Overview

River Dragons (originally published as Dragon Delta) is a programming and dexterity game set in the Mekong Delta, designed by Roberto Fraga. Players race to cross a river by placing stones on islands, laying planks between stones to create bridges, and walking across them to reach the village on the opposite bank. Each round, all players secretly program 5 actions, then reveal and execute them simultaneously. Dragon cards can cancel opponents’ actions, adding a layer of bluffing and interference.

Components

• 1 double-sided game board (one side with pre-placed stones, one side open for free placement)
• 6 colored pawns
• 36 numbered planks (6 per player, in various lengths)
• 27 stones
• 78 action cards (13 per player, including dragon cards)
• 1 first player card

Setup

1. Choose a board side. The side with pre-placed stone positions is recommended for beginners.
2. Each player selects a color and takes the matching pawn, 6 planks, and 13 action cards.
3. Remove dragon cards matching the colors of absent players from each player’s deck.
4. Each player places their pawn on their starting village (positions assigned based on player count).
5. The youngest player receives the first player card; it rotates clockwise each round.

Turn Structure

Each round has two phases:

Phase 1 – Programming: All players simultaneously select 5 action cards from their hand of 13 and arrange them face-down in a row from left to right in their desired execution order. Cards cannot be changed once placed.

Phase 2 – Action Resolution: All players reveal their first card simultaneously. Starting with the first player and proceeding clockwise, each player executes their revealed action. Then all reveal their second card, and so on through all 5 cards.

After resolution, rotate the first player card clockwise. All played cards are returned to hands. Begin a new round.

Actions

Place 1 Stone: Place one stone from the supply onto any island on the board. Each island can hold only 1 stone. Stones cannot be placed on villages.

Place 2 Stones: Place two stones in one action (following the same rules).

Place 1 Plank: Place one of your colored planks bridging two stones, or a stone and a village. The plank must physically reach both supports. If too short, it must be placed elsewhere. A stone can support a maximum of 3 planks.

Place 2 Planks: Place two planks in one action (same rules).

Move 1 Space: Move your pawn onto an adjacent plank or village. You cannot move onto a space occupied by another pawn.

Move 2 Spaces: Move your pawn up to 2 spaces.

Jump Over Another Pawn: Jump over an adjacent pawn to land on the unoccupied plank or village beyond. If no valid landing exists, your pawn falls in the river and returns to your starting village.

Remove 1 Plank or 1 Stone: Remove any plank and return it to its owner, or return a stone to the supply. Cannot remove a plank with a pawn on it or a stone supporting any planks.

Dragon Card: Cancel the action of the targeted player at the same card position. Each player may play only one dragon card per round. Dragon cards do not cancel other dragon cards.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

The game ends instantly when any pawn reaches its destination village (the village on the opposite bank), even if the current round or action sequence is not finished. That player wins.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• If a player cannot complete a movement action (no valid moves), their pawn falls into the river and returns to the starting village.
• Planks may extend over the edges of stones but must rest stably on both supports.
• When removing a stone, all planks it supports would also fall; this is not allowed – you cannot remove a stone that is supporting planks.
• Dragon cards can only target players whose colors are in the game.
• The programming phase creates opportunities for bluffing and anticipating opponents’ moves.
• In rare cases, a plank might be too short to reach between two stones; it must be placed in a different valid position or the action is wasted.

Player Reference

Round flow: All program 5 cards > Reveal card 1, execute in order > Reveal card 2, etc. > Rotate first player.

Dragon card: Cancels one opponent’s action at the same card slot. Max 1 dragon card per round.

Win: First pawn to reach the opposite village wins instantly.

Plank limits: Max 3 planks per stone. Each player has 6 planks of varying lengths.