Emberheart

Emberheart is a fantasy worker placement game about rescuing dragons, recruiting heroes, and standing against poachers on the island of Emberheart. Players take on the role of the King’s Champions, sending groups of hirelings to different locations to gather rewards, save dragons, train their own dragon companion, and earn Glory over five rounds. The game is designed by Adam Porter and Rob Fisher, illustrated by Andrew Bosley, and published by Mindclash Games.

What looks especially interesting is the way Emberheart mixes worker placement with a bit of bidding-style tension. The size of the party you send matters because larger groups can claim rewards earlier, but committing too many workers can leave you stretched thin elsewhere. That gives the game a nice push-and-pull: do you go big to secure the dragon or hero you really want, or play more efficiently and hope no one swoops in ahead of you?

We haven’t had a chance to play Emberheart yet, but this is one we’re excited to try. The combination of dragon rescue, hero recruitment, colourful fantasy art, and medium-weight strategy sounds right in that sweet spot where the theme is inviting but the decisions still have some teeth. It plays 2–4 players in about 60–90 minutes and is recommended for ages 12+.

You might like Emberheart if you enjoy:
worker placement games, fantasy themes, dragons, tactical turn order decisions, set collection, and games where cute artwork hides a sharper little strategy engine underneath.