Hànzì
Hànzì Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 54 Hanzi tablet cards (the front side depicts a floating tablet with only a shadow on the bottom; the backside depicts a tablet with abilities or points on the bottom)
- 30 Age 1 tablet cards (Brown)
- 24 Age 2 tablet cards (Green)
- 27 mission cards (one side has Chinese on the bottom; the other side has English/Japanese on the bottom)
- 15 Age 1 mission cards (Brown)
- 12 Age 2 mission cards (Green)
- 10 creation markers
- 1 Master Cang Jie marker
Game Preparation
- Shuffle the 30 Age 1 and 24 Age 2 Hanzi tablet cards separately with the front side up (the floating tablet with shadow), forming two separate Hanzi tablet decks.
- Take the Age 1 Hanzi tablet deck and lay them out, with the front side up, on the table, forming a 6 by 5 grid.
- Take the Age 2 Hanzi tablet deck and place them off to the side for now. They will be used later.
- Shuffle the 15 Age 1 and 12 Age 2 mission cards separately with the side of your preferred language facing up, forming two separate mission decks.
- Take the Age 1 mission deck and distribute 3 mission cards in front of each player, with the side of your preferred language facing up. The mission cards in front of players are public information, and may be viewed at any time by any player.
- Take the remaining Age 1 mission deck and place it on top of the Age 2 mission deck, forming a single mission deck. Take the top 3 cards and lay them out next to the deck, forming the mission card supply.
- Place all creation markers to the side, forming the creation marker supply.
- The oldest player takes the Master Cang Jie marker and becomes the first player.
Goal of the Game
Players take turns in order, choosing one of the mission cards in front of them as the goal for the turn. They then attempt to find two cards that match the chosen mission card out of all the Hanzi tablet cards in the middle of the table. Players will earn points if there is a match. Whoever earns 10 points first is the winner!
Game Turn
Beginning with the first player, and proceeding clockwise, each player continues to take turns until someone reaches 10 points during his or her turn. The game ends immediately and that player will win the game. (See Game Ends below.)
During a player's turn, he or she may choose to perform an optional card action. Regardless of the choice, he or she must then perform the mandatory creation action. The order of these two actions may not be altered. You may not perform the creation action before the card action, nor choose to not perform the creation action at all.
Creation Action (Mandatory)
Players must choose one of the mission cards in front of them as the goal for this turn.
Players then flip any two tablet cards to the back side from the 6 by 5 grid in the middle of the table, and compare the revealed characters on the two tablet cards with the character on the chosen mission card for this turn:
- If both characters on the two tablet cards match the chosen mission card, the creation action is successful! Perform the following steps:
- Place the matching tablet card with a number on the bottom in front of you. The number represents victory points that is now added to your score. If you have multiple victory point cards, display them in a way such that the score on the bottom is clearly visible to all players.
- Place the matching tablet card with abilities into your hand. You may use them at a later turn. There are no limits to the number of cards you may hold in your hands. (See Card Action below.)
- Replace the missing spots in the grid with cards from the top of the Age 2 Hanzi tablet deck. If the pile is empty, then no more Hanzi tablet cards will be added to the grid.
- Remove the chosen mission card from the game and place it back into the game box. Choose a new mission card from the mission card supply and place it in front of you. You should always have at least three mission cards in front of you. (See Card Abilities below.)
- Replenish the mission card supply back to three cards from the top of the mission deck.
- If at least 1 revealed Hanzi tablet card does not match the chosen mission card, the creation action fails! Simply turn the flipped Hanzi tablet cards back to their front sides and take a creation marker from the supply as compensation. If the creation marker supply runs out, take one from one of the other players with the most markers. In case of a tie, you choose one among the tied players.
Regardless of whether the creation action is successful or not, the turn ends immediately. Play passes clockwise to the player on the left, who begins his or her turn.
Creation Marker (Optional)
Before performing the creation action, the active player (player currently taking his or her turn) may perform exactly one of the following actions:
- Spend 1 creation marker: The active player may flip three Hanzi tablet cards during his or her next creation action. As long as 2 out of the 3 flipped cards match the chosen mission card, the creation action is successful. Flip the unmatched Hanzi tablet card facedown, then performs all the other steps for a successful creation action as normal. If the creation action fails, take 1 creation marker as compensation as normal and turn all three flipped Hanzi tablet cards facedown.
- Spend 2 creation markers: Choose 1 face up mission card in front of you and exchange it with any single mission card from the mission card supply.
Return the spent creation markers back to the supply.
Card Action (Optional)
Before taking his or her creation action, the active player may play one Hanzi tablet card from his or her hand by performing its ability and place it back into the game box. (See Card Abilities below.)
Note: The removed Hanzi tablet card will not be available for the rest of the game.
Game Ends
If any player reaches 10 points during his or her turn by having 5 victory point cards in front of him or her, the game immediately ends and that player is the winner!
Card Abilities
① represents Age 1 Hanzi tablet card and ② represents Age 2 Hanzi tablet card.
Hanzi tablet card 母① 告① 友② 仔②
Pick one of the mission cards in front of you and exchange it with any single mission card in front of other players.
Hanzi tablet card 手① 有① 爪② 立②
Take one random Hanzi tablet card from another player's hand and place it into your hand. You may only steal ability card, not point card.
Hanzi tablet card 鼻① 舌① 骨① 耳② 胃②
Take a creation marker from another player.
Hanzi tablet card 白① 古① 鬼① 化② 北②
When another player plays a Hanzi tablet card from his or her hand, you may play this card immediately and cancels its effect.
Hanzi tablet card 果① 甘① 每② 頁②
You may perform 2 creation actions this turn.
Hanzi tablet card 相① 眉① 省②
Draw three cards from the top of the mission deck and choose one to place it in front of you. Place the remaining two cards back on top of the mission deck in any order you want. You may now have one additional mission card in front of you.
Hanzi tablet card 女①
Take the 男 ② mission card from the mission card supply, the mission deck, or another player and place it in front of you. You may now have one additional mission card in front of you.
Note: If the card is taken from another player, he or she immediately replaces it with another card from the mission card supply. Replenish the mission card supply back to three cards afterwards.
Note: If the 男 ② mission card has been scored and is removed from the game, you may not play this card.
Hanzi tablet card 男②
Take the 仔 ② mission card from the mission card supply, the mission deck, or another player and place it in front of you. You may now have one additional mission card in front of you.
Note: If the card is taken from another player, he or she immediately replaces it with another card from the mission card supply. Replenish the mission card supply back to three cards afterwards.
Note: If the 仔 ② mission card has been scored and is removed from the game, you may not play this card.
Variants: Master Cang Jie Showdown
(For 1 to 4 players)
Goal of the Game: Player(s) will attempt to challenge the great Master Cang Jie to a showdown match. At the end of the game, player(s) with less points than Master Cang Jie will be eliminated, and the player(s) still in the game with the most points will become the victor and earn the glorious title of "Hanzi Successor."
Game Preparation: The game follows the normal setups with the following exceptions:
- Instead of giving the Master Cang Jie to the start player, randomly place it on any Hanzi tablet card in the grid.
- Each player receives one creation marker.
Game Turn: The game follows the normal rules with the following exceptions:
- Regardless of the outcome, after every creation action, the active player removes the card under Master Cang Jie marker and places it back into the game box. If the card has a number at the bottom, it is added to Master Cang Jie's score at the end of the game. Otherwise, (in the case of an ability card) nothing happens.
- If any player has a mission card in front of him or her that matches the removed Hanzi tablet card, he or she immediately places that mission card back into the game box and replaces it with another card of his or her choice from the mission card supply. Replenish the supply back to three cards afterwards.
- The active player then moves the Master Cang Jie marker to another adjacent Hanzi tablet card. Diagonal movements are not allowed. Refill the empty spot with the top card of the Hanzi tablet deck if possible. Master Cang Jie must end his movement on a Hanzi tablet card. If there are no legal movements, the game immediately ends.
- To prevent Master Cang Jie from winning, the active player may spend 1 creation marker to move the Master Cang Jie marker to any Hanzi tablet card. This must be done before he or she performs the creation action.
Game End: The game immediately ends when Master Cang Jie is unable to move to an adjacent tablet card. Each player compares his or her score with Master Cang Jie, and whoever has equal to or less than the Master's score is eliminated from the game. The player with the highest amount of points who is still in the game is the winner. In case of a tie between players, the one with the most creation markers wins.