Almanac: The Dragon Road Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
  • Location token reference
• The Dragon Road (World Map)
• Setup
  • The Outpost (Location 1)
• Game Overview
• Game Round
• Arrival Phase
• Action Phase
  • Standard Actions
  • Location Actions with a Cost
• Strength and Guards
  • Razorbeak Canyon (Location 3) — worked example
• End Phase
• End of the Game
• Bid and Bidding
• Caravans and Caravan Cards
• Contracts
• Locations
• Location Supply and Demand
• Encounters
  • Fight Encounter
  • Optional Fight Encounter
  • Special Encounter
• Fight
• Credits & Thanks

Components

• 120 goods tokens (30 each): 30 Dewleaf, 30 Emberspice, 30 Everice, 30 Skyfish
• 75 gold tokens (4 different values): 30 1-value, 20 5-value, 15 20-value, 10 50-value
• 30 caravan cards
• 24 contract cards
• 24 workers (6 per player color)
• 20 encounter cards
• 12 guard tokens
• 9 bottled lightning tokens
• 7 ocean tokens
• 4 air supply tokens
• 4 contraband tokens
• 4 dragon statue tokens
• 4 letter tokens
• 4 player screens
• 4 prophecy globe tokens
• 4 starting caravan cards
• 3 bedroll tokens
• 3 hireling tokens
• 2 ancient weapon tokens
• 2 camel tokens
• 2 tourist tokens
• 1 6-sided die
• 1 Almanac game book
• 1 fight die
• 1 Guide token
• 1 Key to Dragon City token
• 1 rule book

Location token reference

• 4 letter tokens — Location 2, The Cloud Monastery. Deliver to Wizard's Hollow (12) to gain 12 gold.
• 2 tourist tokens — Location 3, Razorbeak Canyon. At the start of the Arrival Phase, gain 2 gold.
• 2 ancient weapon tokens — Location 4, Cavern Mines. May reroll fight die once per fight. Your guards are +1 strength and fame.
• 1 Key to Dragon City token — Location 16, Courtyard Markets, and Location 17, Dockside Arcade.
• 4 prophecy globe tokens — Location 5, Yop-Gub Islands. Most strength in caravan gains 12.
• 4 contraband tokens — Location 6, Silt Ruins. At the end of the game, sell all remaining Dewleaf for 9 gold each.
• 9 bottled lightning tokens — Location 8, Skygate.
• 2 camel tokens — Location 7, Emperor Sands.
• 3 bedroll tokens, 3 hireling tokens — Location 9, Neverwood.
• 4 air supply tokens (1 per player) — Location 11, Sublin Salt.
• 7 ocean tokens — Location 15, Horizon Isles.
• 4 dragon statue tokens — Location 16, Courtyard Markets.

The Dragon Road (World Map)

The Almanac contains 17 numbered locations. Not every location is visited on a single journey — from each location, the Guide chooses 1 of 2 upcoming locations to travel to next. The table below shows, for each location, which locations can be reached next and that location's goods supply-and-demand order (the good of greatest value is listed first, the good of greatest availability is listed last).

#	Location	Leads to	Supply and demand (value → availability)
1	The Outpost	2, 3	Everice, Emberspice, Skyfish, Dewleaf
2	The Cloud Monastery	4, 5	Everice, Emberspice, Skyfish, Dewleaf
3	Razorbeak Canyon	6, 7	Dewleaf, Skyfish, Emberspice, Everice
4	Cavern Mines	8, 9	Dewleaf, Everice, Emberspice, Skyfish
5	Yop-Gub Islands	8, 10	Skyfish, Emberspice, Dewleaf, Everice
6	Silt Ruins	9, 11	Everice, Dewleaf, Skyfish, Emberspice
7	Emperor Sands	10, 11	Emberspice, Skyfish, Everice, Dewleaf
8	Skygate	12, 13	Skyfish, Emberspice, Dewleaf, Everice
9	Neverwood	12, 14	Everice, Dewleaf, Skyfish, Emberspice
10	Rivertown Landing	13, 15	Everice, Skyfish, Emberspice, Dewleaf
11	Sublin Salt	14, 15	Skyfish, Everice, Emberspice, Dewleaf
12	Wizard's Hollow	16, 17	Dewleaf, Skyfish, Everice, Emberspice
13	Caravan Crossroads	16, 17	Dewleaf, Emberspice, Everice, Skyfish
14	Vineland Tract	16, 17	Everice, Skyfish, Dewleaf, Emberspice
15	Horizon Isles	16, 17	Emberspice, Dewleaf, Skyfish, Everice
16	Courtyard Markets	—	Emberspice, Skyfish, Dewleaf, Everice
17	Dockside Arcade	—	Skyfish, Everice, Dewleaf, Emberspice

Setup

1. Place the Almanac in the center of the play area and open to the first location, The Outpost.
2. Shuffle the caravan deck and place it facedown near the Almanac.
3. Shuffle the contract deck and place it facedown near the Almanac.
4. Place the fight die and 6-sided die near the Almanac.
5. Place the gold tokens in a supply near the Almanac.
6. Separate the goods tokens by type and place them near the Almanac.
7. Place the Key to the Dragon city and the guard tokens near the Almanac.
8. Keep all location tokens near by in the box so that they are readily available if they are needed.
9. Create the encounter deck. Randomly select an encounter card from each letter, A-E. Stack the selected cards in alphabetical order so that the top of the deck starts with encounter A and the bottom of the deck ends with encounter E. Return all remaining encounter cards to the box.
10. Each player selects a color and takes the following:
    • 1 player screen matching the player's chosen color
    • 6 workers matching the player's chosen color
    • 1 starting caravan card
    • 2 contract cards
11. Players place their starting caravan and 3 of their workers on their starting caravan card infront of their player screen. Their remaining 3 workers and should be kept behind their player screen creating their personal supply of workers that can be earned during the journey.
12. Give the youngest player the Guide token. The player with the Guide token (the Guide) plays first during each round and turn order proceeds clockwise.
13. Give each player gold based on their turn order. Players keep their gold behind their player screen.

1st	2nd	3rd	4th
10 gold	12 gold	14 gold	16 gold

Your journey is ready to begin!

Not every location will be visited on your journey. It is recommended to keep the location tokens specific to each page in the box until needed.

The Outpost (Location 1)

The Outpost is the trailhead of the perilous Dragon Road. Though a shadow of its former glory, the legendary Guild artisans now call this place home. It is a common rite of passage for all new traders to visit the artisans in their huts and have a good night's rest before the long journey ahead.

Placement Rules: Players can only place 1 of their workers in each Guild hut.

Game Overview

Players will explore 6 locations in total, each of which is 1 game round. Players start at The Outpost and then decide which path they will take to Dragon City. Each location provides players with a unique challenge to overcome in pursuit of their goals. Many locations even have pieces specific to that page, some of which provide special abilities or are kept by the players until the End of the Game. The player who best overcomes these challenges by acquiring wealth, building their caravan, completing contracts, and performing adventurous deeds will become the most famed merchant in the realm and the winner of the game!

Game Round

The game consists of 6 rounds, each of which is made up of the following 3 phases:

• Arrival Phase
• Action Phase
• End Phase

Arrival Phase

Players enter a new location each time they turn to a new page in the Almanac. Follow these instructions each time the players enter a new location:

1. In turn order, each player resolves all Arrival Phase abilities they have in their play area.
2. Deal out a number of cards from the caravan deck equal to the number of players and place them faceup near the Almanac.
3. Read the location-specific lore as well as the setup and placement rules aloud to all players. Retrieve any additional components from the box and set them up as instructed.

Action Phase

Each location is resolved in a similar manner. Starting clockwise from the Guide, each player places 1 worker from their caravan on an available action space and resolves that space. The visual presentation of an action space can vary from location to location, but as a rule an action space is defined by a solid border and contains a single action icon. Players continue placing workers from their caravan in this way until all workers have been placed. If a player cannot place a worker on their turn, skip them and proceed to the next player. Players may not place workers from behind their player screens. After all players can place no further workers, proceed to the End Phase.

There are 2 types of actions: standard actions and location actions. Standard actions can be found on most or all pages in the Almanac and are not unique to any specific location. Location actions are unique to a specific location and have special rules defined in the setup and placement section provided on each page.

Standard Actions

Action	Rules
Complete a Contract	After a player places a worker on a space with the Complete a Contract icon, they must complete 1 of their incomplete contracts by discarding the required goods to the general supply and flipping the contract faceup in their play area.
Extend Your Caravan	After a player places a worker on a space with the Extend Your Caravan icon, they must pay the cost of an available caravan card by discarding the indicated gold and goods to the general supply. They then place the card in their play area as part of their caravan.
Gain a Contract	A player with fewer than 2 incomplete contracts may place a worker on a space with the Gain a Contract icon. After placing their worker, they draw 3 contract cards, keep 1 placing it facedown in their play area, and place the other 2 on the bottom of the deck. NOTE: Incomplete contracts subtract fame equal to their fame value at the End of the Game.
Gain Goods	After a player places a worker on a space with a goods icons, they gain the indicated goods and place them into empty crates in their caravan. If a player acquires more goods than the number of empty crates in their caravan, they may arrange those goods as they see fit and discard the surplus.
Sell Goods	After a player places a worker on a space with a Sell Goods icon, they must sell at least 1 good at the listed price per good sold. The player gains the indicated gold for each good sold in this way. They then discard the goods they sold, returning them to the general supply.
Visit the Shop	After a player places a worker on a space with the Visit the Shop icon, they must perform 1 of the following options: 1. Gain 1 good. 2. Discard goods of a single type for 3 gold each. 3. Gain 1 guard token.

Location Actions with a Cost

Some location action spaces have a cost icon in the corner. This is a reminder that players must pay the cost as defined by the location action rules to place a worker on that space.

Strength and Guards

Each player's caravan has its own strength. Strength is the total of all shield values represented in a player's play area. The strength of a player's caravan determines how effective that caravan will be at dealing with encounter cards that require players to fight. Each guard token a player has adds 2 strength to their caravan during the game and is worth 1 fame at the End of the Game. Once gained, guard tokens remain in a player's play area until the End of the Game.

Razorbeak Canyon (Location 3) — worked example

The wind whips through the canyon and carries with it the fearsome screech of razorbeaks. Keep close to one another as you cross the canyon bridges, for razorbeaks are known to capture lone traders and take them to their nests. Despite the danger, many thrill-seeking tourists come here to marvel at these magnificent, yet mortifying beasts.

Placement Rules: The first worker placed on each bridge must be placed on a blue end space. Each additional worker placed on that bridge must be placed in the first vacant space adjacent to the last worker placed.

Setup: Place the 2 tourist tokens in the designated spaces to the right.

After a player places a worker on a tourist space, they gain 1 tourist token and 2 gold. They place the tourist token in 1 of their crates. At the start of each Arrival Phase, players gain 2 gold for each tourist token in their crates.

Upcoming locations: 6 - Silt Ruins, 7 - Emperor Sands.

End Phase

If this was the final location (no upcoming locations), proceed to the End of the Game. Otherwise, resolve the End Phase in this order:

1. Retrieve Workers: All players simultaneously retrieve all of their workers from action spaces and place them back on their caravan.
2. Bid For Guide: To bid, all players secretly place any amount of their gold into their hand. When all players are ready, everyone reveals their bids. The player who reveals the most gold is the winner. The winner then discards gold equal to the least amount bid by all players and gains the Guide token. In the event of a tie, if one of the tied players is currently in possession of the Guide token that player wins the tie and keeps the Guide token. Otherwise, the tied player seated closest to the left of the Guide is the winner. If the lowest bid is 0, the winner must discard 1 gold.
3. Choose a Location: The Guide selects 1 of the 2 upcoming locations that the players will travel to next.
4. Encounter: The Guide reveals the top card of the encounter deck, reads its story text aloud, and resolves it as instructed. Each player only resolves an encounter once unless specifically instructed by the text of the encounter.
5. Clean Up: Discard the encounter card and retrieve any workers or tokens used in its resolution unless otherwise instructed. Discard any unpurchased caravan cards, turn to the page of the chosen location, and proceed to the Arrival Phase.

End of the Game

In turn order, players have an opportunity to complete any incomplete contracts in their possession. To do so, a player must discard the required goods and 5 gold for each contract they complete in this way.

Players now determine their final score by totaling their fame values. A player's fame is calculated in the following ways:

• 1 fame for each gold
• Fame value of each caravan card
• Bonus fame: location tokens, guards, encounter cards.
• Fame value of completed contracts
• Goods in crates provide no fame
• Subtract fame value of incomplete contracts

The player with the most fame wins. In the event of a tie, the tied player with the most gold wins. If a tie still remains, the tied player with the most goods in their crates wins. If there is still a tie, the tied players share the victory.

Bid and Bidding

In addition to bidding for guide during each End Phase some locations or card effects will ask player to bid. In these instances follow the exact same rules for bidding as described in step 2 of the End Phase. The winner gains the rewards indicated by the effect that prompted players to bid instead of the Guide token.

Caravans and Caravan Cards

Each player controls their own caravan, which consists of their starting caravan and any caravan cards added to it during the game. Players store and transport the goods they acquire in crates. Crates can hold 1 good at a time. Players purchase caravan cards for many purposes: to gain additional crates, increase the strength of their caravan, gain additional workers, and earn fame at the end of the game.

A caravan card shows a cost (paid to acquire the card), the strength it provides, the number of workers it provides, its fame value, and the crates it adds to the caravan. The starting caravan card works the same way and shows the player's crates, strength, and workers at the start of the game.

Contracts

Players start the game with 2 contract cards and can acquire additional contract cards by taking the Gain a Contract action at locations during the journey. Players can complete contracts by taking a Complete a Contract action and discarding the required goods shown on the contract to the general supply. Completed contracts provide players with a special ability for the remainder of the game and are worth fame at the End of the Game.

Each contract card shows a card name, the required goods needed to complete it, a completed-contract ability that takes effect once the contract is completed, and a fame value. For example, "The Bookkeepers Union" contract shows Skyfish, Skyfish, Everice, and Dewleaf as its required goods; its completed-contract ability reads "Draw 1 additional contract each time you take a Gain a Contract action"; and it has a fame value of 22.

NOTE: Players must subtract the fame value of their incomplete contracts at the End of the Game.

Locations

Players visit 6 different locations during their journey, with each location defined by a different page in the Almanac. Each location (page) has a unique rule or set of rules for how players can place their workers and may include components unique to that page. A complete token reference can be found on page 5.

Each location page is laid out as follows, illustrated here using The Cloud Monastery (Location 2):

• Location page number — 2
• Location name — The Cloud Monastery
• Location-specific lore — High up in the mountains you enter the Cloud Monastery, home to the devout monks of the Forgotten Cloister. The monks value solitude and expect their visitors to do the same. As you visit the different buyers and sellers, you must keep your distance from your fellow workers to avoid offending your hosts.
• Placement rules — Players cannot place workers orthogonally or diagonally adjacent to their own workers.
• 2-Player rules — 2-Player: Players cannot place workers orthogonally or diagonally adjacent to their own workers.
• Location setup rules — Shuffle the 4 letter tokens and place them facedown on the spaces to the right.
• Location token space(s) — spaces where the shuffled letter tokens are placed
• Location action rules — After a player places a worker on a letter space, they gain 1 random letter token and place it facedown in their play area. Players may look at their letter tokens at any time, but should be kept secret from other players. Letter tokens are delivered during the Arrival Phase upon entering the location indicated on the token. The player then discards the token to gain 12 gold. Players can reference the map at the beginning of the rule book to aid in determining the route to deliver their letter tokens.
• Upcoming locations — 4 - Cavern Mines, 5 - Yop-Gub Islands
• Location preview — a one-line flavor teaser for each upcoming location (e.g. "Scavenge ancient weapons as you delve deeper below ground..." for Cavern Mines; "Visit the islands of the Yop-Gub tiny artisans of future-telling devices..." for Yop-Gub Islands)
• Encounter deck card — the back of the next encounter card to be drawn is shown alongside the upcoming locations

Location Supply and Demand

Every location has a supply and demand bar that indicates the relative value and availability of each good at that location. The goods with greater value are on the left and the goods with greater availability are on the right.

Encounters

During each End Phase in the game except the last, players will resolve an encounter card. Encounter cards are 1 of 3 types: fight encounters, optional fight encounters, or special encounters. Each player only resolves an encounter once unless specifically instructed otherwise.

Fight Encounter

Fight encounters require each player to attempt to fight the encounter. Each fight has a specific strength. If a player meets or exceeds the strength of the encounter, that player gains the win result. If a player does not have enough strength, they incur the lose result. Unless otherwise noted, a fight encounter ends as soon as a player wins a fight or all players have lost a fight.

A fight encounter card shows story text, a Guide banner (indicating who acts first, e.g. "Starting with the Guide, fight..."), a strength value, a win result, and a lose result. For example, a dragon fight encounter has strength 11; its win result reads "Defeat the dragon. Gain 3 [Everice]"; its lose result reads "Lose and run away. Discard 3 goods."

Optional Fight Encounter

Optional fight encounters give players the option to either fight an encounter or perform the special encounter text. The fight side of an optional fight encounter lists the strength, win result, and lose result. The special encounter side varies from card to card, but will typically provide an alternative to fighting. Unless otherwise noted, an optional fight encounter ends as soon as a player wins a fight or all players have resolved the encounter.

An optional fight encounter card shows story text, a Guide banner, a strength value, a win result, a lose result, and special encounter text as the alternative to fighting. For example, a "raiders" encounter has strength 8; its win result reads "Fight the raiders. Gain 2 [Everice]"; its lose result reads "Discard 1 good"; and its special encounter text (chosen instead of fighting) reads "Flee. Place a worker on this card, pay 2 gold. Pay 1 additional gold for each other worker on this card."

Special Encounter

Special encounter cards do not require players to fight. Each special encounter card describes how it is resolved and any special rules or conditions that apply to the encounter. Pay close attention to the Guide banner on special encounter cards when resolving them, as they vary greatly and often have unique effects. Unless otherwise noted, each player only resolves a special encounter once.

A special encounter card shows story text, a Guide banner (e.g. "The Guide chooses..."), and special encounter text. For example, an approaching-army encounter reads: "You hear a march coming up the trail. It is the region's army, ready for battle. The cliff gnomes are attacking nearby villages and the army has been called in to help. They have the situation under control but will gladly accept aid and pay for it!" The Guide chooses between two options: "Lend strength. Each player gains gold equal to the strength of their caravan" OR "Carry supplies. Each player gains 1 guard token."

Fight

Some encounters require a player or players to fight. When a player fights against an encounter, they roll the fight die and add the result to the strength of their caravan. Compare the player's total strength with that of the encounter. If the player's total strength is greater than or equal to that of the encounter, the player wins and follows the instructions on the card for winning. If the player's total strength is less than that of the encounter, the player loses and follows the instructions on the card for losing. If the player rolled an X on the fight die, they automatically lose the fight regardless of their caravan's strength and follow the instructions on the card for losing.

Credits & Thanks

Scott would like to thank his family and friends for all their support for his crazy cardboard career. He'd also like to thank all of the playtesters who explored the many twisting paths of Dragon Roads and lived to tell the tale. A special thanks to Jim Bennie and the other friends of Kolossal for the additional set of eyes.

• Designer: Scott Almes
• Illustration: Jacqui Davis
• Graphic Design: Chris Byer
• Graphic Design Support: Kevin Haemmerle
• Developer: Chris Hamm
• Logistics: AJ Lambeth
• Proofing: Lindsey Friend
• Production: Zongxiu Yao-Charpentier
• Project Manager: Chris Byer