Dragon Warriors is a
fantasy role playing game system written by
Dave Morris and
Oliver Johnson and published by
Corgi Books between the years 1985 and 1986. In 2009 it was re-collected in a new hardcover edition by Mongoose Publishing. Unlike most RPGs which were (and are) primarily presented as box sets or large
hardback or softback books, Dragon Warriors consisted of six paperback books of ordinary size. This innovation may have contributed to its demise as the books superficially appeared to be some sort of
gamebook rather than a fully-fledged role playing system.
Aside from its publishing format Dragon Warriors was chiefly notable for having a game system which was quick to use and easy to learn whilst retaining enough flexibility and realism to satisfy role playing aficionados.
Dragon Warriors is set in the world of Legend, the same as that of the
Blood Sword game books.
announced that
Mongoose Publishing would publish a new edition in October 2008.. This has now arrived in hardback, and is essentially the previous books collated into one, without the incremental rules. It contains new artwork, some revised material and better organisation.
Books: Original Series
Books 1-3 were published together and established a coherent and fully-featured, if lightweight game system. The latter three books were released one at a time and added depth to the game.
Book 1: Dragon Warriors
Dragon Warriors (ISBN 0-552-52287-2) was the original book. It included rules for combat, a listing of weapons and armor, and a selection of opponents. The game offered a choice of warrior classes, Knight and Barbarian, as well as the necessary information required to play a Human, a Dwarf, or an Elf. The book was published is 1985 and has 208 pages.
Book 2: The Way of Wizardry
The Way of Wizardry (ISBN 0-552-52288-0) expanded the original game to include magical spells, potions, and devices. It added Mystic and Sorcerer to the available classes. It was published in 1985 and has 176 pages.
Book 3: The Elven Crystals
The Elven Crystals (ISBN 0-552-52289-9) provided three long
adventure scenarios, as well as a few new monsters, magic, and items, although the scenarios make up the bulk of the book. It was published in 1985 and has 192 pages.
Book 4: Out Of The Shadows
Out of the Shadows (ISBN 0-552-52333-X) added rules for the Assassin class. It includes rules for stealth, martial arts, alchemy, and trance-magic. It also includes a new selection of monsters, which for the most part are more powerful and less common than the ones featured in
Dragon Warriors. It was published in 1986 and has 256 pages.
Book 5: The Power Of Darkness
The Power of Darkness (ISBN 0-552-52334-8) added rules for the Elementalist class. It includes new spells as well as an epic adventure scenario making up the bulk of the book. It was published in 1986 and has 192 pages.
Book 6: The Lands Of Legend
The Lands of Legend (ISBN 0-552-52335-6) adds rules for the Warlock class. It also includes several elements for
campaign setting such as a complete world map and the accompanying descriptions of far away lands and cities. Sections are also devoted to popular myths or rare items, both of which lending themselves to become starting points of new adventures. It was published in 1986 and has 272 pages.
Books: Updated re-release
Dragon Warriors rulebook
Dragon Warriors rulebook (ISBN 978-1-906103-96-5) is the first book of the re-released series. The original material from the six Dragon Warriors books of the 1980s has been re-edited and updated, including new covers and artwork. The new material has been overseen and approved by the original Dragon Warriors authors, Dave Morris and Oliver Johnson, and includes a new introduction to the rulebook by the former. The 8.5" x 11" hardback book was published is 2008, and has 256 pages.
Game System
Dragon Warriors typically uses a roll of one twenty sided die (1d20) under a characteristic score or derived statistic (such as ATTACK to see if an attack succeeds). Characters also have defensive attributes (Defense, Evasion, Magical Defense) which penalize the attacker's rolls. Armour bypass rolls made after a successful hit test to see if armour is effective in stopping the blow.
Instead of spell durations, there are Spell Expiry rolls made each round. Instead of tracking magic points, Mystics make Psychic Fatigue rolls.
Like most of its contemporaries, it uses a few different game mechanics instead of having one integrated universal mechanic.
See also
Blood Sword: A series of gamebooks set in the same fictional world as Dragon Warriors.
