This game can accommodate as many players as you’d like, depending on how many decks you have. At a minimum, you’ll need two players, but the base game is designed for four players.

To play Red Dragon Inn, you’ll need a few materials. Each player will have their own deck corresponding to their character of choice: Fiona, Gerki, Zot, or Deirdre. There are also player mats, a Drink Deck of cards, red markers to track fortitude, clear markers for alcohol content, and gold pieces to keep score.

Red Dragon Inn is a deck-based strategy game that challenges you to outsmart and outwit your opponents. It’s important to note that while the theme involves drinking, this game is not meant to encourage actual alcohol consumption. It’s purely fictional fun!

Let’s Dive Into Red Dragon Inn

Hey there! So, in this awesome game called Red Dragon Inn, we get to use decks with cool characters of our choice. The goal is to be the last person standing, and we do that by staying conscious and having the most gold. How do we achieve that? Well, by drinking, fighting, gambling, and even cheating!

Now, in the base game, we have four amazing heroes to choose from. We’ve got Zot the wizard, Fiona the fighter, Deirdre the healer, and Gerki the rogue. They’re all super cool, and if you’re new to the game, starting with these characters is a great idea. Of course, there are many other characters available too, each with advanced powers and special abilities, so you can always expand your collection later on!

Ready, Set, Go!

Before we start playing Red Dragon Inn, we need to set it up. First, make sure someone shuffles and places the drink deck within everyone’s reach. This deck is pretty important, so keep it handy!

Hey there! So, here’s what you gotta do to get started. First off, grab all the stuff you need – your character deck, a red marker, a clear marker, and a player mat. Make sure to shuffle your character deck nicely.

Now, take your red marker and put it on 20, and put the clear marker on the zero spot on your play mat. Oh, and don’t forget to grab 10 gold from the supply. If you’re playing with just 2 players, you’ll need 8 gold instead. And if you’ve got a fancy expanded game with 7 or more players, you’ll need 12 gold.

Alright, now let’s set up your player mat. You’ve got spots for your character deck, discard pile, and drink pile. Take a card from the drink deck, but don’t peek at it! Put it facedown in your drink pile.

Almost there! Draw 7 cards to make your starting hand. And then, decide who gets to go first. Once you’ve got that settled, the game is on!

GAMEPLAY

Welcome to the game! Let’s dive into the excitement of playing. When it’s my turn, I follow a series of steps. Check them out!

Discard and Draw Cards

The first thing I do is decide if I want to get rid of any cards. If I do, I discard them. Once I’m done with that, it’s time to draw new cards. I can draw up to 7 cards, but if I already have 7 cards or more, I don’t draw any. Here’s a cool part – if I happen to draw the very last card in my deck, I can shuffle the cards I’ve already discarded and add them back to my deck.

Action Phase

When it’s time for me to take action, I can play one action card. These cards have the word “action” on them, right below the title. To play one, I’ll read the title out loud, give everyone a chance to respond, do the action it allows, and then get rid of the card. For example, if I play a card called “Gambling? I’m in,” it means we’re starting a round of gambling.

If I don’t want to or can’t play an action card, I can skip this phase.

Buy Drinks

After my Action phase is over, it’s time to buy drinks. I’ll draw a card from the Drink Deck without looking and I’ll place it on someone else’s “drink me” pile. I don’t have to pay anything for this now, but I might have to later in the game or if I have a special card that lets me buy extra drinks.

Drink

When it’s time to drink, I’ll draw a card from my drink pile and take a sip. These cards can do all sorts of things, but let’s keep it simple for now. If the card has a tankard symbol, I’ll move my alcohol marker a few spaces forward or backward, depending on whether it’s a plus or minus. And if there’s a heart, I’ll do the same with my life marker. Once I’ve done what the card says, I’ll put it in the discard pile for drink cards.

If I don’t have any drinks left in my pile when it’s my turn to drink, I start to sober up and move my alcohol marker back one space.

When it’s Time to Stop

After I’ve finished my drinking phase, it’s the next player’s turn.

Other Types of Cards

Along with Action cards, there are Sometimes and Anytime cards too.

If you want to play a sometimes card, you need to carefully read what the card says. Sometimes, these cards can only be played when certain conditions are met, and you have to meet those conditions for the card to have any effect. Once you meet the requirements, you can read the title of the card, give other players a chance to respond, and then follow the instructions on the card. After you’re done, you can discard the card into your discard pile.

On the other hand, anytime cards are much simpler to play. You can play them at any time during any phase, on your turn or even during another player’s turn. They can even interrupt other players’ actions. All you have to do is read the title of the card, give players time to respond, follow the card’s instructions, and then discard it when you’re finished.

Gambling

When you’re playing a game, gambling can be a special situation that lets you play cards even when it’s not your turn. But there’s a catch – every player has to pay one gold as an ante when someone plays a card that starts a round of gambling. (There are some cards that can help you get out of paying the ante!) Then, the player to the left of the person who started the gambling can play a special gambling card that lets them take control of the round. But if they don’t want to or can’t play a gambling card, they can simply pass. However, passing doesn’t mean they’re out of the round of gambling, so they might still have a chance to play later on.

In gambling, there are special cards that can change the game. One of these is the “raise” card. When you play the raise card, everyone who is still in the round has to put another gold coin into the pot, whether they passed or not. It’s a way to make the pot bigger and more tempting.

Then there’s the winning hand card. This card gives you a strong advantage. If you play the winning hand card, the only way another player can take over the round is if they have a cheat card. The cheat card allows them to control the round, even if you played the winning hand. So, it’s like a secret weapon that can turn the tables.

Some cards give you the power to leave a round of gambling or force another player out. These are the only ways to leave a round. It’s like having an escape route or a way to kick someone out if they’re causing trouble.

If you take control of a round and it comes back to you, you win! You collect all the gold coins in the pot and get to continue your turn. So, it’s important to strategize and make your moves wisely.

AN ADDITIONAL SET OF RULES

Inside your rule book, you’ll discover a couple more pages containing extra rules. These rules cover specific situations and cards, as well as additional drinking rules and some advanced rules that aren’t used in the basic game. It’s a good idea to keep these pages handy as you play your first few games and as you introduce new characters.

ENDING THE GAME

The game will come to a close at different times for different players. In order to be declared the winner, you must be the last player standing with money.

How to Lose

Losing is much simpler, and there are several ways to go about it. You can simply become too drunk or get knocked out. Either way, when your red and white markers end up on the same number, you become unconscious and lose the game. If you get knocked out, all of your gold is shared equally among all other players.