Dragon cards and honor & fortune tokens are a player’s most precious assets. Dragon cards in terms of game play are the gateway to legendary and mythical actions on the battlefield. There is no limit to the number of Dragon cards a player may hold.
Every Dragon card, bears the following information:
• Title: The name of the Dragon card.
• Cost: The cost, in honor & fortune tokens, a player must pay from his honor & fortune reserve pool, for the Dragon card to take effect. Honor & fortune tokens quite literally fuel the action and special powers of a Dragon card. Some Dragon cards do have a zero honor & fortune cost.
• Phase of Play: This text explains when in a game turn the Dragon card must be played.
• Target: Text detailing the Dragon card target, subject, beneficiary, or area of effect, of the Dragon card action.
• Effect: A description of the Dragon card effect and the special rules governing it.
Players must observe a number of simple but critically important rules when bringing a Dragon card into play. When playing a Dragon card, place it in front of you during the appropriate phase of play (possibly in reaction to one of your opponent’s actions), and read it aloud. Spend the required number of honor & fortune tokens out of your honor & fortune reserve, temporarily placing those tokens on the Dragon card; at the end of the game turn, return these tokens into the common honor & fortune pool, and discard the Dragon card onto the discard pile next to the Dragon card deck.
To play a Dragon card, the player must be able to immediately pay its corresponding honor & fortune cost, out of the honor & fortune tokens already in his possession prior to the card’s effect coming into play.
A Dragon card must always be played during its indicated phase of play. Some Dragon cards may be played out of turn, during the opponent’s game turn, or in reaction to one of his actions or Dragon card play.
Dragon Cards Phase of Play
• Play alongside your command card - (the Dragon card is played at the same time you are playing your Command card - Phase 1. Play a Command Card.)
• Play in reaction to your opponent's command card - (the Dragon card is played at the same time your opponent is playing a Command card - Phase 1 of opponent’s turn. Play a Command Card.)
• Play during movement - (the Dragon card is played prior to moving one of your units.)
• Play in reaction to your opponent's movement - (the Dragon card is played during your opponent’s turn, when an opponent’s unit is moving or just remains in the same hex when ordered.)
• Play in reaction to opponent's unit taking ground - (the Dragon card is played during your opponent’s turn, when an opponent’s unit is taking ground.)
• Play before your combat roll - (the Dragon card is played after declaring a ranged combat, close combat or battle back, but prior to the dice roll.)
• Play before your close combat roll - (the Dragon card is played after declaring a close combat or battle back, but prior to the dice roll.)
• Play before your opponent's close combat roll - (the Dragon card is played during your opponent’s turn after the opponent declares a close combat or during your turn after the opponent declares a battle back, but prior to the dice roll.)
• Play after your close combat roll - (the Dragon card is played after your close combat or battle back dice are rolled.)
• Play after your opponent's close combat roll - (the Dragon card is played during your opponent’s turn after an opponent’s unit’s close combat dice roll, or after the opponent’s unit has battled back.)
• Play after opponent’s ranged combat roll against one unit - (the Dragon card is played during your opponent’s turn, after an opponent’s unit has completed a ranged combat against one unit.)
• Play after successful close combat - (the Dragon card is played during your turn, after one of your unit’s close combat has either eliminated or caused the enemy unit to retreat for its hex.)
• Play before your battling back close combat roll - (the Dragon card is played during your opponent’s turn after declaring a battle back close combat prior to the dice roll.)
• Play before a close combat when both units have a leader - (the Dragon card is played after a close combat is announced and both your unit and the opponent’s unit have a leader. Note, both players may play a Personal Challenge Dragon card and the second card played in this case does not trump the first Personal Challenge Dragon card, both cards remain in play.)
A player may only play a maximum of one Dragon card during your turn. A player may only play a maximum of one Dragon card during your opponent's game turn. As a result, during the course of any single game turn, there can only be a maximum of two Dragon cards coming into play, one from each player.
In case of contradiction between the effects of two Dragon cards played in succession, the second card trumps the effect of the first one.
In case of conflict between the basic rules in this book and Dragon card, the rules of the card take precedence, however, terrain movement and battle restrictions will always apply.