Welcome to Kokoro: Avenue of the Kodama!

In this game, you get to embrace the role of a kodama, a spiritual being tasked with creating a beautiful avenue in the forest. Your goal is to create a path that maximizes the harmony and balance of nature, while also satisfying the unique desires of the ancestral spirits known as Kami.

When it’s your turn, take a moment to look at the grid in front of you. You’ll see a network of connected spaces, resembling a path through the forest. Each space on the grid is represented by a hexagon, and each hexagon is divided into multiple smaller sections. Your job is to carefully choose and place tiles to create a pathway that pleases both you and the Kami.

Now, let’s talk about the different types of tiles you’ll encounter. First, there are the Kodama tiles. These tiles represent the trees and plants you will use to form your pathway. You’ll have a hand of three Kodama tiles to choose from, and you must select one to add to your pathway each turn. The Kodama tiles vary in shape and size, so you’ll need to be strategic to make them fit nicely together.

Next, we have the Spirit tiles. These tiles represent the desires of the Kami spirits. Each Spirit tile has a specific placement rule that you must follow when adding it to your pathway. For example, one Spirit tile might require you to place it next to a specific type of Kodama tile, while another might need to be placed in a straight line. Be mindful of the Spirit tiles’ requirements, as they will impact your ability to create a harmonious pathway.

As you continue to build your pathway, you’ll also encounter Features. These tiles represent unique elements of the forest, such as ponds and shrines. Features can provide additional scoring opportunities and special abilities if you manage to incorporate them into your pathway. Keep an eye out for Features that align with your strategy and try to include them whenever possible.

At the end of the game, your pathway will be scored based on several criteria. You’ll earn points for connecting certain types of Kodama tiles, satisfying the desires of the Kami spirits, and incorporating Features into your pathway. The player with the highest score wins, so make sure to carefully plan and adapt your strategy as the game unfolds.

Now that you understand the rules, it’s time to embrace your role as a kodama and create a stunning pathway through the forest. Good luck!

Welcome to the enchanted forest of the kodama. It’s a magical place, but lately, the paths to the sanctuaries have become lost and forgotten. That’s where you come in – as a loyal kodama, it’s your job to restore these paths and bring the forest back to life.

To get started, you’ll need a few things. You’ll have your own play mat and a dry erase marker to draw paths on. There are also sanctuary cards, path cards, a 10-sided die, and decree cards.

The goal of the game is to connect different features, like caterpillars and flowers, to the sanctuaries and guardians. Each round, you’ll try to connect more features to the sanctuary than the previous one. If you succeed, you’ll score points and earn the favor of the guardians.

So, grab your marker, draw your paths, and let’s restore the forest together. The kodama are counting on you!

If a sanctuary doesn’t score any points in the game, there’s a penalty of 5 points at the end. The player with the highest score at the end of five rounds is the winner.

Getting Ready

Give each player a play mat and a dry erase marker.

All players should have the play mat’s “blue” side facing up.

The oldest player is the Caller. They shuffle the path cards and sanctuary cards separately and create two facedown decks on the table.

Let’s Play!

When I play Kokoro, the game is divided into 5 rounds. At the beginning of each round, we find out which sanctuary will be scored at the end.

During each round, we take turns revealing path cards. Every time a path card is revealed, we all add it to our mats. The round ends after the fourth golden path card is revealed, and then we score the sanctuary.

Once we’ve played 5 rounds, it’s time to score the guardians and determine the winner.

Your Turn!

Let’s get started with the game! As the Caller, I’ll begin by flipping over a card from the sanctuary deck and placing it face up in the sanctuary discard pile. This sanctuary will be important later on when we score points. Now, it’s your turn to take note of the sanctuary’s letter by writing it in the topmost white box on the right side of your play mat.

Alright, now I’ll draw a card from the path deck and tell you the number shown on it. Each number corresponds to a specific segment of the path, which you can find on both the card and the reference table at the bottom of your play mat.

Here comes the fun part! You have two choices: either draw the path on your sheet or take a peek at the next sanctuary card. Remember, everyone will be choosing and resolving their actions at the same time. Once we’re all done, I’ll draw another path card and we’ll repeat the process until the round comes to an end. (Don’t worry, I’ll explain scoring later!)

Drawing A Path

Alright, let’s talk about drawing paths! When you’re playing this game, you’ll need to draw a path on your sheet. But here’s the catch – you can only draw the path in an empty space. That means you can’t draw it where there’s already a path. So, be careful and look for a blank spot.

When you draw the path, it has to match the path on the card or reference table exactly. You can’t rotate it or change its direction. It has to be the same as the picture. Oh, and here’s something interesting – you can make dead ends. Yep, that’s right! If a path leads to nowhere, that’s totally fine.

And hey, don’t forget – you can also connect your path to the edge of the play mat. It’s totally legal and part of the game. So, be creative and have fun with it!

Checking Out the Next Sanctuary Card

If you pick this action, I want you to secretly take a peek at the very top card of the sanctuary deck and then put it right back on top. You’re allowed to do this even if someone else has already chosen this action on the same turn.

How We Score

Once the fourth golden path card is shown during the round and everyone has finished taking their turns, it’s time to calculate the score for the current sanctuary.

Hey there! Let me explain how you can score points in the game. First off, every player gets points for the sanctuary that was revealed at the start of this round. To score a sanctuary, you need to count all the caterpillars and flowers that are connected to it by a path. Make sure to count in both directions! Once you have the total number, write it in the scoring box on the right side of your play mat.

Now, here’s the catch: for a sanctuary, feature, or guardian to count as connected, there must be a path drawn in its space. Just having a path leading to the edge of the space won’t do the trick. It needs to be fully connected!

Hey there! I’ve got an important rule to share with you. When it comes to scoring in this game, there’s something you need to keep in mind. The sanctuary you score should be linked to more features like caterpillars and flowers than the sanctuary you scored before. If the number of features isn’t higher, just write down a “0” in the scoring box. But here’s the catch – getting a “0” will cost you 5 points at the end of the game. So make sure you choose wisely and aim to include more features in your sanctuary to score big! Good luck and have fun!

Before we move on

Before we start the next round, I need to take all the path cards that we used and put them in the discard pile. Then we can begin a new round by drawing and showing the next sanctuary card.

The Game is over

Once we have scored the fifth sanctuary, that’s it, the game is finished. (Just so you know, we won’t score one of the sanctuaries). Now it’s time to add up our final score:

Winning the game is simple. The player with the highest final score emerges as the victor. But what happens in the event of a tie? Well, in that case, the tied player who has the single highest value in any score box will take home the prize.

Let me clarify a few things for you:

• If you score 0 for a sanctuary, no worries! The next sanctuary only needs to score at least 1.
• Now, imagine this scenario. You don’t manage to score your very first sanctuary because it’s not connected to any features. In that case, you will lose 5 points at the end of the game. It’s a tough break, but hey, we all make mistakes!

Optional Rules

If you’re up for an added challenge, you can choose to play with these optional rules.

Random Initial Guardian Setup

For a twist at the beginning of the game, all players must place their mats with the pink side facing up. But here’s the fun part. Roll the die to determine where the guardians are for this game. Give it a good roll and write a small “C” in the upper corner of the corresponding space. Let fate decide!

Hey there! Let’s talk about the caterpillar guardian. Right here, we’re going to put it. Now, for the flower guardian, just do the same thing and write a tiny “F” up in that corner. Oh, and if you happen to roll two of the same numbers, just give the die a little shake and try again. Cool, huh?

Alright, let me break down the rules for you. When you play the game, everything proceeds as usual. You can create paths in the two guardian spaces, just like you would in any other game. And when the game comes to an end, you should score the two guardian spaces just like you normally would.

The Rules Regarding Decree Cards

When I play Kokoro, each game gets a new rule thanks to the decree cards. At the start of the game, I draw one card and read it out loud. This card has a special rule that everyone has to follow throughout the game. It’s important to keep the card visible and accessible so that everyone can see it.

If the card also has a rule for scoring at the end of the game, I write down my additional points in the box next to the flower guardian on the right side of my sheet.

Decree cards with a pink background can only be used on the pink side of the play mat. But the ones with a blue background can be used on either side of the play mat.

Solo Play

If I want to play alone, I can still enjoy the game. I play just like normal and keep track of my best scores. Then, I can try to beat my score the next time I play.