#37/52. A Game with a Color in the Title - Red Dragon Inn

When I was putting together the list for my 52 Game Challenge for this year, I was stumped on what game to use for "#37. A game with a color in the title." I didn't own any games with colors in the title. My friends have a Facebook group, so I put out the question to this group list and asked for suggestions. My friend Amy came right back with Red Dragon Inn and mentioned that our friend, Dwayne, owned it. Dwayne chimed in and said he would be happy to bring it to game night and play it with me. I'd never heard of this game, but both Dwayne and my husband, Mark, assured me I would enjoy it. Boy were they right!

Mark, Dwayne, me, and one other guy (sorry I don't know his name) sat down to play on Tuesday night at our weekly game night at Denny's in Citrus Heights, CA. Before we knew it three other people asked to play as well and we had a riotous group ready to party! That's exactly what this game is...a party.

The premise of the game is that a band of adventurers has returned from a successful raid on some dragon's lair or enemy castle, or whatever and they are in the mood to celebrate their success and fortune at the pub known as the Red Dragon Inn. The object of the game is to be the last person in the party to still be on your feet and with gold in your pocket at the end of the party while trying to get your fellows drunk (figuratively so, not actually in reality) enough to pass out or broke enough to get thrown out of the tavern for being out of money.

The game has action rounds where you can play cards that can start a round of gambling or you can buy drinks for your friends, or you can do mischief unto your friends. One of our party started off the game with a round of gambling which went around the table several times with different people taking control of the pot and requiring everyone to add more and more "gold" to the pot. I finally ended this round of gambling by playing a card called "The Winning Hand" that allowed me to collect the pot. Little did I realize at the time that this would make me prime target #1 for the rest of the game. I was now being bought drink (another card) after drink and my alcohol level (measured on a player game board in front of me) was going up and up and up while my fortitude (also measured on the game board) was going down. If the two scores met in the middle, my character would be considered "passed out" and I would be eliminated from the game.

I was not the first, or even the second person eliminated from the game. I was third, but it was a hard fought struggle to remain in the game. I stayed at the table and watched as others played and were eliminated one-by-one in rollicking good humor. It came down to Mark and the only other woman at the table (sorry, I don't know her name either). They traded back and forth for several rounds when Mark finally emerged victorious.

This game took about two hours to play with seven players. There was much humor and laughter at the table as each person seemed to take great pleasure in doing some role playing with their in-game character and his or her special abilities. I played the wizard, Zot, while another person played my pet rabbit, Pookey who is apparently sentient and has a temper. One man at the table drew a female character and had a great time playing her. All-in-all we had a great time!

This game has many expansions. I mean a LOT. While I really enjoyed playing this game and will not turn it down if asked to play in the future, I'm not sure right now about adding it to my collection just because of that barrier. I don't know how often this game would hit the table if we owned it. It cannot be played with just two-players. It needs a minimum of four players to be any good. This is something I"m going to have to think on a bit. If I found it at a thrift store or estate sale, I'd snatch it up quick. Buying it new though...I'm still on the fence.

If you get a chance to play this game, jump in! It's great fun and, if you can use your imagination to act the part of your character, you'll have a blast!