Storm Dragons Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Competitive Game: Brimstone Brood Games
  • Object of the Game
  • Your first game
• Setup
  • Deal Cards
  • Draft Cards
  • First Player
• How to Play
  • Dragon Card Anatomy
• On Your Turn
• Challenge
• Draw Up
• Battle Strength
• Card Abilities
• Game End
• Scoring
• The Noble Dragons
• The Vanguard Dragons
• The Guard Dragons
• The Sorcerer Dragons
• The Disruptor Dragons
• The Storms

Components

Deck 1:

• 60 Dragon cards
• 21 Storm cards

Deck 2 (marked with a red dragon icon):

• 60 Dragon cards
• 21 Storm cards

Also included:

• 6 Score tracker/play aid cards
• 12 Score tracker tokens
• 6 Control tokens (cooperative variant)
• 1 Metal challenge coin
• 6 Player mats

Competitive Game: Brimstone Brood Games

Object of the Game

Storm Dragons is a competitive game for 2-6 players. The game is played over a series of battle rounds. The object of the game is to have the most dragon cards in your victory pile at the end of the game.

Your first game

For your first games we suggest that you deal cards randomly to players. Once you have played enough to know the dragons, we recommend that you draft cards as described below. This adds a layer of strategic control to your play.

Setup

1. For a 2 or 3-player game, shuffle one deck (either one). For 4 through 6 players, shuffle both together.
2. Place play aid cards between each pair of players.
3. Distribute the cards. Choose to deal or draft as described here.

(Setup diagram: a. score tracker, b. storm front, c. flight of dragons, d. discards, e. draw pile, f. victory pile.)

Your player mat provides spaces for: a. score tracking, b. your storm front, c. your flight of dragons, d. your discards, e. your draw pile and f. your victory pile.

Deal Cards

Deal the cards to the players face down. Deal 20 cards to each player. Return remaining cards to the box.

Draft Cards

1. Deal 9 stacks of 3 face-up cards.*
2. Choose a player to start draft.
3. Starting with the draft starter, each player selects one set of cards, in clockwise order.
4. Repeat step 3 until each player has completed the number of selections per player per round as shown in the table below. Reverse order each time (e.g., first player first, first player last, first player first).
5. Place unselected cards from each round in a discard pile.
6. Continue to next round if required (see table).
7. Take turns as the first to draft in the round, in clockwise order. Shuffle discards as necessary to continue.

* With 6 players use 4-card sets.

Players	# Decks	Rounds	Selections/player/round	Unused	Cards/player
2	1	4	3	9	36
3	1	3	3	0	27
4	2	4	2	66	24
5	2	10	1	12	30
6

First Player

For your first game, the youngest player should play first.

If you are drafting, the last player to draft first will be the first player.

How to Play

The game consists of a series of battle rounds. In a battle, you take turns in clockwise order. On your turn you can muster a dragon by adding it to your dragon flight, cast a storm by adding it to your storm front, challenge, rebuild, or yield. Play continues until all players but one have yielded. If the round does not end with a challenge, the last player in the battle wins all of the cards played in the battle and places them in their victory pile. Otherwise, see "Challenge."

Dragon Card Anatomy

The printed card layout is labelled as follows:

• Day Head Strength (if top card in flight)
• Day Tail and Wing Strength
• Dragon role
• Dragon band
• Night Tail and Wing Strength
• Night Head Strength (if top card in flight)
• Expansion deck marker (sorting)
• Special ability
• Ongoing ability, while card is on top
• Enemy cards for 3-player co-op

On Your Turn

Muster a dragon or cast a storm card face up in front of you, where all players can see it. You may also choose to rebuild. Then:

1. Activate an instant ability on the card, if possible and if you want to do so. Show the card, or place it in front of your play area.
2. Place the card at the head or tail of the dragon flight (if a dragon), or on top or bottom of your storm front (if a storm).
3. If you are starting the battle, choose to play in day or night and turn the challenge token to the matching side. If you played a dragon, place the challenge token in front of your dragon flight. If you played a storm, place the challenge token in the middle of the table for the first player who plays a dragon.
4. Total your battle strength and announce it to the players. See "Battle Strength."
5. If another player has the challenge token and your Battle Strength exceeds their Battle Strength, you take control of the battle. Take the challenge token and place it in front of your dragon flight. Note that you may not take the challenge token if you do not have any dragons in play. Storms alone cannot be used to take it.
6. Play passes to the next active player to the left (the next player that has not yielded).

After the first player of the round has led a card, for the rest of the battle round, you have these choices for your turn:

• Muster - Play a dragon card.
• Cast - Play a storm card.
• Yield - Give up on this round of battle. Turn your played cards sideways, and then draw up (see below). You may only yield if you have already played at least one dragon card in this battle round, even if that dragon is no longer in play. You may also yield if you show your cards to prove that you have no dragons in your hand.
• Challenge - You may challenge without playing a new card, or muster/cast and THEN challenge.
• Rebuild - Discard two or more cards from your hand and draw one less from your draw pile. Take another turn to muster, cast, or yield. Once per turn.

Challenge

You may make a challenge when you think you are strong enough to win the battle. You challenge all other players to play once more to try to beat you.

• You may only challenge if you have control of the battle round (have the challenge token).
• Move the challenge token on top of your dragon flight to signify the challenge. You add +1 to your battle strength as shown on the challenge token.
• Each player gets one turn to defeat your challenge. Play passes to the next active player.
• If you win the challenge, then the challenged player yields and immediately surrenders all dragons (not storms) in their flight to you. Place the surrendered dragons in your victory pile. This is different from the regular rules where no cards are taken until the round ends.
• If all other players yield to your challenge, then you win the battle. Take all the remaining played cards, including storms, from all players and add them to your victory pile.
• If you lose a challenge, surrender the challenge token and all dragons in your flight to the player who won the challenge. That player immediately places your surrendered dragons in their victory pile. You are out of the rest of the current round and draw up immediately for the next round.
• When a challenger has lost their challenge, play continues without the challenge mode.
• Any other player still in the round may issue their own challenge on a successive turn.

Draw Up

At the end of a round or after losing a challenge, draw 2 cards from your draw pile and add them to your hand. If you have fewer than 5 cards in your hand, keep drawing until you have 5. If your draw pile is empty, shuffle your discards to create a new draw pile.

Battle Strength

To determine your battle strength, do the following:

1. Start with the "Head Strength" of the dragon in the head position of your dragon flight. There is both a "Day" head strength and a "Night" head strength on each dragon card. Use the one that matches the day/night condition of the challenge token.
2. Add to this all the "Wing and Tail Strength" of all other dragons in the flight. Use the wing and tail strength that matches the day/night condition on the challenge token.
3. Add the support strength of all storms in your storm pile, again using the appropriate day/night value.
4. Check your head dragon for an ongoing ability. If it affects your battle strength, adjust as indicated on the card.
5. Check the top storm in your storm front for an ongoing ability and add any effect points.
6. If you have challenged your opponents, add the point from the challenge token.

When stacking cards in your Storm Front or Flight of Dragons, overlap the head card to show just the post and all values to the left of the post. This allows you to make a quick count of your strength in the day by adding all displayed values on the top half of the card. Add all values displayed on the bottom half of the card for night strength. Note that persisent abilities (with the dragon infinity symbol) are only active when displayed on top as shown here on the Queen card. Instant abilities (as on Blizzard) are activated only when you initially play the card.

Card Abilities

When the text on a card contradicts the rules, follow the text on the card (see dragon and storm descriptions pp. 6-8). Ongoing abilities are only used if the text is not covered by another card.

Game End

The game end is triggered when one or more players have no more cards left in their draw pile and their discard pile is exhausted. As soon as this happens, it should be announced to all players. The battle round in progress will be the final round.

If it happens during the end of the round draw phase, then there will be one more battle round, even though some players may not be able to draw up to 5 cards. If you have no dragons in the final round, you will not be able to participate in the last battle round.

Scoring

After the last battle round, place all remaining cards from your hand AND from your draw and discard piles into your victory pile. Then count the dragon cards in your victory pile. Do not include storms in your count.

The winner of the game is the player with the most dragons in their victory pile.

If there is a tie, then the players with the most Kings will win. If still tied, the player with the most Queens wins. If still tied, the tied players share the victory.

The Noble Dragons

King – Take Command Standard: When you play the King, you may pick up one other dragon card from your flight and put it back in your hand. Co-op: You may only pick up a card from the flight to which you played the King. Co-op Enemy: Will pick up and discard any one dragon that is adding no points. You choose if tied. Will also pick up an Assassin, Prince, Conjuror, Golemmancer, Stormcaller, or non-head-position Outrider, if it will not cause loss of control. In a losing challenge, pick up the lead dragon.

Queen – Absorb Lightning Standard: Gain +1 battle strength for each storm card in your storm front and in any other player's storm front. Persistent ability.

Prince – Marshall Forces Standard: When played, you may draw one card from your draw pile and add it to your hand. Co-op Enemy: Prince allows the enemy player to draw and play one additional card.

Princess – Charm them All Standard: Add 2 points of strength to all noble dragon tail values (including this princess).

The Vanguard Dragons

Juggernaut – No special ability. Standard: He's tough enough.

Warlord – Battle Cry When played in the head position, you get +3 points to your battle strength until your next turn, then the bonus is gone.

Elder – Rally Morale Standard: After playing and while the Elder is in the head position of your flight, you may use the highest of the day or night wing and tail values of any dragons in the wings or tail of your flight.

Challenger – Dare You Standard: You gain +2 head strength when you challenge. You gain another point of strength for each opponent you defeat during your challenge. Co-op: Choose to challenge all enemies in turn in clockwise order or choose to challenge the local enemy only. When you challenge all enemies, human players' positions are not affected even if their opponent is challenged. Co-op Enemy: Challenge all players and allies in turn in clockwise order (subject to enemy challenge rule). When the enemy challenges all players and allies, other enemy players' positions are not affected even if their opponent is challenged.

The Guard Dragons

Storm Rider – Invoke Maelstrom Magic Standard: Gain +2 battle strength for each storm in your storm front. Ongoing ability. During the day, you may add this dragon to your storm front instead of your dragon flight. Co-op Enemy: Play to flight or storm front, depending on which gives a greater overall strength. If tied, then play it to the storm front.

Dawn Bringer – Reduce Eclipse Standard: You may change the challenge token from night to day. This will cause all players to recalculate their battle strength. While the Dawnbringer is in the head position, no player may change to night. Ongoing ability. Co-op Enemy: Will change night into day only if doing so improves its strength relative to its opponent. Will not consider the effect on other battlefronts.

Sentinel – Control Eclipse Standard: You may change the challenge token from day to night or from night to day. This will cause all players to recalculate their battle strength. Co-op Enemy: Will change night into day, or the reverse, only if doing so improves its strength relative to its opponent. Will not consider the effect on other battlefronts.

Guardian – Inspire Standard: Adds 2 points of tail strength to all guard dragons in your dragon flight (including this guardian).

The Sorcerer Dragons

Conjuror – Conjure Dragon Standard: When played in the day, draw cards from your draw pile until you have three dragons. Add one to your hand and then put the other two dragons and any drawn storms into your discard pile. If played at night, the ability is the same except that you can add the dragon you select to your hand or play it immediately. Note: While drawing, if you draw a storm, place it face up in front of you to demonstrate that the card is not a dragon. Co-op Enemy: Conjuror draws and plays one additional dragon card. Discard any storms drawn when looking for a dragon.

Golemmancer – Create Golem Standard: When played, you may look through your victory pile and add any one dragon card to your hand. Alternatively, you can put the Golemmancer card in your discard pile and draw one card from your draw pile. In either case, play one card after this action. Co-op Enemy: Draw a random dragon from the enemy's victory pile. If the enemy does not have a victory pile, then use the option to discard, draw and play the next card from the enemy draw pile.

Storm Caller – Summon Lightning Standard: Steal one storm card from another player's storm front and add it to your storm front. Gain +1 battle strength per storm in your storm front if this dragon is on top. Battle strength increase is an ongoing ability. Co-op: You may steal a storm card from any enemy stormfront. Co-op Enemy: Steal storm from local player. Choose storm with most points. If tied, player chooses. If no storms on this player's front, choose from next clockwise ally or player. Continue until a storm is stolen or until all battlefronts are checked.

Necromancer – Drain Life Standard: Opponents must down a dragon (place face down at the tail of the dragon flight, does not add to strength when down) from their flight or their hand before adding a new dragon to their flight. Co-op: Affects all enemies, but not allies. Co-op Enemy: Affects all players and allies, but not enemies.

The Disruptor Dragons

Assassin – Kill a Dragon Standard: If it is day, you may kill one dragon in any player's flight that is not in the head position. If it is night, you may kill any one dragon, even if in the head position. Add the killed dragon to your victory pile. The player whose dragon was assassinated may yield on their turn even if they have no dragons left in their flight because they did play a dragon. Co-op: You may assassinate an enemy in any battlefront subject to day/night version of ability. Co-op Enemy: Will assassinate a dragon in its own battle front, if possible. Otherwise, will look to next clockwise battlefront for dragon to assassinate, until a dragon is assassinated or all battlefronts have been checked.

Outrider – Create Downdraft Standard: At night, if it is the start of your turn, you may end the battle. Co-op: When playing Outrider in an ally position, check eligibility to end battle after the ally's opponent plays. If you are still in control, you may end the battle.

Spy – Create Diversion Standard: During the day, playing the spy will allow you to pick up a different dragon from your flight and return it to your hand. During the night, you may require other players to discard a wing or tail dragon from their flights. Co-op: Affects all enemies, but not allies. When discarding storms and there is more than one in the storm front, choose the one that helps the enemy the least. If there is a tie, choose one with no ability. Otherwise, you may choose. Co-op Enemy: At night use the discard rule on all players and allies if possible. During day, see King for card pickup rules.

Thunderburst – Storm Control Standard: In the day, when you play the Thunderburst, all storm effects will be suppressed as long as this dragon is at the head of your flight. This includes bonuses dragons earn on storms (e.g., Queen, Storm Caller) At night, you may reactivate the instant ability (day or night) of a lead storm in any storm front and apply its effects as if you had played that storm in your storm front. Co-op: Storm suppression affects all enemies, but not allies. Co-op Enemy: At night, choose to reactivate the strongest storm effect available when this card is played.

The Storms

Thunderstorm – Each enemy player must move the dragon in the head of their flight to the tail position of their flight (if they have more than one dragon in their flight).

Tempest – Gives +1 battle strength for each storm in your storm front if it is the top storm in your storm front. Ongoing ability.

Blizzard – When played, each enemy player must select one dragon from their flight and put it in their discard pile. If this leaves them with no dragons in their flight, they cannot be in control. They can still yield on their turn even if they have no dragons because they did have a dragon in their flight at one time.

Hailstorm – When you play the Hailstorm your opponents must discard 1 storm from their storm front, if they have one.

Windstorm – After playing the windstorm, you may also play a dragon, if it is night.

Fog – If you play fog in the day, you may change day to night. If you play at night, you may add 2 dragons to your flight. In addition, no one may change night to day while a fog is at the head of a storm front.