Wyrmspan: Dragon Academy Board Game Expansion Review
- Jim Gamer
- Sep 29
- 6 min read
WBG Score: 9
Player Count: 1-5
You’ll like this if you like: Wingspan, but want a bit more complexity, and dragons!
Published by: Stonemaier Games
Designed by: Connie Vogelmann
This is a review copy. See our review policy here
I liked Wingspan. I gave it 8 out of 10. It's a modern classic for a reason. You can check out my review here.
I liked Wyrmspan a little more. It has some lovely additions to the "span" mechanics." I gave that 8.5. You can check out my review here.
I also liked Finspan. I gave that 8.5 too. It's just so simple and quick. It gives you most of what you want from a span game, but in such an easy way. You can check out my full review here.
So, an expansion for Wyrmspan should make this the best Span yet, right? Well, maybe. Let's get it to the table and see how it plays.
How To Set Up Wyrmspan: Dragon Academy
Set the game up as usual, but replace the previous round tracker board with the new one. It's slightly bigger and offers new options at the bottom for end-of-round benefits. You can discard the old one. You won't use it again. But can you really do that? Nope, me neither. It's still in the box! And joyfully, everything in this game fits in the original box, nice and easily. There are also five Dragon cards and two Cave cards that need replacing with new updated versions. The differences are shown here. You can see the new cards on the top with the DA tag on the bottom left of the card.
The replacement Dragon cards also have minimal difference, just tidying up some language and minor balance issues. New cards on the bottom this time, just to keep you on your toes.
This expansion also comes with 80 new Dragon cards, 25 new Cave cards, seven new objective tile, and five new Dragon Guilds. Oh, and a card tray to make tidying this all up a lot simpler. Funny the base game didn't have this? But all sorted now!
The new objectives, like everything else, can simply be added into your main box, mix well with the base game components, and simply offer more variation to the game. Some also mention the new card type in this expansion, Fledglings. More on that soon. So, you can obviously only use this if you use the new Dragon cards too. But the idea is you permanently mix all the new components with the base components.
The only other new component is the 45 new training cubes. Add these to the centre of the table for all players to use when needed. You are now ready to play.
How To Play Wyrmspan: Dragon Academy
The game plays as usual, with these three changes to the rules.
Fledging cards
These new cards offer a new scoring system, as well as a way to build up their engine. At the end of the game, players will score points as multipliers, based on the total number of Fledgling cards they have on their player boards. If you have one, then it's one point. If you have two, it's two points each for a total of four. This continues to multiply with every extra card, and is irrelevant of their final status.
As you can see, on these new cards, there is a space for one of the new training cubes. When you activate these cards with the Explore action, walking over them with your Explorer, you can add a training cube to the card, optionally pay the cost shown on the first symbol on the left, then move the cube one space to the right. When you have paid all the costs over several Explore actions, you can then unlock the purple ability on the bottom, often giving large end-game scoring opportunities. With these new cards, you sacrifice powerful when played or end of round powers given by other Dragons, with these end game scoring multipliers. Having a good mix of all of these powers is key.
The Fledging cards live in all three of the caves, unlike the Hatchings from the base game, which primarily live in the bottom caves. So, you could Entice them anywhere.
End of round changes
When each player decides they no longer want to take any turns, or run out of coins to do so, they must place their Explorer meeple onto the new End of Round tracker board, onto one of the spaces on the bottom, depending on what round it is. For rounds one and two, choose one of the spaces on the left side. For round three, the space on the right. You do not need to do this for the final fourth round.
When the round ends, and all players have placed their Explorer meeple onto one of the spaces, you will run through, top to bottom, the end of round actions. First, activate any end of round bonuses, then score that round's objective. Then, refresh all cards in the display, before finally taking the income as chosen by your Explorer placement that round. As you can see, you can choose from a mix of coins, eggs, resources, cards, and in the third round, Dragon Guild movement. It is funny to not get all six coins back, like in the base game, and this mean you may have less turns, and the game can be quicker this way. But you will get resources for this sacrifice, if you make that choice. And that enables you to do more, and avoid dead turns.
Free to play Dragons
The final small change in this game is that there are now free-to-play Dragon cards. As you can see with the three cards below, there is a new blue flower symbol on some cards. This means you can either pay the shown cost to entice these cards or take the displayed blue flower action to gain the card for free. You need to meet certain criteria for this to be the case, such as the Andean Coatl, which will be free to place if it is your third or fourth dragon in its respective cave.
Is It Fun? Wyrmspan: Dragon Academy Board Game Expansion Review
Wyrmspan was already a brilliant twist on the span formula, giving players the same smooth engine-building feel as Wingspan but with a bolder theme and a little more crunch. It balances strategy and accessibility in a way few games manage. You always feel like you are building towards something, whether chasing Guilds, objectives, or simply watching your cavern fill with colourful dragons. The pace is tight, the turns are satisfying, and it never outstays its welcome. The game flows better for me, and there are a lot more opportunities for exciting cascading turns. It’s a game that rewards clever sequencing, but never punishes experimentation, which makes it as fun for casual players as it is for those chasing every efficiency.
Why the Expansion Makes the Base Game Better
Dragon Academy layers in variety and clever new systems without overwhelming the base rules. The Fledgling cards introduce an exciting scoring puzzle that tempts players to delay short-term power for big end-game payoffs. The new end-of-round tracker not only refreshes how rounds flow but also offers real choices about what income to take and when, making every round feel more dynamic. Throw in new objectives, Guilds, and even the convenience of the new card tray, and you have an expansion that fixes small gripes with the base game while pushing the design into new territory. It’s more flexible, more tactical, and more rewarding.
Who May Like It (and Who May Not)
Fans of engine builders who love a strong end-game puzzle will lap this up. If you enjoyed Wyrmspan but wanted more variety in cards and more decisions around resource timing, Dragon Academy is exactly what you’re looking for. On the other hand, if you felt the base game was already on the edge of being too much, the added layers here might tip it over. The expansion doesn’t bloat the game, but it does ask players to juggle more possibilities. So, for families who liked the streamlined feel of Finspan, this may not be the right step. But for anyone who wanted Wyrmspan to go bigger and deeper, this is essential.
Pros
Fledgling cards create a brilliant new scoring puzzle.
End-of-round tracker refreshes the pacing of the game.
Lots of new content: dragons, caves, Guilds, objectives.
Card tray and upgraded components improve usability.
Everything fits neatly into the base box.
Cons
Adds a few extra rules that may slow down new players.
The Fledgling scoring system can dominate if not balanced.
Players who found Wyrmspan “just enough” may feel this is “too much.”
Final Thoughts
Dragon Academy takes an already great game and makes it better. It adds depth without unnecessary complication, and variety without clutter. The Fledgling cards change how you think about engine building, the end-of-round tracker smooths the flow, and the extra Guilds, objectives, and dragons keep every game fresh. If Wyrmspan was the game that gave the span series its teeth, then Dragon Academy is the expansion that sharpens them.
I liked Wingspan. I liked Wyrmspan a little more. I also liked Finspan. So where does Dragon Academy sit? For me, this expansion takes Wyrmspan to the next level. The new scoring system with Fledglings, the sharper pacing with the end-of-round tracker, and the wealth of new dragons and objectives make this the most satisfying span game yet. I’m giving Wyrmspan: Dragon Academy a 9 out of 10. This is the way I want to play a Span game.