SFR, Inc.

[stormywaters]

Dragon Dice: A Primer

In the land of Esfah, war rages between the disparate races, all vying for their place in the world. Nature and Death, locked in eternal struggle, pit their forces against each other in wholesale slaughter. Which side do you choose? Do you have the strength to survive, to succeed?


Table of Contents

1. What is Dragon Dice?
2. What are the dice and what do they mean?
3. How do you get started?
4. What are the races?


1. What is Dragon Dice?

Dragon Dice is a collectible dice game where players build armies of fantastic races and creatures and pit their armies against each other in battle! Choose your troops, arm them with weapons and armor, select a battleground, and fight! Will your army of Coral Elves hold their ground against a horde of rampaging Goblins? How will your mighty Dwarves stack up against your opponent's unflinching army of Undead? Will you summon the mighty dragons to battle, unleashing their reckless power?


2. What are the dice and what do they mean?

The dice used in a game of Dragon Dice are multicolored dice in a variety of shapes and sizes. Each die represents a creature, an item, or a location, and together these dice form armies and battlefields where war is waged.

The six-sided dice represent units, individual minions, soldiers, commanders, mages, or archers fighting in a battle. They come in three different sizes; as the size increases, so does the value and the strength of the die. This is covered in detail in the next section.

Each die has a combination of different faces that represent different types of abilities. These icons are outlined roughly below, using the race of Dwarves as an example. Note that the rulebook contains all of the icons in detail, so you will know precisely what your dice mean.

- ID icons serve two purposes: they identify each die uniquely, as each die has a different ID icon, and they represent a sort of "wildcard" roll. When a unit rolls an ID, it generates results that the die or army was rolling for. For example, if an army was rolling to make a melee attack, ID results would be counted as melee results.

- Melee icons are represented by different types of hand-to-hand weapons: knives, swords, axes, clubs, etc. They are counted when attacking your opponent in melee.

- Missile icons are represented by bows, crossbows, spears, and other ranged-attack weapons. They are counted when attacking your opponent with a ranged attack.

- Maneuver icons are represented by bootprints, hoof prints, claw prints, and other similar icons. They are used when attempting to maneuver your army to a different position on a terrain.

- Save icons are represented by shields and shield-like icons. They are used to defend against an opponent's attacks.

- Magic icons are represented by various charms, idols, trinkets, wands, and the like. They are used to generate magic, which is spent to cast spells.

The eight-sided dice represent terrains - battlegrounds and strategic locations where you contest your opponent and fight for dominance. There are two types of terrain: Major and Minor, and each type is a different size for easy distinction. Each type comes in a range of colors, dictating what racial abilities can be applied and which colors of magic are strongest. Here, I will use the home of the Dwarves - the Highlands - as an example:

Major terrains are used in every game of Dragon Dice, and represent the locations where your armies wage war against each other. Each side of the Major terrain is numbered, and provides an icon that dictates which types of actions can be taken this turn. The lower the number on the Major terrain, the farther your armies are from the location:

- Lower numbers on Major terrains show a magic icon. This means the armies are so far apart, they are only in range of spells; other attacks cannot be used at this distance.

- As the armies get closer, archers start firing their weapons. At this range, the mages are in too much danger to cast spells, but warriors are too far away to draw their swords and axes.

- Now that the armies are clashing head-to-head, melee combat breaks out; swords, axes, and clubs replace the bows and arrows of the archers. It is far too dangerous to fire ranged weapons or cast spells this close; only melee combat will do!

- The eighth and final face of a Major terrain holds special importance. It represents the actual location that the armies are contesting; a city, a temple, a dragon's lair, etc. There are 8 different eighth faces to choose from when selecting a terrain, each with its own special ability. Does your army of archers need a perch to shoot from? Then a Tower might be the location for you! Maybe your mages need a boost in spellcasting? You'll probably want to take over Standing Stones to augment their powers!


In addition to the Major terrains are Minor terrains. These are smaller strategic points, used to give your army an edge over your opponent. When a Minor terrain is captured, each turn you roll the terrain to determine which bonus it grants you. Use caution, however, as sometimes disaster besets those who manipulate these locations!

- a Bridge tends to assist armies in maneuvering troops, but sometimes the Bridge can be flooded!

- a Knoll provides high ground for archers to shoot from, but occasional landslides can see the ground collapse beneath you!

- Woods provide good cover for armies, helping to protect them from harm, but the dense foliage can find your army getting lost!

- a Village can provide great grounds for melee combat, but be careful: sometimes the villagers can revolt!


3. How do you get started?

Getting started in Dragon Dice is simple! Players decide how many points they'd like to use for army construction; starter games are usually 18 points and standard or tournament games are usually 36 points.

Once the players agree how many points to play, each player builds an army of one or more races that contains no more than the chosen number of points worth of dice:

Commons - the smallest 6-sided dice at 16mm - are worth one point each.

Uncommons - the next smallest 6-sided dice at 18mm - are worth two point each.

Rares - the next largest 6-sided dice at 20mm - are worth three points each.

Champions - the largest six-sided dice at 22mm - are worth four points each.

Monsters - the ten-sided dice - are also worth four points each.

In addition to these units, there are also magic items and artifacts, each with their own point-cost.

After players have built their armies, each player needs to select two Major terrains that represent different battlefields that can be contested by the warring armies. Finally, each player selects one dragon for every 24 points in their army, rounding up. Then the battle starts!

For convenience, SFR offers a two-player starter pack that comes with two 18-point armies, each of a different race, as well as four Major terrains, two dragons, a rulebook, and cards to assist with gameplay! They are available at your local gaming store, or here.


4. What are the races?

Dragon Dice currently has twelve* playable races that a player can choose from when building an army. Each army is comprised of one or more elemental colors which represent the colors of magic available to that race. The dice themselves are made of different colors of plastic, mixed to show which colors comprise that race. These races are briefly outlined below:

Dwarves are a strong and resilient race, unmatched in speed in mountainous terrain. They wield Fire and Earth magic (red and gold).

Goblins are ferocious and deadly fighters, and are incredibly maneuverable in the swamps. They harness the magics of Earth and Death (gold and black).

Coral Elves are an agile and formidable race, nigh impossible to defeat near the ocean shores they hail from. They call upon Water and Air magic (green and blue).

Lava Elves are cunning and devilish, and incredibly difficult to uproot from their native terrain, deep underground. They wield the powers of Fire and Death (red and black).

Scalders are mischievous imps whose skin sears those who come too close. They call upon the elements of Fire and Water (red and green).

Frostwings are batlike winged creatures who rain death on their foes from high atop their clifftop perches, and who are naturally resistant to the taint of magic. They wield the powers of Death and Air (black and blue).

Treefolk are ancient, powerful plant creatures and forest nymphs, set to protect Nature. They are capable of rebirth, and can root themselves to become nearly immovable. They utilize the magics of Water and Earth (green and gold).

Firewalkers are a race of elemental creatures who bring great flaming weapons and shields to bear on their foes. They control Air and Fire magic (blue and red).

Feral are sentient and intelligent animals from nature, comprised of all manner of beast from bears and wolves to hawks and owls. They bring to bear the elements of Earth and Air (gold and blue).

Swampstalkers are a snake-like race of mutated creatures who seek to mutate other races to join their ranks of swamp-dwelling warriors. They fight with the elements of Death and Water (black and green).

Amazons are a warrior race of humans who ride chariots into battle, armed with great spears and shields. Being adaptable as humans, Amazons call upon the elements of the terrain they are fighting at, so their colors of magic change with the battlefield.

Undead are a foul and evil race of creatures who have attained a new life after death. Reanimated skeletons and rotting corpses, the Undead are hard to keep down, and they can only channel Death magic (black).

*Eldarim are not included in this primer at this time. Sorry guys.


If anyone wants to share this primer, I've created a special, easy to remember link for you to share: bit.ly/ddprimer

[chuckpint]

Actually the background mythos has Nature pitted vs. Death.
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You can never have too many dice.
First Place at the first ever Daemon Dice sealed starter tournament.
Battlefest tied for first GenCon 2012
Single Race Champion GenCon 2008-2009, Sealed Box Champion GenCon 2007,2009,
My collection is 21,500 Dragon Dice, 20,000 Daemon Dice, and others (too many to count).

[stormywaters]

[stormywaters]

Aaaand, more updates.

[Denimwizard]

I should had you write a script for the video i did its much more compelling than my voice over. lol
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750 Dragon Dice and Counting!

[cliffwiggs]

We always need a video for Gencon, there is still time to do a new one!

hint hint
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Multiplayer Champion Gencon11/Battlefest Champion(tied) GenCon10/World Champion GenCon07/National Champion Origins05/Intermediate Champion GenCon02/Novice Champion Origins99

[Denimwizard]

I need a better narrator. Some one with a good radio voice. lol
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750 Dragon Dice and Counting!

[stormywaters]

[Denimwizard]

You can yes, infact I could replace the audio entirely. But my video doesnt cover all the races or minor terrains or champions. It covers basic play mechanics. I could see what i can do. But a primer video might be good to entice people into the game and perhaps watching the How to play video series. I could alway edit the audio so that it sounds like its a continuation from the primer video. If we could have more of a background on the Mythos of the game and more art and imagery it may bring people into the game too.
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750 Dragon Dice and Counting!