Acornism
Acornism Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Number of Players
2 to 4 players (2 players recommended).
Game Overview
In this game, players take turns placing tiles and supply each animal with the number of acorns it wants, making it full. The number of an animal that has been made full is scored as points, and the player who finally earns the most points wins.
Components
Tiles x 40
Each tile has an animal space and an acorn space. There are 6 kinds of animals drawn on the animal spaces, and each animal wants a different number of acorns. (The number on the animal space is the number of acorns the animal wants.)
There are 6 kinds of acorn spaces: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 acorns, and the Magic Acorn.
Pieces x 4 kinds (10 each)
Maple leaf, fallen leaf, ginkgo leaf and green leaf pieces (one kind per player).
Marker acorns x 4
Game Setup
- Shuffle the tiles thoroughly face down and make the draw pile.
- Each player takes 4 tiles from the draw pile and uses them as their hand. Place the hand tiles all face up, in a place where everyone can see them.
- Take 1 tile from the draw pile and place it in the middle of the table as the first tile.
- Each player chooses the pieces they will use. In a 2-player game, each player uses 2 kinds of pieces. When preparation is done, decide the first player by rock-paper-scissors. The game proceeds clockwise.
(Diagram: example setup for a 4-player game - the draw pile, the initial tile in the middle of the table, each player's pieces beside their hand, and each hand of 4 tiles all revealed.)
How to Play
On your turn, choose 1 tile from your hand and place it on the field.
1. How to Place a Tile
Take any 1 tile from your hand and place it on the field.
When placing, it must be adjacent to a tile already placed on the field, and it must be placed so that animal spaces do not touch each other, or acorn spaces do not touch each other (the spaces that touch must be an animal space and an acorn space).
In addition, the total number of acorns in the 4 spaces around any animal space must not exceed that animal's number (equal is allowed).
As long as the above conditions are satisfied, the tile may be placed in any orientation.
(Diagrams:
- "Place it in a space adjacent to a tile on the field."
- "Place it so that animal spaces and acorn spaces alternate with each other."
- "NG if the number of acorns around an animal exceeds the animal's number" (example: 3+4+2+8, NG).
- "Tiles are OK in any orientation!" (example: 3+1+2 against 8, OK).)
2. Surrounding and Scoring
When all 4 spaces around an animal are filled, and the total number of acorns in those 4 spaces matches the animal's number, the animal becomes full and leaves for the forest.
The player who made the animal full places their piece on that animal, and the animal's number becomes their points.
You can score multiple times in one turn.
(Diagram: "Surround" - the animal space with its 4 surrounding spaces; "Points" - the scored animal.)
3. The Field
The area in which tiles can be placed is an 8 x 8 square, 8 spaces by 8 spaces.
In the course of placing tiles, the boundary of the field is determined at the moment a tile is placed in the 8th row or column in each direction.
When a tile is placed in the 8th row/column, place a marker acorn to make the extent of the field easy to see.
(Diagram: 8 x 8 grid.)
4. Rules for the Edge of the Field
Edge Scoring Not Allowed (Basic Rule)
Unless all 4 spaces around an animal are filled, it does not score.
Around an animal space at the edge of the field, tiles can only be placed in 2 or 3 directions (tiles cannot be placed outside the field), so it cannot be satisfied and cannot score.
(Diagram of an edge example:
- "The number of acorns in the 3 surrounding spaces does not exceed the animal's number, so a tile can be placed."
- "Even though the animal's number and the number of acorns match, the 4 surrounding spaces are not filled, so no points."
- "The animal's number and the number of acorns match, and the 4 surrounding spaces are filled, so points are scored.")
Edge Scoring Allowed (Advanced Rule)
For an animal in a space at the edge of the field, it can score by filling the 3 surrounding spaces instead of 4.
For an animal in a corner space of the field, it can score by filling the 2 surrounding spaces. Even in this case, the animal's number and the number of acorns must match.
(Diagram of an edge example under this rule:
- "Since 3 surrounding spaces are filled but the animal's number and the number of acorns do not match, a piece cannot be placed to score."
- "Since 3 surrounding spaces are filled and the animal's number and the number of acorns match, points are scored."
- "For an animal that is not at the edge, the 4 surrounding spaces must be filled.")
5. Checking
After a player places a tile, the player who placed it and the next player look at the placed tile and the tiles around it and check whether the tile has been placed in accordance with the rules.
If, despite this check, a tile that violates the rules is discovered later, the tile that violates the rules is removed from the game at that point.
If there was an animal that had been made full using the removed tile, the piece placed on it is returned to the player who owns it.
6. End of Turn
After placing 1 tile from your hand on the field, draw a new tile from the draw pile to replenish your hand, and end your turn. (The hand is always 4 tiles.)
If you cannot place any tile of your hand anywhere, have the other players confirm it, and then you may pass.
7. End of the Game
When everyone can no longer place tiles, the game ends and the scores are tallied.
Each player totals the numbers of the animals on the tiles where their pieces are placed, and this is their score. The player with the highest total score wins.
? Magic Acorn
The "?" acorn is a mysterious acorn that can become any number (0-10), separately for each of its 4 directions. It can make the animals in all directions full. It is lucky if you get it, but the timing of playing it is also important!
Don't forget: you have a Magic Acorn, and the opponents know it, too!