Discuss with your chosen players how you came to be facing on the battlefield, ready to sacrifice everything you hold dear to crush each-other. Is the field suitable for your true forms, must you wear your masks, could you do either?
If you are playing this game with a narrator, they take the role of the Threat and the dragons must stand together to vanquish it, or take advantage of it to settle disputes and gain power.
To start, ask each other: • What do you look like right now? Are you in your true form or are you wearing one of your masks? • What’s your mood, and how can I tell? • What is your objective(s)?
Each general gets 2 stakes in this battle. They could be loyal lieutenants, pieces of the landscape you care about, parts of your hoard or collateral onlookers. You do not want to sacrifice them. Be prepared to identify each by name, relationship to you and position on the battlefield.
Additionally, you may take people, places or objects from your Hoard, or from the World Sheet if they are reasonably accessible for this battle and unclaimed by another party (dragon or NPC, present or not), and declare them as stakes in this battle, up to 6 total stakes.
If the dragons are facing The Threat, it has stakes equal to its rating and is played by the narrator (we suggest a sleeping or otherwise absent dragon takes on this role, or all dragons share it)
During the scene, anyone can ask questions about the setting, occasion, and circumstances, even if they aren’t playing in the scene.
The generals take turns around the table making moves at each-other.
A player makes a Maneuver unless they pay something or call on a mutual bond to make a Demand. When you make a Demand, you must choose to ask your opponent to either Submit or Withdraw.
Each move ends with dramatic question or ultimatum. The targeted player must answer. If you don't want to answer directly, you can swat it away by escalating with a Demand of your own.
The most warlike dragon makes the first move, or else have another player make the first move.
The battle ends when one or more of these happen: