Kano Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Setup
  • Discovering the game
• Turn Summary
  • 1. Pass the bag
  • 2. (Optional) Arrange the colors
  • 3. Taking paint pots
  • 4. Painting on your board
  • 5. Create Artworks (if possible)
  • 6. Paint pot limit (Dry paint)
• End of the Game and Scoring
  • 1. Masterpieces
  • 2. Common White Goal
  • 3. Common Red Goal
  • 4. Artworks
  • 5. Bonus and final scoring
  • Worked example

Setup

1. Place the mat at the center of the table.
2. Select 1 Red Goal Sheet to use for this game and place it on the mat, as indicated. Return the unused sheets into the box.
3. Select 1 White Goal Sheet to use for this game and place it on the mat, as indicated. Return the unused sheets into the box.
4. Form a deck with the Masterpiece Cards and place it on the mat as indicated.
5. Place the insert with all the Artwork Tiles on the table, within reach of all players.
6. Each player chooses one color and takes:
   • a) 1 player board that they place in front of them, as shown in the illustration (using the side without helmet symbols).
   • b) 2 Artwork Tiles: 1 Sun and 1 Moon.
   • c) 1 Tiles Summary Sheet (with the Player Aid on the back side).
   • d) 1 Score Token that each player places on space 0 of the Red Goal Track.
   • e) 1 Score Token that each player places on space 0 on the mat's track.
   • f) 1 +100 Token that each player keeps in front of them, +100 side hidden.
7. The youngest player takes the First Player Token, the bag, and shuffles all paint pots inside. Then, they completely fill the mat by drawing paint pots from the bag at random.

IMPORTANT: At the beginning of their first turn (ONLY THE 1ST), each player draws 2 Masterpiece Cards, chooses 1, and places the other back under the deck. The Masterpieces are kept secret from other players and can only be created by their owner.

A reference sheet explains the Red and White Goals in detail.

Discovering the game

To peacefully discover Kanō and familiarize yourself with its mechanics, we recommend starting the game without setting up the Red and White Goal Sheets. Ignore steps 2 and 3 in the game setup. You only need one Score Token per player in this case.

Simply enjoy the experience by creating a painting of your liking. At the end of the game, 1 space Artworks score 1 point, 2 spaces Artworks score 3 points, and 3 spaces Artworks score 7 points. Masterpieces are personal goals. Each Masterpiece on your painting scores 12 points.

Turn Summary

Starting with the first player, then in turn order, each player performs the following steps in order:

1. Pass the bag

Pass the bag to the player on your left. At the beginning of your turn, pass the bag to the player on your left. You may now take your actions.

2. (Optional) Arrange the colors

You may swap two orthogonally adjacent paint pots on the mat.

This step is not mandatory, but it can allow you to take several paint pots of the same color (see step 3).

All following steps are mandatory.

3. Taking paint pots

You must take at least 1 paint pot.

You can take several paint pots, but only if they are of the same color and adjacent in a row OR in a column.

The paint pots you collect allow you to create Artworks on your own board.

Anticipate your choices to take the colors you need for the rest of the game!

IMPORTANT: once the active player has taken the paint pots they wanted, the player holding the bag draws and adds random paint pots in the mat to refill it completely.

4. Painting on your board

You must now paint on your player board by placing all the paint pots you just collected.

Make sure to follow the rules of gravity! Paint pots always fall down into the lowest free space of their column, without any empty space below.

Note that you can distribute paint pots across several columns.

PAINTING OVER: you can replace an accessible paint pot (without anything above it) already present on your player board with one of the paint pots you just took. The replaced paint pot immediately returns into the bag.

5. Create Artworks (if possible)

After painting, refer to your player aid to check if you have created one or several Artworks.

• a) If you did not create any Artwork, go straight to step 6.
• b) If you placed a paint pot during this turn which allows you to create an Artwork on your player board, do the following for each Artwork:
  • Take the corresponding Artwork Tile and place it in the appropriate spot on your player board. Return into the bag the paint pots used for this Artwork.
  • If the Artwork created is a Masterpiece, draw two Masterpiece Cards, choose one, and put the other at the bottom of the deck.

NOTE: The paint pots must match the pattern of the Artwork exactly as indicated on the Tiles Summary Sheet.

Some artworks have Portrait or Landscape position and others may have a mirror version.

Laid down Artworks: Some Artworks can be played either vertically or horizontally. Simply flip the tile to place it as you wish. In either case, make sure to follow the correct color order.

Mirror Artworks: Some Artworks, such as the "river" Artwork, can be played in mirror mode: in such a case, simply flip the tile to place it as you wish. In either case, make sure to follow the correct color order.

No other variations are allowed.

Example: By placing the red paint pot between the green and yellow paint pots, you create a "flowers" Artwork. You immediately replace the used paint pots with the corresponding tile. One important strategic detail: you're not obligated to create an Artwork as soon as you can create it. You may choose to keep the paint pots in place and attempt to create a different Artwork during a future turn.

REMINDER: You may create several Artworks during your turn. Keep in mind that an Artwork may only be created if it uses at least one paint pot you placed during the same turn.

6. Paint pot limit (Dry paint)

At the end of your turn, if you have more than 4 visible paint pots on your player board, you MUST replace the excess with "clouds" Artworks (1×1) until you only have 4 paint pots left. Then, your turn is over: the player on your left (who has the bag) may start their own turn.

Strategic precision: you can also voluntarily replace one or more paint pots with "clouds" Artworks (1×1), even if you have 4 or fewer paint pots on your board.

Clouds do not score any points!

End of the Game and Scoring

As soon as a player has filled all the spaces on their player board, they must announce it. Players then keep playing until they finish the round, so that each player has played the same number of turns.

You will then move on to the scoring phase. For each step, move along the score track. If you exceed 100 points, flip your +100 Token to indicate this and continue to move along the track until you reach your final score.

1. Masterpieces

Each Masterpiece you completed scores 12 points.

2. Common White Goal

The White Goal Sheets allow you to score a certain number of points if you meet the necessary conditions. (More info on the Goals rulesheet.)

3. Common Red Goal

The Red Goal Sheets allow you to score between 1 to 30 points.

Count the number of different Artworks you managed to paint and that are listed on the chosen Red Goal Sheet for the game, and then transfer this number to the Red Goal Track at the bottom of the sheet.

Each type of Artwork may only be counted once. Artworks of the same type do not count as different Artworks. (More info on the Goals rulesheet.)

4. Artworks

Count the points for all your Artworks (except Masterpieces). 1 space Artworks score 1 point, while 2 spaces Artworks score 3, and 3 spaces Artworks score 7!

REMINDER: "clouds" Artworks do not score any points!

5. Bonus and final scoring

Finally, you score 3 bonus points if you manage to completely fill your player board.

The player with the highest total score wins the game. In case of a tie, the victory goes to the tied player (or tied players) with the most different types of Artworks.

Worked example

You completed 8 Artworks among those on the Red Goal Sheet. However, the Artwork of the yellow/blue appears 2 times (horizontally and vertically), so it counts once. You advance 7 spaces on the Red Goal Track, and score 16 additional points.

You placed both your Moon and your Sun, but they are not next to each other on the White Goal Sheet. You thus score 5 additional points.

You have completed 1 Masterpiece, which earns you 12 points.

Your Artworks score: 0 points for 1-space Artworks, 3 points for a 2-space Artwork, and 7 × 3 = 21 points for three 3-space Artworks.

By completing your player board, you score 3 additional points.

Your final score is 81 points (12 + 5 + 16 + 45 + 3 = 81).