Drako: Aetherya Pocket
Drako: Aetherya Pocket Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Goal of the Game
In "DRAKO – Aetherya Pocket," the players explore wild lands and build a Kingdom made up of varied Terrains, populated by diverse creatures and Tribes.
They will try to score as many Harmony points as possible by arranging their Kingdom cards as well as they can, while also acquiring Legend cards, which also generate Harmony points.
The player who has the most Harmony points at the end of the game is declared the legendary hero of the world of DRAKO.
Presentation of the Components
DRAKO includes 1 "Scores" pad, 4 player aids, and 95 cards distributed as follows:
I. The Kingdom Cards
There are 80 "Kingdom" cards, comprising:
A. Terrain cards (8 Plains, 8 Forests, 8 Mountains, and 8 Marshes)
B. Tribe cards (8 Humans, 8 Elves, 8 Dwarves, and 8 Goblins)
C. Special cards (8 Magic Portals and 8 Dragons)
A. The Different Types of Terrain Cards
- Plain
- Mountain
- Forest
- Marsh
B. The Different Types of Tribe Cards
Example (Human tribe card): a tribe card shows the tribe icon and value, the tribe's preferred Terrains with the Harmony points they generate, a War Banner icon, and a Terrain Penalty icon.
- War Banner (indicates the tribes that trigger a war: −2 Harmony points per conflict. See Conflicts, page 11)
- Terrain Penalty (indicates the type of Terrain that generates a penalty: −1 Harmony point)
Preferred Terrains of the Tribe (indicates the Harmony points generated depending on the type of Terrain)
- Elf
- Dwarf
- Goblin
C. The Different Types of Special Cards
- Magic Portal
- Dragon — shows the Harmony points (positive or negative) awarded for each Dragon card in your Kingdom
Symbols found only on Portal and Dragon Special cards:
- The "Lock" symbol indicates that once placed in a Kingdom, this card cannot be replaced (see Special Cards, pages 11 and 12).
- The "Goblins Forbidden" symbol indicates that Goblins are forbidden from using it (see Special Cards, pages 11 and 12). In truth, they're just too stupid for it... but that stays between us!
II. The Legend Cards
There are 15 different "Legend" cards.
They allow players to earn additional Harmony points at the end of the game (see Scoring, pages 14 and 15).
The link/chain symbol indicates that the cards concerned (here, 3 Mountains) must be connected to each other (orthogonally adjacent) for the Legend to be validated.
Number of Harmony points the card awards to its holder (from 2 to 4 depending on the Legend card)
These cards represent events that the players will try to trigger in their Kingdom in order to take possession of them (a kind of objective; see Acquiring Legend Cards, page 12).
Preparation & Setup
I. Preparing the Components
Depending on the number of players, certain Kingdom cards are not used and are put back in the box. Refer to the number of small white diamonds shown on the back of the cards, indicating the number of players (see below).
- At 2 players, keep only the cards with 2 diamonds
- At 3 players, keep the cards with 2 and 3 diamonds
- At 4 players, keep all Kingdom cards (2, 3, and 4 diamonds)
Shuffle the remaining Kingdom cards, then do the same with the 15 Legend cards.
II. Setup
1. Form a pile of Legend cards (the draw pile), face down, and place it in the center of the table (see example below).
Draw 8 of them and lay them out face up so as to form 2 rows of cards, which we will call the "River" (see below).
2. Form a second draw pile, face down, with the Kingdom cards, and place it also in the center of the table.
Each player draws Kingdom cards until they have 4 different ones, then puts the excess back into the draw pile. Once every player has drawn their 4 cards, the draw pile is reshuffled.
The 4 cards drawn this way are placed face up in front of the player so as to form a 2×2 square (see example below). This forms the base of their Kingdom, and they may arrange them however they like before the game begins.
3. Each player then draws 12 additional Kingdom cards and places them, without looking at them, face down, around the 4 base cards of their Kingdom. This forms a Kingdom made up of 16 cards (a 4×4 square, see below).
By convention, we call the unrevealed Kingdom cards the "Unexplored Territories."
4. Draw the first card from the Kingdom card draw pile and place it, face up, right next to it. This card forms the first card of the "Discard" pile.
Note: when the Kingdom card draw pile is exhausted, set aside the last discarded card (it becomes the new Discard pile). Shuffle the other cards to form a new draw pile.
Reminder: at 2 players, the cards mentioning 3 and 4 players have been set aside.
Example Setup for 2 Players
The example shows Sophie's Kingdom (a 4×4 grid of Kingdom cards, some revealed, most face down as Unexplored Territories) and Jordan's Kingdom laid out the same way, with the Legend card draw pile, the River (available Legends), and the Kingdom card draw and discard piles between them.
Principle & Sequence of Play
The principle is simple: at the start of their turn, a player draws a card, then replaces or reveals a card, and ends their turn by discarding a card. Play continues this way until a player has revealed the last "Unexplored Territory" card of their Kingdom (see End of the Game, page 14).
The oldest player at the table is declared first player. Starting with them, each player takes a turn in clockwise order.
On their turn, a player must therefore draw: either the first card of the Kingdom draw pile, or the first card of the Discard.
- If they choose the Discard card, they must necessarily place it in their Kingdom by replacing one of its cards (whether an Unexplored Territory or not). The replaced card is then placed on the discard pile, face up.
- If the player chooses to draw the first card of the Kingdom draw pile, they must decide:
- To keep this card (they then proceed as above).
- To not keep it. They then place this card, face up, on the Discard, and must reveal one of their Unexplored Territory cards.
Important: it is forbidden to replace an already-revealed card with another card of the same kind. For example, if I draw a Forest, I may not replace an already-revealed Forest card with it.
Reminder: Portal and Dragon cards have a "Lock" symbol and can never be discarded once in play (see page 4).
Example: I Draw a Dwarf Tribe Card
1. I want to keep it. I choose to discard the Plain in order to place my Dwarf Tribe there instead. I could also have chosen to discard an Unexplored Territory card in order to place my Tribe there.
2. I do not want to keep the Dwarf Tribe I just drew. I place it face up on the discard pile and I must reveal one of my Unexplored Territory cards. Here, I reveal a Human after having discarded my Dwarf.
Harmonizing Your Kingdom
Each Tribe has its preferred Terrains, which earn it Harmony points if they are adjacent (orthogonally neighboring):
- Elves like Forests and gain 2 points per Forest, but lose 1 point per Marsh (they have delicate nostrils, you see).
- Dwarves thrive (or not) in Mountains (2 points per Mountain).
- Goblins are the only ones who thrive in Marshes (you don't say...) (3 points per Marsh).
- Humans prefer to settle in Plains (2 points per Plain) but can also live in Forests and Mountains (1 point for each Forest/Mountain). They do not, however, like Marshes (no wifi there) (−1 point per Marsh).
For a Tribe to be in harmony and earn you points, it is enough for its card to be placed next to its preferred Terrain.
Note that placing a Terrain next to another Terrain does not earn any Harmony points (though... see The 5 Types of Legends, page 13).
Important: in "Drako – Aetherya Pocket," cards placed diagonally to one another are not considered to be neighboring.
While placing a Terrain next to a Terrain of a different kind is not a problem, the same is not true for Tribes...
Conflicts
For each conflict in their kingdom at the end of the game, a player marks a penalty of 2 Harmony points. This penalty applies for each tribe in contact with each tribe it hates!
At the top right of each Tribe card appears one or more symbols corresponding to the Tribes hated by that tribe.
- Goblins hate everyone (they tolerate each other, which is already not bad, right?) and everyone hates Goblins.
- Dwarves and Elves hate each other (a dark story about jewelry, so I've been told...).
- There is no particular problem placing Humans near Dwarves, nor near Elves (for once that Humans are... human).
Special Cards
These cards have 2 special properties. Their use is strictly forbidden to Goblins (but we all know the "real truth"...) and they are locked: once placed in a Kingdom, it is strictly forbidden to replace them.
1. Dragons
They earn Harmony points at the end of the game if they have been tamed. For this, they must be connected to at least two Tribe cards of the same kind (excluding Goblins). If this is not the case, they remain wild, and their value is then subtracted from the player's score (a penalty).
The value of each Dragon depends on the number of Dragons present in your Kingdom (see Scoring, page 14).
Although it is discouraged, it is possible to have more than 3 Dragons in your Kingdom. However, beyond the 3rd Dragon, their value will automatically be counted as negative (even if they are tamed! See Scoring, page 14).
2. Magic Portals
They connect the 4 cards that are orthogonally adjacent to them, and can thus offer great opportunities by bringing Tribes closer to their preferred Terrain, for example.
Conversely, if used poorly, they can generate conflicts (see Conflicts, page 11).
It is possible to have several Portals adjacent to one another, which extends the connections with the other cards of the Kingdom even further.
Note: Goblins are unable to use Portals, but the other Tribes can! As a result, if a Goblin Tribe is separated from a Tribe it hates by a portal, there is a conflict (this also implies that, in this case, "Legendary Battle" Legends are valid. See opposite).
Acquiring Legend Cards
There are 5 types of Legend cards (see next page).
Legend cards earn Harmony points for whoever holds them at the end of the game.
On their turn, if a player meets the criteria of a Legend card, they may take it and keep it near their play area, face up.
The card that was taken is then replaced by drawing a new card from the corresponding draw pile, so that there are always 8 visible (unless the draw pile is exhausted).
Important: a player may only take one Legend card per turn, even if they meet the criteria of several cards.
Once the Legend card is in their possession, the player keeps it until the end of the game and is no longer required to meet the card's criteria in order to score its Harmony points. They may therefore rearrange and optimize their Kingdom afterward.
The 5 Types of Legend Cards
Tribes
You have at least 2 connected Human Tribe cards. A Human Kingdom is born!
There are 4 Legend cards of this type in the deck: one for each Tribe.
Warning: 2 Goblins separated by a portal do not validate the Goblin Tribe Legend, unlike Legendary Battle Legends.
Terrains
You have at least 3 connected Forests in your Kingdom. There are 4 Terrain Legend cards: one for each type of Terrain.
Alliance
At least one Human Tribe is connected to at least one Dwarf Tribe in your Kingdom.
An Alliance is established. There are only 2 Alliance cards in the deck: Human/Dwarf and Human/Elf.
Legendary Battle
You have at least 2 Goblin Tribes, each connected to at least one Dwarf Tribe, or 2 Dwarf Tribes, each connected to one Goblin Tribe. This is a Legendary Battle.
There are 4 cards of this type in the deck:
- Dwarves vs Goblins
- Humans vs Goblins
- Elves vs Goblins
- Elves vs Dwarves
The Four Tribes
All 4 Tribes are represented at least once in your Kingdom. This card is unique, and it is not necessary for the 4 Tribes to be connected.
End of Game & Scoring
As soon as a player reveals their last Unexplored Territory card, the game ends immediately. All unrevealed cards in the other Kingdoms are turned face up. It is no longer possible to acquire a Legend card at this point.
Calculate everyone's score using the score sheet, as follows:
-
Write each player's initials.
-
Points earned with Elves:
- 2 points for each Forest it is adjacent to
- −1 point for each adjacent Marsh
-
Points earned with Dwarves:
- 2 points for each adjacent Mountain
-
Points earned with Humans:
- 2 points for each adjacent Plain
- 1 point for each adjacent Forest
- 1 point for each adjacent Mountain
- −1 point for each adjacent Marsh
-
Points earned with Goblins:
- 3 points for each adjacent Marsh
-
Points earned for each Dragon: positive if tamed (connected to two Tribes of the same kind, excluding Goblins), negative if it remains wild:
Points per tamed Dragon:
- 1 Dragon = 3 points
- 2 Dragons = 5 points
- 3 Dragons = 6 points
Penalty per wild Dragon:
- 1 Dragon = −3 points
- 2 Dragons = −3 points
- 3 Dragons = −3 points
Beyond 3 Dragons, count −6 points per additional Dragon, even if tamed!
-
Points earned from Legend cards acquired during the game.
-
Penalties tied to conflicts (when two Tribes that hate each other are neighboring), note −2 points per conflict. The same Tribe connected to several hated Tribes incurs this penalty multiple times.
Reminder: watch out for Portals, which bring 4 cards into contact with each other!
Add up the score for each category; the player with the highest score wins the game. To break a tie between two players, compare their best score among the 7 categories. If the tie persists, compare the next-best score, and so on.
Scoring Example
In the score sheet example, Thomas (Th), Jordan (Jd), and Cécile (Ce) each total a score of 19, 23, and 23. Jordan is tied with Cécile.
Cécile's best score is 12 with her Goblins. Jordan, meanwhile, reaches 10 points with his Elves.
Cécile therefore wins, by a very narrow margin.
Following the order of the score sheet, for Jordan's (Jd) Kingdom:
Elves: 10 points (one Tribe in contact with 3 Forests: 3×2 points; the other Tribe in contact with 2 Forests: 4 points).
Dwarves: 4 points.
Humans: 8 points (the one at the top is in contact with 2 Forests and 1 Mountain: 3 points. The next one, with 1 Forest, 1 Mountain, and 1 Plain: 4 points. The one at the bottom only earns 1 point because it is in contact with a Plain via the Portal but loses 1 point because of the Marshes).
Goblins: 0 points (there are none here).
Dragons: 3 points. Only one Dragon is in this Kingdom. It is therefore worth only 3 Harmony points, counted as positive because the Dragon is tamed by the Humans (2 adjacent Tribes, one of them via the Portal).
Legends: none, so 0 points.
Conflicts: only one, between the Dwarves and the Elves, so −2 points.
The total score is therefore 23 points.
Credits
DRAKO© is a game by François Bachelart, published by Nostromo Édition SAS.
- Illustrations and graphic design: Julie Gruet
- Pictograms: Dorine Becker
- Proofreading and corrections: Thycia Libert
The author thanks the horde of testers who endured the test batches and allowed him to explore every corner of the kingdoms of Aetherya: Cécile, Claire, Sophie, Sylvain, Thomas, Sabrina, Jordan, Séverine, Chantale, Christophe, Eric, Alex, Yohan, Patricia, Stéphane, Evan, Julia, Max, Loïc, Christine, Murielle, Loup, Roger, Kaytniss, Thycia. Special thanks to Miss Aslaug, who wrote us a lovely prologue that was not originally part of the plan!