Jano: A Pawsome Adventure Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Goal of the Game
• Game Components
  • Game Board
  • Cards
  • Resources
• Game Setup
• Gameplay
  • Start of the Year
  • Moving on the Board
  • Performing an Action
• End of the Year (including the final year)
  • Finish Line Rewards and Starting Order for the Next Year
  • Playing Animal Cards
  • Playing Mission Cards
• The End of the Game

Goal of the Game

Help Jano experience as many memorable adventures as possible and collect as many victory points as you can! You can earn points by collecting animal cards and flower cards, and by completing a secret mission.

Plan your journey wisely and make the most of every opportunity! Who will gather the most points and live through Jano's most memorable adventure?

Game Components

Game Board

The game board is a map of a magical world, consisting of a 4x3 grid. You can explore three different areas: sunlit farms, shaded forests, and glittering lakesides. Each location is enchanted by the seasons. Spring's buzz, summer's brilliance, autumn's colorful display, and winter's quiet beauty make the journey even more varied.

Cards

Season Indicator Cards (20 cards): These cards determine which resources you can find in each space, where you might encounter animals, and where flowers can be collected.

Animal Cards (36 cards): Make friends with the creatures of nature! Trade your collected resources to gain new, loyal companions and collect victory points.

Flower Cards (20 cards): Collect colourful flowers that are not only beautiful but also worth victory points. If needed, you can also exchange them for resources.

Mission Cards (16 cards): Secret missions with special goals. Completing these can earn you additional victory points.

Resources

During your travels, you can collect various resources that help you make friends and complete missions:

• Eggs (farm) – From the loyal poultry in the yard.
• Mushrooms (forest) – Treasures of the shaded woods, hidden in secret nooks.
• Shells (lakeside) – Shimmering gifts from the lake, emerging from the soothing waves.

Players can gather up to 30 of each resource. Use them wisely to gain more friends and collect victory points!

Game Setup

The setup diagram in the rulebook labels the components with the letters A to E used in the steps below.

A - Season Indicator Cards: Shuffle the season indicator cards. Depending on the number of players, draw cards to determine the length of the adventure:

• 2 players: 5 years, so draw 5 cards.
• 3 – 4 players: 6 years, so draw 6 cards.
• 5 – 6 players: 7 years, so draw 7 cards.

B - Animal Cards: Shuffle the animal cards and place them in a draw pile.

C - Flower Cards: Shuffle the flower cards and create a separate draw pile for them.

D - Mission Cards: Each player receives 3 secret mission cards. In the case of 6 players, each player only receives 2 secret mission cards. Choose one to keep and place it face down in front of you. Your mission should remain hidden from the other players until the end of the game. The other two cards are returned to the box.

E - Player Positions: Players start from the 'Start' square on the game board, beginning their first steps into the adventure with Jano. Prepare for exploration, friendship, and collection, as each path offers new experiences! The game starts with the player who has the oldest dog at home :)

Gameplay

Each round is divided into four seasons: spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Players begin in spring and, in every season, choose one of the three available spaces - Farm, Forest, or Lakeside - and perform the action located there. Only one space can be selected per season, resulting in a total of four actions each year.

Start of the Year

At the beginning of each year, flip the season indicator card for that year, which shows what treasures the fields hold:

• Resource: Eggs (farm), mushrooms (forest), or shells (lakeside) await you if you're lucky.
• Encounter: An opportunity to draw an animal card - you might make a new friend!
• Flower: You can collect rare and beautiful flowers that are worth victory points, or can be exchanged for resources if you play an animal card.
• Empty: Some fields remain quiet - no treasures or encounters, just the peace of nature.

Moving on the Board

During the season, players take turns moving:

• The player furthest back on the board moves first.
• If multiple players are on the same space, the one who arrived last moves first.
• Occupancy rule:
  • With 2–3 players, only 1 player can occupy a space.
  • With 4–6 players, up to 2 players can stand on the same space.

The rulebook shows a diagram for 2–3 players and one for 4–6 players at this point.

Performing an Action

After a player selects and occupies a space, they perform the associated action:

Resource Gathering:

• The player collects the resource indicated on the space (egg, mushroom, or shell) in the indicated amount (1–3 items) and immediately adds it to their own stock. Resources can freely be used at the end of the year for making friends or completing missions.

Encounter – Drawing an Animal Card:

• If the space reveals an encounter, the player draws an animal card, representing a potential new friend. The animal card is kept face down until the end of the year, when a friendship may be formed by exchanging resources.
• Important! You can only hold up to 5 unplayed animal cards in your hand.

Flower Gathering:

• If the space offers a flower card, the player draws one and places it face up in front of them.
• The flower cards:
  • Are worth 1 victory point at the end of the game, or
  • Can be exchanged for 1 resource of choice if you play an animal card.

Empty Space:

• If the space is empty, the player does not receive any resources, cards, or rewards. Sometimes even Jano just rests in the sunlight.

End of the Year (including the final year)

At the end of each year, everyone reviews their adventures, and the following events occur:

Finish Line Rewards and Starting Order for the Next Year

• The first player to reach the finish can choose a flower card or an animal card from the stock.
• The last player to finish must return one resource. (If the player has no resources, no penalty is applied, and resources cannot be replaced with flower cards.)

The rulebook summarises these as: First: +flower / +animal. Last: -mushroom / -egg / -shell.

Before the start of the new year, players will move in the reverse order of their finishing positions in the first season of the new year. This means the last player to finish starts the new year, followed by the others in reverse order.

The rulebook shows a diagram for 2–3 players and one for 4–6 players at this point.

Playing Animal Cards

At the end of the year, players may trade in their collected resources to gain the friendship of an animal. Once the required resources have been returned, the corresponding animal card is flipped over and placed face up in front of the player – a sign that the friendship has been formed.

Redeeming Flower Cards: If you need more resources, you can exchange your flower cards for any resource of your choice at any time.

Resource Exchange: If you have an excess of one type of resource, you can trade them at a 3-to-1 ratio. For example, you can trade 3 eggs for 1 mushroom.

After everyone has played their animal cards and formed friendships, new adventures await in the next year. However, if it's the end of the last year, it's time to tally up the experiences and find out who has become Jano's greatest friend and explorer!

Playing Mission Cards

To succeed in a mission, every condition must be fully met. If the mission requires resources (eggs, mushrooms, shells, or flower cards), these must be kept until the end of the game and not used for any other purpose. The required resources must be in the player's inventory for the mission to be completed.

Completed Mission: If all conditions are met, the player earns the victory points awarded for the mission.

Unsuccessful Mission: If the mission is not fulfilled, there are no negative consequences. Jano doesn't hold a grudge, he just smiles and plans more adventures!

The End of the Game

The adventurous journey concludes at the end of the last year, after each player has formed their final friendships. Now it's time for players to tally their victory points to find out who was the most successful explorer, gathering the most experiences and friendships alongside Jano!

Victory points are calculated by adding the points from the cards:

• Animal Cards: Every animal card carries a number of victory points.
• Flower Cards: Each flower is worth 1 victory point.
• Mission Card: If a player has completed their secret mission, the points indicated on the card are also added to their total score.

The player with the most victory points wins the game! If there is a tie, nature rewards both adventurers equally, after all, the greatest treasure is the shared experience and friendship!

The rulebook closes this section with a QR code: "You can find more information and videos about the rules by scanning the QR code below."