RamblingRocket
Vagabond
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« on: July 04, 2008, 09:54:31 pm » |
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Although I have long owned the 'Princess & Dragon' expansion, for a long time I hardly ever used it. While I like using the 'Tower' expansion (although with modified rules already mentioned), it just seemed like the 'Princess & Dragon' expansion was more of the same (that being meeple removal). So as to make use out of this otherwise hardly used set, I came up with the following variation.
DRAGON REALM
Magic Portal Tiles
I think the magic portal rules are fine and fair, so they remain the same.
Princess Tiles
If the number of princess tiles in a city is equal to, or outnumbers, the majority value of a scoring player for that city; then the city scores one point less per tile and penant. If however, the majority value of the scoring player is greater than the number of princess tiles within that city; then the scoring player may score for each princess in that city as though they were penants.
This means that the princess no longer steals knights. At worst, she distracts them from their duty as they hopelessly flirt with someone they are not worthy of (so they score less for the city). However, when at best, the knights sweep her off her feet instead of the other way around (granting a greater score for the city). This means you must be wary of putting a princess in someone elses city, as you may inadvertantly give them a boost instead of hindering them. These modified rules make the princess a mixed blessing, and make my wife happy, since the princess is no longer solely an instrument of evil. She likes the idea that the princess can be swept of her feet by knights in shining armour.
The Dragon, Fairy and Dragon Tiles
For Dragon Realm, you either use just the volcano tiles, or you use just the dragon movement tiles. I use only the volcano tiles (six tiles), but if you want more Dragon/Fairy madness, you can use the dragon movement tiles instead (12 tiles).
Volcano Tiles -
On playing a volcano tile, do one of the following:
1)If the Dragon is not on the board, then place the Dragon on the just played volcano tile. The volcano summons the Dragon if it is not already there.
2)If the Dragon is already on the board, but the Fairy is not, then place the Fairy next to the Dragon. The volcano summons the Fickle Fairy only if the Dragon is already there on the board.
3)If both the Fairy and Dragon are on the the board, then remove the Fairy. The Fairy, being fickle, comes and goes at a whim.
The Dragon -
While a Dragon sits on a volcano, it has no effect. However, as soon as somebody scores a feature, the Dragon will move from the volcano to that feature after it is scored. While a Dragon is on a feature, nobody may complete any scoring feature that comprises of an equal number of tiles, or less tiles, than the feature that the Dragon sits on.
The Dragon dominates the whole board and affects everyone. Note that you are only not allowed to complete a scoring feature. Non-scoring features are allowed to be completed. You can not quick-score for a tile just placed if the Dragon would not allow that feature to be scored if a meeple were already there. Also note that the type of feature that the Dragon sits on does not matter, only the number of tiles that make up that feature (that the dragon sits on) are compared to the number of tiles that make any potentially scoring features. So a Dragon sitting on a 3 tile road can stop any road or city being completed unless that new scoring raod or city would at least be made up of 4 or more tiles. Likewise, a Dragon sitting on a completed cloister would have a value of 9, stopping the completion of any scoring feature that is not at least 10 tiles in size. If a tile can not be legally placed anywhere thanks to the Dragon, then put that tile back in the stack/bag and draw again (like you would normally for no legal placements)
The Dragon Moves -
If the Dragon is on a feature, and a larger feature is successfully completed and scored, then the Dragon must move to that larger feature after it is scored (if the Dragon has not been slain). If a larger feature is completed and not scored (because there were no meeple on it), then the Dragon may move to that larger feature, at the current players choice.
The Dragon will only move to larger features, since the Dragon prefers the biggest home. This movement means it will become harder and harder to complete a scoring feature. Unlike in the original rules, this Dragon roams the whole land at will.
Slaying the Dragon -
If a larger feature is scored (complared to what the Dragon sits on) and that larger scoring fearture had one or more big meeples on it (the big meeple from the 'Inns and Cathedrals' expansion), then the Dragon is slain and is removed from the board. Independantly of who ever scored for that larger feature, players can score for slaying the Dragon. The owning player of each big meeple in that larger scoring feature will score 3 points. Also, the player who completed the larger scoring feature (which had big meeples in it) will also score 3 points.
Note that a larger scoring feature will only slay the Dragon if it has big meeple on it. If it does not, then the Dragon will live and move to that feature after it is scored.
The Fickle Fairy -
The Fairy can either be a blessing or a curse, depending on what you want to do. While the Fairy is on the board, the Dragon had the opposite effect. That being, no feature of the same size or larger (than the dragons feature) can be completed if it would score.
Note that this means that while the Fairy is present, features smaller than the Dragons feature can be completed. Also note that while the Fairy is present, the Dragon can not be slain, since no larger feature that would be scored is allowed to be completed. Some may praise the Fairies arrival, others may curse bitterly. The Fickle Fairy unfortunately can not be slain, she comes and goes depending on the playing of volcano tiles (but only comes if the Dragon is already on the board).
End of Game and Final Scoring -
1) If there is no Dragon on the Board, then all is scored normally.
2) If the Dragon is present but there is no Fairy then:
Incomplete features can be scored as normal, but only if they are bigger (more tiles) than the Dragons feature. Majority Farmers (using V3 rules) add up the number of cities they supply as normal, but must then deduct the size of the Dragons feature from that supplied city total. If the result is positive, they score 3 points for each of those remaining cities (Barns are the same as farmers, except for scoring 4 points).
3) If both the Dragon and Fairy are present then:
Incomplete features can be scored as normal, but only if they are smaller (less tiles) than the Dragons feature. Majority Farmers (using V3 rules) add up the number of cities they supply as normal, but are capped by the size of the Dragons feature (excess farms being discounted). The farmers score 3 points for each of those remaining cities (Once again, barns being treated similarly).
Although what is above may at first seem complex, it is not really. However, just like the 'King & Robber' tiles, you must constantly compare the size of fetures. If I am using the above Dragon Realm rules, I do not use the 'King & Robber' tiles, since it is a similar mechanic. My wife likes the above rules better than the normal Dragon rules, because they are not directly confrontational. The above rules scale well, having the same effect no matter how many players are playing. They are also quite fair and less luck dependant, since the Dragon and Fairy affect everyone equally. Instead of the Dragon just being a meeple gobbler (like the Towers), it turns the game on its head by changing strategies. Anyway, for my play group, the above variant makes the Dragon & Princess expansion alot more playable. Let me now what you think if you decided to give it a try.
Final note:
If I am using both the 'Princess & Dragon' and 'Towers' expansion, I have the Dragon and Fairy alter the tower rules. If the Dragon is on the board, towers become protectors (the Dragon is far too worrysome to everyone to think about staging kidnappings). So while the Dragon is present, a meeple in the shadow of a tower allows his/her owner to complete that meeples feature even if the Dragon (and/or Fairy) would not otherwise allow it. However, if the Dragon is slain or not otherwise on the board, then towers function as normal (meaning a safe meeple is now very unsafe). If a tower allows the Dragon to be slain while the Fairy is present, then the Fairy is also removed. Although I use the variant rules for towers I previously put forward, the interaction of the Dragon Realm rules works just as well with regular tower rules.
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