Basic Strategy

• Get useful enhancements such as the Clock of Darkness, Silver Sword, Bucket of Spinach or Ghost Disguise as soon as possible. You will find them useful later.
• After you get 1 or 2 enhancements, you should try to capture as many creatures as possible. Even if the score is low, getting a lot can help you to get the final bonus.
• When the dragon is near (<10 cards left), reload to prepare for it.
• Probability is important! While this is a game of luck, knowing some probability can help you to decide how many cards should be played and which capture method to use.

When to Reload?

• If you have fewer than 4 cards, it is highly suggested to reload.
• If you cannot decide on a good target, reload.
• If you are preparing for an important target (e.g. cloak of darkness or a dragon) but it doesn't appear for now, reload.

When to Capture?

• If you have a nearly full hand, usually you will capture.
• Since the average roll of a dice is 2.5 [Remember each die has 1,2,2,3,3,4], if you have a good combo (half the points needed), capture.
• If an opponent is planning to take a card (and you have a chance to get it), capture.

Which Method is the Best?

• Chances: Getting a 3-card strike with 3 cards is 3.7%, while getting a 3-card scream with 3 cards is 3.2%. However, getting a 2-card stomp with 3 cards is 19.6%--maybe good to aim when the capture value is low!
• Capture Value: For 8 of the landscapes strike has a higher value than scream, for 8 of the landscapes the opposite, and for the rest the same. Therefore they are of equal balance. Stomp usually has a significantly lower number, therefore for some cards it is more appealing.

Are Enhancements Good?

• If the game is going to end soon, surely they are a bad choice. Don't even think about it.
• But at the beginning of the game, you can calculate the potential number of captures to make by (score of creature of same value)/(bonus/1.7).
• For example, for magical unicorn, if you will use it for at least 5 times it is good, otherwise leave it away.
• Overall, enchantments are appealing but not overwhelmingly so.

Credits

This guide is written by ArielFriedrichGauss after about 10 times of playtesting. It is also based on information on https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1628160/some-dragonwood-math

Probability

Dice values are: 1,2,2,3,3,4. The average roll is 2.5. The following table is the probability of getting the row's number, or higher, with the number of dice column: