417Gamer Podcast Episode 56: The One with Champions of Wind and Fire

·53 min·5 clips

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Rick, Andrea, and Ben open episode 56 together. Ben is back from episode 55, and the three settle into the same easy, conversational pace that carries the rest of the show. The four covers four recent games. That Old Wallpaper, Strike, Vegas Strip, and Caruca each get a quick pass, which gives the episode a relaxed warm-up before the main review. That Old Wallpaper lands first. They liked it, but not enough to feel certain it will stay in the collection, so the talk stays straightforward and grounded. Champions of Wind and Fire is the main topic. The hosts describe it as a pattern-building dragon-training game published by iAdventure Games and spend time on how it looks, how it teaches, and how it plays across the table. The art gets a lot of praise, and they call out the components, the rulebook, and the realistic dragons in a way that makes the appeal feel concrete rather than abstract. The dice choice system stands out. They like the eye split you choose with the dice, and that small mechanical hook becomes one of the clearest reasons the game feels distinctive. The advanced tournament section causes some friction. That slowdown is treated as a learn-it-again moment, not a dealbreaker, which keeps the review tied to actual play instead of hype. Ben helps keep the banter moving. The back-and-forth stays warm and lightly joking, with enough correction and half-finished thought to feel like people talking at a real game table. The seven closes things out. They look back at their top seven games of 2024 and check how much each one got played in 2025, which turns the episode into both a review and a look at what actually hit the table over the year. The pacing stays easy. If you like hobby chat that ends with a clear sense of what is worth another play, this episode delivers that straight.

As heard by us

A grounded look at a dragon-training game that still seems to deserve a few more plays.

The episode starts with four recent games before settling in on Champions of Wind and Fire, the dragon-training game built around pattern making.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

Want a dragon-game review framed by four recent plays and a top-seven look back at 2024?

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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