Seven Dragons
Seven Dragons Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
The game includes 72 cards: 5 Goals, 1 Silver Dragon, and a deck containing 51 Dragon cards and 15 Action cards.
Setup
First, mix up the 5 Goal cards and deal one to each player. Don't let anyone else see your Goal!
Place the Silver Dragon in the center of the table. This card will never be moved.
Shuffle the main deck and deal 3 cards to each player.
Who Starts?
The oldest player goes first.
How to Play
Take turns doing the following:
- Draw one card from the main deck, and add it to your hand.
- Choose one card from your hand and use it as follows:
- Dragon: Play the card as an addition to the arrangement on the table, following the connection rules (as described below).
- Action: Perform the action (as described below), then add the card to the discard pile.
Winning
The object of the game is to create a connected chain of seven dragons of the same color as the one shown on your current Goal card. As soon as you do this, you win!
Making Connections
Dragon cards must be placed so that at least one panel is positioned alongside a panel with the same Dragon on a card next to the new card.
Example 1 shows a typical game in progress. You will notice that various panels are adjacent to unmatched dragons. This is acceptable because each card is "connected" to at least one adjacent card in at least one location.
Example 1: Six legally placed cards.
Example 2 shows two cards that are NOT connected -- the Green Dragons are simply diagonal to each other, which does not count. They must share an edge to be considered connected.
Example 2: Not Connected.
Examples 3 and 4 show other types of illegal card placements. Cards can never be placed perpendicular to each other, nor can they be skewed or misaligned.
Example 3: Cards can NOT be placed at right angles.
Example 4: Cards can NOT be skewed.
Rainbow Dragon
The Rainbow dragon is a wild card. It is all colors at all times. It can be played anywhere, and is treated as a Red dragon, a Blue dragon, a Gold dragon, a Black dragon, and a Green dragon, all at the same time.
Silver Dragon
The Silver dragon is the start card. At first it is all colors at once, like the Rainbow dragon, but it can change color anytime someone plays an Action. The Silver dragon changes to the color of the dragon which corresponds to the image on the Action card currently on top of the discard pile.
Actions
There are 5 actions, with 3 of each type in the deck. Each of the actions is explained below. After carrying out the Action, add the card face up to the discard pile (next to the draw pile).
Because of the Silver dragon, playing an Action card actually does two things at once. If you don't want both to happen, you have the option to skip one. You can place the card at the bottom of the discard pile, so that the Silver dragon does not change color, or you can put the card on top of the discard pile and choose to forfeit the action itself.
Trade Hands
Swap hands (but not Goals) with the player of your choice.
Move a Card
Select a card in play on the table and move it to a new legal location.
Trade Goals
Switch Goal cards with any player you want. (You can also Trade for an unused Goal.)
Rotate Goals
All players pass their Goals to the player next to them, in the direction you choose.
Zap a Card
Select a card in play, pick it up, and place it in your hand. (You can't Zap or Move the Silver Dragon.)
Multi-Connection Bonuses
If you play a 2, 3, or 4 panel dragon card and cause different-colored dragons to form connections at the same time, you get to immediately draw a bonus card. If you connect 3 different colors at once, you get 2 extra cards, and yes, you get 3 extra cards if you can pull off the amazing 4-dragon connection. You do NOT get a bonus for connecting to the Rainbow dragon, or to the Silver Dragon when it's wild, or for connecting the same dragon on multiple sides.
Unused Goals
When playing with 2-4 players, one or more Goal cards will be out of play. These unused Goals should be placed face down in a line between two players when the game begins, as if they were held by imaginary extra players. You may not look at what Goals are out during the game. When Rotate Goals is played, rotate the Goals through these pretend players: in one side, and out the other. When Trade Goals is played, you can trade with any specific imaginary player to try to get the Goal you want.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: After using Zap a Card, am I supposed to have an extra card in my hand? A: Yes.
Q: With Move a Card, is it okay to leave the card in the same location but in a different orientation? A: Yes.
Q: Can someone join a game already in progress? A: Totally! (Well, assuming there are fewer than five players, that is.) Just pull up a chair, grab an unused Goal and the top 3 cards from the deck, and you're in!
Q: What happens if the deck runs out of cards? A: If the deck runs out before someone wins, keep playing even though you don't get to draw new cards. Keep taking turns as long as someone has cards left; if there is no winner when all of the cards have been played, then the player whose number of connected dragons is closest to 7 is the winner.
Q: To win, you need 7 panels of your color connected together. Does it need to be one continuous group, or do you win if you have 3 connected in one place and 4 connected in another? A: It must be one continuous group of 7.
Q: Do they have to be a chain, so you can count a string of 7 without backtracking, or can there be branches? A: The 7 panels all just have to be touching each other (contiguous). It's okay if it's a branching blob, rather than a single chain. As long as you can travel from one panel to all of the others through the same group, it counts as contiguous.
Q: To make a winning group, do the panels themselves all need to be touching, or does it count if 7 cards with your Dragons are connected in any way? A: The panels themselves must all be connected together in one big group.
Q: Do you draw before you play, or after? (If you draw after you play, then it's unfair for the person you Trade Hands with.) A: No, you should draw a card before you play one.
Q: What happens if a single play causes two players to get seven dragons at the same time? A: The winner is the player whose turn made the win happen.
Q: If another player creates a group of seven of my dragons, do I win immediately or only at the start of my turn? A: You win immediately.
Q: With less than 5 players, can I Trade Goals with an unused goal, or must I trade with someone who is already playing? A: You can trade with an unused one. (See the section above.)
Q: Is it permissible to look through the discard pile? A: Yes. But don't change the order!
Q: Can you Move a Card to a separate location (its own island) similar to the first card on the table? A: No. While Move a Card might create some strange holes or even islands, the card being moved must be reconnected to another card.
How to Play Seven Dragons with your Preschooler
This game was designed for adults, but with a few simple modifications, it's also a great game to play with children as young as 3. The idea is to start with just the most basic parts of the game, then add more features later as the child grows and becomes capable of following more complex rules. The ages listed below are loose guidelines. How quickly or gradually you decide to move from one of these to the next will be greatly dependent on your particular situation. Be flexible, and have fun!
Dragon Connections (Ages 3-4)
This game uses just basic Dragon cards (no Goals or Actions, nor Silver or Rainbow) and consists entirely of matching up the dragons. At first, it can be a simple puzzle-like form of play, just discovering how the patterns match up and form. Just flip over the cards one by one and let your child choose a place to play it, teaching the placement rules as you go.
For the actual game, give everyone 3 cards and put a random one in the center of the table. Then, each player draws and plays a card, continuing until the deck is all gone and all cards have been played. Whoever plays the last card wins!
Basic Dragons (Ages 5-6)
This variation uses only the Goals and the common Dragon cards (no Action cards). It's played just like the full game, except that your Goal will never change, nor will your hand, and cards played can't be moved. This makes for a much simpler game, but one which is still quite engaging. A fun added rule is to say that anyone under 7 needs only to connect as many panels as they are years old to win.
Single-Action Dragons (Ages 6+)
This final variation is just the complete game but with only one type of Action card -- usually Trade Goals. This version allows you to introduce just one new concept instead of needing to try to explain all six actions at once. After the youngest player has become familiar with one action, you could add one or two more, continuing until everyone is playing the complete game. Then add the Silver Dragon.
Credits
Seven Dragons is based on Aquarius, published in 1998.
GAME DESIGNER: Andrew Looney
ILLUSTRATIONS: Larry Elmore
PACKAGING AND LOGO DESIGN: Derek Ring
SPECIAL THANKS: to everyone who helped create the original game (in particular the original preschooler rules), and to the Silver Dragon playtesters, and to dragon advisor Greykell Dutton.