Kombo Afrika
Kombo Afrika Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Goal of the Game
The goal of Kombo Afrika is to collect as many points as possible by creating groups of animals on the board and making clever use of their skills.
Preparation
Mix the animal cards and hand out 5 cards to each player. If a player does not like their cards, they can once place them face down on the discard pile and draw 5 new cards from the deck. Next, prepare the game board at the size of 5x5 cards by placing 1 random card from the deck face up in each corner. Place the other cards face down in the center of the playing area. They will create the draw deck. Each player gets a pair of eye counters and sets a default value of 0 points (0 and 0 against each other).
Board at the beginning of the game: a 5x5 grid with one face-up card in each corner; the draw deck sits in the center of the grid (the first card may be placed adjacent to it); the discard pile is beside the board; each player has a pair of eye counters.
Game Progress
The player who last saw an African animal starts the game. Then the players continue clockwise, with each player playing their entire turn before the next player plays their entire turn.
The Player's Turn
- During their turn, a player may place any number of cards on the board. The player places the card face up, we call it active. Cards can only be placed on the board adjacent to cards already in place (active or hidden) or to the draw deck. (Cards are adjacent to each other when they touch each other by a side, not only by a corner.)
- After placing the card, the player can activate its effect. The card effect must be activated as soon as it is placed on the board or not at all. The exception is the Chao card, whose effect is permanent.
- During their turn, the player may gather only one group of cards, called a combo, and earn points for it. After that the player hides the cards of the combo in the jungle. (All the cards that were part of the combo are turned immediately face down.) Face down cards are called hidden.
- Regardless of whether a player has created a combo or not, at the end of their turn they set out to explore the savannah again — they draw as many cards out of the draw deck to have five in their hand. Then the next player takes their turn.
Example of a Card
A card shows its effect (icon, top left), its points (top right) and its name (bottom).
Counters — Example
The counters show points. Example: the player set their counter to 15 points.
Combos and Scoring
By combining three or more adjacent active cards of the same color, you create a combo and earn as many points as the total sum of points of all cards in the combo. After scoring you turn all cards from the combo face down to indicate that you have gathered the animals and hidden them in the jungle.
The point gain is recorded using the counters.
The combo can have any shape, but all cards must be adjacent (by the side, not by the corner). You can only create 1 combo each turn, so it should be worth it! After you create a combo, you can still place more cards on the board and activate their effects. Or you can end your move.
Illustration: valid combos are groups of three or more same-colored cards connected by sides (including a line of three plus one attached card); invalid groups are those connected only by corners.
Card Effects
- SURI: Gain a Card. Meerkats buddies watch your back. Draw 1 new card from the draw deck into your hand.
- HYPNO: Swap a Card. The snake's gaze is vicious. Take any face-up card from the board to your hand and put HYPNO in its place. You can also place HYPNO on an empty place, but then the effect doesn't activate. HYPNO cannot use this effect to take another HYPNO.
- PAPO: Gain Extra Points. Let's party with your pack. Gain 1 extra point for each card left in your hand (after you place this card).
- CROC: Drown 2 Cards. Standing near the river is dangerous... Flip 1 or 2 cards face-down. Gain 1 extra point for each card flipped. CROC can flip another CROC, but cannot flip itself.
- VULT: Revive a Card. Dr. VULT can restore a hidden card. Flip 1 previously flipped card back face-up. Its effect is not activated again, however the card can be used for a combo.
- GIFFE: Shift a Card. It's good to have a neck like a crane. Move any card (face-up or face-down) in the play area onto an adjacent free space. GIFFE can move another GIFFE, but cannot move itself.
- KONG: Redraw your Hand. Crash-boom-splash. Discard the rest of the cards in your hand and draw the same amount of new cards from the draw deck. You can continue your turn with the new cards.
- CHAO: Mimic Color. CHAO can take on any other color, and join any combo as a wildcard, also mimicking the point value of another card. However, CHAO doesn't mimic the effect of the card. CHAO cards can create their own combo from themselves. Then each card in the combo has a value of 1.
When the Board Is Full
After a card is placed on the last free space of the board and its effect is activated, collect all hidden cards from the board and put them on the discard pile. Active cards still remain in place on the board. If the board is filled with only active cards, remove all but the corner cards and put them on the discard pile. In both cases, the player's turn continues.
When the Draw Deck Runs Out of Cards
If you run out of cards in the draw deck in the middle of the board, shuffle the discard pile to create a new draw deck.
Pack Building (Combos) — FAQ
- You can use all the adjacent active cards of the same color into your packs, including those played by your opponents.
- Yes, other animals' pack can only contain one CHAO card that acts as a wildcard.
- You can place cards before and even after hiding the pack in the jungle. You can hide the pack in the jungle anytime in your turn.
End of the Game
When a player reaches 77 points, the last round is played. The game ends when each player has played the same number of turns. The winner of the game (and the king of the jungle) is the player with the most points. In the event of a tie, the number of points collected in the last turn is decisive.
Game Tips
- If you want to speed up the game, play for a lower number of points, e.g. 50. However this increases the amount of randomness in the game. On the contrary, if you want to reduce the randomness, play the game for more points, e.g. 100. Note, this will also extend the game length.
- Uneven game. If you play with a weaker opponent, e.g. a child, they can start with initial points (e.g. 10 or 15).
- For more tips and advice, visit lorisgames.cz