Reading Dragons & Friends
At Fraser Public Library
What is Reading Dragons?
Started at the Dover Public Library in Dover, Ohio, Reading Dragons is a collectable card game that rewards you for reading! Cards range from dragons to other mythical creatures, like unicorns and griffins. You can battle players with your cards, or collect them just for fun!
When you first sign up at the library, you will get a collector's card box, three starter cards of each element type, a rules card, a reading tracker and an egg checklist .
How do I earn dragons?
Dragons are mostly earned through reading books using the reading tracker, although some may be available by participation in library events and programming.
Each month, a reader can earn up to 4 mythical creatures, and evolve them to adult form. A card is earned by reading 30 minutes. A reader can then choose to earn a new creature or evolve a current creature from that month’s list of creatures.
Bring your tracker to the library desk, and a librarian will help you get your cards and mark the row after you collect your cards.
Reading dragons are only available to play with us from September until April. Dragons go on a 3-month summer vacation every year, and return again in September.
Use your Dragons to Battle your Friends!
You can play two different games using your Reading Dragon cards! Just make sure you write your name on your cards so nothing gets lost.
Complicated: Dragon War
Example 2: We have a Teen Fire creature versus an Adult Leaf creature
Elements: Teen Fire beats Adult Leaf
Creature age: Adult Leaf creature = 4 points and Teen Fire creature = 3 points
4 is only 1 more than 3
Winner: Teen Fire creature
Simple:
Rock, Paper, Scissors
To play, you and a friend each choose one card secretly, keeping it hidden so your friend can't see what you chose. Then count to 3 and both of you flip over your cards to see who wins.
Fire beats Leaf
Leaf beats Water
Water beats Fire
If you have the same color you tie.
You will need to have collected several dragon cards before playing. Take all of the card decks, mix them up, and divide them into equal piles for each player. If a player has any extra cards, put them to the side so that both players have an equal number of cards to play. Players will keep their piles face down and play the card from the top of their pile.
First look at the element of the creatures, generally Fire beats Leaf, Leaf beats Water, and Water beats Fire. Next look at the age of each creature, this will determine if the element rulings hold true. Each stage of evolution is allotted a certain number of points, with an egg being 1 point, a baby being 2 points, a teen being 3 points, and an adult being 4 points. If the age of the creature with the lesser element in the pairing has an evolution worth 2 or more points above the dominant element’s creature, then the lesser element will win despite its disadvantage.
If both players' creatures are the same age and the same element type, then they will have a war.
V.S.
V.S.
Example 1: We have an Egg Leaf creature versus a Teen Water creature.
Elements: Egg Leaf beats Teen Water.
Creature age: Teen Water creature = 3 points and Egg Leaf creature = 1 point
3 is 2 more than 1
Winner: Teen Water creature despite the elemental disadvantage
How to do a Dragon War
Each player puts 2 cards face down. Then each player plays one card face up. Again, check the element type and creature age to see who wins. The winner takes all the cards both players laid down in the war.
The game ends when the players run out of cards to play.
Whoever has the most cards in their win pile, is the winner!
At the end of the game, make sure to return everyone's card back to the original owner.