Strategy Games Vol.1
Year of the Dragon By Daniel Solis 1 Player Summary It s the Year of the Dragon! The Master Dragon tours the land for 12 months to recruit underlings, send away rivals, and eventually choose a successor. Mechanics Solitaire Objective Score as many points as possible by discarding sets of cards, and emptying the grid. Setup Shuffle the cards and arrange them in a 3x3 grid of face down stacks. The top row should have 6 cards in each stack. The middle row should have 4 in each stack. The bottom row should have 3 in each stack. This leaves one card leftover. This is called the master. Place it above the left column, face up. 2 Flip the top card of each stack face up. 6 cards 4 cards 3 cards Master 6 cards 4 cards 3 cards 6 cards 4 cards 3 cards
Gameplay You will take one turn at a time, representing one month in the Year of the Dragon. Each turn, you may do one of the following actions: Recruit, Fly or Rest. Recruit: You may do this action only twice throughout the length of the game. Take 1 card from a row or column that the master currently occupies into your hand. Master Cards in your hand are called underlings. Fly: Take a set of matching cards as noted in the list below. When you make a set, you must place it in a separate pile in front of you, face down (except if you used the master, in which case, place the pile face up). Your sets will be scored at the end of the game, so keep your piles separate. Your set MUST include a card from the row or column that the master currently aligns to. Your set MAY include the master, or any underlings. Your set MAY include dragons anywhere else in the grid. If you cannot make a set, you must Recruit, if you cannot Recruit, you must Rest. Recruitable Master Must include 1 in set NOT Recruitable 3
Gameplay (cont.) Score points based on the type of set shown below. This score is modified by whether the master was included in that set. You may not create sets except for those listed here. Note: If a set is not listed below, you may not create it! (i.e.: no Three Pairs, no Full house, no Three 3-of-a-kind, etc.) Base Score Including Master Two 4-of-a-Kind (AAAABBBB) 50 +30 4-of-a-Kind (AAAA) 30 +15 Two 3-of-a-Kind (AAABBB) 15 +10 3-of-a-Kind (AAA) 10 +5 Two Pair (AABB) 5 +2 One Pair (AA) 2 +2 If you used the master, place it in your won pile face up. Then choose any remaining face up card in the grid to become the new master. Place the new master in the same space as the previous master. Rest: If you cannot do either a Recruit or Fly action, you take a rest action. This action can only be taken if you have no other possible actions (so if you can make a pair, you must). When you take the rest action, you may swap the master dragon for any other face up dragon. Note: Sometimes figuring out how to rest is the most powerful way to increase your final score. 4
End of Turn To end the turn, do the following steps in order. 1. Falling Cards: After taking an action, check to see if you emptied a space. if so, move the top card from the stack above the empty space down to fill that space, move the top card from the next higher stack down to fill that space. 2. Clearing Space: Eventually a space will be emptied with no more cards remaining to fill it. If so, you earn bonus points at the end of the game. These spaces emptied score 5 points These spaces emptied score 10 points These spaces emptied score 15 points If these spaces are empty, the card in the space above falls down to fill it. 3. 4. Empty spaces with no card above it remain empty. Reveal New Cards: they re now face up. Move The Master: Flip over any face down cards so The master moves to the next space clockwise around the grid. The master always stops at the next column or row, never at the corners. Thus there are 12 spaces around the grid where the master stops, as noted in the diagram. on the next page. 5
End of Turn (cont.) Move the Master diagram: Master TURN 1 TURN 2 TURN 3 Game ends 12 TURN TURN 4 Face-up pile (Master used) 11 TURN TURN 5 Face-down pile 10 TURN TURN 9 TURN 8 TURN 7 TURN 6 Game End The game ends immediately after the 12th turn, a full Year! You should now determine your score. 1. First add up your points for any spaces you emptied; 5 for each top pile, 10 for each middle and 15 for each bottom pile. 2. Look at each of your piles and score them. For each pile that is face up because a master was used, score the bonus points for using a master. Total your points from spaces, and piles to gain your final score. 6
Game End (cont.) Winning: The first time you play, write down or remember your final total score. For all future games, you win if you find a way to score higher than your previous top score! Variants: You can play Year of the Dragon without scoring by using one of the following variants. Easy: Completely clear the whole top row by the end of the game to win. Hard: Completely clear a whole column by the end of the game to win. 7
Age of Dragons By Christopher Hamm 2 Player Summary Mighty Dragons Rule the Land. To those who control them, the young, while the weakest, have the highest long term value, while the powerful ancient dragons show incredible strength, but are not long for this world. In Age of Dragons, all other dragon lords have been vanquished and now it is only you and another fighting to gain total, final control over all dragons forever. Mechanics Strategy, War, Head to Head Objective Age of Dragons is a strategy game in which the objective is to have the greatest treasure value in your sealed lairs at the end of the game. Setup 1. Shuffle and place the 40 card deck sideways and facedown on one side of the play area in the middle of the table. This pile will be referred to as the Hatchery. 8
Setup (cont.) 2. Reveal dragons from the top of the Hatchery, setting aside any duplicates, and placing the first one closest to it with each following card next to the previous until there is a display of five different dragons beside the Hatchery. 3. Shuffle in any duplicate dragons back into the Hatchery and then place the top card face-up in a discard pile to be known as the Boneyard. Players may look through the contents of the Boneyard at any time, but may not change its order. Turn this card sideways to distinguish it from the five dragons in the display. This dragon may be a duplicate of a dragon in the display. 4. Deal out five cards to each player. 5. Use any method you desire to determine a starting player. 6. Both players select a dragon from hand to place face down in their play area and reveal them simultaneously. Gameplay: Players take turns, each turn consisting of performing 2 actions. Each Game Turn consists of a series of phases: Draw Phase: A player begins each turn by drawing the top two cards in the Hatchery. If a player is unable to draw due to the Hatchery being depleted follow the rules for Game End (see pg.14). 9
Gameplay (cont.) Action Phase: The active player may now perform any two actions listed below or any one action twice. Summon a Dragon: Choose any dragon in hand and place it in your dragon area. These are known as active dragons. Hoard: Place one card from your hand underneath one of your active dragons. Players may look at the cards in their hoards at any time. You may then repeat this for each of your active dragons. With no more than 1 card allowed to be placed under each dragon per Horde action used. Age Dragons: Place the dragon in the display furthest from the Hatchery into the Boneyard. Next, move each other dragon in the display one space closer to the Boneyard. Lastly, place a dragon from hand that is not currently represented in the display nor is it the top card in the Boneyard in the space closest to the Hatchery. All changes to strength and treasure value as a result of this action are immediate. Seal a Lair: You can do this in one of two ways. 1) Remove one of your active dragons from play and place it on your side of the play area next to the Hatchery along with any hoarded cards underneath it. No actions may be taken by any player to affect dragons in sealed lairs. Players may look at the cards in their sealed lairs at any time. Only cards in the hordes of sealed lairs will count for points at the end of the game. 2) Place an active dragon with 1 or more horde cards adjacent to a matching dragon in the display on your side. It acts in all ways as a sealed dragon and no actions can be taken against it. 10
Gameplay (cont.) However, at the end of the game in addition to the horde underneath, the dragon will score points equal to the location it was sealed, regardless of the dragon in that display location at the end of the game. So a dragon adjacent to the youngest dragon location (right next to the hatchery) in the display would be worth 5 points at the end of the game, while a dragon next to the oldest slot (right next to the boneyard) would be worth 1 point. Each player may only seal a lair next to each age display location once each game. Magic: Set aside a number of cards from hand equal to or less than the number of cards remaining in the Hatchery and then draw that many cards. Afterwards, shuffle the set aside cards into the Hatchery. Raid the Boneyard: Select one of your active dragons and declare that it is raiding the Boneyard. Illustrate this by placing that dragon next to the Boneyard. Your opponent must now decide whether or not to oppose the raid. If your opponent is not opposing, the raid is a success. Take the top two cards (one if that is all that is available) and Hoard them underneath the raiding dragon. If your opponent is opposing the raid, they choose and place one of their dragons next to their side of the Boneyard. The dragons with the greatest total strength value successfully raids the Boneyard. That player immediately hoards the top two cards in the Boneyard (one if there is only one). In the event of a tie, neither player hoards any cards. Both cards used to boost the strength of the dragons are placed in the Boneyard, with the active player s going on top. 11
Gameplay (cont.) Details 12 Attack: Attack by declaring which one of your active dragons will be attacking and which of your opponent s dragons you will be targeting. Then choose a card from hand that will be added to the power of your dragon. Place it face down next to your attacking dragon. Your opponent now decides whether or not to use a card to boost its dragon s strength. If not, reveal your card and place it on top of the Boneyard adding its value to the strength of your dragon. If your opponent does add a card, you both reveal simultaneously and add the values to the strength of your fighting dragons. The player whose dragon has the greatest total strength value wins the fight. In the event of a tie, the defending player wins. Both cards used to boost the strength of the dragons are place in the Boneyard with the active player s going on top. If the attacker wins, the active player looks at all hoarded cards underneath the defending dragon and chooses to add to the attacking dragon s hoard a number of dragons from the defender equal to the difference in strength of the two sides in the combat. If the defender wins, the defending player may choose a card from hand to hoard under the targeted dragon. Play Area: The display between the Hatchery and the Boneyard is used to determine the current strength of all adult dragons and their current endgame treasure value. The dragon closest to the Hatchery has a strength of 5, but only a treasure value of one. The dragon closest to the Boneyard has a strength of 1, but a treasure value of 5. This is because, each space on the display that a dragon progress from the Hatchery its strength drops from 5 by 1 and its treasure value increases by 1 from 1.
Details (cont.) X/Y = strength/treasure Hatchery 5/1 4/2 3/3 2/4 1/5 Boneyard Sealed Lairs Dragon Area Any dragons not shown in the display are considered Hatchlings and have both a strength and treasure value of one half. Note- These half points do not round up or break ties. However, if two halves are added together for strength in a raid/attack or treasure value at game s end they do equal a whole point. When the Hatchery is depleted, the player whose turn it is when the Hatchery is depleted takes a turn as normal. Then each player takes one more turn in order without drawing and with the Age Dragons action no longer available. Following the completion of this the game is over. Both players place all of their cards not in sealed lairs into the Boneyard as they will count for nothing in Final Scoring. 13
Game End Final Scoring: Players now reveal the cards hoarded in their sealed lairs. The dragons who sealed their lairs next to an age category are worth points equal to that age category. The other dragons on top of hoards are worth zero points, but are important in the event of a tie. Hoarded cards are worth a treasure value as represented by their current position in the display. Any cards not currently displayed are only worth a half point and are worth nothing unless combined with another half point. The player with highest total treasure value is the winner. In the event of a tie, compare the total strength of both player s dragons that sealed lairs not next to age locations. The highest total breaks the tie and wins the game. 14
Dragon Pass By Gil Hova 3-5 Player Summary A drafting game where you attempt to minimize other players abilities to match dragons while matching as many as possible for yourself. Mechanics Drafting, Set Collection Objective Be the first player to deplete their hand or have the least number of cards in hand when the deck is exhausted to win a round. First player to win 2 rounds, wins the game. Setup 1. Deal all players cards. In a 3 player game, everyone gets 8 cards; in a 4 player game, everyone gets 7 cards, in a 5 player game, everyone gets 6 cards. 2. Flip 3 cards from the deck face up in a row in the middle of the table. 3. Randomly choose a player to go first. 15
Gameplay You must perform these two steps in order on your turn. 1. Pass a card and draw a card. 2. Play cards in front of you, OR pass a card and draw a card again. Details Pass a card and draw a card: You must always start your turn by choosing one card from your hand and passing it face-up to another player. If the player you passed to has at least one matching card, they play the card you passed, plus at least one matching card from their hand, as a face up set in front of them. If the player you passed to does not have a matching card, they must take your passed card into their hand. Regardless of what the other player chose, you must now draw a card into your hand. You may draw one of the 3 face up cards into your hand, or you may draw the top card of the draw deck. If you draw one of the 3 face-up cards, immediately replace it with the top card of the deck, face-up. Important: You may not pass a card to the player on your right that shows the same Dragon that the player to your right just passed you in their previous turn. 16
Details (cont.) Play Cards in front of you...: You may now play cards of the same dragon face up in front of you. You may play as many cards as you d like, as long as they re of the same type; however, if you don t have any face up dragons of the type you re playing, you must play at least 2 cards...or, pass a card and draw a card again: If you don t want to or can t play a set, you must pass a card and draw a card again. Follow the procedure described above, except you must pass a card to a different opponent. Round End There are two ways the round can end. First, the round ends immediately when a player has no more cards in their hand. This could happen when passing a card or when playing a set. The player who ran out of cards wins the round. Second, the round ends at the end of a player s turn in which the draw deck is empty, regardless of whether there are still face-up cards available to take. In this case, the player with the fewest cards in their hand wins. If there s a tie, the player with most face up dragons in front of them wins the round. If there s still a tie, all tied players win the round. If the game hasn t ended (see below), shuffle all cards and deal out another round. The player to the left of the winning player goes first. If multiple players won the previous round, then choose the first player randomly among the players who have won the fewest rounds. Game End The game ends when one player wins 2 rounds. If multiple players win their second round simultaneously, they all win. 17
Reflections By J.Ryan Opp 2 Player Summary Two dragon masters face off on either side of a magic mirror, but which one is real? If one dragon master can prove they are more good or more evil than the other by collecting particular numbers of dragons from within the mirror itself, that dragon master is no illusion. 18 Mechanics Linked Mahjong Style Drafting, Set Collection, Take That Objective The goal is to have the highest absolute score at the end of the game. That is, be further from 0 than your opponent. For example, a -8 is better than a +7. Terms Mirror: The pool of cards from which to select. Reflection: The card across the mirror that is in the corresponding reflected location. Alignment, Good/Evil: This game uses the Good/Evil classifications intrinsic to the deck. Set: A Number of dragons collected that are the same, from 0 to 4 dragons.
Setup Shuffle all 40 cards together. Start by dealing 2 separate rows of 4 cards face up in the middle of the table. Then deal lines of 3 overlapping cards onto each of the 4-card rows away from the center. Add another pair of overlapping lines of 4, then another of 3. Your result should look like the image on pg. 21. All 28 of these cards are face up. With the 12 remaining cards, deal 4 to each player, and then set the last 4 aside for the duration of the game without looking at them. Each player may look at their hand, but should keep it secret from the other player. Gameplay Players alternate taking turns. On your turn, you may choose any card from the Mirror that is completely uncovered by other cards. As cards are removed, more options will become available. Pick up the card and its Reflection. Choose 1 to keep for yourself and 1 to give to your opponent. Collected cards go into each player s score piles, which will eventually grow to up to 10 stacks of cards (or possibly fewer), 1 for each different dragon, with multiples stacked on top. Score piles and their contents are public knowledge. Game End After each player has taken 7 turns, the Mirror will be empty. At this time, the players add all 4 cards from their starting hands into their score piles as well, stacked upon the corresponding dragons. 19
Scoring Every Set of dragons in each player s score pile is scored according to the size of the Set and the Alignment of the dragons. See the image on the next page. Winning The player with the highest absolute score is the winner. FAQ Q: My table is too small for the mirror to fit the way pictured. Can I rotate it 90 degrees? A: You sure can! This has no bearing on the gameplay, only on the thematic face off. Q: Are there any scoring shortcuts? A: Yes, you can easily cancel all Sets that are of the same size, but are of different Alignments. This should leave you with fewer Sets to count. Q:Are there any strategy tips for first-time players? A: Try these! You will have to collect dragons of both Alignments. The idea is to collect Sets of 2 in one Alignment and Sets of 3 in the other. The singles in either Alignment will be less consequential. Avoid going over these numbers at all costs, but if you do early enough, be prepared to switch to the opposite alignment strategy. 20
FAQ (cont.) Choosing your initial Alignment strategy should be based on noting the quantities and positions of the dragons matching those in your hand within the Mirror, and deciding how complicated it will be to achieve your goals. Finally, if you can guess what your opponent is doing, destroying their strategy is sometimes better than working on your own. If you can tip them to 4 dragons, do it. Q: Are there any starting Mirror variations for seasoned players? A: Indeed! Instead of a 4-3-4-3 Mirror, you can try 3-4-3-4 or 2-3- 4-5 or 5-4-3-2. Mirror Setup Final Scoring Chart Alignment of the Dragons Good Evil 1 +1 2-2 3 +3 4-1 -1 +2-3 +1 Number of Dragons in the Set0 0 0 21
Dragon Brood By Jesse Birnstihl 3-8 Players Summary In the dying days of dragons, there was one last effort to keep the beasts, and magic in the realms, alive. But which group of dragons will survive extinction? In Dragon s Brood, players will draft dragons to their Caves in hopes of obtaining eggs to increase their brood. The player who has the most eggs at the end is the victor. Mechanics Drafting, take-that, set collection, simultaneous actions. Objective Be the first player to complete his or her dragon s brood by collecting three eggs in a 3-5 player game or two eggs in a 6-8 player game. Terms Brood: Collection of egg cards (victory points) which are kept face down. Cave: Collection of face up cards, used for round scoring. 22
Setup Shuffle the 40 card deck. Each player draws 4 cards which form their hand (kept secret). Gameplay 1. On the first round, the starting player is the player who most recently won any dragon-themed game. On subsequent rounds, the player who most recently collected an egg is the starting player. 2. Beginning with the starting player and then proceeding clockwise, each player takes one of the following actions on his or her turn. Pass: The player declares that all players must pass 1 or 2 cards left or right. The player may only ask for 2 cards to be passed when players have 3 or 4 cards in hand. Cards should be passed simultaneously. If a player has no cards in hand as a result of the place action, he or she is excluded from the pass action. Exchange: The player exchanges one card from his or her hand with one card from his or her cave (face up) or with one card from his or her brood (face down). The exchange action is only possible when a player has at least one card on the table. Draw: The player draws one card, then discards one card face down. If the draw pile is empty, shuffle the discard pile to form a new draw deck. In the unlikely event that there is no draw pile the draw action is not possible. Force: The player forces another player of his or her choice to perform an Exchange action. The force action may only be used against a player who has at least one card on the table and has as many or more eggs in their Brood then the current player. 23
Gameplay (cont.) Place: Note: may only take this action if a player has two or fewer cards in hand. Skip: The player places one card face up in his or her cave If a player is holding no cards as a result of the place action, he or she skips the turn and takes no action. 3. After each player has taken one turn, each player must place one card face down to his or her cave. When all players have done so, simultaneously reveal the cards. 4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until all players have placed all of their cards. 5. Once all players have placed their final card, the winner of the round is determined. 6. The player with the highest-ranking set wins the round and earns an egg. (See pg.25) Details Scoring each Round (from highest to lowest): a. Four of a kind b. Two pairs, same alignment c. Two pairs, opposite alignment d. Three of a kind e. One pair f. All cards same alignment 24
Details (cont.) Good Evil The winner of the round picks up his or her hand and secretly selects one dragon to add to his or her brood as an egg. This card is placed face down in front of the player and is effectively out of the game unless the player swaps it with a card in his or her hand during an EXCHANGE or FORCE action. In the unlikely event that no player achieves one of the above sets, the round is declared null and no one is declared the winner. Begin a new round (starting player remains the same). In case of a tie both players are winners. The first player for the next round in this case is the starting player from the previous round. Game End Play continues in a new round. The game continues until one player completes his or her brood by collecting a third egg (3-5 players) or a second egg (6-8 players). If multiple players win at the same time, the player with the most good dragons in their brood wins ties. If both have an equal number of good dragons, they share victory. 25
26 Wyvern's Knot By John Burns & Jonathan Gilmour Summary Mechanics Objective Setup 3-5 Players Players are mages charged with protecting a dragon hatchery from rival dragons. Working together, they must identify the proper enhancements required to protect, and save the eggs before Strike dragons consume them. Cooperative Save at least 12 dragons from the raid. (For an easier game, play to save 10, or 8 if playing with young children, for a harder or extreme challenge, try for 14 or 16 respectively). 1. 2. Divide the deck into two decks of 20 cards each. Each stack should have 2 copies of each dragon. Shuffle one deck, and randomly place 16 cards, face down in a 4x4 grid ( 4 columns and 4 rows). Place the remaining 4 dragon cards face down, in a column on the left side (Column 0) in landscape orientation (Sideways), these are the Strike Cards.
Setup (cont.) Column 0 1 2 3 4 5 Strike dragon 1 Strike dragon 2 Strike dragon 3 Strike dragon 4 3. Gameplay Shuffle the other deck, and deal out the cards face down as evenly as possible in front of the players. The distribution does not have to be equal. Each player may not look at these cards, and must place them in a straight row to create a tableau. The first player to state they are the first player, is the first player, otherwise the youngest player goes first. Players take turns in clockwise order, and perform one of the following actions on their turn, starting with the first player. 27
Gameplay (cont.) Look at a card in front of another player, and then turn it face up (if not already face up) OR look at a face down card in front of another player, and then point to a card in the grid, or a Strike dragon, to indicate they match. Place the dragon back as it was, face down. OR point to a face up card in front of another player, and a card in the grid, or a Strike dragon, to indicate they match. Then advance a Strike dragon regardless of which action was taken. When you advance a Strike dragon, you should place it directly on top of the dragon in the grid immediately to its right. Each advance will move it one card, until it moves off the dragon in column 4, and into column 5, which contains no dragons. Once a Strike dragon moves off the last dragon in the row, flip the Strike dragon over, indicating it has made it all the way through the row. Once face up, the Strike dragon will move back to where it started from right to left one column at a time. If there is a face down dragon card in a column where a revealed Strike dragon lands, remove that dragon from the game permanently. (This is bad, try to avoid this!) When advancing a Strike dragon, the player has the choice to move any of the Strike dragons they wish. When all 4 Strike dragons make it to the end of their row, and all the way back to column 0, the game ends. Choose a dragon in front of you (face up or face down), and a dragon in the grid, and turn them face up (if not already). If they match, place your dragon on top of the dragon in the grid. It is saved! A Strike dragon will not harm it if it passes over. If they do not match discard both from the game, then choose a Strike dragon from the game and remove it, reducing your total number of moves. 28 Research: Advancing a Strike dragon: Scout: Look at a card in the grid, and place it back, face down as you found it. You may not say anything about it. Then advance a Strike dragon. Attempt Enchantment:
Gameplay (cont.) Distraction: If you have a face up strike dragon (dragon matching a strike dragon type) in front of you (i.e. your tableau) you may discard it, and move the matching face up Strike dragon back one space. If a Strike dragon is lost (due to a mismatch), or makes it back to column 0, it is removed from the board ( discarded) and can no longer be moved. Wild Enchantment: You may attempt a enchantment by trying to match a face down dragon in front of you, and a face down dragon in the grid. If the dragon in front of you is revealed to be a Strike dragon, you may place it on top of ANY dragon (egg) in that face up Strike dragon s row. That dragon egg is now saved. If it is not a Strike dragon, it must match the dragon you selected from the grid, place your dragon on top of the dragon in the grid. It is saved! If it does not match, you must discard them both, and discard a Strike dragon from the game. Note: When a player takes an Enchantment action, a Strike dragon does not need to be advanced Special Rules 1. Dragons in the grid under a Strike dragon cannot be looked at or revealed. 2. When a strike dragon gets to row 5, it is revealed. It now moves left instead of right when you have to move it. 3. You can t move a Strike dragon in column 5 back with a Distraction Game End The game ends when all Strike dragon cards are gone or the target number of dragon eggs have been saved. 29
Dragonkin By Ken Shannon 2-4 Players Summary The last royal family line has died and the royal dragon houses now fight for influence. It s up to you to build the strongest alliance of royals, to gain control over all of the dragon kin. 30 Mechanics Hidden knowledge, hand management, tableau Objective Build the strongest Dragon Alliance! Terms Set: A set is the 4 cards with a given dragon picture. Royal Line: The 7 most powerful dragons in the kingdom (face down) Gallery: The discarded dragons (face up) Hand: The cards given to each player (kept hidden, but can be seen by the player). Kin: The 0-4 cards each player places in front of themselves (facedown). At the end of each round these cards will be compared to the royal line to score points. Dealer: The player who shuffles & deals the cards during the round. Starting Player: The player to the left of the dealer.
Setup 1. 2. 3. 4. 2 players: Remove 4 sets of dragons (16 cards). 3 players: Remove 2 sets of dragons (8 cards). Place these cards back in the box, they will not be used this game. Randomly choose a dealer. The dealer shuffles the remaining cards and deals each player 8 cards. Form the royal line, by dealing 7 cards face down in the center of the play area. Deal these cards side by side. From left to right, they will represent the most powerful to least powerful dragons in the kingdom. The remaining card must be placed face up under the royal line, this area will be called the gallery. When new cards enter the gallery during play, dragons from the same set should be placed on top of each other. The contents of the gallery should never be hidden. 5. Gallery mid-way through the game. The starting player looks at the most powerful dragon in the royal line without revealing. The 2nd Player at the 2nd Most Powerful and so on until everyone has viewed one hidden dragon. For 2 player games, the starting player looks at the most and least powerful dragons (cards 1 & 7) while the dealer looks at the 2nd most & 2nd least powerful dragons (cards 2 & 6). 31
Gameplay Proceeding clockwise, each player takes a turn (so the dealer will be last in a round). Players with no cards in hand are skipped. Play continues until all players are out of cards. On a Turn: 1. You must discard a dragon face up to the gallery. 2. Choose one (and only one) of the following actions: a. Gain Kin: Play a card face down in front of you. b. Interfere: Turn one of another player s kin face up. c. Scry: Look at one card in the royal line without revealing. d. Open Alliance (If and only if you have one card in hand): Take a dragon from the gallery, and add it face up as one of your Kin. Once all players have no cards in hand: Reveal the royal line: Take the dragon with the most cards in the line, and move the set to the front of the line. Repeat for all other dragons. If there is a tie in quantity, the set with a dragon\ farthest to the left originally owns the tiebreaker. Royal Line Revealed Victory Points Final Royal Ranking 7 5 3 2 1 * Numbers depicted pertain to scoring. See next page. 32
Scoring For each dragon a player has in front of them, compare it to the royal line. It scores points equal to the total number of matching dragon cards in the royal line +1 point for each dragon to the right in the royal line. 1. Thus in the Final Royal Ranking example, each Forest dragon held would score 7 points (2 Forest dragons, plus 5 dragon cards to the right), each Ice dragon would score 5 (2 Ice dragons plus 3 dragon cards to the right), 3 for 3rd, etc. 2. Coup: if you have 3 or 4 dragons of the same type in front of you, and none are in the line, they score 5 or 10 total points for the set respectively. 3. The round concludes and dealer passes to the left. Example scoring for a Player with the following dragons 7 + 7 + 3 + 2 =19 Game End Options: 1. Play a single round. 2. Tally points over an agreed to number of multiple rounds. 3. Play until someone reaches 50 points. Winning: The player with the most points wins, once game end is reached. 33
By Ken Shannon Thunder 5-12 Players (or up to 24 with optional two deck rules) Summary The dragon factions are at their primes with years of unsteady peace slowly forming more and more into skirmishes and petty squabbles. Just as the leaders of both the Good and Evil clans, god-like ascended beings of immense power, were coming to an accord for renewed peace, both die. A strike of magical lightning from the heavens killing both. Now comes the Thunder. In Thunder, each player will be of the Good, Evil, or in rare cases a Neutral dragon. The goal is through deduction, help your faction to obtain more ascended dragons than the other. Mechanics Social deduction, take-that, hidden teams Objective Be the team which has the final ascended Thunder (Flock of Dragons). 34
Setup Good Evil Neutral Rogues 1. In this game, Hydras and Forest Dragons have gone Rogue. They are bad for ANY PLAYER. Place one of each in the middle of the table at start. 2. Place aside a number of dragons based on the number of players. 4 Players: Set-aside 2 Good and 2 Evil dragons 6 Players: Set aside 3 Good and 3 Evil dragons 8 Players: Set Aside 4 Good and 4 Evil dragons 10 Players: Set Aside 5 Good and 5 Evil dragons 12 Players: Set Aside 6 Good and 6 Evil dragons Odd Player count: Add a Forest Dragon 3. Shuffle the cards placed aside and deal 1 facedown to each player. (place this card sideways). This represents your faction (Identity). 4. All players show their faction card to the player on their RIGHT. Then place these cards sideways or otherwise away from the game area, so they do not get mixed up with the cards in your hand. You and the player to your right can always look at your faction card. Note: If you re the Forest Dragon you are neutral. You want to Ascend or Survive. Good Luck. 5. Shuffle the remainder of the cards, they form a draw deck. When the Deck is out of cards, shuffle the discard, this becomes the new deck. 35
Gameplay 1. In round 1, deal 2 cards to each player which they keep secret. Each player then places one of them immediately facedown in-front of them. Players may ALWAYS look at the cards in-front of them. 2. Starting with the player who had to wait the longest to play and proceeding clockwise, each player does one of the following with their remaining card: 1. Any player with 3 cards in front of them will now reveal all of them. In player turn order. 2. When you reveal, flip over your three cards and then your Faction card. If there are more of their allied faction than the enemy faction + hydras and forest dragons, they ascend as one of the Thunder! They cannot be harmed and count towards winning the game. 36 Round 1: Gift: Pass the card facedown to another player, placing it in front of them. Discard the card face down in a centrally located discard pile and then do one of the following: Bequest: Pass a card in front of you to any other player with fewer than 3 cards. Steal: Look at a card facedown in front of another player. You may take the card and move it in front of you. Swap: Without looking at the other player s card, swap one of your facedown cards for one of theirs. NO PLAYER CAN HAVE MORE THAN 3 CARDS IN- FRONT OF THEM. During this phase other players are encouraged to talk about what the active player should do or not do. End of Round: (After everyone has played their turn)
Gameplay (cont.) When you Ascend, place your Faction card off to the side. You are not out of the game, but cards can never again be placed in front of you. Discard all remaining cards. If they have more of the opposing faction then allied (include forest AND hydras as opposing) They are killed. However, they now get to place their faction dragon in the center, replacing either the Forest or Hydra. Their other cards are discarded. The displaced Forest or Hydra is sent to the discard pile. Details A Good or Evil Dragon in the Center: Once the Hydra or Forest dragon are knocked out of the center. They become free agents, counting as allies instead of adversaries. The Good or Evil face up dragon in the center is now an assassin. Whenever a player reveals an assassin (from the 3 cards in front of them), from the opposing faction, they automatically die (and place their identity in the center, replacing one of the two in the center just as per a normal death). The Forest Dragon: Only Forest dragons, Hydras and any Assassins in the middle count as allies for you. If you Ascend, the game ends immediately and you are the sole winner. Otherwise, if your still alive when the game ends, you win jointly with whatever team wins. Check for a winning side: The game ends when one side no longer can exceed the other teams number of ascended dragons. With the first dragon to ascend being the alignment faction tie breaker. (Example on next page) 37
Details (cont.) If playing with 8 players. If 3 Evil dragons have ascended and 2 Good dragons are killed. The Good dragons no longer have any chance to exceed (as there are only 2 left), so the game ends. Likewise even if they had 1 ascended, they could still win if it was the first dragon ascended, but not if it was second or later (since the first ascended dragon breaks ties.) Deal each player 1 card for each future round and play proceeds as normal EXCEPT, the player who went last the previous round now goes first this round and the play is counter clockwise. Each round alternates this way until the game ends. You still get dealt a card, participate in discussions, etc., but can no longer use the swap action, as you can no longer get cards placed in front of you. Game End The game ends when one team has enough ascended dragons to win the game or if playing with the forest dragon(s), one ascends (or dies in the Mean Variant). Variants The Forest dragon Wants to Die! In this variant if you die, you win. But if you have any forest, hydras or assassins among your three cards when you reveal. You re killed. When killed, place your forest dragon back in the center, replacing an assassin, Forest or Hydra there. When playing with 10 or more players. Play with 2 Forest Dragons. They win if both of them are killed. When the first is killed, they replace a center card as normal just like before. 38 For Example: If the Game Continues: Ascended and Killed Dragons: Mean Variant: Forest Variant:
Variants (cont.) 13-24 Players Variant: Have both the player who played the longest and the players to their right play their cards at the same time, then the player to their left and right respectively play at the same time, ending at the opposite end of the table. In odd player games, the odd player out (last to go) goes by themselves last. Then the next round, they and the person to their right are the starting two players. Note this is extremely hectic on purpose. Yelling, whispering, and trying to get information past others is part of the fun. Simultaneous Actions: Players decide at the same time. If one is trying to watch the other each secretly tells a player next to them what they are doing, then they both do their actions at the same time. 39
By Kenny and Ken Shannon Summary Pentawar 2-5 Players Players work to create a 5 card tableau (flight wing) before other players. Mechanics Area control, hand management, take that, tableau building Objective Acquire the largest number of dragons in your flight wing, while preventing other players from doing so. Terms Set: A set is 4 cards with a given dragon picture. Penta War (The War): A pentagram, of 5 face-up cards. Deck: Shuffled pile of face down cards. Flight Wing: 1-5 face up cards laid on top of each other in-front of each player. Shared Tableau (Wardrakes): Face up cards anyone can use next to the deck. Hand: The cards given to each player (kept hidden). Discard Pile: Place where killed/used dragons (cards) go to die. Players may look at this any time during the game. 40
Setup (cont.) 1. 2. 3. Shuffle the 40 card deck and deal 5 dragons face up in a pentagram as shown below. Deal each player 2 cards face down, then place 2 cards face up next to the deck (The Tableau), within easy reach of all players. Randomly choose a starting player. Pentawar pentagram (The War) Deck TABLEAU (wardrakes) Discard Gameplay Proceeding clockwise, each player takes 1 of 4 actions on their turn. Play continues until one of the end game conditions is met. 41
Gameplay (cont.) On a turn each player must do 1 (and only 1) of the following: 1. 2. Gather Forces: Draw a face down card from the deck to their hand. Then draw a second card from the deck and place it face up in the shared tableau. Straighten Flight Wing: Place 1 card from their hand or tableau, into their flight wing. Only dragons in the current pentawar can be placed into a flight wing. Row 1 must be built before row 2 and row 2 completed before row 3 is started. Flight Wing Row 2 Row 1 Row 3 3. Kill: Play a card from their hand or the tableau to kill a dragon in another player s flight wing, placing both in the discard pile. 42 The dragon played must be in the current pentawar and can only kill dragons across the field of battle. (see next page) Dragons in flight wing covered by one or more other dragons are protected and cannot be killed.
Gameplay (cont.) Kill Example: In the diagram below, a player plays a Citrine from their hand and targets the example flight wing. Normally the Citrine or Sun dragons could be killed. However, the Sun dragon is covered by a Forest dragon and is protected. The player only has one legal choice, the Citrine dragon in the flight wing. Then both Citrine dragons are discarded. from hand discard discard discard Example Flight Wing 4. Alter War: Play a card from the tableau or their hand to replace any card in the pentawar. The replaced card is discarded. Then, they may immediately play a second card from either their hand or the tableau to do a Kill action. Note: This is the only time a player can play two cards on the same turn. 43
Gameplay (cont.) Alter War Example: The next player uses the alter war action; replacing the Sun dragon in the pentawar with a Forest dragon from the tableau (the Sun dragon is discarded). They then play a Shadow dragon from their hand to kill the Forest dragon in the example flight wing (the Shadow dragon from their hand and the Forest dragon from the flight wing are discarded). Example Flight Wing discard Game End 44 Winning: discard from hand discard from tableau The game ends when; At the start of a player s turn they have 5 dragons in their flight wing. OR at the end of a player s turn the deck is out of cards. 2-3 Player Game: The deck does not reshuffle 4-5 Player Game: The first time the deck is out of cards, reshuffle the discard pile to form a new deck. The second time the deck is out of cards, the game ends. The player with the most dragons in their flight wing wins. 1st Tie Breaker - Flight wing with the most dragons in the final pentawar wins. 2nd Tie Breaker - Player with the most cards in hand wins. 3rd Tie Breaker - Shared Victory.
Dragon Inquisition By Nate Bivins 3-5 Players Summary A great war is brewing between the Dragons loyal to light and the preservation of life, and the sinister faction of dragons hellbent on destroying it. One player within your group of loyal Dragon Masters is actually a traitor, allied with drakes who are evil incarnate. Can those of you who follow the light sort out the traitor before they cause the war to be lost? Mechanics Hidden Traitor Objective Be the side who completes the most missions. Terms Loyalty Deck: Shuffled pile of face down cards: The Citrine and Shadow dragons are placed into a mini deck to determine who is the traitor. Loyalty Card: The card you keep face down that was dealt to you from the loyalty deck. This determines if you are loyal or a traitor. Loyalist: A player with a Citrine dragon loyalty card. Traitor: The player with a Shadow dragon loyalty card. 45
Terms (cont.) Dragon Deck: Shuffled pile of face down cards comprised of a select number of each type of dragon (excluding Shadow dragons, which are never in this deck). Discard Pile: Place where killed/used dragons (cards) go to die. Mission: One round of play. Scoring Row: This small row acts as a reminder of if the loyalists or traitor won a mission. Setup Loyalty Deck: Remove all 4 Citrine dragons and 1 Shadow dragon card from the dragon deck, and set the remaining cards in the dragon deck aside. Form a Loyalty deck of Citrine and Shadow dragons as indicated below: Loyalty Deck Setup 46 Number of Players Remove any remaining Citrine dragons from the game. Deal Loyalty Cards: Number of Citrine Dragons Number of Shadow Dragons 3 2 1 4 3 1 5 4 1 Shuffle the Loyalty deck and deal each player 1 card face down (this should be all cards in the loyalty deck). Players should examine these loyalty cards, careful to keep them secret from the other players. A Shadow dragon loyalty card indicates that you are the traitor, while a Citrine dragon loyalty card indicates that you are a loyal dragon master. These cards will remain face down in front of each player until the end of the game.
Setup Dragon Deck: Set aside a number of Evil or Good dragon cards depending on the number of players shown below, then shuffle the remaining dragon cards to form the Dragon deck. See the Dragon Reference Sheet for details on dragon names and alignments. There are 5 Evil dragon types and 5 Good dragon types. (You can easily remember this because all left facing dragons will be considered Evil, including the Hydra, and right facing dragons are considered Good, including the Forest dragon who looks over his left shoulder. Good Evil Number of Players Dragon Deck Setup Number of Good Dragons to Remove Number of Evil Dragons to Remove 3 3 0 4 0 0 5 0 2 47
Gameplay Mission/Round Sequence: 1) Deal Deal each player 3 Dragon cards from the Dragon deck, face down. 2) Discard Each player takes their hand of 3 cards, and discards 1 card of their choice to the discard pile, face down. 3) Pass Each player then passes the remaining 2 cards to the adjacent player, face down. The first turn passes clockwise, alternating pass direction each round. 4) Play Each player plays 1 card to the middle of the table face down, indicating the card they wish to resolve. The remaining card in hand is discarded face down to the discard pile. 5) Reveal Take the face down cards played and shuffle them, then reveal the cards one at a time. 6) Resolve After all cards are revealed, for each Moon dragon revealed, discard one Evil dragon face down to the discard pile. If at least one Evil dragon remains in the revealed cards, the Traitor succeeded. Otherwise, the Loyal players succeed. If the Traitor succeeded, place one of the Evil dragons face up as a reminder in the center of the table in a scoring row. If the Loyal players succeeded, place one of the Good dragons face-up as a reminder in the center of the table in a scoring row. Any, and all Moon dragons that are revealed should be discarded out of the game and not to the discard pile (you may not include a revealed Moon dragon for the rest of the game!). 48
Details Dragon Deck: If you run out of cards to deal from the Dragon Deck, shuffle the discard pile and form new a new Dragon deck, and continue dealing. Good Dragons: Good dragons are trying to save the kingdom and aid the Loyal Dragon Masters. Good dragons are represented by dragons facing right (plus the Forest dragon). The Loyal Dragon Master players are trying to get Good dragon cards resolved and scored, prevent Evil dragon cards from being played, and suc- Evil Dragons: Evil dragons are trying to infiltrate and destroy the kingdom, and are represented by dragons facing left (Clarification: The three headed Hydra faces left and is Evil, the Forest dragon looks over his left shoulder and is Good). The Traitor player is trying to get Evil dragon cards resolved and scored, failing the loyalist s missions (and thus completing theirs). Moon Dragons: Moon dragons possess the powerful ability to see disguises, and can negate an Evil dragon. Each Moon dragon played in a mission negates 1 Evil Dragon. However, once used, Moon Dragons are removed from the 49
Game End When one side has won 3 missions, the game ends and you continue to the Accuse Phase. Accuse Phase: In the Accuse Phase, at the count of three, each player will point, and accuse one player of being the traitor. If the majority of players accuse one player, flip that player s loyalty card. If there is a tie vote, skip the remainder of the accuse phase. If the traitor is successfully accused, award the loyal players an extra 1 mission win. This may win the game for the loyal players even if the traitor player won 3 missions in the game. Each game is played until on side has won 3 missions. Victory! Then, each player will vote to accuse a traitor, and if the traitor is successfully accused, the loyal dragon masters get an extra mission win added to their score. The winning team is the team that has won the most missions. The loyal players win ties. 50
Subitus Wyrm By Robert Burke 3-6 Players Summary A personal interaction bluffing game, where you attempt to deceive a single player at a time. Mechanics Bluffing Objective Be the first player to acquire 3 of a kind Matching Dragons or the most dragons total once the deck is depleted. Setup Shuffle the Deck Deal 3 cards to each player Each player selects 2 and discards 1 face up to a discard pile The most untrustworthy player goes first, or alternatively, the oldest player 51
Gameplay You may not make a claim that requires the first card to be revealed in order to verify the second. i.e.: Both of these cards are exactly the same. Instead, you would need to say something like, Both of these dragons are 3-headed Hydras. 52 1. The first player (the passer) chooses any other player (the receiver) to make a claim to. a. Subitus: If you have less dragons than every other player. You can demand the right of Subitus, and the passer must choose you as the receiver this round. This cannot be used twice in a row. 2. The passer passes 2 cards, face down on the table to the receiver and makes a claim about the 2 cards that links them together such as: Both of these dragons face to the left. One of these dragons has three heads one does not. Both of these dragons have glowing eyes. One of these dragons faces left and one faces right. The player whom the cards are passed too has a few choices: Believe the Player: and say I believe you - and then flips over BOTH cards If the passer s statement was TRUE you win both cards and place them face up in front of you. If the passer s statement was FALSE the player who passed you the cards wins both cards, and places them face up in front of them. Call the Player Out: and say I don t believe you - and then flips over BOTH cards If the passer s statement was FALSE you win both cards and place them face up in front of you. If the passer s statement was TRUE the player who passed you the cards wins both cards, and places them face up in front of them.
Gameplay (cont.) Believe or Call Out the Claim,and Flip Over Only ONE Card: i.e.: I do not believe you have two red dragons, I do believe you have two 3-headed dragon, I do not believe both of your dragons face to the left, I do believe both of your dragons are facing left, etc) Tip: Be specific! If the card you flip over proves you are correct, you take the card and put it face up in front of you, and may then trade any card you have won (including the one you have just won) for any other face up card on the table in front of ANY player. If the card you flip over proves you are incorrect, the passer takes the card and puts it face up in front of them. If the card you flip over does not prove you correct or incorrect, leave it face up. It remains, and will be won in the next step. Now the passer may look at the remaining card again, and make a claim about it (it could be the same OR different). This claim only applies to the one remaining card. You must either agree or disagree with the claim. If you are correct (either way) you gain the card, or both cards if the first card is face up and unclaimed. Put the card(s) won face up in front of you. If you are incorrect (either way) the passer takes and puts the card(s) face up in front of them, and may then trade any card they have won for any other face up card on the table. This may include one they just won. The last player to be correct in the chain is now the passer for the next round, and the previous passer draws 2 cards. 53
Game End The first player to gain 3 matching dragons wins. If all cards are played, and no player has won, the player with the most cards wins. If there is still a tie, tied players win. For a longer game, play to gain 4 matching dragons In this case, if the deck runs out, reshuffle the discard, and play until someone has 4 or the deck runs out a second time. If there is any argument about a claim (That dragon is not facing left!) all non-involved parties vote with a thumbs up or thumbs down, and the simple majority decision is final. If tied, rock, paper scissors between the passer and receiver decides. 54
Dragon Duel By Robert Burke 2 Players Summary In Dragon Duel, players will place dragons on 3 different battlefields (left, middle and right) in order to defeat their opponent. When a battlefield is won, the winning player collects all the cards on that battlefield - their own, and their opponent s, then places them all in their win pile off to the side. The first player to 21 dragons, or to have the most dragons when the deck is expended, wins. Mechanics Area Control, Hand Management, Take-that Objective Acquire 21 dragons or the most dragons by game s end. Setup 1. To start the game, shuffle, then deal out all dragon cards so that each player starts with 20. Each player then shuffles all their dragon cards together, and randomly draws 5, creating a draw deck with their remaining cards. The first player to state they are first player, is the first 2.player, otherwise the older player is the first player. 55
Gameplay 1. The first player places a single dragon card on 1 of 3 battlefields - Left, Middle or Right. There is no board, so you ll need to imagine the battlefields. Just separate the table into 3 sections in your mind - left, right and middle. Alternatively, you can create the battlefields by using pencils, string, or any other handy items that can be used as battlefield borders. You will need 2 dividers to create 3 battlefields. Player 2 Card Spots Player 2 Card Spots Divider 1 Divider 2 Battlefield 1 Battlefield 2 Battlefield 3 Player 1 Card Spots Player 1 Card Spots 2. 3. Details 56 After the first player places 1 dragon, their opponent must play 1 dragon on their side, on any battlefield they wish. A player may always play on any battlefield they wish as long as there is room. Play alternates back and forth like this 1 card at a time until all 5 cards in hand have been played by both players. A player may not play more than 2 cards on any 1 side of their battlefield.
Details (cont.) While good dragons are stronger, when an evil dragon is played, a special ability is triggered. Be sure not to forget to use them! (See the Evil Dragon Special Abilities section) Once all dragon cards are placed, each battlefield should be resolved by the first player from their left to right (Left, Middle, Right) Once resolved, if there is no winner, both players draw 5 more cards, and play another round with the second player from the previous round becoming the first player. Use the following dragon rank and resolution rules to resolve each battlefield. Platinum Citrine Good Moon Star Forest Lowest rank to highest Weaker Stronger Undead Ice Shadow Evil Sun Hyrda 57
Gameplay 1. 1 Dragon vs. 1 Dragon (strongest to weakest) Highest ranking good dragon. Highest ranking evil dragon. 2. Any pair beats any 1 dragon. 3. 4. Winner! Loser Pair vs. Pair (strongest to weakest) Highest ranking pair of identical good dragons. Highest ranking pair of identical evil dragons. Highest ranking good dragon in a non-identical good dragon pair. Highest ranking evil dragon in a non-identical evil dragon pair. Highest ranking good dragon in a good/evil dragon pair. Highest ranking evil dragon in a good/evil dragon pair (if good dragon is the same). Any opposing identical single dragon or pair is a tie - discard these cards out of the game. 58
Evil Dragon Special Abilities Undead Dragon: Place an undead dragon - draw a card from your deck, then reshuffle any card from your hand into your deck - if you have no cards to draw, the Undead dragon does nothing. Ice Dragon: Prevents any and all future opponent evil dragon abilities at this location from occurring, including preventing an opponent s Hydra, at the same location as the Ice dragon, from counting at an adjacent location. Shadow Dragon: You may replace a dragon on your opponent s side with your Shadow dragon - take the dragon you have taken from your opponent, and place it on your side anywhere there is room. The ability of the dragon you take does not trigger. Sun Dragon: Place a Sun dragon - draw a card from your points pile, then discard a card from your hand to your points pile. If you have no points, the Sun dragon does nothing. Hydra Dragon: Also counts on an adjacent location where only 1 of your dragons exist. 59