Dragons
Dragons Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Overview of the Game
The game is played in three or four rounds, each representing one year of a dragon's life.
On its turn, each dragon must either continue pillaging and amass more wealth, or take its share of the loot into its cave in the mountain.
The dragon with the best-looking loot at the end of the game is the winner.
Components
- 104 treasure cards
- 6 player aids
- 1 scoring pad
- 6 dragon figures
Setup
Each player takes a dragon figure and a player aid.
All cards are shuffled and divided into several roughly equivalent face-down decks, depending on the number of players:
- 3 or 4 players: divide all cards into 4 decks.
- 5 or 6 players: divide all cards into 3 decks.
One deck is placed in the center of the table, representing what dragons will plunder this year. The other decks are set aside for the moment.
Reveal as many cards from this deck as the number of players. Place them face up in a circle around the deck to start the treasure piles.
The youngest player goes first, and the game then continues clockwise.
How to Play
On their turn, a player must do one, and only one, of the following two actions:
- Draw a card and add it to a treasure pile.
- Place their dragon on a treasure pile.
1. Draw a Card
The active player reveals the first card from the deck and places it face-up on the treasure pile of his choice.
Note: Only the top card of each treasure pile is visible, and players are forbidden to look through the piles.
2. Place Their Dragon
The active player places their dragon figure on top of a treasure pile that does not already have a dragon. The player is out of the game until the end of the year.
Note: There cannot be more than one dragon on a pile and no card can be added to a pile with a dragon on top.
Last Remaining Player
When all players except one have chosen a pile, the last remaining player must take all the cards left in the last treasure pile and in the deck.
End of a Year
Players take their dragon figures back and arrange the cards of their chosen pile face-up in front of them, in clear view of everyone.
New Year
The next year's deck is placed in the center of the table. Reveal as many cards from this deck as the number of players to start the new treasure piles.
The player on the left of the last remaining player of the previous year starts the new round.
After the end of the last year, treasures are scored.
End of the Game, Elimination and Scoring
Players must first count how many animals they have before scoring their treasure.
In a 3- or 4-player game: The player who has the fewest animals (cows and sheep) in their treasure is eliminated and cannot win. If there is a tie, tied players are not eliminated.
In a 5- or 6-player game: Both the player with the fewest cows and the player with the fewest sheep are out of the game. If there is a tie for the fewest cows or the fewest sheep, tied players are not eliminated.
Note: If the same player has the fewest sheep and fewest cows, he is the only one out of the game.
Scoring the Treasure
Players take a scoring sheet and add up their points following these steps:
Gold Coins
Every coin in the treasure is worth 1 point.
The One Ring(s)
A single "one ring" is worth 7 points. If a player owns more than one "one ring", they score nothing.
Sword, Helmet, Shield, Breastplate
Every set of sword, helmet, shield and breastplate is worth 10 points.
Crown, Scepter, Bracelet, Necklace
Each set of 3 crowns, or 3 necklaces, or 3 scepters, or 3 bracelets is worth 10 points.
Pink and Blue Gems
The player with the most blue gems scores 12 points. The player with the most pink gems scores 12 points. In case of a tie, points are divided between tied players.
Note: Players who are out of the game because they did not have enough food are not taken into account for these majorities.
Polish
Each can of polish scores as many points as the number of cans the player owns.
Example: Raeghal has 4 cans of metal polish. They are worth 4 x 4 = 16 points. Falkor has only 1, it is worth 1 x 1 = 1 point.
Variants
Less memory: Play one more year.
Brain burning tactics: Arrange the cards in each treasure pile in a column, thus allowing players to see what is in the pile.
More control and some bluffing: Players start each year with one card in hand, hidden from the other players. When the active player draws a card, they first secretly take it in their hand, and play one of their two cards on a pile. At the end of the year, each player adds the card they have left in hand to their treasure.