In a few Dungeons & Dragons adventures I’ve seen published recently, the game Dragonchess makes an appearance. It’s something you can buy in the Player’s Handbook. However, it’s unlikely you know what it is.

The answer is that it’s a three-dimensional version of chess, played on a three-tiered board. Each board is 8 by 12 squares, bigger than the standard chess board (8 by 8), and each board has its own set of pieces. The game was invented by Gary Gygax, the co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons, and featured in his stories. The first appearance of the rules of the game appeared in Dragon Magazine #100, and they were reprinted in Dragon Magazine #400, along with the playtest notes of Kim Mohan. You can buy the latter issue from the DMs Guild.

The game begins with 42 pieces on each side (regular Chess has 16). There are fifteen distinct pieces, as follows: Sylph, Griffon, and Dragon on the upper board, Warrior, Oliphant, Unicorn, Hero, Thief, Cleric, Mage, King and Paladin on the middle board, and Dwarf, Basilisk, and Elemental on the lower board. Each piece, as expected, has its own rules of movement, and some can move between boards – or affect other boards even if they can’t move there.

The object of the game, as in Chess, is to capture the opponent’s King, but it’s a much more complex game where you need to consider significantly more options.

Gary Gygax never played the game against another player – he only played it against himself – and the playtest version that Kim Mohan and Roger Raupp created had the problem that the metal miniatures they used were very heavy and caused the boards to warp, even though made of plexiglass. Despite that, it hasn’t stopped people making their own sets. You can find images of these sets over on BoardGameGeek.

Some people who play it enjoy it. It can be long – perhaps eight hours! – and players have suggested fixes for the initial set up to improve balance.

The other unique game in the Player’s Handbook is also an actual game – and it’s one you can easy buy. I’ve played it many times, and it’s brilliant. Go hunt down the recent printing of Three-Dragon Ante and have a go!

As for Dragon Chess, for me that will stay as a game I imagine but don’t play. But it’s the perfect choice for a long-running game between a devil and a dragon!