
- BGG rank
- BGG #8,861
- BGG rating
- 7.4
Flame & Fang
- 1–4 players
- 30–60 min
- Complexity 2.4/5
- 2024

Rules assistance for Dark Dealings: Dastardly Dragons & Gnome Illusionist
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Dark Dealings: Dastardly Dragons & Gnome Illusionist is an expansion for Dark Dealings released in 2016 for 1–6 players, 15–20 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Michael D. Kelley and Peter Gousis and its main mechanics are Player Elimination, Auction / Bidding, and Open Drafting.
Players have a new hero to face off against! The Dragon Warrior has dragon's blood flowing through her veins, making her a feared fighter. Players will have to summon undead dragons, snow wyrms, and dragon constructs to defeat her! The Dark Dealings: Dastardly Dragons expansion comes with six Dragon Warrior Hero Cards and three new dragon Defense Cards. These are added to a copy of Dark Dealings to add a new challenge.
Dark Dealings: Dastardly Dragons & Gnome Illusionist supports 1–6 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Dark Dealings: Dastardly Dragons & Gnome Illusionist is 15–20 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Dark Dealings: Dastardly Dragons & Gnome Illusionist for ages 12 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Dark Dealings: Dastardly Dragons & Gnome Illusionist belongs to these categories: Card Game, Fantasy, and Fighting. Its main mechanics are Player Elimination, Auction / Bidding, and Open Drafting. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Dark Dealings: Dastardly Dragons & Gnome Illusionist are: Michael D. Kelley and Peter Gousis. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Dark Dealings: Dastardly Dragons & Gnome Illusionist as an expansion for Dark Dealings. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Dark Dealings to use it. Check that your edition of Dark Dealings is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.