Kenny G: Keepin' It Saxy Game
Kenny G: Keepin' It Saxy Game Rulebook
Table of Contents
Overview
Keepin' It Saxy is a cooperative game in which players work together to keep Kenny G feelin' saxy with the power of jazz. If Kenny G loses his groove, you've lost the game. Keep Kenny G in the groove and saxy smooth until the end of the day, and you win!
Objective
The players all win together if there are any Groove Tokens left on the game board at the end of the game.
Contents
1 Kenny G Mover, 1 Game Board, 16 Groove Tokens, 62 Sax Cards, 36 Event Cards, 3 Dice, 1 First Player Marker, Instructions
Setup
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Unfold the game board and place it on the table. Make sure the correct side is showing, based on the number of players in the game.
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Place 12 Groove Tokens in a pool on the bottom of the game board. Set the remaining 4 Groove Tokens nearby.
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Separate the Event Cards by Morning, Afternoon, and Evening. Shuffle each deck separately and place them face down in three decks above the game board.
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Shuffle the Sax Cards and deal four to each player. Players keep their cards face up in front of them, so all players can see. Place the remaining Sax Cards face down in a deck.
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Place the Kenny G Mover on the game board on the first Morning space.
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Place the Dice near the game board.
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Give the First Player Marker (Saxophone) to the player who most recently played a musical instrument.
Game Play
The game is played over six rounds (two Morning, two Afternoon, and two Evening). Each round features three phases, played in this order:
- Event Phase
- Sax Phase
- Groove Phase
Players are encouraged to discuss strategies and plan moves together!
1. Event Phase
Look at Kenny G's space on the game board and reveal the number of Event Cards indicated for the number of players. Place the Event Cards face up in a row below the game board, leaving room below each one for Sax Cards to be played.
Event Cards represent hectic events that Kenny G must overcome using jazz. Each Event Card has a riff of Sounds that must be played in the order shown to overcome the event.
Each Event Card features either a dice symbol (a die icon) or a benefit symbol (a curved sax-reed icon). These will be explained in COMPLETING AN EVENT and GROOVE PHASE.
2. Sax Phase
Starting with the player with the First Player Marker and moving clockwise, each player will take a turn playing cards to help complete Event riffs.
On Your Turn
You may take three actions from the list of possible actions below. Each action type may be taken multiple times and in any order you choose.
- Play a Sound Card
- Play an Ability Card
- Draw two cards
- Trade one card with another player
Play a Sound Card
Play a Sound Card from your hand to any one of the Event Cards that are face up. The Sounds in each Event's riff must be played in order, so the Sound on your card must match the next unplayed Sound in the riff. As Sound Cards are played, place them from left to right below the Event Card.
Wild Sound Cards: The cards showing all of the Sound colors are wild. A Wild Sound Card can be played to an Event as any Sound.
Play an Ability Card
Follow the instructions on the card, then discard it.
Draw Two Cards
Draw the top two cards from the Sax Deck and add them to your cards. There is no limit to the number of cards you can have. If the Sax Deck is depleted, shuffle the discard pile to form a new deck.
Trade One Card with Another Player
Trade one of your Sax Cards with another player. Both players must have at least one Sax Card to trade.
Completing an Event
As soon as the final Sound in a riff is played, the Event has been completed. If the Event Card has a benefit symbol (sax-reed icon), follow those instructions now. It will provide a benefit to players. Discard the Event Card and the Sound Cards that make up the riff. For fun, say the Sound words that make up the riff out loud before you discard the Event: "Bop WaWuhWah Woop!"
3. Groove Phase (after each player has taken one turn)
If all Events have been completed, move to END OF THE ROUND. For each incomplete Event, you will roll Dice and lose that many Groove Tokens. The amount of Dice to roll is indicated by the number shown on the Event Card (1, 2, or 3). Add up the dice results and remove that many Groove Tokens from the game board. If the Event Card has a dice symbol (die icon), take that into account when rolling. If there are no more Groove Tokens on the game board, Kenny G has lost his groove (see END OF THE GAME).
Example: Since the SAX REED BROKE Event was not completed, players roll two Dice. The effect for this Event allows players to re-roll when the Dice match. Since they rolled a 1 and a 1, they may choose to re-roll for a chance to roll lower and lose fewer Groove Tokens for this incomplete Event.
End of the Round
After the Groove Phase, move the Kenny G Mover to the next space on the game board. Do not discard any incomplete Event Cards; they remain in play until they are completed in a later round. Pass the First Player Marker to the next player on the left, and start the next round, beginning with the Event Phase.
End of the Game
The game can end in one of two ways:
- If the last Groove Token is removed from the game board, Kenny G has lost his groove, and the players lose the game.
- If players finish the last round and still have at least one Groove Token on the game board, the players win the game!
How Did You Perform?
Rate how saxy your performance was by how many Groove Tokens are left on the game board at the end of the game.
- 1-3: At least you're still groovin'!
- 4-6: Scoodily Doop! Very jazzy.
- 7-9: Great job! A truly masterful performance.
- 10-12: So saxy smooth! You're totally in the groove.
- 13-16: Amazing! Maybe you should tour with Kenny G?!
Notes
- The rulebook's "Sax Facts" trivia page and the streaming-playlist and social-media promotion are not game rules and are not transcribed.
- Card-art examples in the rulebook show two printed Event Cards. "Slept Through Alarm" (1) reads: "1 player may keep any 1 card on this Event." "Sax Reed Broke" (2) reads: "If both dice match, you may re-roll them."