Tao Long: The Way of the Dragon
Tao Long: The Way of the Dragon Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- This rulebook
- 1 Board of Human
- 1 Board of Ba-Gua
- 8 Ba-Gua stones, 4 black and 4 white
- 8 Dragon tiles, 4 white and 4 black (each set with 3 segments and 1 head)
- 8 Water stones
- 8 Fire stones
- 1 Distance Ruler
- 1 Rock tile
- 4 Portal tiles, 2 green, 1 red and 1 blue
- 1 Flux coin
The board of human is a quadrangular grid representing the world disputed by the dragons. Each dragon is represented on it by the dragon tiles, with each colour's tiles always arranged sequentially on the board, with the head to the front.
Further, the dragons' movement is determined by what happens on the board of Ba-Gua, on which the energies of the Tao — the Ba-Gua stones — are manipulated to create the dragon's path. The stones' colours refer to each dragon, so that specific combinations of a colour on the Ba-Gua might generate special actions for the respective dragon.
Besides the movement, the Tao also influences the concentration of water and fire stones — lifepoints and attack power, respectively — for each dragon. Whenever this happens, it might be necessary to use the distance ruler for resolving possible ranged attacks.
The remaining tiles will be set on the board of human at the beginning of each game, enabling the creation of different scenarios for the conflict. The rock tile represents an insurmountable obstacle, just as the edges of the board are, and the portal tiles enable direct moves from one tile to the other, even if they're apart on the board (shown as icons for Portals and Rock in the manual).
The flux coin, lastly, is only used in experienced players' game modes, and its rules are covered later on this rulebook.
The Goal
To defeat the opposing dragon by eliminating all of its segments.
Golden Rule
A dragon loses a segment as soon as its life depletes. Remove its final segment and put it at the appropriate area on the board of Ba-Gua. When the last segment of a dragon is removed, flip its head, thus marking its defeat.
When removing a segment, if that doesn't result in a defeat, the injured dragon's life is immediately fully replenished, and any remaining damage should be applied.
Setup
- Decide between the players who controls each dragon.
- Open the boards within reach of all players, with each dragon's side to its respective player.
- On the board of Ba-Gua, lay 2 white stones on Sky, 2 black stones on Earth and 1 stone of each colour on both Water and Fire.
- Lay 4 water stones on each dragon's life meter.
- Lay the fire stones on the center of the Ba-Gua.
- Set the human board according to the selected scenario from those suggested further on this rulebook.
The dragon of the sky plays first.
The Game Turn
On their turn, the player meets the following phases, in order:
Spirit
Yang is action, white, order, the sky, the vertical.
Choose a space with at least one stone from the 8 spaces on the Ba-Gua. Gather all of the stones on it and drop them on the following spaces, one in each. The decision of which colour to leave in each space is the player's — this will only have meaning, however, for advanced game modes.
Every time of change is a disturbance on the previous established order.
In order to represent the instability generated by the conflict, the flow of movement on the Ba-Gua must go counterclockwise.
The last space in which a stone is dropped determines the action to be performed on the Matter phase. It is forbidden to make a move on the Spirit phase that would determine an impossible action for the Matter phase, unless there is no other possible option. In this situation, ignore the whole Matter phase and lose 1 lifepoint, returning one water stone to the center of the Ba-Gua.
Matter
Yin is reaction, black, chaos, the earth, the horizontal.
Resolve with your dragon the action determined by the last space on the Ba-Gua in which a stone was dropped. Each action corresponds to a movement and possible consequences.
When moving your dragon, follow these steps:
- Take its last segment from the board.
- Place its head according to the movement performed.
- Place the segment previously taken on the space where the head was, flipping and turning the tile in order to connect the head to the body again.
Elements
The actions are the following:
Sky and Earth
The sky is high and vertical, while the earth extends through the horizon.
These are the elements in which the Yang and Yin energies, respectively, are most concentrated. Their movement corresponds to 1 or 2 spaces exclusively in straight lines on the vertical axis, for Sky, and on the horizontal axis, for Earth.
Thunder and Wind
The sky's movement drives the wind through the grass, as the energy of the earth breaks the thunder from the clouds to the ground.
These are the elements of change and agility, representing the motion from the sky to the earth and vice versa. Their movement is a mandatory curve from the vertical to the horizontal axis, for Wind, and from the horizontal to the vertical axis, for Thunder. After it, the player must go through another Spirit phase and, thus, another Matter phase. This effect only applies once per turn, hence being ignored in case the second Spirit phase determines a Wind or Thunder action.
Lake and Mountain
The margins contain the lake while the sky's reflection make it vast, as the clouds suppress the mountain while the earth spreads its surroundings.
These are the elements of serenity and quietness, representing the limits set by the earth to the sky and vice versa.
Its movement is 1 space in any direction from the vertical axis and still from the horizontal axis, for Lake, and the exact opposite for Mountain.
If you ignore the dragon, it devours you.
At the end of any Sky, Earth, Wind, Thunder, Lake or Mountain action, if the active dragon's head is facing any part of another dragon, it attacks with a bite. The attacked dragon loses, in this way, 1 lifepoint, returning one water stone to the center of the Ba-Gua.
Fire and Water
Fire is aggressive, though fleeting, while water hides its menace in its depths.
These are spaces of volatility and power, representing the influence of fire and water on everything that lives. Its movement is 1 space in any direction, regardless of coming from the vertical or horizontal axis. After it, the player may choose between absorbing or expelling the given element.
Absorbing consists in taking a stone of the performed element from the center of the Ba-Gua and gathering it for the active dragon, never exceeding the limit of 4 stones per element.
Expelling, on the other hand, consists in performing a ranged attack. At least part of the attacked dragon must be in the affected area, which can be checked by aligning the mouth on the distance ruler with the attacking dragon's mouth, for each of the ruler's faces. The damage dealt will be equal to the biggest printed value reached on the ruler plus the bonus for the performed element.
For fire, the player must return all of the attacking dragon's fire stones to the center of the Ba-Gua, with the bonus being equal to the amount of fire stones returned this way. For water, the bonus is equal to the amount of water stones currently at the center of the Ba-Gua.
The attacked dragon, then, loses its lifepoints accordingly, returning a water stone to the center of the Ba-Gua for each damage taken.
The Board of Human
Under the sky and above the earth, there is the human. Each game will take place in a scenario, represented by different arrangements on the board of human. Save for specific situations, the following rules apply to all scenarios.
Regarding movement, any dragon tile, edge of the board or rock tile is an insurmountable obstacle. Regarding range, any tile or edge of the board are insurmountable obstacles.
Portals
Portals are special tiles that enable movement from one side of the board to the other. Entering a portal takes the dragon to its colour twin, save for specific scenario rules. When moving your dragon to a free portal tile, follow these steps:
- Take its last segment from the board.
- Place its head on any space adjacent to the twin of the portal just entered.
- Place the segment previously taken on the space where the head was, flipping and turning the tile in order to connect the portal just entered to the body.
- Flip both portal tiles to their occupied faces, connecting them to the dragon.
Every lunge is an opportunity for retaliation.
While a dragon is crossing a portal, both occupied portal tiles count as dragon tiles, thus enabling bites and ranged attacks. Both portal tiles must be immediately flipped as soon as there are no segments connected to one of them.
Game End
As soon as one of the dragons has lost its third segment, the winner flips the opposing dragon's head, thus ending the game.
Victory is never permanent, for the Tao is eternally moving.
For an even dispute, players are encouraged to try another match, switching control over the dragons.
The Modes
From experience, emerge the possibilities.
As is the road to wisdom, the game offers different modes that go from the simplest to the fullest. It is highly recommended for the players to become used to one game mode before stepping to the next.
Grasshopper
Play normally as described through this rulebook. Whenever players are familiar to each element's actions, the next mode should be attempted.
Monk
Each dragon represents an energy, and to its energy each responds to. This mode adds to the game the dynamics between white and black stones and their respective dragons. If, during any player's Spirit phase, one or more of the following combinations happen, their effects must be resolved in the order of occurrence before the Matter phase of the current player.
Focus — Whenever all the four stones of a single colour get to the same space on the Ba-Gua, a focus effect occurs. The respective dragon must perform that space's action. If that's not possible, it ignores the whole action and loses 1 lifepoint, returning one water stone to the center of the Ba-Gua.
Balance — Whenever all the four stones of a single colour are one in each of the main elements on the Ba-Gua, which is Sky, Earth, Fire and Water, a balance effect occurs. The respective dragon must change its water and fire stones' quantities in order to equalize them with its opponent's.
Whenever players are familiar to each combination's effects, the next mode should be attempted.
Master
Every disturbance on the order is an ineludible font of change.
In order to represent the period of instability generated by the conflict, the flow of movement on the Ba-Gua will vary through the game.
This mode adds to the game the flux coin, which determines to which direction the energy on the Ba-Gua will tend to flow to. Through the game, every space with a majority of white stones will flow clockwise, as every space with a majority of black stones will flow counterclockwise. Any space with the same number of white and black stones will flow as the flux coin determines.
The flux coin begins the game flowing counterclockwise. Every time a movement on the Ba-Gua flows in a direction that is opposite to the one indicated on the flux coin, the coin should be flipped to its other face, reversing its direction of flow.
Whenever players are familiar to flow changes, this same mode should still be the one played. If, one day, the players feel that their comprehension on the game has transcended their perception on existence, the next mode should be attempted.
The Chosen One
Both matter and spirit are one, young grasshopper.
Play as in the previous mode, though using only the board of Ba-Gua — the player's mind is where the movement occurs.
Scenarios
Introductory
Each dragon's three body segments and head start clustered together in one corner of the board of human, diagonally opposite the other dragon's corner, with no rock or portal tiles in play.
The Valley
Each dragon again starts clustered in a corner of the board diagonally opposite the other, but the middle of the board is set with a rock tile, flanked by a red portal tile and a blue portal tile on one diagonal and two green portal tiles on the other.
On The Valley scenario, both red and blue portals don't have a specific twin. A dragon entering one of these may, therefore, come out through any free portal. Every advantage, though, comes at a cost. In order to use the red or blue portal, the dragon must return a fire or water stone, respectively, to the center of the Ba-Gua.
Turn Summary Reference
Spirit — Move on the Ba-Gua: Take all the stones from a space on the Ba-Gua, dropping one on each of the following spaces.
Matter — Perform the Move: The last space in which a stone is dropped represents the element to be performed: Sky, Earth, Thunder, Wind, Lake, Mountain, Fire or Water.
Apply the Effect: Some elements have effects to be performed after the dragon moves.
- Sky, Earth, Lake and Mountain: Bite (if the moving dragon's head faces an enemy dragon segment).
- Thunder and Wind: Bite, then move on the Ba-Gua again (only once per turn).
- Fire and Water: Absorb or Expel (ranged attack), applying the element's bonus to the attack.
Grasshopper & Monk modes: use all eight elements as above.
Master mode: the flow direction of each Ba-Gua space depends on which colour of stone has the majority there (or the flux coin, if tied), rather than always flowing counterclockwise.
Monk & Master modes also apply, during the Spirit phase, before Matter:
- Focus: the respective dragon must perform the element action of the space where all four stones of one colour have gathered.
- Balance: the respective dragon must change its fire and water stones to equal its opponent's.