Quickstart rules teach the basic Market Place and Global Event mechanics in a game that works in an on itself. Basically, it's the Full Game without Character and Emblem card classes, Dragon's Nest and Dragon's Hoard Game Zones and Black Markets. It's a perfect solution to teach the game in bite-size chunks. When the Players are done learning the core mechanics, it's time to unleash the dragons and the characters.
Learning Dragon's Money Laundering on one sitting can be a daunting undertaking. That's why the core rules have been split to two tiers of rule sets to enable learning the game mechanics as efficiently as possible, and adding more complex functionality as players progress.
This will step you through the required knowledge to play a very simplified version of Dragon's Money Laundering, known as Market Mayhem. Keep in mind this section is only a selection of the normal rules, and should not be refered to unless playing only Market Mayhem.
Gameplay
A game of Dragon's Money Laundering flows through series of sequences and subsequences much like a computer program with nested subroutine calls. Some of them are repeated for each Player, and some might trigger unexpectedly due to dice rolling or drawing a specific card from the Event Deck. Every step during these sequences happens in series, so there is no ambiguity on what resolves and when. Any unexpected subsequences will return to their spawn-point and the game will continue from the next step of the spawning parent sequence.
The game table is divided into Zones that different game rules, events and actions interact with. Zones provide a clean uncluttered gaming area and meaning to regular playing cards that reside within them.
The cards of a regular playing card deck circulate the game Zones throughout the game sequences. The sequence rules provide unambiguous instructions on how to move the playing cards around legally during the game. Players try to collect specific cards or amass as many cards as possible before the end of the game.
Learning about Dragon's Money Laundering gameplay happens by first understanding the basic concepts introduced in the Game Component Reference section. Players need to know all legal Zones where cards can be located during the game, and they need to know the special rules concerning Dice Rolling and the more unconventional Victory Conditions.
When a Player knows how to find the aforementioned information quickly, the Player can follow the game sequences to the letter and be able to play the game in full.
N.B.
Game sequence printout sheet will show exactly the steps to take and the condition checks that alter that flow. By following those steps exactly the game will proceed without offending the rules.
DML encourages each Player to learn the game mechanics as early as possible and enables a simple, yet effective, learning aid from the very beginning. The Player with the Initiative Badge works as the dealer through the Setup Stage. Similarly, during the Game Stage the dealer changes as the Rounds change.
The dealer's responsibility is to follow the gameplay sequences, draw cards, create Black Markets, place cards to Dragon's Hoard, Dragon's Nest and Exile. The dealer will also prompt Character Powers between Turns and has the first chance to use a Character Power action.
When all Players are proficient with the game rules, the dealer may start delegating Setup Stage work to make things more fluid.
The game ends when a trigger shifts the game state to End Stage. The game comes to a natural end when the Event Deck is depleted at the start of a new Round, but winning can happen in multiple ways.
Sequence
A sequence is a list of instructions that tell the Players what to do at which point of the game. In turn, the instructions that make up a sequence can be classified as steps, actions or phases.
When a sequence runs out of items to perform, it will return to its parent sequence and continue executing that from the next step from where it left off. By following the sequences in a serial fashion the game will lead the Players through itself in an unambiguous manner.
Stage
A stage is a greater whole that needs to be completed before moving to the next stage. It is a logical construct that helps to decouple unrelated game mechanics and makes learning the game in steps easier.
Dragon's Money Laundering is divided into three main game stages:
Each one of these stages has a base sequence that consists of subsequences that themselves might consist of other subsequences. When the base sequence runs to completion or is interrupted by an appropriate trigger the game moves on to a new Stage.
Phase
A phase is an entity that always involves a subsequence. A phase can consist of sub-phases, steps and actions.
Step
A step is an atomic and self-sufficient part of a sequence. It's a single instruction.
Action
An action is similar to a step, but always requires input from a Player.
DML Tutorial 1 - Card Types
DML Tutorial 2 - The Game Setup
We have not yet completed the Market Mayhem video tutorial, so follow this set up guide, except, remove all Character Cards (picture cards) including Thieves (Jokers) and Dragon Eggs (Aces) into exile. The Dragon's Hoard and Dragon's Nest Zones will not be used in this simplified learning version of DML. In Market Mayhem, the Active Global Event card is moved to the corresponding Market Place during the Supply Phase.
Dice rolling is used in three distinct sequences to settle the conditional nature of the outcome of specific actions. The first time is during the Setup Stage when deciding the starting controller of the Initiative Badge and it only happens once a game. Every other roll during the game is either to determine whether an Acquisition Attempt is successful or not.
Dragon's Money Laundering rewards Players for rolling doubles, save rolling double ones. There are three categories of doubles and they all have different effects that trigger if they're rolled. The categories are:
Dabo! is triggered when a Player rolls double twos, threes, fours or fives. The triggering Player may immediately re-roll the dice in hope of a higher score. The Player may re-roll even if the initial roll would have failed or for that matter succeeded.
Dabo! can trigger during Initiative Badge Roll-Off or during the actual game during Acquisition Attempts. It may be used to achieve higher results on Initiative Badge Roll-Off, if the Player is not happy with the triggering roll. However, the Player has to keep the following non-Dabo! result even, if it's lower than the former roll. All subsequent Dabo! results naturally yield a new optional re-roll.
Dabo! can be used in many ways. Re-rolling successful Acquisition Attempts can be used to try force the probabilities on Wyvern Eyes or Woot! Woot! results.
It is customary to shout 'Dabo!' out loud, when Dabo! is triggered.
Woot! Woot! is triggered when a Player rolls double sixes. Despite being a double, Woot! Woot! can't be re-rolled.
Woot! Woot! is an automatic success regardless of the Target Value of the Acquisition Attempt.
During the Initiative Badge Roll-Off any Player rolling Woot! Woot! will immediately be awarded the Initiative Badge and the remaining Players are denied the chance to roll for the Initiative Badge anymore.
It is customary to shout 'Woot! Woot!' and wave your hands above your head when Woot! Woot! is triggered.
Wyvern Eyes is triggered when a Player rolls double ones. Despite being a double, Wyvern Eyes can't be re-rolled.
Wyvern Eyes is an automatic failure regardless of the Target Value of the Acquisition Attempt.
During the Initiative Badge Roll-Off, if each Player rolls Wyvern Eyes, they are thereby denied all access to this game until they learn how to roll dice properly.
Depending on the Player's situation, it is customary to groan in pain or snigger gleefully when Wyvern Eyes is triggered.
Rolls during the Setup Stage of the game only grant re-rolls and instant successess.
Please keep in mind that some of this information will not be relevant for Market Mayhem. For now, ignore the Character related information, such as Carnival of Coin, Foreign Merchant, Character Ultimate Power, and every mention of the Black Market.
Round Sequence
In brief, each player takes their turn by entering the Turn Sequence below, in counter-clockwise rotation, beginning with the Player who has the Initiative Badge.
Once each Player has completed their Turn Sequence, pass the Inititive Badge to the next Player, and check if No Event card to draw on Global Event Phase = Game Ends.
Turn Sequence
Player with the Initiative Badge takes a card from the Global Event Deck, and places it in the Market Place
The Active Players Main Phase usually consists of a Market Phase and Black Market Phase but in Market Mayhem there are no Black Markets. During Market Phase active player may make Acquisition Attempt for any number of the same Resource type in the Market Place, as a single Acquisition Attempt. The target value must be 12 or lower when they start rolling for this Acquisition attempt. Other players can make intervene by making Seize Attempts. Depending on the event.
Example: Only the Active Player can make a "counter offer" and use Secondary Buying Resource to nullify the resources which other player bid in a Seize Attempt. Secondary Buying Resource can only Nullify resources but Primary Buying Resource can bring it lower:
Target Value: 5, for Iron 5, the players declared Acquisition target.
Active Player bids 2 of spice(primary) so the TV becomes 3
Another Player makes Seize Attempt with 3 of Spice. TV becomes 8.
Active player then plays 4 of Spice. TV now becomes 4.
Alternatively the Active Player counter offers 4 of slaves(secondary), and nullifies the Seize Attempt value. TV returns to previous value of 3.
Global Event cards model the shifting and unpredictable economical and sociopolitical climate in Four Corners. Global Event cards modify game Rounds in unpredictable ways and give advantage to different Players. Taking the risks at the right time, when others can't react to them is a key ability of any Player.
Each Global Event Type has two distinct effect attributes: a Player Effect and a Market Effect. Player Effects favor Player's with less cards in their Treasury and gives them better chance at getting back in to the game, whereas Market Effects can manipulate Face Values of individual cards or make Acquisition Attempts safer or more difficult to execute.
Player Effects are structured as follows:
The Global Event card states what effect applies on each Player. Any Player that has less cards than the current Global Event Face Value ignores the Player Effect
Market Effects are structured as follows:
The Global Event card states what effect is applied on the Resource cards in play. Each Global Event Type has a unique effect, but the range is always inclusive to the Global Event Face Value. The Global Event affects Resource cards with Face Value less or more than -- depending on the Global Event Type --, or equal to the Global Event Face Value. Player Effect resolves selectively, Market Effect is unconditional to all Players.
Player Effects resolve at the start of the Round and their effects last until the end of the Round, regardless if Players' Treasury sizes change.
Attributes:
Global Event Type
There are four basic Global Event Types and a one catch-all special Global Event Type; there is one for each suites number cards from 2 to 9 and a one separate for tens, picture cards and jokers. The Global Event Type is indicated by the printed suite of the Global Event card. The different basic Global Event Types are:
Market Effect: Players can only bid Primary or Secondary Buying Resources that have Face Values of more than or equal to the Global Event Face Value in Acquisition and Seize Attempts.
Market Effect: All Resources in the Market Place with Face Values of more than or equal to the Active Global Event Global Event Face Value receive a -2 modifier to their Face Value until the end of Round.
Player Effect: Players can't make any Seize Attempts.
Market Effect: Players can only bid Primary or Secondary Buying Resources that have Face Values less than or equal to the Global Event Face Value in Acquisition and Seize Attempts.
Market Effect: All Resources in the Market Place with Face Values of more than or equal to the Active Global Event card Global Event Face Value receive a +2 modifier to their Face Value until end of Round.
Global Event Face Value: Global Event cards with a basic Global Event Type have an inherent Face Value that is the printed value on the card. This value indicates how powerful the Global Event is and who and what Resource cards the Global Effect card affects.
There are many ways to win a game of Dragon's Money Laundering. The game has been designed so that at no point can one be absolutely certain about one's victory. Even the Players that have lost everything at some point of the game have a slight chance at a comeback. Sometimes ruining someone else's game is as good a tactic as the other. Victory can and must be taken by any means necessary. There are no second places. This will not be immediately apparent in Market Mayhem however.
If at any point in the game a Player's Treasury has all the Resource cards from 2 to 9 of the same Resource Type, that Player can immediately declare a Monopoly. The Resource Type can be any of the four basic Resource Types. When a Monopoly is declared the game ends immediately regardless of the game state. Victory Points are not counted and the Player who achieved Monopoly will be declared winner.
N.B. A Monopoly doesn't require a Guild House; tens are excluded.
At this point the Players reveal their Merchant King cards and thus their Secret Desired Resource.
Players remove all non-Resource and non-Dragon Egg cards from their Treasuries and Emblem Zones. They don't yield any Victory Points.
Players tally their Victory Points from Resource and Dragon Egg cards in their Treasury and Emblem Zones, apply their Merchant King's Secret Desired Resource modifiers and Guild House Resource Bonus Victory Points.
The Player with the highest score will be declared winner.
Victory Point Counting System
Counting Victory Points incorrectly is time consuming and cumbersome to each Player involved. A systematical approach is recommended. The following sequence is just an example, but the bottom line is that modifiers and bonuses should be applied on totals not individual cards.