Dragon Market
Dragon Market Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Contents
- 1 Board
- 10 Boats
- 4 Heirs (Coloured pieces)
- 2 Dice
- 40 Merchandise Tokens
- 12 Coins
- 13 Red Objective Cards
- 10 Blue Objective Cards
Players: 2-4. Ages: 7+. Playing time: 45 minutes.
Object of the Game
Collect the Merchandise pictured on your Objective Card and return to your pontoon to keep the item safe. The first player to complete 2 Objective Cards wins the game.
Set Up
- Place the board in the centre of the table. Taking turns, each player puts one Boat on the board until all Boats are placed. The Boats must take up exactly 3 squares on the board but must not cover any other player's pontoon.
- Boats have 2 spaces to receive Merchandise. Place 2 identical Merchandise Tokens on each of these spaces.
- Each player takes the Heir that matches the colour of the pontoon facing them, and places their Heir on the pontoon. For a 2 player game, players play in opposite corners of the board.
- Shuffle the Blue Objective Cards and put these in a pile, face down, next to the board. Place the Red Objective Cards back in the box. These are only used for the Advanced variation (see next page). Each player takes a card which they place, face up, in front of them. These cards show the 4 pieces of Merchandise that players must bring back to complete their Objective.
- Place the coins and the 2 dice to one side of the board.
The last player to have seen a dragon is the first to play. If two people have recently seen a dragon, the youngest of them starts. Gameplay moves clockwise.
Following the order of play, each player takes:
- 1st player – 0 coins,
- 2nd player – 1 coin,
- 3rd player – 2 coins,
- 4th player – 3 coins.
The game can start.
ATTENTION: Boats with a sailor in the middle cannot be placed along any of the board edges.
Playing a Round
On their turn, players throw the 2 dice. The total number of points on the 2 dice gives the number of movements that the player can make during their turn.
Every movement allows you to:
Move a Boat of any number of squares you want in one direction
The edges of the board, other Boats and pontoons stop you from moving. You can move Boats forward or backward only, but not sideways.
Turning Boats
The sailor in each Boat is the Boat's centre of rotation. Be careful, some Boats have a sailor on one side or the other, while other sailors are in the centre. Boats always turn 90° and always end up aligned with the board grid. The amount of necessary space Boats require for rotation is shown in the diagram on the right by the green squares.
NOTE: While moving or rotating a Boat, other Boats and pontoons block movement (you can never pass over another Boat or pontoon). If these are in the way, you cannot move or turn Boats without adequate space.
Thanh: Dao, watch out! You're going to cause an accident!
Moving your Heir
Heirs can only move using their own pontoon or the Boats. An Heir can move over squares containing other Heirs, but can't stop on the same squares. Every square used to move point costs one movement point. An Heir cannot move over sailors in the Boats.
While moving Heirs, it is possible to take the Merchandise found on each square on the condition that it is not already in your possession and it is required by your Objective Card. It is also permitted to take Merchandise from squares occupied by other Heirs if you pass by these. Collecting Merchandise does not use up extra movement points.
Dao: Excuse me, I'm just passing by, but I need that Buddha statue!
- Players can use their movement points however they want and carry out actions in the order they choose.
- If you have not used all your movement points on your turn, you can take as many coins from the stock as you have unused points. If there are not enough coins left, you can take them from other players who have the most. If several players are tied with the most, you can take coins from the player of your choice or take these coins from several players.
- You can spend 1 or 2 coins maximum to add as many movement points as coins used during your turn.
- When you have collected all the Merchandise mentioned on your Objective Card, you must return to your pontoon to secure them. You must then place the Merchandise tokens back in the box and turn over a new card. Place this card face up in front of you.
End of the Game
The first player to complete 2 Objective Cards and return to their pontoon immediately wins the game.
Advanced Variation
During Set Up: Shuffle the Red Objective Cards and put these in a pile, face down, next to the board. Place the Blue Objective Cards back in the box. Each player should draw 2 cards, choosing one to be their first Objective. This card stays secret! Discard the other card by shuffling it back into the original pile.
Thanh: The snake won't look good with the vase. I'm off to find some nice fish instead!
During the game: The game follows the same rules as those written above with the exception of the following points:
When you complete your Objective by returning to your pontoon:
A. Turn your completed Objective Card over so that it is face up in front of you. You win the card's bonus (see Objective Card Bonus on the next page).
Thanh: If I'd known, I might have taken the one with the serpent...
B. Draw 2 cards from the pile, choose one and place this card in front of you, face down. Discard the other by shuffling it back into the pile.
End of the Game: The first player to complete 3 Objective Cards by returning to their pontoon wins the game.
2 and 3 player Variation: Players must complete 3 Objectives instead of 2.
Team Variation (4 players)
Rules for a standard or Advanced 4 player game are identical except for the following:
- Players are in teams of 2.
- Teammates decide together which Objective to complete.
- Each team only has one Objective at a time to complete.
- Turns alternate between the two teams AND in each team players also alternate turns between players.
- Coins collected belong to both players in the team.
- Any Heir from the same team can return to the pontoon to deliver ALL the Merchandise required on the Objective Card, regardless of which player collected them originally.
- To win, a team must complete 4 Objectives.
- If you are playing the Advanced Variation, only one of the 2 players is allowed to use the power of the cards in each turn.
Thanh: Do you understand, Dao? We're in the same team now.
Objective Card Bonus
Each Objective Card, once completed in the Advanced Variation, grants a one-time or once-per-turn bonus power:
- Once per turn, you can move a Boat over another, staying on the same row.
- Once per turn, you can rotate a Boat 180° even if there are things blocking it. Turn it in the air then place it on the board, taking care to keep the sailor in his original position.
- Once per turn, you can move a Boat sideways as many spaces as you like as long as it isn't blocked by another Boat. IMPORTANT: A Boat with a sailor in the centre can NEVER end up against the edge of the board.
- Once per turn, you can move over a sailor.
- Once per turn, you can move your Heir diagonally.
- Once per turn, you can jump over 1 sea square in a straight line.
- Once per turn, you can swap positions with another player on the same Boat.
- Once per turn, you can turn a Boat with a sailor positioned at either end on its opposite rotational axis (as is shown in the image).
- Once per turn, you can swap the positions of two piles of Merchandise tokens on the same Boat.
- Once per turn, you can roll one die again.
- You can ignore one of the pieces of Merchandise on the following Objective Card (you will only need 2 of the 3 pieces required to complete the next Objective).
- Immediately choose from 3 Objective Cards instead of 2.
- Immediately take 3 coins from the stock. If there aren't enough coins left, you can take them from the player with the most. If several players are tied with the most, then you can take the coins from the player of your choice or take coins from several players.
- The powers of cards with the "1x" icon can only be used once.