DragonIsles Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Contents
• Set Up
• How to Play
  • Prepare
  • Challenge
    • Challenge Succeeds
    • Challenge Fails
• Encounter Cards
• Character Boards
• Unique Character Abilities
• Potions
• Treasures
• Coins
• Trophies
  • Encounter Trophies - 3 Victory Points
  • Variety Trophies - 5 Victory Points
• Ending the Game
  • Count Up Your Victory Points

Contents

• 50 Encounter Cards (5 types in 2 categories: Land and Sea)
• 64 Adventurer Cards (1-12 in 5 colors, 4 wild)
• 45 Treasure Cards (30 green, 15 orange)
• 5 Reference Cards
• 5 Double-sided Character Boards
• 5 Encounter Trophies
• 5 Variety Trophies
• 6 Custom Dice
• 50 Coin Tokens (30 copper, 10 silver, and 10 gold)
• 20 Potion Tokens (3 types)
• 20 Experience Cubes (4 per player)

Set Up

1. Give each player a Character Board and 4 Experience Cubes. Each player places an Experience Cube at the bottom of each of the 4 tracks on their Character Board.
2. Shuffle the Encounter Deck. Place the deck in the center of the play area. Draw 4 Encounter Cards and place them face-up next to the deck to form the Quest Board.
3. Shuffle the Adventurer deck. Deal 5 cards to each player. Place the remaining deck face-down near the Quest Board and draw 2 Adventure Cards, placing them face-up next to the deck to form the Tavern (Izakaya).
4. Shuffle the Treasure Deck and place it near the Quest Board.
5. Mix up the Potion Tokens face-down and place them in a random pile within easy reach of all players.
6. Place the 6 Dice within easy reach of the players.
7. Place the Coin Tokens and all Trophies near the board in easy reach.
8. Give each player a Reference Card.

Now you're ready to begin your adventure in the DragonIsles!

The set-up illustration shows a 3 player game.

How to Play

The player who last traveled by boat takes the first turn. Then play passes to the left. On your turn, you will do one of two things: PREPARE or CHALLENGE.

Prepare

It's always good to be prepared! Announce that you are preparing and draw 2 Adventurer Cards, one at a time, either from the face-up cards (Tavern) or the Adventure deck.

Handsize: Your maximum (max) handsize is shown on your Character Board. If your hand exceeds this limit, immediately choose cards to discard until you have the correct number, placing the excess in the discard pile.

• If you draw a face-up Tavern Card, immediately replace it with a new card from the Adventure Deck so there are always 2 Tavern Cards.
• You may draw any combination of face-up Tavern and Adventure Deck Cards, in any order.
• If the Adventurer Deck runs out, immediately shuffle the discard pile to start a new deck.

NOTE: Any other effects that let you draw Adventurer Cards during the game must be drawn from the Adventure Deck and cannot be drawn from the 2 face-up Tavern Cards.

After you've drawn, your turn is over and play passes to the left.

Challenge

Time to explore! You may Challenge one of the face-up Encounters in the Quest Board to gain Victory Points. Use your Adventurer cards to challenge any encounter with one of the three actions shown on each Encounter card: Sneak, Steal, or Strike. To challenge, play cards from your hand face-up and announce which Encounter you are attempting to defeat and the type of action you're using. For example: "I'm going to SNEAK past the pink Oni."

Action Key:

• SNEAK: Play a run of cards with consecutive numbers, regardless of color (e.g., 6, 7, 8).
• STEAL: Play a set of cards that are all the same number, different colors (e.g., three 8s).
• STRIKE: Play a set of cards that are all the same color (e.g., three Yellow cards).

1. Take one die for each card you played and roll them. For example: If you played a 4 card Strike, you would roll 4 dice.
2. Compare the total sum rolled against the action's target number on the Encounter Card you are Challenging. If the total sum is equal to or greater than the target number listed for the action you chose, the Challenge Succeeds! If the total is less, the Challenge Fails.

Example: The Warrior is attempting to Strike the pink Oni Encounter card. They have played 4 strike cards, allowing them to roll 4 dice. The target number for Strike on the pink Oni is 7. The player rolls a 1, 3, 2, 2 on the dice for a total of 8. A roll of 8 is greater than the Oni's 7 Strike. The Warrior has successfully challenged the Oni and collects the Encounter card.

Notes:

• Some Encounter Cards are missing an action. You may not Challenge an Encounter with that type of action.
• When you are making a set, Wild Cards can represent any number or color.
• You may never roll more than 6 dice. If an effect would cause you to roll more than 6 dice, roll 6 instead.
• Some Characters can gain rerolls as they level up. Immediately after rolling, you may choose dice up to their reroll number and reroll them. (see Character Boards on pg 8)
• If you have a Treasure effect that triggers on rolling a 1 and you do, you may take the benefit from the Treasure and then reroll the dice showing 1.

Challenge Succeeds

1. Discard the Adventurer Cards you used on this challenge.
2. Take the Encounter and place it next to your Character Board. You have scored the Victory Points shown on the card.
3. Draw a new Encounter to replace it on the Quest Board.
4. Count the symbols for each type of Encounter you've completed, including those on Orange Scroll Cards. If you have the most for a type, take the matching Encounter Trophy, even if another player has it.

NOTE: Some cards show multiple symbols; for instance, the Crashing Waves Cave Encounter counts as two Location symbols.

5. If the Encounter type target number has a Treasure Chest next to the difficulty number, earn a Treasure. If it has a Coin, earn a Coin Token.
6. Now gain experience, and level up one of your Experience Tracks one space. (see Character Boards pg 8).

NOTE: When you place an Encounter Card next to your Character Board, keep them face-up and sort them into piles of like types. Players should be able to tell what Encounters other players have scored at a glance.

Challenge Fails

1. Take all the Adventurer Cards you played back into your hand.
2. The Encounter Card remains in the Quest Board.
3. Draw one random Potion Token and place it in front of you.

After you have succeeded or failed a Challenge attempt, your turn is over. Play passes to the left.

Encounter Cards

Encounter Cards are how your Characters gain experience and Victory Points on DragonIsles.

Card anatomy:

• Name
• Encounter Type (Dragon, Oni, Bakemono, Tsukumogami or Location). There will be either 1 or 2.
• Bonus (Coin or Treasure)
• Victory Point Value
• Encounter Category (Land or Sea)
• Action (Sneak, Steal or Strike)
• Target Number

There are 5 types of Encounters: Dragons, Oni, Bakemono, Tsukumogami and Locations.

Encounters are divided into two Categories:

• Land Encounter Cards — Brown mountain border.
• Sea Encounter Cards (more difficult) — Blue wave border.

If there are ever 4 Land or 4 Sea Cards in the Quest Board, discard them next to the Encounter Card Deck and draw 4 new Encounters Cards. If you run out of cards in the Encounter Deck, shuffle any discarded cards and use them as the new deck.

Character Boards

Each Character Board offers a unique ability you can use on your turn and a specific way to grow your experience as you succeed in Challenges. For each successful Challenge, you will advance one of your four Experience Cubes to the next space above on the track, unlocking greater bonuses as you progress.

NOTE: If an Experience Cube is at the top of a track, you may not advance it any further and must choose another track.

Experience Track: The current position of your Experience Cube in an Experience Track indicates the current bonus you receive for a variety of actions and/or abilities.

TIP: Choose upgrades wisely! Once an Experience Cube is moved up, it can't be moved back.

• Sneak, Steal and Strike: Increasing the SNEAK, STEAL, and STRIKE Experience Tracks will give you the indicated number as a bonus to add to your dice roll whenever you Challenge an Encounter Card with that type of action. EXAMPLE: The Monk player decides to Sneak during their Encounter with a Kitsune. They roll 3 dice (2, 4, 1) and add a +1 from their Sneak track, for a total of 8. The target number is 7, the challenge succeeds!
• Sea Encounters: Increasing the SEA ENCOUNTERS Experience Track on the Pirate will give you the indicated number as a bonus to add to your dice roll whenever you Challenge a more difficult blue Sea Encounter Card.
• Reroll: Increasing REROLLS on a track will give you the ability to reroll more dice. Immediately after rolling, you may choose to reroll dice up to the number currently indicated on your character's REROLL Experience Track.
• Handsize: Increasing the HANDSIZE Experience Track will give you the ability to hold more cards in your hand as indicated.
• Trophies: Increasing TROPHY on a track will give you the indicated bonus Victory Points for each Trophy you have earned after the game has ended. Example: At the end of the game, the Warrior Players earned 3 Trophies (Oni, Dragon and Variety). Their Experience Cube for the Trophy Tracker is currently on 2 Victory Points. The Warrior player will earn 6 additional Victory Points (2 Victory Points x 3 Trophies).

Many spaces also have an icon. When you move an Experience Cube onto those spaces, you immediately earn the indicated reward as a bonus (either a Potion Token, Coin Token or Treasure Card).

TIP: The total number of Experience Tracker advances you have will always be equal to the number of Challenges you have completed, so if you suspect you may have forgotten to level up you can always count your Encounters and check if the numbers match.

Unique Character Abilities

• Monk: When you use a Potion Token, you may also draw 1 Adventure Card. (Sneak, Steal, Trophies, Handsize)
• Sorcerer: When you take the PREPARE action, draw 3 Adventure Cards instead of 2. (Sneak, Strike, Rerolls, Handsize)
• Pirate: Each Coin Token earned is worth 2 Victory Points at the end of the game, instead of 1. (Sea Encounters, Rerolls, Trophies, Handsize)
• Trader: Whenever you earn a Treasure Card, draw 3 Adventure Cards, keep 1 then discard the rest. (Sneak, Steal, Strike, Handsize)
• Warrior: Whenever you succeed at a Challenge, draw an Adventure Card. (Strike, Sneak, Trophies, Handsize)

Potions

Players earn a random Potion Token whenever they fail an Encounter (or from moving up the Experience Track of certain characters).

There are 3 types of Potions. You may discard one or more Potion Tokens at any point during your turn to activate their action:

• +2 Adventure Cards: Discard this Potion to draw 2 Adventure Cards.
• +1 Adventure Card and discard: Discard this Potion to draw 1 Adventure Card and discard all Quest Board Encounter Cards.
• +2 to your total: After rolling your dice on a Challenge you may discard this Potion to add 2 to your total.

NOTE: If you earn a Potion Token but none are available, take one from another player.

Treasures

Treasures are cards you can earn over the course of the game that augment your game in some way. There is no limit to the amount of Treasure Cards you can earn and you may own multiples of the same card, each card granting you its ongoing benefits.

There are two ways you earn Treasure:

1. When you move an Experience Cube onto a space with a Treasure symbol.
2. When you successfully Challenge an Encounter that has a Treasure symbol.

There are two types of treasures:

• Green Items: These provide you with an ongoing benefit for the rest of the game.
• Orange Scoring Scrolls: These help you compete for Encounter Trophies or earn a Variety Trophy. When you earn an Orange Scoring Scroll, immediately check to see if you have the most of that type, just as if you had completed an Encounter. In addition, each Orange Scoring Scroll card is worth 1 additional Victory Point at the end of the game.

NOTE: Whenever you earn a Treasure from an Encounter or leveling up, draw 2 cards from the Treasure Deck. Choose one to keep and play it in front of you, place the other card in the Treasure Deck discard pile. If the Treasure Deck runs out, shuffle the discard to create a new Treasure deck.

Coins

Coins are tokens you earn throughout the game. They count towards your total Victory Points when the game ends. They also determine the winner when any players are tied for first.

There are three ways you earn Coins:

1. When you move an Experience Cube onto a space with a Coin symbol.
2. When you successfully Challenge an Encounter that has a Coin symbol.
3. When you roll a 1 in a Challenge, the Omamori Treasure Card allows you to earn a Coin Token.

NOTE: If you earn a Coin Token but none are available, take one from another player.

Trophies

Trophies are a way for players to earn bonus Victory Points. There are two categories of Trophies: Encounter Trophies (earned for having the most of one type of Encounter) and Variety Trophies (earned by collecting 1 of each of the 5 types of Encounters).

Encounter Trophies - 3 Victory Points

To claim an Encounter Trophy, you must have the most symbols collected of one of the 5 types of Encounters. To determine this, add up all the symbols you've collected of that type on each Encounter Card (1 or 2) plus any Orange Treasure Cards you've earned. If your total is higher than any other player's, you claim the Trophy and become the leader for that type.

NOTE: You must have a higher total than the current Trophy Leader to claim it from them.

Variety Trophies - 5 Victory Points

To claim a Variety Trophy, you must have collected at least 1 of each of the 5 types of Encounters. If you have, you may take 1 of the 5 Variety Trophies. (Orange Scoring Scroll Cards count toward this total.)

NOTE: Multiple players may own the Variety Trophy. Each player may only own one.

Ending the Game

As soon as a player successfully completes their 8th Encounter, the game ends. (Orange Scoring Treasure Cards do not count towards this total.)

Count Up Your Victory Points

1. Add up Victory Points for each completed Encounter Card and Orange Treasure Card you earned.
2. Add 3 Victory Points for each Encounter Trophy you are holding.
3. Add 5 Victory Points if you earned a Variety Trophy.
4. Add up your TROPHY Experience Track bonus Victory Points (Monk, Pirate, Warrior).
5. Add the total value of your Coin Tokens to your Victory Points (1 Victory Point X the total value of coins). If you are playing as the Pirate your Coin Tokens are all worth 2 Victory Points instead of 1 so double your total value of coins.

Example: Here the Monk player earned 19 points for Encounters. The Bakemono Scroll gives them 1 point and wins them the Bakemono trophy for 3 points. They collected one of each Encounter type and get a 5 point Variety Trophy. Their Experience Track for Trophies reached the second space for an additional 2 points for each trophy (4 points). Each of their coins is worth 1 point as well for a total of 35 Victory Points.

The player with the most points wins. If there is a tie, the player with the most value in Coin Tokens wins. If that is a tie, players share the victory.