Four Dragons

In this game by Frank Branham and Sandi West, three to four players compete to be the dragon who summons the rains and saves the villages and the harvests. Points aren’t what they seem, for they’re only scored if specific card combinations are captured. The game features calligraphy and artwork by Jacob Walker. A hand takes 20 to 30 minutes. “Played cards are left face up so that card counting is neutralized. Winning a trick requires giving the other team a card from your hand, so as the hand progresses, the cards are more balanced,” Jim Dietz of Jolly Roger Games told TDmonthly. Launch date: Christmas 2004.