In The Blink of a Dragon's Eye Preview

This is a preview copy sent to us for our early opinions. No money exchanged hands. Some art, rules or components may change in the final game. You can follow the crowdfunding page here.

This is a bit different for us here at WBG, as we haven’t reviewed a book before. But this one is something quite special.

At the end of each of the book’s five chapters, you play a mini game linked to what you’ve just read. It’s an intriguing blend of traditional reading and print-and-play mini games, which fits beautifully within the theme the writer has created.

The experience unfolds by reading each of the five short chapters; each taking roughly 5–10 minutes depending on your reading speed. After finishing a chapter, you move on to its corresponding print-out and play two mini games.

The first game in each of the first three chapters is a simple dice-rolling game, where over five turns you try to cover as much land as possible to collect items. These items will be used in the second part of the mini game, where you face a challenge based on the chapter you just read.

No spoilers here, but be prepared for a few fights!

These are also resolved through dice rolls, but with added depth: you’ll have options, powers, and the items you collected earlier, all of which come into play. It all links together beautifully, works seamlessly, and creates a unique and rewarding experience.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time with this book. Initially, I read each chapter and played the accompanying mini-games on my own. After the first two chapters, my son showed interest, so I re-read those chapters with him and replayed the games. Revisiting the early parts of the book helped reinforce my understanding and didn't feel like a chore, rather, it was a delightful experience to revisit these pages and cement my understanding of the early chapters

The world crafted within this book is rich and full of wonder. The writing style is soothing and immersive, making it a relaxing read. The seamless integration of storytelling and interactive gameplay creates a unique and rewarding experience that I highly recommend.

And the great news for you, is that this book is currently fully funded, and on Kickstarter right now. So, if you want to get your own copy, you absolutely can! Just head here.

The full production comes with a fully printed hard cover book as you see here, with laminated print outs for the mini games. There are beautiful dice and a simple dry erase pen too. There is also a digital version for your own print-and-play fun. Or a full all-in with some beautiful art prints. Whatever you taste of budget, you can find something to suit.

But is this for you? I very much enjoyed it and can see myself backing future books. I would like to see what the author does with the idea and potentially even, this world. All I know, is I love this idea, I want to support this sort of innovation in the game world, and I think this particular book/game hybrid is wonderful.