What is Dreamblade? New Game from Wizards of the Coast

What is Dreamblade? Chances are if you don't attend gaming or sci-fi conventions you may not have heard about this new addition from gaming gurus Wizards of the Coast, but to gamers everywhere, Dreamblade represents the potential for an incredibly engaging twist on both chess and D & D gaming with miniatures. There is no cord. It does not require batteries, and it's not made for any platform. Yes, boys and girls Dreamblade is made for the "un-teched" player, strictly a hands-on experience that loosely resembles a board game on steroids.

This August, the brilliant Dreamblade tournament concept reached over 25,000 eager dedicated gamers at the Gen Con convention. This is where gamers are introduced to new gaming concepts, and it is where most of us cut our teeth on trading card games like Magic the Gathering and Yugioh!. Gen Con, which has been around since the sixties is a literal treasure trove of exciting games, tricked out concepts, accessory hawkers, tournaments, and tons of excited gamers who appreciate the opportunity to meet with likeminded players.

So what does Dreamblade look like? Well, to tell you the truth, it's kind of a general-looking game base. The box is intriguing with a bunch of random miniatures that come already painted (you may want to repaint yours for better customization), a Dreamscape map, nine six-sided dice, and a rulebook. You buy expansions in the form of random surprise packs of miniatures. All miniatures have stats printed right on the base, so you don't need to consult monster manuals. These are closely similar to the concept of card style RPGs. Some, like the elementals, are really nice with partially clear parts. All miniatures are on a gray base ready to play.

What is the Dreamblade backstory? Well, Dreamblade is futuristic world in the dreamscape of humans, basically where everyone drifts when they sleep. Sleeping individuals called Dream Lords create creatures and monsters from the imaginations of their subconscious to do battle with the creatures of other Dream Lords. Weirdness and power of the creatures is limited only to the imaginations of their respective Dream Lords.

Dreamblade has rules like any game for movement and setup. It works like chess in that you have to think several steps ahead of your opponent. Though it's difficult to explain all of the rules and strategies in an article, Wizards of the Coast has setup a neat online Dreamblade demo for the curious. Seasoned players might soon find themselves working the Tournament circuit. People win real cash at some of them, with $10,000 and $20,000 tournaments at some of the more popular gaming conventions. The Dream Series Championship involves a whopping $50,000 cash prize. When was the last time you played a game that offered that kind of cash?

Though Dreamblade is relatively new, Wizards of the Coast are expecting the loyal following of gamers to grow this holiday season. With Dreamblade as a more tactile version of game to its cousin, trading card style battle decks, the potential for attracting players is definitely there, but like any other game, for some die hard campaigners, Dreamblade must first prove itself. So far, it seems Dreamblade is doing fine at that task, with a growing online presence at the WOC website and beyond. Not too bad for a game that's only been available for a few months.

Dreamblade figures are about 40mm, which is a little bigger than D & D miniatures. Many players find this makes the detailing quite a deal more intricate. Will Dreamblade take off? Well, that is entirely up to the fans. Wizards of the Coast is owned by Hasbro.