Description
Dracula – Forest of the Impaled: Historical Strategy Board Game of Teamwork and Survival
Step into the shoes of the real Vlad the Impaler in Dracula – Forest of the Impaled, a gripping historical wargame where asymmetrical teams clash in 15th-century Europe. As Dracula, outwit a massive Ottoman invasion with secret passes, impalements, and guerrilla tactics. As the Ottomans, coordinate silently to conquer castles—perfect for cooperative play that builds leadership and communication skills. Affectionately called “Risklvania,” it’s light, fast, and fun for casual gamers and wargame pros alike.
Why Choose Dracula? Epic History, Hilarious Tension
Dominate with unique mechanics:
- Asymmetrical Warfare: Dracula hides in mountains and recruits locals; Ottomans overwhelm with numbers but need supply lines and morale checks.
- Cooperative Team Play: Allies can’t talk unless stacked—creates “excruciating and hysterical” moments without player elimination.
- Impale for Victory: Turn enemies into morale-breaking markers to fragment armies and counterattack.
- Fog of War Simplicity: Natural hidden info via silent coordination—no clunky rules, just immersive strategy.
Searches for “Dracula board game historical” or “Ottoman invasion wargame” will love this blend of history and humor.
Game Specs: Fast-Paced, Beginner-Friendly
- Players: 2-7 (shines with teams; great solitaire too).
- Play Time: 1-2 hours—quick 4-turn campaigns.
- Complexity: Light with 3 pages of rules; easy to teach, deep to master.
- Components: Hardwood Kriegsspiel-style blocks, premium maps (paper or archival canvas—water-resistant, museum-quality).
- Age: 12+ (choking hazard for small parts).
Canvas map option: Rolled in a tube, it’s a durable work of art inspired by period originals.
Player Testimonials: Real Experiences
- Jacob (5/5): “I hate strategy board games but I LOVE Dracula!” – Surprised Fan
- Bussiere (5/5): “Not being able to talk is excruciating and hysterical.” – Game Highlight
Dice Tower Review
Andrew –
High Density Fun in a Tube!!!
The title “Forest of the Impaled” may sound a bit bleak, but it’s a fantastic bit of fun condensed into four quick-playing turns. In this historical boardgame, you will assault or defend late-mediaeval Transylvania and Wallachia in the role of one or more of Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror, Vlad III “the Impaler” Dracula, his brother “Radu the Fair,” or one of the Sultan’s generals.
Mechanically, the game is light, but don’t let that fool you; each side has a very sticky situation to deal with, and very different strengths and weaknesses.
As the Ottomans, you have an overwhelming numerical advantage, both a 2:1 advantage in numbers of potential troops, and also a 6:1 advantage in numbers of generals!!! … but you must capture 7 castles in Wallachia and Transylvania in 4 turns, all the while defending yourself from the historical Dracula, who is no slouch on the battlefield.
As Dracula, you are outnumbered heavily. But in addition to your much better leadership skill, you’re on home turf, you know the mountain passes, you can recruit locally, and you can live off the land, whereas the Ottomans must maintain supply lines if they want to eat. Oh yeah… you have one other advantage. You can turn Ottoman dead, your dead…or your living troops, for that matter, into “impalement markers” which cause Ottoman armies to pass morale checks which are very likely to split their armies into fragmented leaderless groups which you can mop up in detail….and you just need to keep one castle each in Transylvania and Wallachia for 4 turns to win.
This game plays very well with two, but absolutely shines with more. Most games that even attempt “fog of war” do so clumsily. Here it’s handled very naturally by forbidding allied generals to speak to each other (about the game) unless they occupy the same space on the board.
Surprisingly, it also plays well solitaire! There are no traditional “solitaire” rules…no “AI” to run the enemy troops, but it’s still a blast to sit down and run both sides in a sort of schizo-solitaire. It also plays to extremely close and nail-biting conclusions this way, which speaks volumes to the game’s play balance.
The game board is a beautiful roll-out fabric map of the area, and the pieces are wooden rectangles which will make your play area look like the maps in military history books, and the striking red and black pieces are a perfect complement to the theme.
bussiere (verified owner) –
That’s not the best wargame, but it’s may be the best first step wargame to initiate people. Party are around 45 minutes, the theme is fun, interesting mechanic and you can play whith casual friend, i’ve tested it with some non wargamer friend and they liked it. The non talk part also add fun to the party and can make it a “long” party game.
Very good casual wargame and an excellent initiation.