Glory exponentially at the end of the game. Those who ignore the track and push too hard lose 10-15 final points. Those who fear it too much give up valuable dragons. The balance is delicate.
Scaling: loses bite with 2 players
With 3-4 players, locations are contested, every placement is a duel. With 2, there's less pressure: often everyone takes what they want without real raises. The game remains solid but less tense. If you play as a fixed pair, consider this carefully.
🏆Victory and defeatWhat the ending rewards▼
How it ends
How to win and how to lose
After five rounds, Glory is counted. Dragons, preserves, heroes, and companion dragon training give points. The Flame track subtracts them.
Victory
- Complete dragon-preserve sets of the same color (each set is worth increasing Glory)
- Recruit powerful heroes and use their abilities to accumulate indirect points
- Keep the Flame track low: each mark beyond the third costs 2-4 Glory at the end of the game
How to lose Glory
- Save dragons without finding matching preserves: they remain in limbo, worth little or nothing
- Advance too far on the Flame track due to greed: the final penalty can erase 15 points
- Be outbid in key locations: you take second choices, accumulate weak heroes and wrong dragons
Emberheart is a worker placement game where bidding is implicit and risk has an exact price. If you love calculating down to the last assistant, this is your game.
💬Frequently asked questionsQuick answers before checkout▼
Frequently asked questions
FAQ about Emberheart
What mechanics does Emberheart use?
Worker placement with implicit auctions (the more assistants you send, the sooner you choose), set collection (dragon + preserve of the same color), resource management (permanent vs. disposable assistants), push-your-luck (Flame track). Five-round structure, no elimination.
How long does a 4-player game take?
First game: 90-100 minutes including explanation. From the second game: 60-75 minutes if everyone knows the icons and flow. With 2 players, it drops to 50 minutes, but the game loses tension (see the "Good to know beforehand" section).
Are Grunts recovered each round?
No. Grunts are disposable: you use them once and discard them. Scouts, Rangers, and Wardens are permanent but tied to specific locations. You only recover some assistants at the beginning of the round. Managing Grunts is crucial: running out too soon weakens you in the later rounds.
Is this a game for beginners or does it require experience?
It requires medium experience. Setup is intricate, the Flame track needs to be understood, and hero abilities need to be read. Gateway gamers will struggle in the first 20 minutes. Those who have played other worker placement games (Raiders of the North Sea, Agricola) will get into it quickly. BGG weight 2.7.
Is it available in Italian?
Yes, this is the Italian edition published by Devir. Rulebook, hero cards, dragon names, and components are all in Italian. No English text to translate during the game.
The people behind the game
Who invented it, who designed it, who publishes it — and what else they've done.
Emberheart is a strategic board game for 2-4 players, lasting 60-90 minutes, ages 12+, designed by Rob Fisher and Adam Porter and illustrated by Andrew Bosley. Published by Mindclash Games (Anachrony, Voidfall) and localized in Italian by Devir, Emberheart is a worker placement game with implicit auction mechanics, set collection, and push-your-luck. You place assistants (Grunts, Scouts, Rangers, Wardens) and your companion dragon to recruit heroes, save dragons, build preserves, and attack poachers. The more assistants you send, the sooner you choose from limited rewards. The Flame track punishes greed: advancing too far costs Glory at the end of the game. Five rounds, high interaction, painful decisions at every turn. Available on FroGames.it.
Emberheart ENG
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