Couple not optimal

"Year of the Dragon" is set in China, about 1000 n. Chr. In 14th
You take on the role of various princes who despite events such as droughts or kite festivals try to earn the highest possible reputation.
Basically it comes to collect as many victory points within 12 rounds. The rounds are divided into 4 phases, an action phase, a phase people, an event and the championship. A little planning is already required in order not to stand at the Imperial tribute empty-handed '

Entry:
Getting into the game is, as with most games Alea, not quite so simple.
We have a whole round needed until we had the game really see through, and could begin to maneuver. Right quickly turned out that the game has two weaknesses. The order of play is not fixed and can be influenced by actions - to play for two runs but often it, the one player starts over again, and the other only as second off what does have drawbacks. In the game for three or four into perspective the back.
Especially in the first few games, the manufacturer's specification of 75-90 minutes is justified by approximately 3x games they reduced significantly to about 60 minutes, because you no longer have to constantly look up something.

The instructions are formulated in a clear and easy to understand, much is exemplified. Nevertheless, one must during the first 1-3 games often times look up what questions but then not actually stay open, since all possible situations are described.
I especially like the Executive Summary on the edge, who have almost all Alea games instructions, which is intended for the rapid "re-entry" into play when you have not played it longer.
For a first impression I made a picture of playmaking.

Complexity and long-term game fun:
"Year of the Dragon" is already quite complex.
Basically, the number of rounds is indeed set, and each round runs after certain phases. The sequence of events, each round is entering one visible at all times. You have to consider many things, if you want to be prepared well in advance of the upcoming events in its actions and decisions, however.
Without tactics it does not work, the "happiness factor" is extremely low.
The age of 12 years, I can only confirm for younger children the game would be too demanding and I think therefore somewhat entertaining.
Due to the complexity and the ever-changing circumstances, such as the sequence of events of the game, which never allow the same tactics, makes the game even in the long term fun.

Design & Quality:
The game is beautifully decorated and consists of stable Pappteilen and wooden tiles, the playing cards are of good quality.
The design is decorated in typical Chinese style and symbolism relatively clearly.
Qualitatively one can fault anything here and the package offers enough compartments and bags for assorted storage of game material, even if not precisely shaped pockets for the supplied accessories.

Conclusion:
"Year of the Dragon" is a tactical game, which in the long run is fun for a little difficult entry. Especially for groups of 3-5 players, it is highly recommended.
It is suitable for players who were also games like "1503", "Puerto Rico" and may inspire similar. At an average price of 25 I would rate money described as good, a star deduction is available for the non-optimal game fun together and the difficult start (even after long breaks between games), but this does not change the fact that the game otherwise highly recommended.