In the Year of the Dragon
Overview
Players are Chinese provincial princes managing courts of advisors across 12 rounds (months) of the Year of the Dragon. Each round, an event threatens the provinces: drought, contagion, Mongol invasions, tributes, or dragon festivals. Players must recruit the right courtiers and manage resources to survive these events while maximizing victory points. The player who best navigates these crises wins.
Components
- 1 Game board (with person track, scoring track, event row, action card area)
- 60 Person cards (11 per player in 5 colors + 1 game overview each)
- 90 Person tiles (10 each of 9 types: Craftsmen, Court Ladies, Pyrotechnists, Tax Collectors, Warriors, Monks, Healers, Farmers, Scholars)
- 66 Palace floors
- 36 Yuan coins (21 silver = 1 yuan, 15 gold = 3 yuan)
- 24 Rice tiles
- 12 Fireworks tiles
- 12 Event tiles (2 each: Peace, Drought, Contagion, Mongol Invasion, Imperial Tribute, Dragon Festival)
- 8 Privilege tiles (5 small, 3 large)
- 7 Action cards
- 5 Dragons + stands
- 5 Scoring markers, 5 Person markers
Setup
- Sort person tiles by type and experience level (older = more symbols, lower value; younger = fewer symbols, higher value). Place on display.
- Remove person tiles per missing players: 2 tiles per type per missing player (1 younger + 1 older; or 2 younger for Craftsmen/Court Ladies/Tax Collectors).
- Place 2 Peace event tiles first, then randomly place remaining 10 event tiles (no identical tiles adjacent).
- Shuffle 7 action cards face-down in the center.
- Each player takes: 1 person marker (person track at 0), 1 scoring marker (scoring track at 0), 1 dragon, 11 person cards, 1 overview, 4 palace floors (build 2 two-story palaces), 6 yuan.
Starting courtiers: Oldest player first, each takes 2 different younger person tiles. No player may take the same combination as a previous player.
Turn Structure
12 rounds. Each round has 4 phases:
Phase 1: Actions
Shuffle 7 action cards, divide into groups equal to player count (as evenly as possible), reveal.
In person track order (furthest ahead first; ties broken top-to-bottom on stacked markers), each player:
- Places dragon on a group and performs 1 action from it.
- If the group already has a dragon, pay 3 yuan to use it.
- Alternatively, skip the action and replenish money to 3 yuan.
Phase 2: Person (Recruit)
In person track order, each player plays 1 person card from their hand. Take the matching person tile from the display (if available) and place it under any palace.
- A palace with N floors holds N persons (max 3).
- Move person marker forward by the tile’s value (1-6).
- Person cards are discarded after use. If no matching tile exists, the card is still discarded but no tile is gained.
Phase 3: Event
Resolve the current month’s event (leftmost uncovered event tile). After resolving, remove the tile.
Phase 4: Scoring
Each player scores 1 VP per person tile in their palaces. Then the round ends.
Actions
| Action |
Effect |
| Taxes |
Take 2 yuan + 1 yuan per coin symbol on your Tax Collectors |
| Build |
Take 1 palace floor + 1 per hammer on your Craftsmen. Build new palaces or add floors (max 3). |
| Harvest |
Take 1 rice tile + 1 per rice symbol on your Farmers |
| Fireworks |
Take 1 fireworks tile + 1 per firework symbol on your Pyrotechnists |
| Military |
Gain 1 warrior power + 1 per sword on your Warriors (for Mongol defense) |
| Research |
Score 2 VP + 2 VP per scroll on your Scholars |
| Privilege |
Take 1 small privilege tile (worth 2 VP at end) or exchange 2 small for 1 large (worth 3.5 VP — actually 1 large = variable) |
Events
| Event |
Effect |
| Peace |
Nothing happens |
| Drought |
Each player must discard 1 rice tile or lose 1 person (their choice which) |
| Contagion |
Each player must discard 1 person tile (those without Healers are more vulnerable — Healers protect) |
| Mongol Invasion |
Each player must have enough military strength or lose 1 person and 1 palace floor |
| Imperial Tribute |
Each player must pay yuan or lose VP |
| Dragon Festival |
Each player must have fireworks tiles or lose VP |
Scoring / Victory Conditions
- Per-round scoring (Phase 4): 1 VP per person tile in palaces.
- End-game scoring: Privilege tiles, remaining resources, Court Ladies (provide end-game VP bonuses).
- Highest VP total wins. Tiebreaker: position on person track.
Special Rules & Edge Cases
- Person tiles on display are limited; running out is intentional.
- A player paying 3 yuan to use an already-chosen action group can still choose any action in that group (even one already performed by another player).
- Palaces can be built to any height 1-3 but never above 3.
- Players can own unlimited palaces.
- When a person is lost, the player chooses which to remove.
- Lost palace floors may mean persons become homeless and must also be removed.
- Money is always public.
- Court Ladies provide VP at game end based on their symbols.
- Person track determines turn order throughout the game; higher = better.
Player Reference
| Phase |
Action |
| 1. Actions |
Choose action group, perform 1 action |
| 2. Person |
Play 1 person card, recruit matching tile |
| 3. Event |
Resolve month’s event |
| 4. Scoring |
1 VP per person in palaces |
Game length: 12 rounds (months).
Person tiles per type (5 players): 10 (6 younger + 4 older for most; Craftsmen/Court Ladies/Tax Collectors = 10 younger).