From the designer Frank Branham: A 4 player partnership trick taking game themed around the Mexican Day of the Dead. (A particular favorite holiday of ours, as Sandi and I were married on that day in Marietta Confederate Cemetery.) It is short (about 30 minutes), and rather brain...
Players
3-4
Time
20-30
Age
12+
Weight
2.36
Rating
6.57
Should this hit the table?
Four Dragons has a high level of direct confrontation and strategic depth in confrontation. Players need to frequently pay attention to and react to others' strategies and turns. However, there is limited emphasis on cooperation in the game.
Teaching signal
High replayability
Highly interactive
Scales well
Deep strategy
Luck-sensitive
Four Dragons has a high level of direct confrontation and strategic depth in confrontation. Players need to frequently pay attention to and react to others' strategies and turns. However, there is limited emphasis on cooperation in the game.
Four Dragons has a high variability gameboard, offering different experiences each time it is played. The presence of expansions adds new content and gameplay elements, enhancing replay value. The game provides deep strategic possibilities and room for improvement over time. Player interaction is moderate. It scales well with different numbers of players and is relatively easy to learn. Overall, Four Dragons has a strong replayability score of 8.1.
Four Dragons has a moderate influence of luck. Random elements have a notable but not exclusive impact on the game outcome. Players have some ability to mitigate randomness through strategic decisions and planning. The game outcome is a balanced mix of luck and strategy.
Overview
From the designer Frank Branham: A 4 player partnership trick taking game themed around the Mexican Day of the Dead. (A particular favorite holiday of ours, as Sandi and I were married on that day in Marietta Confederate Cemetery.) It is short (about 30 minutes), and rather brain bending. Dia De Los Muertos (Day Of The Dead) is played over three days as you send animals, then children, then adults on to the afterlife. It is a basic trick taking game, except that most cards have an action with them. You play as a partnership, and if your side wins scoring cards (the dead or food), you exchange a card with your opponent. Other cards allow swaps between partners, asking a question, cancelling other cards and so on. The first time you play, there's a lot of checking the rules, checking the crib sheet, remembering if you exchange cards. You spend more time figuring the game than playing the tricks. But after a couple of hands, it makes sense and you switch to game-playing mode. And here's where it pays. If you enjoy Bridge, you can figure out what your partner signals when they swap a card, or you can read the deck based on what's been played, you will really enjoy Dia De Los Muertos. If you don't like Bridge, or can't figure trick-taking games anyway, steer well clear. It is rather brain-bending. The original game has nice native graphics of the dead abroad and has a variant for 3 players. The re-issue as Four Dragons has an oriental theme. Not to be confused with: Dia de los Muertos (2007)
Media
Images, galleries, and videos are grouped here so the page feels visual before every asset is fully hosted.
Editions
| Edition | Year | Language | Publisher / Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| No editions imported yet. | |||
Files and documents
No files imported yet.
Commerce mapping
Credits
Linked items
Related games and expansions help build a connected catalog around every title.
No linked items imported yet.