The Red Dragon Inn 7: The Tavern Crew
The Red Dragon Inn 7: The Tavern Crew Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- Warthorn Redbeard: 40-Card Character Deck, 15-Card Story Deck
- Molly: 40-Card Character Deck, 14-Card Stable Deck
- Jasper: 40-Card Character Deck
- The Wench: 40-Card Character Deck, 15-Card Special Reserve Deck
4 Player Mats, 30-Card Drink Deck, 1 Absorbent Towel Prize Card, 4 Fortitude Markers (red), 4 Alcohol Content Markers (clear), 50 Gold Pieces, 4 Fortitude Tokens, 4 Alcohol Tokens, 6 Deck Dividers, 2 Drink Coasters (note that the coasters are not used in game play - they're just for holding drinks!)
Object of the Game
Keep your Gold and stay conscious. If you run out of Gold, or if your Alcohol Content is ever greater than or equal to your Fortitude, you are out of the game.
Getting Started
Shuffle the 30-card Drink Deck and place it where everyone can reach it. Leave space for a discard pile next to the Drink Deck. (If you want to use more than 30 Drink Cards in the game, follow the rules for the Bar Deck Variant.)
Each player takes a player mat, a red marker, a clear marker, and one of the Character Decks.
Shuffle your Character Deck and place it next to the space labeled Deck on your player mat. When you must discard Character Deck Cards, place them next to the space labeled Discard on your player mat.
Take 10 Gold and place it near your player mat where everyone can see it. This is your "Stash." (For games with 2 players, take 8 Gold instead. For games with 7 or more players, take 12 Gold instead.) Put the extra Gold to the side. This is the "Inn."
Place the red marker on the 20 on your player mat. This is your Fortitude. Place the clear marker on the 0 on your player mat. This is your Alcohol Content.
Take a card from the Drink Deck and place it face down next to the space labeled Drink Me! This is your Drink Me! Pile. Do not look at the cards in your Drink Me! Pile yet.
Draw the top seven cards from your Character Deck. This is your hand. You may look at these cards, but you must keep them hidden from the other players.
Choose someone to go first.
On Your Turn
Your turn consists of four Phases, which must be played in order: Discard and Draw, Action, Order a Drink, Drink.
1. Discard and Draw
You may discard any cards from your hand that you do not want and then draw from your Character Deck until you are holding seven cards. You may not play any cards or effects until you have finished drawing cards.
If you draw the last card from your Character Deck, shuffle your discarded Character Cards and put them back on the Deck space on your player mat.
If you are holding seven or more cards you may opt to keep all of them and draw no new cards.
2. Action
You may play one Action Card. To play an Action Card, read the title of the card out loud and pick the affected player(s). Give other players a chance to respond to the card, then follow any instructions on the card and discard it next to the Discard space on your player mat.
If you play a "Gambling? I'm in!" card, you start a Round of Gambling (see "Gambling" below for more details).
If you cannot or do not want to play an Action Card, you don't have to.
3. Order a Drink
Take the top card from the Drink Deck and place it face down, without looking at it, on top of any other player's Drink Me! Pile.
If the Drink Deck runs out of cards, each player must pay the tavern 1 Gold to serve up a new round of Drinks. (See "More Drink Rules" below for details.)
4. Drink
Reveal the top card of your Drink Me! Pile, follow the instructions on the card and place it in the Drink Deck discard pile. Some of the instructions on Drink Cards are represented by icons:
- Gain [X] Alcohol Content
- Gain [X] Fortitude
- Add a Chaser — see "Chasers" under "More Drink Rules"
- Lose [X] Fortitude
If you don't have any cards in your Drink Me! Pile when you have to drink, you start to sober up; reduce your Alcohol Content by one.
Ending Your Turn
After your Drink Phase, the player to your left goes next.
Sometimes and Anytime Cards
Sometimes Cards can only be played under certain conditions. Each Sometimes Card tells you when it can be played in its text.
Some Sometimes Cards allow you to Negate or Ignore another card. These cards are described under "Negate and Ignore Effects" below.
You may play multiple Sometimes Cards in response to the same game event, even if they are multiple copies of the same card. However, you must play the cards one at a time and give your opponents an opportunity to respond to each one.
Anytime Cards may be played at any time, even if they interrupt another action.
Relevant Sometimes and Anytime Cards may be played in any phase of a turn, either before or after the special action for that phase. For example, you may play an Anytime Card during your Discard and Draw Phase before you discard and draw.
If two or more players would like to play Sometimes or Anytime Cards at the same time, see "Timing" below.
Losing the Game
Running Out of Gold
If you run out of Gold, you lose your place at the table and are on dish duty for the rest of the night. You are out of the game.
Passing Out
If your Alcohol Content is ever greater than or equal to your Fortitude, you fall unconscious and the remaining staff drags you to your room to sleep it off. Your Gold is divided between the Inn and any players still in the game. Split your Gold in half. One half, rounded up, goes to the Inn. What's left gets split evenly among the remaining players, with any remainder going to the Inn. You are out of the game.
If you run out of Gold or pass out, you don't lose immediately. First, finish resolving any cards that have been played but have not yet resolved. After these cards resolve, you have one last chance to play Sometimes or Anytime Cards to save yourself or attack others. If you can't save yourself, then you're out of the game.
If you have any cards in your Drink Me! Pile when you lose, put them in the Drink Deck discard pile.
It is possible for multiple players to lose at the same time. If this happens, first determine which players are passing out. Each of those players divides their Gold among the players who aren't passing out, as described above. After this, if any players have no Gold, they lose the game as well. This means that if one player passes out and another runs out of Gold simultaneously, the player who is running out of Gold could be saved by getting a share of the Gold from the other player!
If all remaining players would lose the game simultaneously, the game is a tie between those players.
Gambling
When a player plays "Gambling? I'm in!" as their Action, this starts a Round of Gambling.
When a Round of Gambling begins, normal play is suspended and each player must ante 1 Gold, putting it in the middle of the table (making sure not to get it confused with the Inn's Gold). This counts as "losing Gold" for the purpose of cards which affect that.
The player who started the Round of Gambling is currently winning ("in control" of the Round).
Play proceeds clockwise around the table from the player who started the Round. On your turn you may either play a Gambling or Cheating Card or pass.
Play a Gambling or Cheating Card: Playing either of these two types of card gives you control of the Round of Gambling. The card you play may have other effects, as well.
Pass: You may choose to pass instead of playing a card. You may pass even if you have a Gambling or Cheating Card that you could play (and it is often correct to do so!) If you pass, you are still in the Round of Gambling and may play Gambling or Cheating Cards later in the Round, as long as the Round does not end first.
Ending the Round
If you play a Gambling or Cheating Card and everyone else passes, the Round of Gambling ends, and you win. Take all of the anted Gold and add it to your Stash.
As soon as the last player passes, the Round of Gambling ends immediately. You may not play cards that would affect the Round after this point unless the card explicitly states that you can. In particular, The Wench's "Oh, I guess I thought that was my tip..." may not be played after the last player has passed.
If a card effect says that you win the Round, the Round ends immediately, and you take the anted Gold.
When the Round of Gambling is over, normal game play resumes. The player who started the Round moves on to their Order a Drink Phase.
Winning Hand!
"Winning Hand!" is a special Gambling Card, because only Cheating Cards (and a few specific other cards) can be used to take control after it has been played. If "Winning Hand!" is played and it is followed by a Cheating Card, then any Gambling or Cheating Card can be played next. Just remember:
- A Cheating Card can be played after anything.
- A Gambling Card can be played after anything except a "Winning Hand!"
Leaving a Round of Gambling
Some cards allow you to leave a Round of Gambling. If you leave a Round of Gambling, you cannot play Gambling or Cheating Cards for the rest of that Round, but you may still play Sometimes or Anytime Cards. You are no longer affected by cards that require you to ante, such as "I raise!" Any Gold that you previously anted stays in the pot.
If you play a card that requires players to ante, then immediately leave the Round (for example, with "Gambling? I'm in!" followed by "I'm a little busy right now!"), then the Round proceeds normally, but currently has no winner. If the Round ends before any player takes control, all anted Gold goes to the Inn.
Forcing a Player to Leave a Round of Gambling
Some cards force a player to leave a Round of Gambling. When a player is forced out of the Round, each player, including the one being forced out, has a chance to respond - for example, with an anti-cheat card like Warthorn's "The Red Dragon Inn doesn't tolerate cheaters! (Usually.)".
If there is ever only one player left in the Round, the Round of Gambling ends and the remaining player wins.
Running out of Gold During Gambling
If you run out of Gold during a Round of Gambling, you will remain in the game at least until the Round of Gambling ends, even if you leave the Round of Gambling or are forced out. Ignore any effects that force you to pay or ante Gold. If you do not win the Round of Gambling, you are out of Gold and out of the game!
If you play a card that would require players to ante, but you cannot ante (because you are out of Gold and cannot use a card like "Illusionary coin" from RDI 2), then no player is required to ante.
Gambling Example
On his turn, Warthorn plays "Gambling? I'm in!" to start a Round of Gambling.
The Wench plays "Wait a minute! Someone's playing with the drinks!" to leave the Round of Gambling. She does not have to ante, but she cannot play any Gambling or Cheating Cards for the rest of this Round.
Warthorn, Molly and Jasper each ante one Gold. Since Warthorn started the Round, he's winning (in control).
Molly goes next. She passes.
Jasper plays "I raise," a Gambling Card that forces all players in the Round to ante an additional Gold. Warthorn, Molly and Jasper each ante one more Gold (bringing the pot to 6 Gold). The "I raise" card also puts Jasper in control of the Round of Gambling, so he is now winning.
Warthorn plays "Winning Hand!" This is a special Gambling Card that can only be beaten by Cheating Cards. Warthorn is now winning.
Molly plays "Oops... I dropped my cards," a Cheating Card. Molly is now winning.
Jasper passes.
Warthorn plays "Gambling? I'm In!" In addition to starting a Round of Gambling, "Gambling? I'm in!" can be used during a Round to take control. Warthorn is now winning.
Molly passes and so does Jasper.
Warthorn wins the 6 Gold in the pot.
More Drink Rules
Running Out of Drinks
When you reach the end of the Drink Deck, each player must pay one Gold to the Inn to get the tavern to bring more Drinks.
After each player pays one Gold, shuffle the discarded Drink Cards into a new Drink Deck. This happens instantly, so the Drink Deck is never out of cards. Drink Cards that have been put on Drink Me! Piles remain where they are.
Drink Events
Some cards in the Drink Deck are Drink Event Cards. If you reveal a Drink Event Card, follow the instructions on the card. Cards that affect Drink Cards do not affect Drink Event Cards unless they specifically say that they do so.
Chasers
If you reveal a Drink Card that has the phrase "with a Chaser" in the title and the "+" mug icon, reveal the next card from the deck from which you revealed the previous Drink. If it's a Drink Card, add its effects to the original Drink. If it's another Drink with a Chaser, add its effects to the original Drink and continue this process.
If no cards remain in your Drink Me! Pile when you would reveal a Chaser from it, or if you reveal a Drink Event as your Chaser, there is no additional effect. Do not continue revealing cards, and if you revealed a Drink Event, discard it without taking its effects. You do not sober up if your Drink Me! Pile runs out while revealing Chasers.
The Drink Deck is never out of cards, so if you run out of cards while revealing Chasers from the Drink Deck, follow the Running Out of Drinks rule and then continue revealing Chasers.
The original Drink and its Chasers all count as a single Drink. A card that allows you to Ignore a Drink will Ignore the original Drink and all of its Chasers.
No player may respond to a Drink until all of its Chasers have been revealed.
Chaser Example 1: Jasper drinks from his Drink Me! Pile and gets Halfling Stout with a Chaser. He reveals the next card on his Drink Me! Pile and gets Dragon Breath Ale. He adds the effects of both Drinks, for a total Alcohol Content of 6. Jasper plays "Not now. Gotta bounce!" to Ignore the Drink, so he gains no Alcohol Content.
Chaser Example 2: During a Drinking Contest, Warthorn reveals Light Ale with a Chaser from the top of the Drink Deck. He reveals the next card from the Drink Deck and gets Round on the House! Since Round on the House is a Drink Event Card, it has no effect as a Chaser. Warthorn gains 1 Alcohol Content.
Discarding and Drawing
Some Drinks cause you to draw cards, discard cards or reveal cards from your Character Deck. If a Drink includes multiple such effects due to Chasers or other effects added to the Drink, resolve them in the order of your choice. However, you must fully resolve one such ability before moving on to the next - you may not interrupt one ability to resolve another.
Drinks That Aren't Discarded
Some cards, such as the Elixirs in the Wench's Special Reserve Deck, instruct you to do something with a physical Drink Card other than putting it in the Drink discard pile after it resolves. In certain cases, multiple players can end up being affected by such an effect, but only one of those players can move the physical card. If that happens, start with the player who controlled the Drink when it resolved, or the active player if the Drink had no single controller (like in the case of "Round on the House"). Then proceed in turn order among all players who were instructed to move the Drink, skipping any players who Ignored the Drink or passed it to another player. The first player in that order takes the indicated action with the physical card. If no player is eligible to take the action, the Drink goes to the Drink discard pile as normal.
Example: On his Drink Phase, Warthorn reveals Elixir of Alacrity. He plays "Here, finish my drink!" to split the Drink with Jasper. Warthorn and Jasper each gain 1 Alcohol Content. Since Warthorn is the first affected player in turn order, he puts the Elixir of Alacrity in front of him. Unfortunately for Jasper, he does not gain the benefit of the Elixir.
Ordering Additional Drinks
Some cards allow you to order additional Drinks during your Order a Drink Phase. When you do this, you may put the Drinks face down on any other players' Drink Me! Piles. They can all go to the same player, or they can be distributed however you like among multiple players.
Other Rules
Minimum and Maximum Fortitude, Alcohol Content, Gold
Your Fortitude and Alcohol Content can never go below 0 or above 20. Your Gold can never go below 0, but it has no maximum. If the Inn runs out of Gold Pieces, use some other markers as a substitute.
If a card effect cannot fully take effect due to these limits, the card still takes effect as completely as it is able.
Example: Warthorn is at 0 Alcohol Content. Fleck (from RDI 2) plays "And now I'm going to play something really sad" to make each player lose 1 Alcohol Content and pay him 1 Gold. Warthorn cannot lose 1 Alcohol Content, since he is already at 0, but he still must pay Fleck 1 Gold.
Cards That Affect Your Fortitude, Alcohol Content, Gold
Some cards specify that they can be played in response to a card that affects your Fortitude, Alcohol Content or Gold. A card affects one of these attributes only if it would directly change that attribute when it takes effect.
If a card would normally affect an attribute but can't because that attribute is already at its minimum or maximum value, the card is still considered to affect that attribute.
You may not Ignore a Round of Gambling with a card that allows you to Ignore a card that affects your Gold.
Example 1: Molly plays "Tip the Wench" to make Jasper pay 1 Gold to the Inn. In response, Jasper plays "Zzzzzzzz...", allowing him to Ignore the card, since it would directly change his Gold.
Example 2: Jasper reveals Wine on his Drink Phase. Dimli (from RDI 2) plays "Spike it with Firewater" to add 2 Alcohol Content to the Wine. Jasper may not play "Zzzzzzzz..." here, because Dimli's card is not changing Jasper's Alcohol Content directly—it is changing the effects of the Wine.
Example 3: Jasper reveals Dragon Breath Ale on his Drink Phase. He plays "Not now. Gotta bounce!" to Ignore the Drink. The Wench plays "I don't think so!" to Negate "Not now. Gotta bounce!" Jasper may not play "Zzzzzzzz..." here, because The Wench's card is not changing Jasper's Alcohol Content directly—it is Negating Jasper's card that would allow him to Ignore the Drink.
Example 4: Jasper wins a Round of Gambling. At the end of the Round, Gerki (from the original Red Dragon Inn game) plays "Um...I know you think you won, but..." to take the pot. Jasper may not play "Zzzzzzzz..." here, because Gerki's card is not directly changing Jasper's Gold. It is affecting the outcome of the Round of Gambling.
Negate and Ignore Effects
Some Sometimes Cards allow you to Negate or Ignore another card.
When you Negate a card, you completely prevent it from resolving. The Negated card goes to the appropriate discard pile. None of its effects happen.
When you Ignore a card, the card resolves normally, but it has no effect on you. It still affects other players as usual.
Negate Example: Jasper plays "Hey! Don't mess with the staff!" on Warthorn. Warthorn loses 2 Fortitude, then plays "Never mess with a dwarf!" to try to hit Jasper back. Jasper responds with "I don't think so!" Warthorn's card is Negated, so it has no effect. Jasper loses no Fortitude.
Ignore Example: Molly plays "Stampede!" to make Warthorn, Jasper and The Wench each lose 2 Fortitude. In response, Jasper plays "Zzzzzzzz..." to Ignore the card. Jasper does not lose Fortitude, but the other players do, since Molly's card affects them normally when it resolves. (And Molly must still pay 3 Gold to the Inn.)
Cards do not Negate or Ignore other cards unless they specifically use the word "Negate" or the word "Ignore." So, for example, cards which reduce or redirect damage, reduce Alcohol Content, or pass Drinks to other players are not Negating or Ignoring anything.
Many cards allow you to Ignore a Drink. You may only play a card of this type on a Drink that would affect you in some way. You may not Ignore someone else's Drink unless that player first passes it to you or splits it with you, or if you would somehow take effects from it.
Some cards allow you to Ignore a card that affects your Gold. You may not use such a card to avoid a Gold payment on a card that you played yourself. You may still use cards that reduce payments or pay with Gold from the Inn, however.
Timing
Whenever any card is played or a Drink or Event is revealed, each player (in turn order, starting with the player who played or revealed the card) may play relevant Sometimes Cards in response.
If no player has any response to a card, that card resolves and its instructions are carried out.
If a player plays a response to a card and that response resolves, each player (in turn order, as above) has another opportunity to respond to the original card. If no player does, the original card resolves.
Timing Example 1: Molly reveals Light Ale during her Drink Phase. She is holding "We'll save this one for later, right boy?", which would allow her to Ignore the Drink. She chooses not to play it, since the Drink only has an Alcohol Content of 1. Dimli (from RDI 2) plays "Spike it with Firewater" to add 2 Alcohol Content to the Light Ale. After Dimli's card resolves, Molly will have another opportunity to play "We'll save this one for later" to Ignore the spiked Light Ale, even though she previously chose not to respond.
If two or more players are instructed to reveal and drink Drinks at the same time (for example, with the Drink Event "Drinking Contest!"), they first reveal Drink Cards and Chasers, as appropriate. After that, in turn order (as above), players may play Sometimes Cards that modify Drinks. Anytime Cards may also be played here. When no player has any further responses, each player drinks their Drink simultaneously.
If two or more players wish to respond to the same game event with Sometimes or Anytime Cards, players should take back their plays, then play and resolve their Anytime Cards in turn order, beginning from the player whose turn it is. After that, they should play and resolve their Sometimes Cards in the same way.
If a situation arises in which two or more players are each waiting for the others to act before making a decision, the deadlock should be broken with a similar method. In turn order, beginning with the player whose turn it is, each player declares their choice, then the game continues normally.
Timing Example 2: Jasper is at 12 Fortitude and 10 Alcohol Content. On his Drink Phase he reveals Elven Wine. In order to keep from passing out, he plays "Not now. Gotta bounce!" to Ignore the Drink. The Wench (sitting to Jasper's left) and Warthorn (sitting to The Wench's left) each hold an "I don't think so!", and each suspects that the other is holding one. Both The Wench and Warthorn are interested in Negating Jasper's Ignore card, but neither wants to be the one to spend their critical "I don't think so!" To resolve the deadlock, first The Wench, then Warthorn must either play a response to Jasper's card or choose not to. If neither The Wench nor Warthorn decides to play "I don't think so!" on Jasper's card, he Ignores his Drink and remains in the game.
If two or more players wish to respond to sequential game events that occur as the result of a card being played, then players should take back their plays, then play them sequentially.
Timing Example 3: Molly plays "Stampede!" to make Warthorn, The Wench and Jasper each lose 2 Fortitude. At this point, Jasper wants to play "Zzzzzzzz..." to Ignore the effect and Warthorn wants to play "Never mess with a dwarf!" to hit Molly back. Since the game event of responding to Molly's card happens before the game event of players losing Fortitude, Jasper plays his card first. Once that takes effect, Molly's card resolves, causing Warthorn and The Wench to each lose 2 Fortitude, and causing Molly to pay 3 Gold to the Inn. At this point, Warthorn may play his card to hit Molly back.
"The Wench thinks you should stop playing with the drinks."
Negating or Ignoring a Drink, passing a Drink to another player, splitting a Drink, and increasing or decreasing a Drink's Alcohol Content are all considered changing the Drink's effects, so "The Wench thinks you should stop playing with the drinks" can be played in all of these cases.
"The Wench thinks you should stop playing with the drinks" cannot be used to Negate another copy of "The Wench thinks you should stop playing with the drinks."
"The Wench thinks you should stop playing with the drinks" cannot be used to Negate a card that orders you Drinks, gives you Special Reserve Drinks, forces you to drink, or directly increases your Alcohol Content.
"The Wench thinks you should stop playing with the drinks" cannot be used to Negate a card that affects a Drink Event Card.
The Wench's own "I think you should stop playing with the drinks" is functionally identical to other players' "The Wench thinks you should stop playing with the drinks."
Splitting Drinks
When a card is played that can split or duplicate a Drink, it creates separate, independent Drinks. A card that affects a Drink can only affect one of the split Drinks. If a Drink is altered before it is split, then the altered Drink is split.
Split Example 1: Warthorn reveals an Elven Wine (3 Alcohol Content). He plays "Here, finish my drink!", which splits the Drink into two Drinks with 2 Alcohol Content each (3 Alcohol Content split in half, then rounded up). Dimli (from RDI 2) then plays "Spike it with Firewater" to add 2 Alcohol Content one of the two Drinks. The result is one Drink with 2 Alcohol Content and another with 4 Alcohol Content.
Split Example 2: Dimli plays "Spike it with Firewater" as soon as the Elven Wine is revealed, making the Elven Wine a Drink with 5 Alcohol Content. Warthorn then plays "Here, finish my drink!", creating two Drinks with 3 Alcohol Content each.
To split a Drink with one or more Chasers, first combine all like numeric effects (Alcohol Content, Fortitude, drawing cards, etc.), then split each combined effect in half, rounding up.
Split Example 3: On Warthorn's Drink Phase, he reveals Elven Wine with a Chaser of Ale of Intrigue (Gain 2 Alcohol Content, draw 2 cards). He then plays "Here, finish my drink!" to split the Drink with Molly. Warthorn and Molly each gain 3 Alcohol Content and draw 1 card.
Mead and Fermented Orc Sweat
Mead and Fermented Orc Sweat are Drinks that have their own built-in split effects. When a player reveals one of these Drinks, players first get an opportunity to affect the Drink. When players are done affecting the Drink, the player who revealed it may choose a player with whom to split it. Players then have another opportunity to affect the split halves of the Drink. Because players have an opportunity to affect the Drink after it is split, the two players sharing the Drink could end up taking different effects from it!
Mead Example: Warthorn reveals Mead during his Drink Phase. No player alters the Drink, so he decides to split it with The Wench. This creates two copies of Mead with 2 Alcohol Content each (half of 3 rounded up). After this, Dimli (from RDI 2) plays "Spike it with Firewater" on The Wench's Mead, giving it a total Alcohol Content of 4. Each player then drinks their half, so Warthorn gains 2 Alcohol Content and The Wench gains 4.
If Mead or Fermented Orc Sweat is the result of a Drink Event Card or if either is revealed as a Chaser to another Drink, it may not be split with another player. The player drinking the Drink takes its full effects.
Round on the House
The card Round on the House is similar to a split effect, but is not considered a split effect. When a Drink is revealed for Round on the House, each player immediately receives a separate, independent copy of that Drink. Players do not have an opportunity to affect the Drink before it is copied, but may affect the individual copies afterward.
Drinking Contest
When a player reveals a Drinking Contest card, each player, starting with the player whose turn it is, reveals the top card of the Drink Deck. If that card is a Drink Event, it has no effect and counts as a 0 Alcohol Content Drink. If it is a Drink with a Chaser, the player continues revealing Drink Cards as appropriate. Once all players have revealed one or more cards from the Drink Deck, players may, in turn order, play Sometimes Cards that modify Drinks. Anytime Cards may also be played here. When all players are done playing cards, each player drinks and discards their Drink, then the player who revealed the Drink with the highest total Alcohol Content receives one Gold from each other player.
If two or more players tie for the Drink with the highest total Alcohol Content, the tied players repeat the process of revealing, modifying, drinking and discarding Drinks until there is a clear winner. If all tied players but one pass out during this process, the remaining player wins the Drinking Contest and does not continue drinking. If all tied players pass out during this process, the Drinking Contest has no winner.
If a player would win the Drinking Contest and pass out at the same time, that player collects Gold for winning the contest, then passes out.
If a player passes out during a Drinking Contest, that player loses the game, but does not split their Gold among the other players until after the Drinking Contest is completed. Players who lose the game in this way still must pay one Gold to the winner of the Drinking Contest before splitting their Gold.
Cards that increase or decrease the Alcohol Content of a Drink will affect the outcome of a Drinking Contest. If a Drink is split, Ignored, or given to another player, this does not affect the outcome of the contest. If a player somehow takes extra Drinks during a Drinking Contest (with a card like The Wench's "Drink up, before it goes flat!"), these extra Drinks do not affect the outcome of the Drinking Contest.
If a Drink's total Alcohol Content is less than 0 (such as Coffee), it counts as a 0 Alcohol Content Drink in a Drinking Contest. The Drink will still affect your Alcohol Content as normal.
Drinking Contest Example 1: In a Drinking Contest, Molly reveals Wine (2 Alcohol Content), and Jasper reveals Light Ale (1 Alcohol Content). The Wench plays "Playing with the drinks? That's my job!" to increase the Alcohol Content of Jasper's Drink to 2, causing his Drink to tie with Molly's. Molly and Jasper each gain 2 Alcohol Content, then the Drinking Contest continues.
Drinking Contest Example 2: In another Drinking Contest, Warthorn reveals Dragon Breath Ale (4 Alcohol Content), and Molly reveals Dark Ale (1 Alcohol Content). Warthorn plays "Here, finish my drink!" to split his Drink with Molly. Molly gains a total of 3 Alcohol Content and Warthorn gains 2 Alcohol Content, but Warthorn still wins the Drinking Contest.
If you run out of Gold during a Drinking Contest, you will remain in the game at least until the Drinking Contest is finished. Ignore any effects that force you to pay Gold. If you do not win the Drinking Contest, you are out of Gold and out of the game!
Drinking Contest Example 3: Molly has 1 Gold, and reveals a Drinking Contest on her Drink Phase. As Drinks are revealed by each player, the Drink Deck runs out, so everyone pays 1 Gold to the Inn to get a new round of Drinks. Molly pays her last Gold, so she will be out of the game if she does not win. She reveals a Dragon Breath Ale and wins the Drinking Contest, receiving a Gold from each other player and staying in the game.
Character Rules
Warthorn Redbeard
Setup: Shuffle your Story Deck and place it near the "Story Deck" space on your Player Mat.
Story Cards: Some cards in Warthorn's Character Deck have a pipe in the bottom right. When you play one of these Pipe Cards, immediately reveal the top card of the Story Deck and add its effects to the original card. No player may respond to the original card until after the Story Card is revealed and added to it.
The combined effects count as a single card of the Pipe Card's type. Long-time RDI fans note that this works the same way that Chasers and Wizgille's Gear Cards work.
Example: Warthorn plays "Hey! Pay attention!", targeting Molly. He flips up the top card of the Story Deck, revealing "Did I ever tell ya 'bout Serena's Paladin trials?", which allows him to pick a player to lose 2 Fortitude and draw 2 cards. He picks Jasper for the Story. Molly loses 2 Fortitude. Jasper loses 2 Fortitude and draw 2 cards.
If both the Pipe Card and its added Story allow Warthorn to pick a player, then he may pick different players for the card effects, or the same player for both. So, in the example above, Warthorn could have chosen to have Molly lose 4 Fortitude and draw 2 cards.
If a player Negates or Ignores the Pipe Card, they Negate or Ignore everything - the Pipe Card and its added Story.
Example: During Warthorn's Order a Drink Phase, he plays "Wench! A few drinks while I spin a yarn!" He flips up the top card of the Story Deck, revealing "Did I ever tell ya 'bout the time I single-handedly fought off bandits robbing the tavern?", a Story Card which causes each other player to pay him 1 Gold. Jasper plays "I don't think so!" to Negate the original Sometimes Card. As a result, Warthorn does not order any additional Drinks, and no one pays Warthorn Gold.
Stories that Aren't Discarded: Some of Warthorn's Story Cards instruct him to put the card in front of another player. Warthorn must do this, and he may put the card in front of any player, even one who Ignored the original card or who is Ignoring all effects due to a card like Jasper's "I think you need some fresh air."
Other Rules: If the Story Deck runs out, immediately reshuffle the Story Deck discard pile and use that as the new Story Deck.
Remember that ordering Drinks may not be Ignored. If a player Ignores a card that would order Drinks, they can still receive Drinks from that card.
Example: During Warthorn's Order a Drink Phase, he plays "Wench! A few drinks while I spin a yarn!" He flips up the top card of the Story Deck, revealing "Did I ever tell ya 'bout the time there was an explosion in the kitchen?" He picks Molly to lose 2 Fortitude. Molly plays "Not now, it's feeding time!" to Ignore the Fortitude loss. Molly loses no Fortitude, but Warthorn may still order Drinks for her.
Ignoring an Ignore effect does nothing. The original Ignore still takes effect.
Example: Warthorn reveals Dragon Breath Ale as his Drink. He plays "This drink reminds me..." to Ignore the Drink. His Story Card is "Did I ever tell ya 'bout the time there was an explosion in the kitchen?" He picks Molly to lose 2 Fortitude. He then plays "Nice helmet, Dimli! Sturdy, too!" so that he can Ignore the Fortitude loss to himself. Warthorn loses no Fortitude, but he still Ignores the Dragon Breath Ale.
Molly the Stablehand
Setup: Shuffle your Stable Deck and place it near the "Stable Deck" space on your Player Mat.
Mount Cards: the Stable Deck contains Mount Cards, representing the fantastical beasts running amok in the tavern that Molly must try to control.
Molly may have up to three Mounts in play at a time: one in the "Just Got Here" spot, one in the "Enjoying the Stay" spot, and one in the "About to Leave" spot. When a new Mount comes into play, it takes the "Just Got Here" slot, pushing the other Mounts to the right as necessary. A Mount that is pushed off the "About to Leave" spot is discarded.
Mount Types: Mounts come in three types. Their type is listed just below their name. Immediate Mounts take effect when revealed, then do nothing further other than stay in play. Passive Mounts have an ongoing effect while that Mount is in play. Mounts with the subtype "Sometimes" may be played as though they were Sometimes Cards in your hand. If you play a Sometimes Mount in this way, discard it.
Rivals: Some Mounts have a Rival - another Mount that they don't like. If you reveal a Mount with a Rival, and the listed Rival is already in play, follow the instructions in the Rival box on the Mount you just revealed (not the one already in play).
Revealing Mounts: There are two times when you reveal a Mount Card: at the beginning of your turn, and whenever a card resolves that has the horseshoe icon in the bottom right. In the latter case, reveal a Mount Card after all other effects on the card have been carried out.
When you reveal a Mount, follow these instructions in order:
- If the revealed Mount has a Rival and that Rival is currently in play, follow the instructions in the Rival box on the revealed Mount (not its Rival).
- If the revealed Mount is still in play and it has an Immediate effect, resolve that effect.
- Put the Mount in play, pushing the other Mounts down the line if necessary.
Example: Molly plays "Don't feed the animals!" on The Wench. The Wench loses 1 Fortitude, then Molly reveals Bert the Donkey from the Stable Deck. Bert has an Immediate effect, so she picks Warthorn to lose 1 Fortitude from Bert. Warthorn loses 1 Fortitude, then Molly places Bert in the "Just Got Here" slot above her Player Mat.
Pushing Mounts: A Mount coming into play pushes its neighbors down the line to the right. However, if you play a Sometimes Mount or if a Mount is discarded to a Rival effect, that can leave one of your Mount slots empty. In that case, revealing a new Mount causes other Mounts to be pushed to fill the empty space.
Example: Molly has three Mounts in play: Elandral the Unicorn in the "Just Got Here" slot, Kisses the Dire Mosquito in the "Enjoying the Stay" slot, and Bert the Donkey in the "About to Leave" spot. During her Drink Phase, Molly plays Kisses as a Sometimes Card to reduce the Alcohol Content of her Drink, so her "Enjoying the Stay" slot becomes empty. At the start of her next turn, she reveals Prajeet the Panther. Prajeet takes the "Just Got Here" slot, Elandral moves to the "Enjoying the Stay" slot, and Bert stays in the "About to Leave" slot.
Other Rules: If the Stable Deck runs out, immediately reshuffle the Stable Deck discard pile and use that as the new Stable Deck.
Fortitude loss that comes from a Mount does not count as coming from any player, so neither the Mount nor Molly can be hit back by cards that would allow a player to do so. In addition, Mount effects may not be Negated, Ignored, reduced, etc. unless a card specifically allows it.
Jasper the Bouncer
Jasper has no special mechanics, but he does have a unique card: "I think you need some fresh air." It allows him and another player to "leave the game" for a short time. See the Card-Specific Note for this card below for details.
The Wench
Setup: Shuffle your Special Reserve Deck and place it near the "Special Reserve Deck" space on your Player Mat.
Special Reserve Drinks: Some cards in the Wench's Character Deck cause her to give out Special Reserve Drinks. These are the fancier libations that are only brought out for the tavern's best customers!
To give a Special Reserve Drink to a player, place the top card of the Special Reserve Deck face down onto that player's Drink Me! Pile. The cards in the Special Reserve Deck are Drinks and Drink Events, and function just like any other cards of those types.
Always On Top: The Special Reserve Drinks on a player's Drink Me! Pile are always the top cards in that pile. If a regular Drink Card would be placed on a Drink Me! Pile above one or more Special Reserve Drinks, it is placed below those Special Reserve Drinks instead.
If a Drink Me! Pile that includes Special Reserve Drinks is shuffled or reordered, then the Special Reserve Drinks "float to the top" afterward.
Ignoring The Wench's Cards: If a player Ignores a card that would give them a Special Reserve Drink, they don't get that Drink. Note, however, that getting a Special Reserve Drink does not affect your Fortitude, Alcohol Content or Gold, so you generally would only be able to Ignore such a card if it also affects one of those attributes.
Example: The Wench plays "Sorry about the mess. This one is on the house.", targeting Warthorn. Warthorn plays "Nice helmet, Dimli! Sturdy, too!" to Ignore The Wench's card. Warthorn loses no Fortitude, discards no cards from his Drink Me! Pile, and does not get a Special Reserve Drink.
Elixirs: Five of the Special Reserve Drinks are Elixirs which have an effect after they are drunk. These cards stay in front of the player who drinks them. Note that a player may not keep an Elixir if they Negate or Ignore it, but they may keep it if they reduced its Alcohol Content, even if they reduced the Alcohol Content to 0.
If more than one player takes the effects of an Elixir, the first player in turn order who took effects from the Elixir gets to keep it. See "Drinks That Aren't Discarded" above for more details.
Other Rules: If the Special Reserve Deck runs out, immediately reshuffle the Special Reserve discard pile and use that as the new Special Reserve Deck. Players do not need to pay the Inn when this happens as they do for the regular Drink Deck. Special Reserve Drinks on players' Drink Me! Piles stay where they are.
During the Wench's Order a Drink Phase, she orders a Drink from the regular Drink Deck as normal. Special Reserve Drinks are only given out when a card from The Wench's deck specifically says to do so.
If a Special Reserve Drink would get shuffled into the Drink Deck, it gets shuffled into the Special Reserve Deck instead.
The Wench may not give herself a Special Reserve Drink, but it is possible for her to end up with one on her Drink Me! Pile due to cards like Warthorn's "I know what my patrons like!"
Variants
The Bar Deck Variant
The Red Dragon Inn is designed to be played with a 30-card Drink Deck, so that the deck will run out during the game and force everyone to pay Gold to the Inn. However, there are now many more than 30 unique Drink Cards available across all expansions. If you'd like to play with a Drink Deck of more than 30 cards, use this variant.
Setup: Shuffle together all of the Drink Cards you wish to use for the game. This is the Bar Deck. Count out 30 cards from the Bar Deck face down and use those cards as your Drink Deck at the start of the game.
When the Drink Deck runs out, each player pays 1 Gold to the Inn, as normal. Then, take the next 30 cards from the Bar Deck and use them as your replacement Drink Deck. If the Bar Deck runs out during this process, shuffle all of the discarded Drink Cards and use that as your new Bar Deck.
The Prize Variant
Some promotional cards, including Absorbent Towel in this product, have the type "Prize". The Prize Variant provides an optional way to spice up Rounds of Gambling. To play with this variant, add any number of unique Prize Cards to the Inn at the start of the game.
Whenever a player starts a Round of Gambling, that player must choose one of the Prize Cards in the Inn and add it to the pot before players ante. The player who wins the pot also takes the Prize and follows its instructions at the appropriate time.
Using a Prize will cause it to move to the Prize Bin, a holding pile for used Prizes. The Prize Bin ensures that each Prize must be won once before any Prize can be won again. If a player starts a Round of Gambling and there are no Prizes in the Inn, move all Prizes from the Prize Bin to the Inn, then choose a Prize as normal. If a player starts a Round of Gambling and there are no Prizes in the Inn and no Prizes in the Prize Bin, that Round of Gambling simply doesn't include a Prize.
If the pot goes to the Inn, the Prize in that pot goes to the Inn with it.
Stealing Gold from the Pot: A Prize is not Gold, so it cannot be stolen from the pot with cards like Eve's "Sleight of Hand" (from RDI 2). Stealing Gold from the pot does not cause you to win the Prize, even if you happen to steal the last Gold from the pot.
Taking the Pot Without Winning the Round: A few characters, including Gerki, Torglesnarf, and The Wench can take the pot without actually winning the Round of Gambling. If they do this, they get the Prize.
Captain Whitehawk: If Captain Whitehawk takes half the pot with "What a coincidence, I happen to have the same hand!", the original winner chooses whether to give the Prize to Captain Whitehawk or to keep it for themselves.
Events: If an Event Card starts a Round of Gambling, the active player chooses which Prize to add to the pot.
Team Variants: In a team game, a Prize is won by the individual player who takes the pot. That Prize may only be used by that player, not by that player's teammates.
Card-Specific Notes
A toast! To the Red Dragon Inn!: This is similar to previous "raise a toast" cards, with one important exception - the Drink that you reveal has one less Alcohol Content than its printed value. If a Drink's Alcohol Content would be reduced below 0, it is reduced to 0 instead.
Absorbent Towel: The Drink you Ignore (including its Chasers) gets shuffled into the Drink Me! Pile you choose. If one of the Chasers was a Drink Event, that card is not shuffled into the chosen player's Drink Me! Pile, since Drink Events as Chasers are immediately discarded.
Remember that you may not Ignore a Drink unless you or a teammate are about to take effects from it.
Aged Dwarven Firewater: If this Drink is a Chaser, then its ability applies to the entire Drink, not just the 3 Alcohol Content contributed by this card.
If a player plays a card that would Ignore this Drink, that card can still be Negated with a card such as Jasper's "Back in my day, drinks were for drinkin'!"
Cask-Aged Whiskey with a Chaser: If you have no cards in hand, you don't need to discard anything. If other cards in this Drink also cause you to draw, discard or reveal cards, you may resolve the draw/discard/reveal effects in the order of your choice, but you may not interrupt one such effect to resolve another.
Did I ever tell ya 'bout my dabblings in Arcane Invention?: If the original Pipe Card has no numeric effects on it, this Story has no effect.
Did I ever tell ya 'bout the time Zot was trapped in stasis for fifty years?: Ignoring an Event allows you to Ignore any kind of Event, including Drink Events, Sea Events, Dungeon Events and Tavern Events.
Dragon Breath Ale with a Chaser: This card has no special rules. We just think it's awesome that it finally exists.
Elandral the Unicorn: At the end of your turn, you may discard two cards to gain a Fortitude. You may not use this ability multiple times in a turn.
Elixir of Alacrity: The ability granting you an extra Action must be used on your next Action Phase, even if you don't have a second Action to play. You may not keep this card in front of you for a later Action Phase. This is a small but important difference between this card and the other Elixirs.
Energy Brew with a Chaser: If you have fewer than three cards in hand, discard as many as you are able, then draw three. If other cards in this Drink also cause you to draw, discard or reveal cards, you may resolve the draw/discard/reveal effects in the order of your choice, but you may not interrupt one such effect to resolve another.
Enough of this Kerfuffle!: Jasper may play this card when a player causes any other player (including Jasper himself) to lose Fortitude.
Firewater Shots!: You may Ignore this Alcohol Content by either Ignoring the Event or by Ignoring the Drink generated by the Event.
Ha! Thought you pulled one over on us, didn't ya?: Unlike many anti-cheat cards, Warthorn may play this card even if he has left the Round of Gambling.
How's this new drink I whipped up?: This card allows the targeted player to discard and draw just like at the beginning of their turn. A player's hand size is 7 by default, but various rules and card effects can change this.
I think you need some fresh air: This card ends Jasper's turn and causes him and another player to be "out of the game" for a time. Remember that when you are out of the game in this way, you Ignore all effects (including Rounds of Gambling). The Wench cannot give you Special Reserve Drinks, but you can still be ordered regular Drinks. If the Drink Deck runs out while players are "out of the game", they still must pay to reshuffle the deck.
If the targeted player passes out from this card, or if Jasper somehow plays this card on someone else's turn, then Jasper's turn does not end and the "out of the game" effect doesn't happen.
I know what my patrons like!: Warthorn may use this to give away Special Reserve Drinks on his Drink Me! Pile. He may give them to any other players in the game, including The Wench herself. Remember that Special Reserve Drinks always "float to the top" of a player's Drink Me! Pile.
Not now, it's feeding time!: If you use this card to Ignore a Mount with both a Rival effect and an Immediate effect, you Ignore both of those effects.
Oh, I guess I thought that was my tip...: Since this card is a variant on "Oh, I guess the Wench thought that was her tip...", it has the same play restrictions as that card. In particular, this card may not be played after the last player has passed.
Captain Whitehawk (from RDI 4) may take half of The Wench's ill-gotten Gold by playing "What a coincidence, I happen to have the same hand!", even though she technically isn't winning with a great hand.
Oh, would you like me to get you something else?: If the Wench has lost the game, or if the Wench is Ignoring all effects due to a card like Jasper's "I think you need some fresh air.", the 2 Gold goes to the Inn instead.
Pooky!!: Rival effects on Mounts happen before Immediate effects, so first all other Mounts will be discarded, then each player loses 1 Fortitude. This order could be relevant if Sparkles is in play.
Rough Remedy: If this Drink is split, divide all numeric abilities in half and round up. So each player gains 2 Alcohol Content, then may discard up to 3 cards, gaining 1 Fortitude for each.
If Joran (from RDI 5) wants to play "I'm gonna save this healing for the dungeon!" to prevent the healing from this card, he must do so before the player decides whether to discard cards.
Stampede!: You may pick three other players even if you have less than three Gold in your Stash. However, you would then need to pay all of your Gold to the Inn unless you had a way to avoid the payment!
You must pay Gold for each player you originally targeted with this card, even if some or all of those players Ignored the Fortitude loss.
The Wench Dares You...: Remember that once an Event has started resolving, it can no longer be Negated or Ignored, so if you want to Ignore the Event, you must do so before the Drinks are revealed! If the player who revealed this card Ignores it, no Drinks are revealed and no one drinks. If another player Ignores the Event, they do not drink either of the revealed Drinks.
After the Drinks are revealed, you may Ignore the Drink you are about to drink as normal, but you may not Ignore the Event itself.
This card always looks at a Drink's printed Alcohol Content so, for example, Pot of Tea has a lower Alcohol Content than Water, even though they would both count as 0 for a Drinking Contest.
They don't call me Old Iron Guts for nothing!: If this card is played on a Drink with Chasers, first combine all Alcohol Content effects, then if the total is greater than 0, this card replaces that Alcohol Content total with the effect "gain 1 Fortitude". Any other effects on the Drink are unchanged by this card.
Example: Jasper's Drink is Elven Wine with a Chaser of Coffee. He plays "They don't call me Old Iron Guts for nothing!" on it. He gains 1 Fortitude. Note that he does not gain 1 Fortitude and lose 1 Alcohol Content, since the Coffee's effect was first combined with the Elven Wine's effect.
Wench! A few drinks while I spin a yarn!: If a player Ignores this card (perhaps because the revealed Story would make them lose Fortitude), Warthorn may order Drinks for that player. Similarly, if Warthorn Ignores this card, he may still order Drinks.
Wizard's Wine: If you only have one card in your Character Deck, reveal it, then shuffle your discard pile, then reveal the top card as your second card.
Why thank you!: This card may only be played after a Gold payment is caused by an Action, Sometimes or Anytime Card. If another card type like a Drink or Event causes a player to pay Gold to the Inn, The Wench may not play this card.
If an Action, Sometimes or Anytime Card causes a player to pay Gold to the Inn, but they use a card that allows them to pay with Gold from the Inn, The Wench may still gain that Gold from the Inn.
This card causes The Wench to gain Gold from the Inn, so Jasper may respond with "No sneak-thievin' on my watch!"
If an Action, Sometimes or Anytime Card causes one of Keet's Artifacts to get paid to the Inn, The Wench may take it with this card. If it was paid to the Inn face down, it is revealed first, then The Wench may decide whether or not to play this card. Note that playing one of Keet's Artifacts for its ability does not cause it to go to the Inn - it simply goes to the Artifact discard pile, so The Wench may not take it in this case.