Tao Long: The Way of the Dragon – Red Pearl Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Setup
  • Red Pearl Module Setup
  • Cloud Module Setup
• Red Pearl Gameplay
  • Red Pearl Movement
  • Red Pearl Activation
  • Taking the Red Pearl
• Clouds Gameplay

Components

• 8 x Cloud Tokens
• 2 x Red Pearls

Setup

Follow the standard setup instructions with the following additions:

Red Pearl Module Setup

This module may be used with or without the Cloud module.

1. Using any method, decide which Dragon will begin the game controlling the Red Pearl. Place one Red Pearl on top of that Dragon's head.

Note: When playing with the Village, the Dragon that begins the game with the Red Pearl must also be the protecting dragon.

2. Place the other Red Pearl on top of the stack of stones matching the color of the Dragon that starts the game with the Red Pearl. This will be the Heaven stack for the White Dragon or the Earth stack for the Black Dragon.

3. The Dragon without the Red Pearl will be the first to take a turn.

Cloud Module Setup

This module may be used with or without the Red Pearl module.

Select one of the following scenarios and set all components to match the image. In order to better visualize and arrange the Clouds with the other pieces on the board, it is suggested that they are always placed on top of a Small Rock tile.

The scenarios are The Rainy Vale and The Storm. Each is shown as a board diagram in the printed rulebook; the diagrams are not reproduced here.

Red Pearl Gameplay

Red Pearl Movement

If there is a Red Pearl on a Dragon's head, that Red Pearl will remain on that head as the Dragon moves.

If there is a Red Pearl on any Dragon Segment, it only moves when that segment is moved due to it being the last in line. When this happens, move the Red Pearl to that Dragon's head.

The printed rulebook gives the following two paragraphs with no heading of their own. They are placed here, under Red Pearl Movement, because they describe moving a Red Pearl with stones.

If any player moves the stack of stones with a Red Pearl on top, move that Red Pearl along with the stones and leave it on top of the final stone placed.

If any player adds a stone to the stack with a Red Pearl, adjust it so that that Red Pearl is on top of the stack.

Red Pearl Activation

At the end of their turn, a player whose Dragon has a Red Pearl on its head may activate it by placing it next to the action space that the other Red Pearl is at. They then perform another Matter Phase, using that space's action. After resolving the action and all of its consequences, that player places the moved Red Pearl onto their body segment closest to their Dragon's head.

Taking the Red Pearl

The Red Pearl can be taken by successfully biting the Dragon that currently has it. When this happens, remove that Dragon's Red Pearl from wherever it currently is and place it on the biting Dragon's head. The active player may activate the Red Pearl on the same turn they took it from their opponent.

Clouds Gameplay

A Cloud is defined as any number of adjacent Cloud tokens. Clouds are obstacles on the Board of Human.

Whenever a Dragon would move onto a space occupied by a Cloud, they instead move to any valid space adjacent to that Cloud, with their head facing away from it.

Unlike Portals, Clouds do not count as part of a Dragon, which means players cannot attack a Cloud to do damage to a Dragon moving through it.

Both Dragons may pass through the same Cloud as many times as they want, as long as there are enough spaces to enter and leave the Cloud each time.