In this medium-weight dexterity campaign microgame, launch an adventuring hero (who only superficially resembles a paperclip) from a stack of dice to hit specific targets representing feats of accuracy, athleticism, and daring. Inspired by retro adventure video games, Launch the Dragonslayer! will challenge your hero to brave ever-changing wilds, ration limited resources, leverage unique class abilities, and withstand the temptation of cool cheat codes, all in a noble quest to find and slay a monstrous dragon!
Gameplay progresses through a cycle of turns, which involve rolling for randomized time- and region-dependent encounters, deciding to either travel or recover resources, and moving Time forward one unit. If an encounter occurs, then a system of hit values and encounter effects determines the encounter's ebb and flow. Play is meant to be divided into several sessions, with the general progress of each turn saved between plays. The game ends when your hero resolves the Dragon encounter to slay their sworn foe.
At the beginning of the game, players can choose one of six classes for their hero, each of which has a unique ability that encourages a different style of play. Four stats act as resources that are expended to withstand damage, increase the power of a launch's effect, make it easier to hit a target, or level up to increase your hero's maximum stat amount.
As the hero draws closer to their goal, they will face different effects in each region they visit, challenging you to optimize your hero's path and assess the rewards of various risks. But all the careful planning in the world will only take you so far. In the end, what will make or break your hero's future is how well you can Launch the Dragonslayer!
—description from the designer