Haru Ichiban Game Rules

Hey there! Let’s dive into the fascinating world of Haru Ichiban and explore the rules of the game together. Get ready for an exciting adventure!

In this game, I play as Haru, the guardian of the first wind of spring. My mission is to make sure that the flowers bloom beautifully and spread their vibrant colors throughout the land. You join me as another guardian, and together we will create a masterpiece of nature.

The game board represents our garden, with different types of flowers waiting to blossom. Each player has a set of wind tiles with varying strengths. These tiles determine the order in which we place our garden pieces on the board.

Here’s how the game unfolds. I start by picking a wind tile from my collection. The number on the tile gives me the power to place a garden piece on any empty spot on the board. Then it’s your turn, and you do the same with your tile.

Our goal is to strategically position our garden pieces to create harmonious patterns. When we place a piece next to others of the same type, they form a group. Depending on their size, these groups earn us points. The larger the group, the more points we get!

But keep an eye out for the pesky crows! They might try to disrupt our garden by scaring away the butterflies. If a crow scares a butterfly away, we lose points. So, it’s crucial to protect our precious butterflies and ensure they stay in our garden.

As we progress through the game, the wind changes direction, symbolized by rotating the wind tile. This change influences the order in which we place our garden pieces, adding a thrilling element of surprise to our adventure.

The game continues until all the spots on the board are filled. At that point, we tally up our points and see who has created the most magnificent garden.

Remember, my friend, success in Haru Ichiban comes not only from strategic placement but also from embracing the beauty of nature. Together, let’s embark on this enchanting journey of flowers, butterflies, and the gentle spring wind. May the garden we create be a testament to our teamwork and artistic vision!

Are you ready for the challenge? Let’s make the garden bloom!

In Japan, there’s a special phrase that captures the essence of spring – Haru Ichiban. It means “first wind of spring” and it represents the rebirth of nature after a long winter. As the days grow longer and the temperature rises, the world around us comes alive once again.

Imagine yourself in the peaceful gardens of the emperor, where the arrival of spring is celebrated with great joy. In these gardens, carps swim lazily in the ponds, frogs croak happily, and dragonflies dance in the air. Everything is in harmony, waiting for the first wind of spring to breathe new life into the landscape.

Now, picture two apprentice gardeners competing for a prestigious position – the imperial gardener. They are both eager to prove their skills and creativity, and they see the first wind of spring as the perfect opportunity to showcase their talents.

Their task is to bring the water lilies to bloom in vibrant colors and arrange them in the most harmonious combinations possible. By doing so, they will create a mesmerizing display that captures the beauty and elegance of spring.

Each gardener carefully considers their approach, contemplating the best way to showcase their unique style and skill. They know that this is their chance to stand out and make a lasting impression on the emperor.

Haru Ichiban is not just a competition; it’s a celebration of the wonders of nature and the artistry of gardening. It symbolizes the beginning of a new season and the endless possibilities it brings. It’s a time to embrace the beauty of the first wind of spring and let it inspire our creativity.

So, next time you feel the gentle breeze of spring, remember the spirit of Haru Ichiban and let it awaken the gardener within you. Channel your creativity, find harmony in nature, and let the beauty of the first wind of spring fill your heart with joy.

Setup

Alright, let’s get started! Take the game board and put it in the middle of the table. Place a pier on each side.

Now, it’s time to choose your color and grab all the flowers that match. Make sure to shuffle them so the values are hidden. Draw three flowers and place them in front of you, value-side down.

For the first round, let’s arrange the water lilies in a specific pattern:

• There’s only one water lily with two dark sides. This will be the dark lily for the first turn.
• All the other lilies should be turned with their light side up.
• Now, place the frogs on the water lilies that have eggs of the same color.

Now, you can put the scoring track next to the game board. Take the two characters and put them on the track, in front of a stone path.

So, what’s the goal of the game?

Imagine the beautiful water lilies dancing in the gentle breeze of spring, arranging themselves into stunning shapes. Can you create harmonious patterns, lines, or groups of flowers of the same color? And can you score victory points along the way?

Let me explain how you can do it:

• Create a square with 4 flowers and earn 1 point.
• Make a horizontal or vertical line of 4 flowers and earn 2 points.
• Create a diagonal line with 4 flowers and score 3 points.
• A line of 5 flowers, whether horizontal, vertical, or diagonal, will give you an amazing 5 points and an instant victory!

The current round ends as soon as a shape is created. The gardener responsible for the shape earns 1, 2, 3, or 5 points, depending on the achieved shape. The first player to accumulate a total of 5 points will be crowned the Imperial Gardener!

How to Play

Phase 1

Now, let’s get started. Both gardeners, that’s you and your opponent, will choose a flower at the same time. Take a look at the 3 flower buds located in front of you and read their values.

In the world of gardening, each flower holds a special value. They range from 1 to 8, and it’s up to us to decide which one to choose. Once we’ve made our selection, it’s time to reveal our choices simultaneously.

Now here’s where it gets interesting. The gardener who revealed the lowest value flower becomes the “junior gardener” for the rest of the turn, while the gardener with the highest value flower becomes the “senior gardener”. It’s a clever way to determine our positions.

Phase 2

Have you ever noticed how water lilies bloom and sway in the breeze? It’s quite a sight to behold. When a water lily “flowers,” it means someone places a beautiful blossom on an empty water lily pad.

As a junior gardener, I automatically place a flower on the darkest water lily in the pond. It’s my job to make sure every lily gets a turn to shine.

Now, the senior gardener has a special privilege. They get to choose which water lily to flower. It’s like having the power to paint a masterpiece in the garden.

But here’s an interesting twist: if the senior gardener puts a flower on a water lily that already has a frog on it, they have to make a different move. The frog gets evicted and hops over to an empty lily pad. It’s like a game of musical chairs for frogs!

C: I’m a young gardener who eagerly anticipates the first gust of spring.

With a flick of my wrist, I can relocate a water lily or a group of them, either up and down or side to side, but I must be cautious not to displace them from their watery home.

The senior gardener is on a quest for a mysterious, dark water lily.

He plucks a single water lily from the pool and flips it over, revealing its shadowy underbelly. If he finds a lily containing a frog, it’s time for a little magic. The senior gardener scoops up the frog, regardless of its color, and places it onto an empty lily pad, devoid of both flower and amphibian.

Now, let’s take a new turn.

Every gardener picks three new flowers from their collection, so they have three flowers in front of them once again. Next, both gardeners choose a new flower to decide who will be the senior and junior gardener in this new turn.

A Special Situation

When both gardeners choose flowers with the same value, the flowering happens automatically.

The red gardener automatically puts the red frog on the water lily. As for the yellow gardener, he automatically puts the yellow frog on the water lily.

If, after turning over the flowers, the gardeners realize that both flowers have the same value, the first player to make a frog sound gets to play their frog first.

When the frogs are removed and replaced by flowers in the garden, the gardeners have a choice of where to place them. The first gardener puts their frog on a water lily of their choosing, and the second gardener does the same.

Remember: If there are only two water lilies left in the pond that don’t have flowers, the frogs are taken out of the game until the end of the round.

The Round Ends

A round comes to an end when:

One of the gardeners aims to create specific combinations to score points and advance their character on the scoring track. If a gardener reaches 5 points or more, the game ends. However, if neither player has reached 5 points, the game continues.

It can get interesting if both players create a shape at the same time during a move. In this rare occurrence, both players score points.

In an even rarer case, both players reach or exceed 5 points at the same time. Here, the outcome depends on who has more points. If one player has more points, they win the game. But if both players have the same score, additional rounds are played until there is a clear winner.

Regardless of the outcome, a new round starts after these situations.



Once I collected all the flowers, I would shuffle them with the values hidden and draw three for myself. I’d make sure to keep them hidden too.

Now it’s time to flip over all the water lilies, revealing their light side. Just place them on the corresponding spot on the board.

The next step is to put the frogs on the water lilies that show eggs in their color. Watch out for those tricky little creatures!

And now we begin a new round, following the instructions in the “Phase 1” section of the rule book. Let the fun continue!

When someone reaches or surpasses 5 points, that’s when the game comes to an end. The lucky gardener who achieves this feat becomes the Imperial Gardener and wins the whole thing. May the best green thumb win!