Despite the tiny size of their game boxes, Oink Games usually had a rather large crowd pressing around to see and buy their cute little games. Tiny at any other booth, Tiger & Dragon was a “larger” box containing a 2-5 player game of shifting scoring bonuses.

Tiger and Dragon

At the start of the round, each player is dealt a hand of mahjong-like tiles displaying the numbers 1 to 8 plus two wild tiles. The number (1 to 8) also indicates how many of that tile are in the “deck.” Players then take turns playing their tiles or passing with the goal of being the first to run out of tiles. A tile can be played if it matches the previous number exactly, otherwise the player is forced to pass. If a tile is matched the matching player gets to lead a tile of their choice. However, if no one can (or chooses to) match, the starting player gets to place one of their tiles from their hand face-down on their card and also gets to lead a new tile. Facedown tiles are worth a bonus point at the end of the round.

There is a player board with spots to place the tiles, which then tracks the number of rounds in a game. The goal of the game is to earn 10 points, but the “catch”, if you will, is that every round scores in a different way.

In the first example above, only the person who goes out scores points and those points are dependent on the number of the last tile they play. Going out with a 7 or 8 earns four points, going out on a wild card is worth nothing, and playing a “1” last is an instant win (10 points.) The second option scores two points plus the facedown tiles of all players.

The game can also be played in teams. Players across from each other form a team and must collect 15 points for a win.