Walking in Osaka Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Game Setup
• The Flow of the Game
• Before the Game Begins
• Playing the Game
  • Travel Phase
  • Location Bonus
  • Sightseeing Phase
  • Photobook
  • Replenishing and Scoring Phase
  • During Scoring
• Shogunate Scoring Options
  • Shūkyō-machi / Religious District(s)
  • Samurai-machi / Samurai District(s)
  • Yokujō / Bathhouse(s)
  • Teien / Garden(s)
  • Chōnin-chi / Townsmen District(s)
  • Large Zone(s)
• Game End
  • Final Scoring
  • Bonus Scoring
  • Example: Final Scoring
• Solo Play

Components

• 54 Town Cards
• 4 Reference Cards
• 1 Final Scoring Reference Card
• 6 Shogunate Scoring Option Tiles
• 1 Shogunate Pawn
• 4 Pawns (1 per player color)
• 4 Scoring Markers (1 per player color)
• 8 Bonus / 10-points Markers (2 per player color)
• 2 Scoring Boards
• 12 Location Tiles
• 12 Street Markers
• 18 Sandal Tokens
• 4 Starting Cards

Note: the printed component list reads "Bouns / 10-points Markers"; the spelling has been corrected to "Bonus" here.

Game Setup

1. Shuffle the Town Cards facedown to form the draw deck.
2. Draw 9 cards and arrange them into a 3×3 grid, all oriented in the same direction. This grid forms the Common Town Area at the center of the table.
3. Place one Street Marker (color side face down) next to each card on the outer edge of the grid (one per side). Randomly place one Location Tile (color side up) on each Street Marker.
4. Place the draw deck and two Scoring Boards next to the Common Town Area.
5. Shuffle the Scoring Option Tiles and place one tile on each empty round space on the Scoring Boards.
6. Place the Shogunate Pawn on the Shogunate space (the rightmost scoring option space) of the Scoring Board.
7. Each player chooses a color and takes the corresponding Pawn and Markers.
   1. Place the Score Marker on the 0 space of the scoring track.
   2. Place the 10-point Marker on the 10-point track of the Board.
   3. Place the Bonus Marker on the Final Score Area.
8. Each player takes 2 Sandal Tokens and a Reference Card, placing them in front of themselves. Place the Final Scoring Reference Card aside.

After setup, each player follows the rules on page 4, "Before the Game Begins," to choose a Town Card and a Starting Card. The game then begins.

The Flow of the Game

On a player's turn, the active player may spend any number of Sandal Tokens for extra movement or bonuses, then resolve these phases in order:

1. Travel Phase – Move the Pawn around the outskirts of the city. Check if the Location Tile's requirement they arrive at are met.
2. Sightseeing Phase – Choose a Town Card from the row or column where the Pawn is located and place it into the Photobook (to form a panoramic view of Osaka). Check the Location Tile's requirement again.
3. Replenishing and Scoring Phase – If a row or column in the Town Area is empty, refill it from the deck. The active player moves the Shogunate pawn, all players then score points from their Photobooks.

The game lasts 10 rounds. Players score points through Town Card layouts, building collections, and special bonuses. The player with the most points wins.

Before the Game Begins

The player who most recently traveled becomes the Starting Player. Starting with the player to their right and proceeding counterclockwise:

1. Place Pawn – Each player places their Pawn on an empty Location Tile (Not placed with other Pawns).
2. Select Cards – Choose a Town Card from the same row or column as their Pawn (refill immediately if three cards in that line are empty), then choose a Starting Card from the remaining Starting Cards. All cards may be viewed beforehand.
3. Photobook Setup – Place both chosen cards into the player's Photobook as their first cards. For placement rules, see page 6: Photobook.

Playing the Game

Beginning with the starting player, take turns in clockwise order. Each turn consists of the following phases:

1. Travel Phase
2. Sightseeing Phase
3. Replenishing and Scoring Phase

Travel Phase

Move around the outskirts of the city.

• Move Pawn – The player moves their Pawn 1 or 2 steps clockwise along the edge of the town, landing on a Location Tile. If an opponent's pawn blocks your path, you must jump over it — the jump and the move together count as one step.
• The player chooses to take a Sandal Token or claim Location Tile. Landing on a Street Marker with no Location Tile awards one Sandal Token. Each Sandal token may be spent to move one extra step, then returned it to the supply.
• Claim Location Tile – If the requirement of the Location Tile the player is currently on is fulfilled in their Photobook, they take that tile and place it on top of a qualifying column. The player gains the corresponding bonus (see Location Bonus below), then flips the tile face down. That column can no longer be built upward.

(Diagram: the red player moves 2 steps (skipping the green one) to that position. The check marks indicate the available choices for the red player.)

Location Bonus

Collect location tiles, immediately build gates and score points.

• 5-Tier Bonus – A column exactly 5 blocks tall scores either 5 points, or 2 points for each different icon in that column.
• 4-Tier Bonus – A column exactly 4 blocks tall scores 2 points for each specific chosen icon in that column (2 points per icon).
• 3-Tier Bonus – A column exactly 3 blocks tall scores 2 points for each block matching the chosen background.
  • Note: Every Chōnin-chi counts as 2x background blocks.

(Diagram: the red player stops here and takes that tile. Building a gate (3-Tier Bonus) and scored for the green grass background, gains 6 points.)

Sightseeing Phase

Referring to the side of the town that your pawn is on.

• The player takes a card from the same row or column as their pawn in the Town area and places it into their *Photobook.
• They may re-check the Location Tile's requirement; if fulfilled, claim it. A Sandal Token earned in this round's Travel phase cannot be re-earned here.

Photobook

Following these rules for your photobook:

• Players should keep space for their tableau in front of them.
• Card Orientation:
  • The White Flag (Sky) is always located on the upper block of each card.
  • This symbol indicates the upward-facing direction during placement.
• When selecting a card to put into the photobook, place it in a position that complies with the rules.

Building the lower level of the Jōkamachi (Castle Town):

• Begin by constructing the ground level and build upward.
• Cards must be placed adjacent to an existing card, with no gaps.
• New cards can be placed to the left or right of an existing card.

Building the upper levels of the Jōkamachi:

When stacking a new card on an existing one:

• Overlap or tuck its lower block behind the upper block of the card below.

(Diagram: cards cannot be placed below the lowest level and may stack up to four high (5 blocks total).)

Building limitation:

• Build horizontally: Maximum 5 cards wide
• Build vertically: Maximum 4 cards high (5 blocks)

Replenishing and Scoring Phase

Scoring only occurs after replenishment of cards, not after every player's turn.

• If a row or column in the town area becomes empty during a player's turn, that player replenishes the 3 (or more) empty spaces with cards from the draw deck. If the draw deck is empty during replenishment, the game ends after the current round.
• After replenishing, the active player must move the Shogunate pawn 1 or 2 spaces clockwise to select a new option. All players score based on the selection.
  • Note: For every 2 Sandal Tokens spent, the Shogunate pawn moves 1 additional space.
  • Note: The same scoring option may be selected multiple times throughout the game.
• (Diagram: If taking the indicated card empties both row and column, refill all 5 white flag spaces in those two lines.)
• (Diagram: After card replenishment, move the Shogunate Pawn 2 spaces (stopping on the Torii icon).)

During Scoring

All players evaluate their photobook for the selected scoring option.

• Each building (color flag icon) in a player's photobook that matches the selected scoring type will score points individually according to its scoring conditions.
• When a player scores, they move their scoring marker along the 1–9 track. If their score exceeds 9, they place their 10-point marker on the "10" space and return their scoring marker to show the remaining points. For each additional 10 points, they move the 10-point marker forward accordingly.
• For details on scoring options, refer to next page: "Shogunate Scoring Options" section.

(Example: The Yellow player scores 2×3 White Flag (Sky) = 6 points. On the scoring track, they move from 6 to 2, and move their 10-points Marker forward accordingly (6 points → 12 points).)

Shogunate Scoring Options

The Shogunate Scoring Options are the six scoring tiles on the Scoring Boards. Each option is shown with its icon; the scoring details for each option follow.

Shūkyō-machi / Religious District(s)

Built on the periphery of the Jōkamachi, the large temple and shrine compounds served not only to guide people toward the divine but also as a first line of defense against invading armies. Build your Shūkyō-machi at the base of your Jōkamachi, under the open skies.

Score: 1 point for each visible White Flag (Sky) with the Shūkyō-machi in the same column.

Shogunate pawn standing on Shūkyō-machi (Red) Scoring Option, the 3rd column scores 2×3 White Flag (Sky) = 6 points, and the 5th column scores 1×2 White Flag (Sky) = 2 points.

Samurai-machi / Samurai District(s)

The samurai class owned estates that were considered more prestigious the closer they were to the castle and farther from the townsmen. Place your Samurai-machi higher up in your Jōkamachi, with many Chōnin-chi below them.

Score: 1 point for each Chōnin-chi on rows below the Samurai-machi, including those in other columns.

Shogunate pawn standing on Samurai-machi (Green) Scoring Option, count the Chōnin-chi below the level of the samurai. The 3rd column scores 1×3 Chōnin-chi = 3 points, and the 4th column scores 1×3 Chōnin-chi = 3 points. The 2nd column scores 0 points.

Yokujō / Bathhouse(s)

Bathhouses were essential for townsfolk to maintain hygiene and well-being, making them complementary to Chōnin-chi. Like Teien, they also required a water source. For optimal scoring, align your Yokujō in straight lines with Chōnin-chi and Teien.

Score: 1 point for each Chōnin-chi or Teien in the same row. Additionally, each player scores for having 3 or more adjacent Yokujō icons as follows: 3 points for 3 adjacent Yokujō icons, 4 points for 4 adjacent, and so on.

Shogunate pawn standing on Yokujō (Blue) Scoring Option, count the Chōnin-chi and Teien in the same row. The 3rd row scores 2×1 Chōnin-chi = 2 points, and the 2nd row scores 1×3 Teien = 3 points. Additionally, 3 points for 3 adjacent Yokujō.

Teien / Garden(s)

Gardens served as symbols of affluence for the samurai and nobility, as well as sanctuaries for quiet contemplation within temple compounds. As such, gardens in a Jōkamachi are private spaces—build your gardens adjacent to a single, dedicated owner whenever possible.

Score: 3 points if adjacent to 1 Samurai-machi or Shūkyō-machi; 2 points if adjacent to 2; 1 point if adjacent to 3 or more. (0 points if no Samurai-machi or Shūkyō-machi connection around)

See the next page for Teien examples.

Shogunate pawn standing on Teien (Pink) Scoring Option, count the Samurai-machi or Shūkyō-machi. The 1st column scores 3 points, and the 2nd column scores 2 points, and the 3rd column scores 2 points, and the 4th column scores 2×2 = 4 points.

Chōnin-chi / Townsmen District(s)

The townsmen district is the economic heart of the Jōkamachi, sometimes making particular Jōkamachi famous for certain specialty goods. To score well, place Chōnin-chi in zones with the same background and a diverse mix of building types.

Score: 1 point for each different building type (the Shūkyō-machi, Yokujō, Teien and Samurai-machi icons) excluding Chōnin-chi itself, within the same zone.

Note: A zone is an adjacent group of blocks of the same background. Every Chōnin-chi counts as 2 towards zone size, shown by the 2x background blocks on it.

Shogunate pawn standing on Chōnin-chi (brown) Scoring Option, count the each different type. The 1st column scores 1 points, and the 3rd column scores 2 points, and the 4th column scores 2 points.

Large Zone(s)

A Large Zone is defined as a zone of 4 or more blocks of the same background type orthogonally adjacent.

Score: 3 points per large zone.

When scoring large zones, score 9 points for 3 zones. The largest zone (marked 1) will be counted as 6 blocks and will score 6 points at the end.

End Score: 1 point for each block in the largest zone (Only count the largest one).

Game End

The game ends when the 10th round is completed. This means each player will have 12 cards in their Photobook by the end of the game.

Final Scoring

• Each player scores points from their largest zone (the zone containing the most blocks), gaining 1 point per block in that zone. Chōnin-chi counts as 2 blocks.
• Then, each player according to the player's own Bonus Marker position conducts Bonus scoring to their total. (The printed text reads "Bouns Marker"; spelling corrected here.)

The player with the highest total score wins. In the event of a tie, the tied player with the larger zone (i.e., more blocks) wins.

Bonus Scoring

Each player receives one selected scoring option.

• Players can pay 2 sandals to move their Bonus Marker.
• If a player's Bonus Marker did not move: The player gains 4 points for every set of 5 different icons in their Photobook.
• If a player's Bonus Marker moved: The player scores according to the Shogunate Scoring Option reached, representing the corresponding Scoring Option.
• Note: Each option may hold only one Bonus Marker; first come, first served.

Example: Final Scoring

The game ends, final scoring:

1. Player scores 6 points from the largest zone.
2. For Bonus scoring, player scores 6 points from every Samurai-machi icon: ① ×0 Chōnin-chi = 0 points; ② ×2 Chōnin-chi = 2 points; ③ ×4 Chōnin-chi = 4 points. (Example as printed.)

Solo Play

For solo mode rules and gameplay, scan the QR code printed in the rulebook. The solo rules are a separate publisher document and are not transcribed here.