Remove the 2 turn summary cards and then split the rest of the cards into two decks according to card back.
Sort through the Dragonwood deck (green back) and note that there are three different types of cards: Creatures (green background), Enhancements (purple background) and Events (orange background). See "Card Types" for more details about each.
Find the 2 dragon cards (Orange and Blue dragons) and remove them from the deck.
Shuffle the rest of the deck and randomly remove the number of cards based on the number of players. (Place them back in the box).
Shuffle the dragon cards back into bottom half of the remaining deck.
Reveal 5 cards from the Dragonwood deck face up in the center of the playing area to form the Landscape. Stack the rest of the deck face down next to it.
(Note: If you reveal any Event cards, shuffle them back into the deck and deal new cards).
Shuffle the Adventurer deck (red back) and deal each player 5 cards. (Keep your cards in your hands, secret from opponents). Stack the rest of the Adventurer cards face down above the Dragonwood deck.
Place the 6 dice and turn summary cards within easy reach of all players.
The last player to hike into the woods goes first and play continues to the left.
On your turn, you may either Reload (draw 1 Adventurer card) or Capture (play cards from your hand try to capture one of the cards in the Landscape).
If you choose to draw an Adventurer card, add it to your hand and signal that your turn is over by saying out loud, "Reload!"
Note: There is a 9 card hand limit. If you have 9 cards and choose to reload, you must discard a card after drawing to keep your total at 9.
Lucky Ladybugs - If you draw a Lucky Ladybug card, immediately discard it and draw 2 more cards.
If the Adventurer deck runs out, shuffle the discard pile to start a new deck.
There are three ways to capture a card from the Landscape: Strike, Stomp, or Scream:
Announce which Creature or Enhancement you are trying to capture and show the cards you are using (including any Enhancements) by placing them face up in front of you. (For example, "I'm going to Stomp on those Fire Ants"). Then, take one die for each card you played and roll them. (For example, if you played a 4 card Stomp you would roll 4 dice).
Next compare the total on the dice you rolled (plus any Enhancements you may have) to the value listed on the card required to defeat the Creature or capture the Enhancement. The number by the sword indicates the value required for a Strike, the boot indicates a Stomp, and the face represents Scream. You capture the card if the total of your dice is equal to or greater than the related value on the card.
If you defeat a Creature, take the card from the landscape and place it face down in a "victory" pile next to you. Place all the Adventurer cards you used in the discard pile.
However, if your roll doesn't beat the Creature, it remains in the Landscape.
As a penalty, you must discard 1 card from your hand as a "wound" for not defeating it. (Take the rest of the Adventurer cards back into your hand).
If you capture an Enhancement, take the card and place it face up in front of you. This card can then be used throughout the rest of the game (or only once, if specified on the card).
Place all the Adventurer cards you used in the discard pile. Like with Creatures, if your roll does not match or beat the total on the Enhancement card, you must discard 1 card from your hand.
If you capture a card, place another card from the Dragonwood draw pile into the Landscape (unless no more cards are left). If you draw an Event card, read and follow the instructions immediately, and then discard the card. Draw another card to bring the Landscape back up to 5. This ends your turn.
The game ends with either of these scenarios:
All players total up the victory points on their captured creatures. Then compare the amount of creature cards each player captured. Whoever has the most gets a bonus of 3 victory points (Ties get 2 victory points each). The player with the highest total wins.
In case of an overall tie, the winner is whoever captured the Orange Dragon.
