- BGG rank
- BGG #10,234
- BGG rating
- 6.3
Battle Beyond Space
- 3–4 players
- 30–60 min
- Complexity 1.8/5
- 2012
- BGG rank
- BGG #7,217
- BGG rating
- 6.6
Four Dragons
2000
Rules assistance for Four Dragons
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 3–4 players
- 20–30 min
- 12+
- Complexity 2.4/5
For 3 players
Rules assistant for Four Dragons
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Four Dragons is a board game released in 2000 for 3–4 players, 20–30 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Frank Branham and Sandi West and its main mechanics are Team-Based Game and Trick-taking.
Similar games
- BGG rank
- BGG #2,468
- BGG rating
- 6.8
Shamans
- 3–5 players
- 30–60 min
- Complexity 2.0/5
- 2021
- BGG rank
- BGG #1,170
- BGG rating
- 7.5
Bridge
- 4 players
- 60 min
- Complexity 3.9/5
- 1925
- BGG rank
- BGG #1,920
- BGG rating
- 7.4
Yokai Septet
- 2–4 players
- 30–45 min
- Complexity 1.9/5
- 2018
- BGG rank
- BGG #1,995
- BGG rating
- 7.2
Mü & More
- 2–8 players
- 60 min
- Complexity 2.6/5
- 1995
- BGG rank
- BGG #2,138
- BGG rating
- 7.0
Inside Job
- 2–5 players
- 20–30 min
- Complexity 1.7/5
- 2022
- BGG rank
- BGG #2,141
- BGG rating
- 6.9
Euchre
- 2–7 players
- 45 min
- Complexity 1.7/5
- 1848
- BGG rank
- BGG #2,197
- BGG rating
- 6.8
Nyet!
- 2–5 players
- 60 min
- Complexity 1.9/5
- 1997
- BGG rank
- BGG #2,341
- BGG rating
- 6.8
Spades
- 4 players
- 60 min
- Complexity 2.0/5
- 1938
- BGG rank
- BGG #2,494
- BGG rating
- 7.3
Skat
- 3 players
- 30 min
- Complexity 3.1/5
- 1810
- BGG rank
- BGG #2,717
- BGG rating
- 7.6
Doppelkopf
- 3–6 players
- 120 min
- Complexity 2.9/5
- 1895
- BGG rank
- BGG #3,166
- BGG rating
- 6.5
Rook
- 2–6 players
- 45 min
- Complexity 1.9/5
- 1906
About the game
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) Día de los Muertos (2016)
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Jolly Roger Games
- Sacred Chao Games
Questions and answers
Four Dragons supports 3–4 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Four Dragons is 20–30 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Four Dragons for ages 12 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Four Dragons has a complexity rating of 2.4 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Four Dragons belongs to these categories: Card Game and Deduction. Its main mechanics are Team-Based Game and Trick-taking. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Four Dragons are: Frank Branham and Sandi West. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Four Dragons as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.