River Dragons Game Rules

The Game

In the game River Dragons, the goal is to be the first player to reach the opposite side of the river by crossing over dragon bridges. The game is played on a board that represents the river and its various obstacles. Each player has a set of wooden pawns that represent their adventurers.

Setting Up the Game

To prepare for the game, each player places their pawns on the starting side of the river. The dragon bridges are placed randomly on the board, creating a path across the river. Each player is also given a set of action cards, which they keep hidden from their opponents. The youngest player goes first.

Playing the Game

On their turn, a player may choose to play one action card and move one of their pawns, or they may pass. The action cards allow players to perform certain actions, such as moving an opponent’s pawn or placing an obstacle on the board. The goal is to strategically navigate the dragon bridges and reach the other side of the river before your opponents.

The Dragon Bridges

The dragon bridges in the game are the key to crossing the river. Each bridge has a specific color, and players must match the color of their pawn with the color of the bridge to cross it. If a player tries to cross a bridge that does not match their pawn color, they must discard one of their action cards and try again on their next turn.

Obstacles and Strategy

As players move their pawns across the river, they may encounter obstacles such as whirlpools or other players’ pawns. These obstacles can slow down a player’s progress and require them to strategize their moves carefully. Players can use their action cards to remove obstacles or hinder their opponents’ progress.

Winning the Game

The first player to successfully cross all the dragon bridges and reach the opposite side of the river wins the game. If multiple players reach the other side at the same time, the player who played the least number of action cards during the game is declared the winner. River Dragons is a game of strategy, luck, and clever maneuvering. Can you outwit your opponents and become the ultimate dragon bridge crosser?

In the Mekong delta, every year, brave young people gather for a famous contest. Their challenge is to build bridges using planks and stones and cross the river to reach the village on the opposite bank. It’s not an easy task, as they must carefully plan their actions, outsmart their opponents, and watch out for the Mekong’s unpredictable dragons. The reward for the first person to complete the journey is a golden dragon presented by the king himself!

What You’ll Need

• 1 game board
• 78 action cards
• 6 pawns
• 36 numbered planks
• 1 first player card
• 27 stones
• Instructions

The Goal

Your mission is to leave your village, strategically place stones, construct bridges, and successfully navigate the board to reach the destination village.

Getting Started

Okay, so let me break it down for you. When you’re setting up the game, here’s what you need to do:

• First things first, place the board in the center of the table. Make sure the side with the islands is facing up so everyone can see.
• Next, take the stones and put them next to the board. This will create a reserve of stones that everyone can reach.
• Now it’s time to pick a color for your starting village. Each player can choose a different color, but if there are fewer than 6 players, not all the colors will be used. The guide next to each village will tell you which colors can be used based on the number of players.

Hey there! Let’s dive into the exciting world of card games. When we play, the youngest person gets to go first. So, they grab that first player card, number 3, and put it right in front of them. Cool, right? Now, here’s the fun part. Every turn, the first player changes, going around the circle in a clockwise direction. It keeps things fresh and fair for everyone.

What You Need

• First, I place 1 pawn on my starting village.
• Next, I have 6 planks of the same color but different sizes. I place them in front of me to create a reserve.
• Then, I have 13 Action cards in my hand. I remove all the Dragon cards of the absent colors.

Let’s Play!

A game is made up of several turns. Each turn goes like this:

1. Planning Phase:

I choose 5 Action cards from the ones I have in my hand. I place them face down in front of me in the order I want to play them, starting from the left.

These cards represent the 5 actions I will take during this turn. Remember, once I place them, I can’t change or move them.

2. Action/Resolution Phase:

So, here’s how the game works: when we all have 5 cards in front of us, we show our first card, all at the same time. Then, it’s time to take action, one player at a time, going clockwise, starting with the first player.

Once we’re done with our first actions, we reveal our second cards and carry out those actions. We repeat this process for all 5 cards.

But watch out! There’s a catch. A Dragon card can cancel one of our actions. You can find more details about that on the back page of the rules.

Eventually, all the actions will be resolved and the turn will come to an end. Here’s what happens:

1. The first player passes their first player card to their neighbor on the left.
2. We all take back the Action cards we used during the turn. We can reuse them in the next turn.
3. A new turn begins, starting with the Programming phase, and the cycle goes on.

Put Down One Stone

You have to put down one stone on any of the 27 islands.

Let’s Put Two Stones Down

Hey there! You gotta put two stones down, one on each of the 27 islands.

• Don’t put a stone beyond an island’s limits, that won’t be allowed.
• Each island can only have one stone, so choose wisely!
• Remember, you can’t place a stone on a village. That’s a no-go.
• Once a stone is down, it’s there to stay. No moving or removing, unless you use the “Remove 1 stone or 1 plank” action.
• Oh, and if there are no stones left in reserve when you need one, tough luck, you lose that action.

Expert Mode

Feeling fancy? Flip the board over so the islands disappear. Then, instead of putting the stones on the islands, you gotta put them right in the water. Keep playing with all the other usual rules.

Step 1: Set Up the First Plank

To begin, place a single wooden plank on two sturdy stones or on a village and one stone. Make sure the plank is secure and balanced.

Step 2: Add the Second Plank

Next, add two more planks following the same instructions as before. Ensure that the planks are placed correctly and maintain the proper distance between the stones or between the village and the stone.

Now, it’s time to carefully choose a plank from your reserve. Consider the distance between the stones or between the village and the stone. Once you’ve made your choice, remember that it’s final. Even if it turns out to be a less-than-ideal pick, you can’t change it!

If the plank is too long, don’t worry! You can still use it by placing it over the stone’s limits. But if the plank is too short and cannot be placed steadily, you must find another spot for it. And if you just can’t find a good place for the plank, unfortunately, you’ll have to remove it from the game. Remember, you’re not allowed to move a stone to make space for a plank.

Here’s an important rule to keep in mind: a plank cannot rest on another plank, unless there’s a stone or village that can support both of them. It’s important to maintain stability!

Speaking of stability, there are limits to how many planks a stone or village can support. A stone can only handle up to 3 planks, and the same goes for a village. So be mindful of not exceeding this limit, or it could lead to some wobbly structures!

Now, let’s talk about removing planks and stones. If you ever need to, you have the option to remove either 1 plank or 1 stone from the game. This can come in handy if you need to make some adjustments or simply want to change the layout. It gives you some flexibility to experiment and find the best strategy for building your kingdom.

So remember, when it comes to placing planks and stones, keep an eye on stability and the limits of support. And if you ever need to, don’t hesitate to remove a plank or stone to improve your game. Happy building!

When playing the game, you have two options:

• You can take a plank of any color and size from the board and keep it for later.
• You can take a stone from the board and put it back in the common stone reserve.

However, there are also some rules that you must follow:

• You cannot take a plank that has a pawn on it.
• You cannot have two planks of the same size in your reserve.
• You cannot have more than two different colors of planks in your reserve.
• You cannot take a stone that has already been used by a plank.

If there are no planks or stones that can be taken, then you lose your turn.

1 Movement

When you play this game, you have to remember that movement is important. Here’s what you need to keep in mind: as a player, I need to move my pawn onto a plank or village that is not already occupied by another pawn. This means I have to choose a spot that is right next to me. Let me give you an example. Imagine I’m playing and I see a village that no one has claimed yet. I can move my pawn to that village as long as no one else is already there. So, the key is to look for an available spot next to me, either on a plank or in a village, and move my pawn there. Got it?

Example 1: When I play the game, I notice that the green pawn has to move to a plank that is free and right next to it. I have a couple of options – I can move it to the green plank on its left or to the red plank on its right. However, I can’t move it to the pink plank because it’s already occupied by the yellow pawn.

2 Movements

When I’m playing, I’m required to move my pawn. I have two choices – I can move it to two adjacent planks or one plank and a village. Let me show you an example in Example 2.

Example 2: The green pawn has a challenging decision to make. It is surrounded by other pawns on all sides, leaving it with limited options. It can either advance two planks forward and reach the red village or stay where it is on the current plank.

• A pawn can move in any direction and on any plank regardless of its color.
• A pawn cannot move to a plank occupied by another pawn, but a village can accommodate any number of pawns.
• If there are no available moves in any direction, the pawn falls into the river and returns to its starting village.
• In the case of two movements, it is possible to make a U-turn and end the movement on the starting plank.

Jump Over Another Pawn

You MUST make your pawn jump over a pawn located on an adjacent plank.

• The outcome of the jump is the same as a two-movement action (see example 3).
• For the jump to be possible, the pawn must be able to land on a village or an unoccupied plank.

If there’s no possible jump – like when there’s no pawn on a nearby plank or nowhere to land – the pawn jumps for nothing and falls in the river. Then they have to go back to where they started. This is shown in example 4.

Example 3: See that yellow pawn? It has to jump over another pawn. But it can only jump over the green pawn and land on the red plank. Why? Because there’s no other pawn beside it.

Example 4: In this scenario, the yellow pawn faces an obstacle. He wants to jump over it but he can’t. Unfortunately, he falls into the river and is forced to return to his starting village.

Let’s Talk About the River Dragons

When it’s time to resolve our actions, we need to be mindful of the dragon cards. These cards have the power to cancel the action of the card placed in the same position for the player who shares the same color as the dragon on that card.

When I’m playing, I can only use one Dragon card on my turn. And you know what? I can even choose not to use any Dragon cards at all if I want.

Now, here’s the thing – using one Dragon card doesn’t cancel out the effects of another Dragon card. So, if a bunch of players decide to play their Dragon cards in the same spot, guess what? All of the effects still happen! It’s like a big, messy explosion of Dragon power! Just check out example 5 if you don’t believe me.

Imagine this scenario: I’m playing a board game with my friends, and it’s getting intense. The pink player just placed a green dragon in the 4th position, while the green player countered with a blue dragon in the same slot. But here’s the catch – the green dragon doesn’t cancel out the blue one. This means the blue player won’t be able to make their 4th move as planned. Talk about a strategic twist!

Just a Reminder

When we’re playing with fewer than 6 players, we each remove the dragons of any colors not represented in the game from our hands. Keep this in mind to keep things fair and balanced.

What Happens at the End

It’s important to note that the game instantly ends as soon as one of the pawns reaches their destination village, regardless of whether or not it’s the end of a turn or all actions have been completed. It’s a thrilling conclusion to an exciting gameplay experience. Will you be the one to make it to the finish line first?