The Book of Dragons
The Book of Dragons Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Goal
Your task is to collect dragon cards from the board. Each one becomes an entry in your Book of Dragons. Each dragon added to your Book gives you points that will determine the winner at the end of the game.
Game Components
- Puzzle board (3 pieces)
- 36 dragon cards and 6 goal cards
- 5 immunity tokens (including the start player token)
- 15 expedition dice in 5 colors
- Instructions
Game Preparation
Take a random set of immunity tokens, as many as the number of players, but definitely including the red token (which determines the start player), and randomly give one to each player. Then each player takes the 3 expedition dice in the color of their token.
Shuffle the goal cards. Each player draws a random goal card and places it face up in front of themselves, to show which type of dragon gives them 3 bonus points.
Each player sets their three dice to show 3, 4, 5.
Shuffle the dragon cards and divide them into face-up piles on the board as shown:
- 2-3 players: 3 piles (12 cards each)
- 4 players: 4 piles (9 cards each)
- 5 players: 5 piles (8 cards in the first pile; 7 cards in each other pile)
Sequence of Play
Starting with the player with the red immunity token, players take turns in clockwise order. A player does one of these two actions:
- Place expedition dice
- Take a dragon card for your book
If a player cannot do either of those two actions, then the player instead increases the value of each of their dice by 1, which ends their turn. Exception: dice with value 6 do not increase in value.
A player can additionally use special actions from their already taken dragon cards any time during their turn.
After a player's turn finishes, play passes to the player on their left.
Placing Expedition Dice
With this action, a player can place any number of their expedition dice onto one or more visible dragon cards on the board. To place dice on a card, the total number of pips on those dice must be greater than or equal to the number of pips above the card.
You can distribute your dice as you wish among cards, for example placing all your dice on one card, or one die each on three different cards, or two dice on one card and one die on another card. You can place 1, 2, or all 3 of your dice.
To place dice on a dragon card that has an opponent's dice, the pip total of your dice must be higher than the pip total of the opponent's dice. The opponent then takes their dice back and increases the value of each returned die by 1. For example, 3 becomes 4, and 5 becomes 6. Exception: dice with value 6 do not increase in value.
Example: Adam has placed dice with 3 + 4 = 7 pips. For another player to place dice there, they must place at least 8 pips.
Taking a Dragon Card for Your Book
At the start of your turn, you may claim one dragon card if it has any of your dice on it. Take the card and your dice. Lower the value of each of those dice by one. For example, 6 becomes 5. Exception: dice with value 1 do not decrease in value.
You can claim only one dragon card per turn.
Using Dragon Abilities
Some dragons have special abilities that you can use once per game after you have taken those dragons. You can use these abilities any time during your turn. A dragon's ability depends on the realm where the dragon lives. Cards have different abilities depending on their background.
List of abilities, according to the realm where a dragon lives:
- Volcano: No special ability.
- Storm: Permanently remove from the game one visible dragon card on the board that has no dice on it.
- Desert: Increase the value of one of your dice by 1 pip.
- Jungle: Increase the value of all your dice by 1 pip each.
- Mountains: Flip one of your dice to its opposite face. For example, 1 becomes 6. (Hint: the opposite faces of a die always sum to 7.)
- Plains: Put your immunity token onto a dragon card where you have dice. No other player can place dice on that card. Your immunity lasts until the start of your next turn, then your immunity token returns to you.
After using a dragon's ability, put that dragon card under your goal card, or turn that dragon card face down, to ensure that you do not use that card again in the game. Used cards still give points at the end of the game.
The board has icons reminding about the special abilities of each realm. Card abilities never affect already placed dice.
Game End
When enough piles become empty:
- 1 empty pile in a game with 2 or 3 players
- 2 empty piles in a game with 4 or 5 players
the game ends at the end of that round, i.e. after the turn of the player to the right of the start (red) player. So the start player will not take another turn.
Then count each player's points, by summing the values on the dragon cards each player took. A player gets 3 bonus points for each dragon matching their goal card. The player with the highest score wins! In case of a tie, the tying player with the highest total value on their expedition dice wins. If there is still a tie, the tying players share their victory.
2-Player Variant
In the 2-player variant, a blocking die is used to add variety to the gameplay.
The blocking die always has value 6. During game preparation, place the blocking die on the third dragon card pile. You can place your dice on that card if you place more than 6 pips. In this case, move the blocking die to the next pile (from the third pile to the first, then to the second, then to the third, and so on).
If the blocking die moves onto a card with a player's dice, remove the player's dice (even if they have 6 or more pips!) and do not increase their value! Exception: if the player's dice are protected by immunity, then move the blocking die again to the next stack.
All other rules remain unchanged.