Kodama: Les Esprits de l'Arbre – l'Extension Florissante
Kodama: Les Esprits de l'Arbre – l'Extension Florissante Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 65 Branch cards
- 20 Kodama cards
- 15 Season cards (5 Spring, 5 Summer, 5 Autumn)
- 6 Trunk cards
- 6 player markers (one for each Element)
- 1 Season marker
- 1 First Player pawn
- 1 score track
Anatomy of the Cards
Trunk cards. Each Trunk card shows an Element specific to that trunk. Several branches grow out of the trunk and extend beyond the edges of the card.
Kodama cards. Each Kodama card represents a tree spirit and the conditions it prefers for its new home.
Branch cards. Each Branch card shows an assortment of Elements from the six possible: caterpillars, clouds, dragonflies, flowers, mushrooms and stars. The branches themselves have different shapes and orientations.
Season cards. Each Season card adds a new rule for Spring, Summer or Autumn. Note that each Season has a different back.
Setup
- Place the score track on the side of the play area. Place the Season marker next to the score track, beside the word "Spring."
- Give each player a Trunk card. Place your Trunk card in front of you, with the bottom edge of the card at the edge of the table.
- Place the player marker matching the Element on your Trunk on space 0 of the score track.
- Shuffle the Kodama cards and deal four to each player.
- Shuffle the three Season decks separately. Place one card from each Season face down next to the play area.
- Return all unused Kodama cards, Season cards, Trunk cards and player markers to the box.
- Shuffle the Branch cards to form a face-down deck next to the play area.
- Draw four Branch cards from the deck and place them face up beside it to form the Display (Étalage).
- The player with the most green on them starts the game. Give them the First Player pawn.
Diagram labels (setup illustration): score track; Season marker; player marker; Display; Branch deck; your Kodama (kept secret); your opponent's Kodama (kept secret); your Trunk; your opponent's Trunk; Season cards.
How to Play
Kodama: Les Esprits de l'Arbre is played over 3 Seasons. Each Season is divided into 3 phases: the Season phase, the Growth phase, and finally the Kodama phase.
- In the Season phase, the guardians of the forest set particular conditions for the players.
- During the Growth phase, players grow their trees to make them more attractive to the Kodama they look after. The Growth phase is divided into 4 rounds, in each of which every player grows their tree.
- During the Kodama phase, players choose one of their Kodama to settle in the tree, and it awards points.
Season Phase
Reveal the Season card for the current Season and read aloud what it allows the players. This card introduces a special rule to follow during this Season. The Season card stays visible to all players. During the Summer and Autumn Season phases, discard the Season cards of the previous Seasons.
Season and Kodama card terms:
"Last card" – The last card of a branch never touches more than one other card (Branch or Trunk).
"Within 2 cards or fewer of your Trunk" – A card is within 2 cards or fewer of your Trunk if it touches your Trunk card, or touches a card that touches your Trunk card. Note that your Trunk card is a card!
Example of a Season card in play: the Spring Season card, "Metamorphosis," reads: "During the Growth phase, count caterpillars as fireflies."
Growth Phase
Starting with the first player, each player takes 4 turns, one after another, in clockwise order. On your turn, follow these steps in order:
1. Play a Branch card. Choose a Branch card from the Display. Connect this card to your tree by placing it on another card, following these rules:
- Look at where the branch extends beyond the card. That part must touch the bark of another card (Branch or Trunk). In other words, it must look like a growing branch!
- The card you have just placed must touch only one other card.
- You must not cover the Elements of another card.
- Your Branch card must not extend beyond the edge of the table.
- You cannot place a Branch card that would make you score more than 10 points. (See Step 2 on the next page.) This maximum of 10 points does not include the points of the current Season card.
- Try not to move other cards in your tree. Once a Branch card has been scored, it may no longer be moved.
Example of placing a Branch card. You have just taken a card from the Display and are about to add it to your tree. You try several positions to see which are allowed.
- A. The card extends beyond the table. Not allowed.
- B. The card overlaps more than one other card and partly covers an Element on the card underneath. Not allowed.
- C. The card is in direct contact with only one card, covers no Element, and does not extend beyond the play area. Allowed!
2. Score points. After placing a Branch card, look at the Elements on that card. On the line of successive cards that starts with the card you just placed, you score 1 point each time those Elements appear. You do not score points for Elements that are not part of this line of successive cards.
- You score points only for the Elements that appear on the card you placed during this turn.
- These Elements must be part of a line of cards adjacent to the one you have just played. Any Element elsewhere in your tree gives no points.
- The line of successive cards extends from the card you have just played, down to your Trunk card, or until the type of Element you are scoring no longer appears on a card.
Example of scoring points.
- A. You have just placed a card with 1 caterpillar, 2 dragonflies and 1 flower. Following this line of cards down to the Trunk, you score 1 point for each dragonfly and each caterpillar on these successive cards (marked with green checks), including the card you have just placed. A total of 9 points!
- B. Although the card you placed last has 1 flower, you score no points for the flowers, because the previous card breaks this line of successive cards.
- C. You score no points for the dragonflies on this card, because they are not part of the line of successive cards that starts from the last card placed and runs down toward the Trunk. Point scoring never follows forks.
3. Refill the Display. Add a card from the top of the Branch deck to the Display. If you are the first player, advance the Season marker one space on the Season track.
Kodama Phase
After each player has taken 4 turns in a Season, all players play a Kodama. In turn order, each player chooses one of their Kodama cards and scores points according to the instructions on it. Once a Kodama card has been scored, it is no longer used and may be returned to the box.
After each player has scored a Kodama card, the first player passes the First Player pawn to the player with the lowest score, or keeps it if they are that player. In case of a tie, the pawn goes to the tied player closest to the left of the current first player. You may then begin the next Season phase.
End of the Game
At the end of the third Kodama phase, the game ends. Each player is left with one unused Kodama card in hand. The player with the most points has made their Kodama happy and prosperous. The forest will be peaceful and lush thanks to their good care!