How to Play In the Year of the Dragon

Get Ready

Setup the game with these step-by-step instructions before diving into your turn.

Sort person tiles

Arrange by color, then by experience level with older people (more symbols, lower value) in the top row and younger matching tiles in the second row

Place middle row tiles

Put beige craftsmen, orange court ladies, and yellow tax collectors in the 3 middle spaces using only younger versions

Adjust for player count

For each player fewer than 5, return 2 person tiles of each type (1 older/1 younger or 2 younger) to the box

Set up event row

Place 2 Peace tiles face-up in the first 2 spaces, shuffle remaining 10 event tiles and place face-up randomly on other spaces without having the same tile twice in a row (except Peace tiles)

Prepare action cards

Shuffle the 7 action cards and place face-down in the middle space on the board

Distribute player components

Each player receives 1 person marker disc (place on 0 of inner person track), 1 eight-sided scoring marker (place on 0 of outer track), 1 dragon, and 11 person cards of their chosen color

Build starting palaces

Each player takes 2 palace floors and builds 2 palaces of 2 floors each, plus receives 6 yuan (1 gold = 3 silver, exchange freely)

Draft starting persons

Starting player takes 2 different person tiles from the second row (younger), continue clockwise until each player has 2; no player may take the exact same combination as another

Place initial persons

Put person tiles below any of your palaces; each palace can hold persons equal to its number of floors (up to 3)

Set person track position

Move person marker forward spaces equal to the numbers on your starting tiles; if sharing a space, place on top

[GW] Add wall components

Players take 6 wall tiles in their color placed face-down; shuffle the building the wall action card with other action cards

[SE] Add super event

Shuffle the 10 corner tiles, pick 1 randomly and place face-up on the 7th event tile

On Your Turn

What you can do during your turn.

Reveal action groups

Shuffle the 7 action cards and place face-down into groups equal to the number of players (as even as possible), then flip face-up

Select action group

Player whose person marker is furthest ahead (top to bottom on ties) chooses first, places their dragon on a group, and performs 1 action from that group

Pay for duplicate selection

If choosing a group already selected by another player, pay 3 yuan to the bank

Skip action option

Instead of selecting an action, take yuan from the bank until you have exactly 3 yuan total

Taxes action

Take 1 yuan from supply for each coin symbol on the card plus symbols on your Tax Collectors

Build action

Take 1 palace floor from supply per hammer on card plus your Craftsmen symbols; build floors up to 3 maximum per palace

Harvest action

Take 1 rice tile from supply per rice sack on card plus symbols on your Farmers

Fireworks action

Take 1 fireworks tile from supply per rocket on card plus symbols on your Pyrotechnists

Military action

Move 1 space on person track per helmet on card plus symbols on your Warriors

Research action

Move 1 space on scoring track per book on card plus symbols on your Scholars

Privilege action

Pay 2 yuan for small privilege with 1 dragon, or 7 yuan for large privilege with 2 dragons (one time only)

[GW] Building Wall action

Take the bonus on a chosen wall tile, then place it under the first event tile from the left without a wall tile (12 maximum)

Play a person card

In person track order, play 1 person card to the discard pile (removed from game)

Recruit matching person

Take a matching person tile (younger or older) and place in any palace with available space

Advance person marker

Move your person track marker forward spaces equal to the number on the person card played

Use wildcard

The wildcard symbol allows you to take any person type

Displace existing person

If a palace is full, you may displace a person already there, removing them from the game

Decline displacement

If you choose not to displace, remove the new person instead but do not advance on the person track

Skip final round

This phase is skipped entirely in the 12th round

Resolve current event

Turn the event tile face-down when complete; dismiss persons in turn order when required

Peace event

Nothing happens

Imperial Tribute event

Pay 4 yuan to supply; for each yuan short, release 1 person (must pay all available yuan first)

Drought event

Return 1 rice tile to supply for each inhabited palace; if short, release 1 person from each palace that cannot be supplied

Dragon Festival event

Award +6 VP for most fireworks, +3 VP for second most; scoring players return half their fireworks tiles (rounded up); ties for first all receive +6 VP while second still gets +3 VP; 0 fireworks scores 0 VP

Mongol Invasion event

Each player gains VP equal to helmet symbols on their Warriors; player(s) with fewest helmets must release 1 person from any palace

Contagion event

Players release 3 persons from palaces; for each mortar symbol on Healers, release 1 fewer person

Apply decay

After each event, all uninhabited palaces lose 1 floor returned to supply

Score palaces

Gain +1 VP for each palace regardless of floors or inhabitants

Score Court Ladies

Gain +1 VP for each dragon symbol on the fans of orange Court Ladies

Score privileges

Gain +1 VP for each dragon on purchased privileges

[GW] Score wall progress

If wall is built to the Mongol event tile, players with 1+ tiles gain +1 VP per tile; if not, players who built fewest tiles release 1 person

[SE] Evaluate super event

After the 7th round event, before scoring, resolve the random super event effect

Winning

How to claim victory.

End game timing

The game ends after the scoring phase of the 12th round

[GW] Final wall scoring

If the wall is built to 12 tiles, each player gains +1 VP for each tile they placed; if fewer than 12, players who built fewest tiles must release 1 person

Score remaining persons

Gain +2 VP for each person tile in your palaces

Score monks

For each monk, multiply the number of Buddha symbols on the monk by the number of floors in the palace the monk inhabits

Convert remaining goods

Sell back rice and fireworks for 2 yuan each, then gain +1 VP for every 3 yuan

Determine winner

Player with the most VP wins

Break ties

If tied, the player furthest ahead on the person track wins