Yokai Carnival Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Object of the Game
• Setup
• Turn Flow
• Game Flow
  • 1. Draw to Hand (手札補充)
  • Strike Check 1 (進撃チェック①)
  • 2. Yokai Summon (妖怪召喚)
  • Strike Check 2 (進撃チェック②)
  • 3. Strike (進撃)
  • 4. General Summon Check (大将召喚チェック)
  • 5. End of Turn (手番の終了)
  • 6. Win/Loss Check (勝敗判定)
• Yokai and General Abilities
  • Yokai Cards
  • General Cards
  • Details of Each Ability

Components

• 64 Yokai Cards (8 types, 4 colors, 2 types per color, 8 cards each)
• 8 General Cards (1 of each type; purple)
• 5 Reference Cards
• 12 Card Count Markers
• 1 Rulebook

Object of the Game

Place cards and make your line the longest. The player whose line holds the most cards wins.

Setup

1. Shuffle the Yokai Cards face down and place them as a face-down deck called the "Yama" (山札). In these rules, "Yama" always means this deck.

2. Shuffle the General Cards face down. Take a number of them at random without looking at their faces and place them as the "General Yama" (大将山札). The number depends on the player count:

   • 5 players: 8 cards (all)
   • 4 players: 6 cards
   • 3 players: 5 cards
   • 2 players: 4 cards

   Return the rest to the box; they are not used in this game. Then turn over 2 cards from the General Yama and place them face up as the "Summon Waiting" area (召喚待ち).

3. Deal 3 Yokai Cards from the Yama to each player. These form each player's hand (手札). Players must keep their hands hidden from the others until instructed otherwise.

4. Decide the first player with rock-paper-scissors or similar. Play then proceeds clockwise.

The Discard pile (捨て札) is the place where cards discarded by card effects are placed.

Turn Flow

The Reference Cards summarize each turn in this order:

1. Draw to hand (手札補充)
2. Yokai Summon (妖怪召喚)
3. Strike check 2 (進撃チェック②), if applicable
4. Strike (進撃), if chosen
5. General Summon check (大将召喚チェック)
6. End of turn (手番の終了)

Strike check 1 (進撃チェック①) happens after drawing and before Yokai Summon.

Game Flow

1. Draw to Hand (手札補充)

On your turn, draw Yokai Cards from the Yama until your hand has exactly 3 cards. If you already have 3 cards, draw nothing.

If the Yama runs out while you are drawing, you draw no further cards. If the Yama is empty at the end of your turn, the game ends.

Strike Check 1 (進撃チェック①)

If all 3 cards in your hand are Yokai Cards of the same color, you may perform a Strike (進撃).

Doing so is optional.

If you Strike at this point, skip Yokai Summon and go to the General Summon check. The Strike is resolved as described in 3. Strike (進撃).

2. Yokai Summon (妖怪召喚)

Choose 1 Yokai Card from your hand and add it to the right end of your own line (一番右). You must play 1 card even if you do not want to play any card.

When you play a card this way, you may use that card's ability. Abilities can add Yokai to your hand or your line, or take cards from your opponents' hands or lines.

Strike Check 2 (進撃チェック②)

An ability used during Yokai Summon may increase your hand to 3 cards. If all 3 cards in your hand then share a color, you may perform a Strike.

Doing so is optional.

3. Strike (進撃)

When you Strike, show the faces of your 3 hand cards to all players, to show that they are all the same color. Then add all of them to your line in any order you choose. When you do this, the abilities of the Yokai Cards are not used.

A Strike can put you well ahead of rivals or let you reverse your position in one go. If the chance arises, consider going for it.

4. General Summon Check (大将召喚チェック)

If your "unconfirmed line" (未確定の行列) contains at least 1 Yokai Card of each of the four colors (red, blue, yellow, green), perform a General Summon (大将召喚).

What is the unconfirmed line?

In your line, the part that lies further back than the rightmost General Card is called the "unconfirmed line." A line with no General Cards is entirely unconfirmed.

In a General Summon, choose 1 General Card from the Summon Waiting area, add it to the right end of your line, and use that General Card's ability. Then, if the General Yama has cards, refill the Summon Waiting area by drawing 1 card from the top of the General Yama.

After a General Summon, the General Card itself and every Yokai Card in front of it are protected by the General Card, and can no longer be affected by other cards' effects. Exception: Shuten-doji (酒呑童子) is not protected in this way.

A General Summon must be performed if its conditions are met.

5. End of Turn (手番の終了)

Play passes to the next player.

However, if either of the following end conditions is met, the game ends immediately and goes to the win/loss check:

• There is no General Card in the Summon Waiting area.
• There is no Yokai Card in the Yama.

6. Win/Loss Check (勝敗判定)

When the game ends, the player whose line holds the most Yokai Cards and General Cards combined wins.

If the totals are tied, the player with more General Cards wins.

If that is also tied, the player who took the earlier turn wins.

Yokai and General Abilities

Yokai Cards

Yokai Cards are divided into 4 colors, with 2 types in each color, for 8 types and 64 cards in total. Each color has its own ability character:

• Blue: Extends your own line. Can connect to a General Summon.
• Red: Reduces the opponent's line. Can hinder the opponent's General Summon.
• Yellow: Draws a targeted card into your hand. Can connect to a Strike.
• Green: Reduces the opponent's hand. Can hinder the opponent's Strike.

General Cards

There are 8 General Cards, 1 of each type. They are purple and are stronger than Yokai Cards. They can extend your line in one go or reduce a rival's line, letting you pull ahead of your rivals.

Details of Each Ability

Important: A Yokai Card's ability is used only when it is played from the hand by the Yokai Summon rule. A Yokai Card placed by a card's ability does not use its ability.

• When a card's ability adds a Yokai Card to your line, it is also placed at the right end (一番右).
• When a card's ability affects your line, hand, or discard pile, nothing happens if there are not enough cards there. Example: if the discard pile has 0 cards and you play Rinnyudo (輪入道), nothing happens.
• When a General Card's ability or a Strike adds several Yokai Cards to a line, the line's owner chooses their order.

Illustration caption: "Strike: take the lead at once and reverse your fortunes!"

Illustration caption: "General Summon once all 4 colors are present."

Illustration caption: "Safe before the General Card" (the confirmed line). "Complete the 4 colors again" (the unconfirmed line).

Illustration caption: "Choose whichever you prefer."

Note: A General Summon is mandatory when its conditions are met.