Based on the news article recently I went out and bought a copy of Drakon. Looking for a fast game, with an easy rule set. I found one that was fairly dinged up and got a discount on it because of that. Score!

Got it home, opened it and took out a catalog from the summer of '06. And boy oh boy did it reek in that little box. I took the parts out and closed it in a room with a candle and then put it in my garage overnight and it still smells bad.

We did play it last night a few times. Great game, lots of fun. I just hope the stank goes away eventually...

What exactly did it smell like? Old paper or something that didn't originally come from the game box?

Nah I think he meant the tiles. They're made of that recylced cardboard FFG always uses. It just happens that Drakon tiles are big, and there's a ton of them, so the stench is concentrated. In other games, it's only about tiny tokens, so it goes away. Maybe TI3 actually stinks a bit with its big tiles, but If my fingers recall correctly, the cardboard used seems to differ in texture and all.

...anyhow, I'm relieved. I was scared when I saw the title of this thread but I admit it was always hard for me to make discover this very good tiny game to other people everytime I opened the box you know, like... "let me introduce you to this wonderful cheese from eastern France.... OH MY GODS CLOSE THAT BAG !"

I've never had an olfactory issue with any FFG games I bought. Big or small, the only smell I''ve noticed is that of freshly opened plastic, which I find somewhat... invigorating =P

You could always buy a copy now for $10 during the sale.

Good post title though- it got my attention.

Quite interested in Drakon is it a remake of the old Games Workshop game Dungeonquest as the basic description sounds the same and the pieces even look similar?

http://www.thechestnut.com/board.htm

I just got the game from FFG and had the same catalog and same "been in this box way too long" smell from the tiles

They've been airing out on the table for a couple of days.

Good thinking, shoude, although I definitely thinkgs it is related to the recycled plastic/wood that the tiles are made of, which stinks.

AVjax : not at all ! if you want a dungeon quest remade, go get Descent ! much complicated, much greater ! Drakon is, as we say in France, an "aperitif game". No more than fifteen minutes to play a game, rules that stand on a single sheet good for teaching games to your kids or for very casual gamers.

AVJax said:

It is not a remake of Dungeonquest, although it might fill the same spot on your table, depending on what exactly you liked about DQ. Drakon is more interactive between players than DQ, imho.

Have any of you solved the odor problem with Drakon's tiles yet? I find it is quite a shame. I really enjoy the game, but the sour tile smell is a major con. It makes my fingers smell too. I wonder if it is even healthy to be breathing it in lol. I am actually considering purchasing the 2nd Edition (and possibly the expansion) in the hopes that the tiles don't offend the senses. I would be grateful for any insight anyone can provide.

voidant said:

I don't own the third edition, but are you saying this smell doesn't go away? I would've expected just leaving all the tiles spread out on the table overnight would solve the problem.

We have left the tokens out for a good part of the day and then overnight, but they still retain the smell. It seems to be locked into the tiles. It's like when fabric gets mildew; nothing (that I know of) gets rid of it. Alas we shall suffer the nasal assault for now. Thanks for the comment.

I brought out Drakon for some friends today. It was the first time I've played it in about a month, and we were almost knocked over because of the smell. We tried playing for a few minutes, but quit since the stink was such a distraction.

Anyone have any odor-eliminating tips??

bragi said:

Wow, that's quite surprising. As far as eliminating it, you could try leaving an Odor-Eaters pad or something like that in the box, that would at least hopefully keep the smell from building up during periods of disuse. If you could figure a way to spray the tiles with Frebreeze or some such without ruining them in the process, I'd be inclined to try that. (Although I can't think of a way to do that myself.)

Steve-O said:

I've left the game open for days; sprayed all the tiles with Frebreeze; and put a tray of baking soda in the box. Nothing works. In fact the game seems to smell worse than ever. It is a nasty vomit odor. We can't play it. There's no way to enjoy the game when you're constantly cringing from the stink.

FFG should recall this lot.

My copies of Doom and the expansion smelled like vile death too. It's gotta be the board or the sealant on it.

(It's not just FF games though, as my copy of Reinlander actually smelled worse.)

Maybe you should contact FFG for a replacement (of the whole game if necessary.) I've heard of some people getting replacements for nearly all of a complete game because of various defects in the components, so it couldn't hurt to ask. If the stink is persisting after this long it's clearly some sort of defect, I think.

My copy of Kingsport Horror as a sticky residue all over the board and the punch-out sheets. When I asked them how to safely clean it, they just sent me a whole new set. Their customer service is awesome like that.

I just got a stinky copy of Drakon as well. Was wondering what customer service told the other people with this problem.

The FFG event center has a demo copy to play.

It has a distinctly unpleasent odor to it, like vomit mixed with some other noxious fume. I like playing the game but its hard to when all you think about is how bad it stinks.

Would love to buy a non stinking copy but when even FFG has a stinky copy for demo at their own event center, it does not make me confident that what I buy will be odor free. We have demo'ed it a half a dozen times since the event center opened up and I am covinced that the stink odor of the games does not go away.

Caveat Emptor.

On the upcoming page they have a Drakon reprint in the works. Perhaps this one won't stink. I finally got a chance to play this a few weeks back and had a blast. Was really hoping it would be on this year's Holiday Sale, but no such luck.

Try using odour eaters. They soak up smells quick

Just played the same copy that FFG have at their event center again with some locals a couple weeks ago.

The smell still lingers even after all this time. Truly noxious.

It must be some sort of manufacturing residue, perhaps a release agent for the plastic moulds or something. Possibly something coating the cardboard. There must be a way to clean it off, although I'm at a loss as to hwo one would safely do that, especially if it's on the cardboard.

mine smells funky too....