Draco Mundis

Draco Mundis Rulebook

Table of Contents

Box Contents

One game board.
80 Tokens (11 characters, 1 item and 8 grounds for each of the 4 colors).
4 Game helps/screens.
1 Rulebook.

Goal of the Game

The winner is the player with the most Victory Points at the end of the game. The various ways of scoring these Victory Points are explained later in this booklet.

Game Phases

The game is divided in two main phases:

The first phase takes place during game setup. This phase may take a bit of time as it's during this phase that players prepare their strategies.
The second phase takes place during the game itself. Players will reveal the tokens, move, fight, etc. The game ends when all the tokens on the board are "face up".

Game Setup

Place the board in the middle of the table.

For 2 players, use only the right section of the game board.
For 3 players, use the center and right sections of the board.
For 4 players, use the entire game board.

Each player takes a screen and unfolds it in front of him.

Each player then selects a color and takes all tokens of that color except for the Dragon Trap. He puts the tokens "face up" behind his screen. Randomly select who will be the first player to go during the setup phase.

Starting with the first player and going clockwise, players will select a token from behind their screens and place it, "face down", on any free square on the game board.

The only tokens which must be placed "face up" are each player's 2 Explorer tokens!

You're not supposed to place your own Campsite token next to your own Bengali Tiger Territory. It'll knock Victory Points off your score at the end of the game (it's not the best place to set up a camp!).

When the players have placed all of their tokens, the first player can begin the first game turn.

Optional rule: To speed up the game setup phase for your first few games, you can, if everyone agrees, let players place 2 tokens instead of 1 on their turn.

Game Turn

On his turn, a player can take up to two of the following actions:

Secretly look at a "face down" token adjacent to (but not diagonal to) one of his "face up" character tokens and then put it back "face down".
Move one of his "face up" character tokens.
Turn "face up" a token adjacent to one of his "face up" character tokens.
Start a fight.
Re-orient one of his "face up" character tokens.
Activate the special ability of one of his "face up" character tokens.
Turn "face up" any "face down" token on the game board (under certain conditions).

A player can take the same action twice during his turn.

A player must take at least one action on his turn.

Diagonals are never taken into account in this game!

Action 1 - Secretly Look at a Token

First, you must announce that you will be looking at a token and point out which one. You can secretly look at any token (no matter its color) adjacent (but not diagonally adjacent) to one of your "face up" character tokens. Put the token back "face down" after having looked at it.

Action 2 - Move a "Face Up" Character Token

Each character token has numbers written in arrows on its sides. Some character tokens don't have arrows on each of their sides. A character can only move in the directions given by these numbered arrows. In each of these directions, the number gives the maximum amount of squares a character can move.

For example, the Journalist can only move one square sideways or forward, while the Biplane can move in all 4 directions and 4 squares forward, but only 1 backwards.

A character never has to use his full movement.

During his movement, a character cannot enter a square which already holds another character token (no matter what its color). A character can enter a square containing a terrain token, but must immediately end his move there.

Characters can never enter a square containing a "face down" token.

Action 3 - Turn "Face Up" a Token Adjacent to a "Face Up" Character Token

First, you must announce that you are turning over a token and point out which one.

You can turn over "face up" any token adjacent (not diagonally) to one of your "face up" character tokens. The revealed token may be of any color. The player revealing the token picks its orientation.

If the revealed token is an opponent's character, he becomes the target. The player who has revealed him MUST start a fight against that target (see the Start a Fight section). This fight is mandatory and does not count against the two actions of that player for the turn.

Action 4 - Start a Fight

You can start a fight when one of your "face up" character tokens is adjacent (not diagonally) to an opponent's character token.

First, you must announce which character is the target. Then, all your characters who are adjacent to the target MUST attack the target (so a maximum of 4 attackers). Each character has a combat value given at the bottom right of his token. Add together the combat values of all attacking characters and compare that result to the combat value of the target. The player with the highest combat value wins the fight and removes from play all enemy character tokens who have taken part in the fight.

The winning player takes all the eliminated character tokens and places them in front of him. These tokens are worth Victory Points at the end of the game.

In case of a tie between combat values, nothing happens.

Action 5 - Reorient a "Face Up" Character Token

You can turn one of your character tokens "face up" and reorient him as you want. The character token remains on the same square.

Action 6 - Activate the Special Ability of a "Face Up" Character Token

Some characters have special abilities which you can activate as an action. These special abilities are detailed later in the Token Descriptions section.

Action 7 - Turn "Face Up" Any "Face Down" Token on the Game Board

This action can only be undertaken once per turn per player, and only if one of the following 3 conditions is fulfilled:

You no longer have any "face up" character tokens of your color on the game board OR
None of your "face up" characters can move or reveal new tokens anymore OR
There are 6 or fewer "face down" tokens remaining on the game board (regardless of color).

If at least one of these 3 conditions is fulfilled, you can turn "face up" any "face down" token (regardless of color) on the game board and choose its orientation.

End of Game

The game ends when all of the tokens on the game board are revealed, "face up". If this happens on the current player's first action, he still ends his turn by taking his second action.

Each player then counts the Victory Points (VP) earned throughout the game using the list below. The player with the highest total of Victory Points wins the game.

Counting Victory Points

Your Journalist is in an opponent's Campsite at the end of the game: +7 VP
For each opponent's Campsite destroyed: +5 VP
For each opponent's Dragon eliminated: +3 VP
For each opponent's character eliminated: +1 VP
For each character token you control on a Jungle token (no matter what its color) at the end of the game: +2 VP
For each character token you control on a Mountain token (no matter what its color) at the end of the game: +1 VP
If you have placed your Bengali Tiger Territory on a square adjacent to your Campsite at the beginning of the game: -5 VP

Token Descriptions

The number in parentheses is how many tokens of each type each player has at the beginning of the game.

Characters

Explorer (2) These are your two "face up" character tokens at the beginning of the game. Everything will start with them. They have no special ability, other than they must be placed "face up" during the game setup phase. Depending on the color of the chosen tokens, the drawing of the Explorers change.

Journalist (1) The Journalist can never be attacked (freedom of press and all that!). If it is ever revealed by an opponent's character, it does not become the target and a fight does not occur. However, if the Journalist reveals an opponent's character, then it must start a fight. If character tokens are adjacent to the target, they must take part in the fight. All the same, the Journalist must take part in a fight if it is adjacent to the target during a fight started by another character.

The Journalist can enter opponent's Campsite. A Journalist token on an opponent's Campsite at the end of the game is worth +7 VP.

Hunter (1) The Hunter can enter in his own Campsite to protect it from any potential intruders. As long as the Hunter is in his Campsite, he has a +1 bonus to his combat value.

A Hunter in a Campsite must be eliminated in a fight for a Journalist to enter that Campsite.

Sherpas (2) Sherpas do not have any special abilities.

Dragon (2) Other than the fact that Dragons are the most powerful characters, they are worth +3 VP when they are eliminated.

Cannibal (1) The Cannibal can capture an opponent's character by moving onto its token. The combat value of the Cannibal alone (without the help of friendly characters) must be equal to or greater than the combat value of the character he is trying to capture (not counting bonuses or penalties to combat values offered by terrain tokens like the Swamp or the Mountain). When the Cannibal moves, he always does so with his prisoner beneath him. A prisoner is freed if the Cannibal holding him is eliminated in a fight. A Cannibal never abandons his prisoner. A Cannibal cannot capture another Cannibal. If the Cannibal fights, the combat value of the prisoner is not added to his.

Biplane (1) The Biplane can fly. This means that, during its movement, it can move through all character and terrain tokens without stopping. It can also cross squares which contain "face down" tokens. It can never end its movement on a character, a "face down" token or the Bengali Tiger Territory. It must always end its movement on an empty square or terrain token.

SS307 Machinegun (1) The SS307 Machinegun can destroy an adjacent opponent's Campsite. This takes an action. Remove the Campsite from the game board and place it in front of the player who has destroyed it. A character staying in the Campsite is not eliminated. Remove the Campsite token and leave the character token.

The SS307 Machinegun cannot enter a Mountain square.

The SS307 Machinegun is considered to be a character.

Terrain

Other than in a few rare exceptions, a character can always enter an unoccupied (without a character token already on it) "face up" terrain token. Put the character token on top of the terrain token, making sure to leave the terrain symbol visible.

Characters cannot cross terrain in a single move (except the Biplane). As soon as a character enters a terrain square, his movement ends. The player must use another action if he wants to take his character out of the terrain.

Campsite (1) The only characters allowed to enter a Campsite are the Journalist and the Hunter:

The Journalist can enter opponent's Campsite if there are no characters on it.
The Hunter can enter into his own Campsite if there are no characters on it.

A Hunter in a Campsite gains a +1 bonus to his combat value.

An SS307 Machinegun adjacent to an opponent's Campsite can destroy that Campsite using an action (+5 VP).

Mountain (2) A character on a Mountain token gains a +1 bonus to his combat value.

Each character on a Mountain token at the end of the game is worth +1 VP to the player controlling him (no matter what the color of the Mountain token).

The SS307 Machinegun cannot enter a Mountain square.

Jungle (2) Each character in the Jungle at the end of the game is worth +2 VP to the player controlling him (no matter what the color of the Jungle token).

Swamp (2) A character in the Swamps suffers from a -1 penalty to his combat value.

Bengali Tiger Territory (1) No character can enter the Bengali Tiger Territory (no one wants to tangle with this ferocious beast). The Biplane is the only character able to cross the Bengali Tiger Territory, but it cannot stop there.

During the setup phase, a player should not place his Bengali Tiger Territory next to his Campsite. If he does so, that player would get a -5 VP penalty at the end of the game.

Maximum Number of Tokens per Square

A given square cannot contain more than one character and terrain at any time (with the exception of the Cannibal, if he has a prisoner. In which case there may be 2 character tokens and 1 terrain token at any time).

Alternate Rules

Dragon Traps (1)

If the Dragons are too powerful for your taste, you can decide to play using the Dragon Traps.

Dragon Traps are items which can be pushed by other characters, and that, no matter what the color of the trap or of the character pushing it.

Thus, a character adjacent to a Dragon Trap can move it a number of squares indicated by the arrow on the side of his token touching the Dragon Trap. The character is moved at the same time, following the Dragon Trap.

A trap can be pushed on an empty square or containing a terrain token of the following sort: Jungle, Swamp or Mountain. It can never enter a square containing another character. A character cannot enter a square occupied by a Dragon Trap.

Any Dragon adjacent to one or many Dragon Traps sees his combat value reduced by -3 points.

Dragon Traps affect all Dragons; no matter what color the Dragon or the Dragon Trap.

Warpath

Once per game, each player may sacrifice one of his face-up Sherpas in play (this does not require an action). That player then gains an extra action for the current turn.