Kinoko Kombat Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Components
• Setup
• How to Play
  • 1. Preparation
  • 2. Select Team Members
  • 3. Team Comparison
  • 4. Game End Check
• 2-Player Variant
  • 1. Game Setup
  • 2. Preparation
  • 3. Select Team Members (2-Player)
  • 4. Team Comparison (2-Player)
  • 5. Game End (2-Player)
• Combinations

Introduction

Kinoko Kombat is a 2 to 4 player game in which players build teams of Kinokos and score points based on their combinations at the end of each round. You can recruit Kinoko cards from other players to strengthen your team, with all players' teams built in secret. The player with the highest score at the end of the game wins.

Components

• 32 Kinoko Cards: 4 colors: Red, Green, Yellow, and Purple, with ranks from 1 to 8. Ranks 2, 4 and 6 are marked with a star symbol.
• 12 Mushroom Tokens: 3 each in Pink, Blue, Orange, White.
• 4 Spotted Mushroom Tokens: 1 each in Pink, Blue, Orange, White.
• 4 Reference Cards
• 4 Star Tiles
• 1 First Player Marker
• 20 Scoring Tokens

Setup

1. Depending on the number of players, use the Kinoko cards listed below. Return all unused cards to the box.
   • 4 Players: Use all Kinoko cards (32 cards total).
   • 3 Players: Use only ranks 1-7 of each color (28 cards total).
   • 2 Players: Use only ranks 1-5 of each color (20 cards total). See "2- Player Variant" on page 10.
2. Each player chooses a color and takes the matching 3 Mushroom tokens, 1 Spotted Mushroom token, Star tile, and Reference card. Place scoring tokens in a common supply.
3. The oldest player takes the First Player marker, or the player who looks most like a mushroom takes it, whichever you prefer!

How to Play

A game of Kinoko Kombat lasts a number of rounds equal to the number of players. Each round consists of the following phases:

1. Preparation
2. Select Team Members
3. Team Comparison
4. Game End Check

1. Preparation

1. Shuffle and deal out Kinoko cards according to the number of players:
   • 4 Players: 8 cards per player.
   • 3 Players: 9 cards per player. With 3 Players, place the remaining card face down in the center of the table.
2. Set Center Kinoko cards: Each player chooses and places 1 card from their hand face down in the center of the table, oriented toward them to show who placed it. Center Kinoko cards are available for any player to claim, but only as their last action of the round.
3. Choose a Kinoko Leader card: Each player chooses 1 card from their hand and places it face down under their Star tile, with the star side face up. Then, they place their 3 Mushroom tokens and 1 Spotted Mushroom token on top of their Star tile. Your Kinoko Leader card is what you build your Kinoko team with and is visible only to you.
4. Arrange Recruit cards: Each player places their remaining cards face down in a row in front of them, arranged in ascending rank order, with the lowest rank on the left. If two or more cards have the same rank, that player chooses the order of those tied cards.

Players may look at their own Center, Leader, and Recruit cards at any time, but they must be kept hidden from other players.

Example:

1. In a 3-player game, place the 1 remaining card face down on the table as an extra Center Kinoko card.
2. Player A places Yellow 7 as their Center Kinoko card.
3. Player A chooses and places Red 7 face down under their Star tile as their Kinoko Leader card.
4. Player A arranges their remaining Recruit cards in front of them, face down, in ascending Rank order. Since they have rank 5 Yellow, Red, and Purple cards, Player A may arrange them in any order.

2. Select Team Members

Starting with the First Player and proceeding clockwise, players take turns selecting Recruit cards. Each player takes 4 turns during this phase.

On your turn, perform the following steps:

1. Select 1 Recruit Card from another player: Choose 1 Recruit card from the row in front of another player. You may not choose your own cards or a card that already has a Mushroom token on it.
2. Claim that card with 1 Mushroom token: Place 1 Mushroom token from your Star tile on the selected card. Resolve the action depending on the type of Mushroom token.
   • Mushroom token: Flip the selected card face up and place the Mushroom token on it.
   • Spotted Mushroom token: Place the token on the selected card without revealing it. This card remains hidden until the Team Comparison phase.

Special Fourth Turn Rules: On your fourth turn, you may choose a Center Kinoko card, including your own, instead of a Recruit card. If you use your Spotted Mushroom token on your fourth turn, flip your Star tile face down. This is relevant for tiebreaks.

Example: Player A may choose any Kinoko card outlined in blue. Player A chooses the second-highest card in Player C's row and places a Mushroom token on it. Since a Mushroom token was used, the card is revealed. It is a Yellow 6. HINT: In a 3-player game, Rank 8 cards are not used. Since the revealed card is Yellow 6, the yellow card to its right must be Yellow 7.

3. Team Comparison

1. Remove Unclaimed Recruit cards: Remove all Recruit cards that do not have a token on them from the game.
2. Gather your team: Each player collects their 4 marked cards along with their Leader card, for a total of 5 cards. Reveal all face down cards.
3. Evaluate your team: Using the Reference card, each player forms the strongest possible combination with their 5 cards.
4. Score teams: Compare the Tier of all players' combinations. Tier 1 is strongest, followed by Tier 2, Tier 3, and so on.
   • 1st Place: The player with the best combination scores points shown in the Crown row for their combination.
   • 2nd Place: The player with the next best combination scores points shown in the rightmost row for their combination.
5. Break ties: If multiple players have same Tier combinations, break the tie in the following order:
   • Stars: The tied player with the most total stars from their 5 cards and Star tile wins the tie.
   • Clockwise Order: If there is still a tie, the tied player sitting farthest clockwise from the First Player wins the tie.

Example: After gathering their teams, each player has the following combinations:

• Player A has a Full House, taking 1st Place and scores 3 points, as shown on the Reference Card.
• Player B has Two Pair, and Player B has 4 stars, while Player C has 2 stars. Player B wins the tie, takes 2nd Place, and scores 1 point, as shown on the Reference Card.
• Player C has a Mini Straight. These combinations are in the same Tier, so they are tied.

4. Game End Check

Kinoko Kombat lasts a number of rounds equal to the number of players.

If this was the final round, the game ends. The player with the highest total score wins. If there is a tie, the tied player who had the best combination in the final round wins.

Otherwise, pass the First Player Marker to the next player clockwise. Return all Mushroom tokens and Spotted Mushroom tokens to their owners' Star tiles, flipping the Star tiles star side up, if needed. Shuffle all Kinoko cards together, then return to the Preparation phase and begin the next round.

2-Player Variant

When playing with 2 players, the following rule changes apply to the standard rules:

1. Game Setup

Use only ranks 1–5 of each color, for a total of 20 Kinoko cards. Return all rank 6–8 Kinoko cards to the box.

2. Preparation

Before Step 1: Preparation, randomly select 1 Kinoko card of each color from the deck, for a total of 4 cards. Place them face down in the center of the table. These are neutral center Kinoko cards. They do not belong to either player, and no player may look at them.

Deal 8 cards to each player.

Each player chooses their Kinoko Leader card as usual. Then, they arrange their remaining 7 cards face down in a row in ascending rank order, with the lowest rank on the left.

Arrange the two rows facing each other. Cards directly across from each other form a pair.

3. Select Team Members (2-Player)

In a 2-player game, players do not choose personal Center Kinoko cards.

When a player places a token on a Kinoko card in either row, the paired card directly across from it becomes locked. Neither player may choose the locked card for the rest of the round. Players may choose a neutral center Kinoko card on any of their turns, not only on their fourth turn.

Example: The cards outlined in blue form a pair. Since one card in that pair has been claimed, the other card, outlined in red, is locked and may not be selected.

4. Team Comparison (2-Player)

Only the player with the best combination scores points, as shown in the Crown row of the Reference Card. The other player scores 0 points.

5. Game End (2-Player)

The game ends after the second round. The player with the highest total score wins. If there is a tie, the tied player who had the best combination in the final round wins.

Combinations

The Reference card ranks each player's strongest combination of 5 cards by Tier. Tier 1 is the strongest.

1. Four of Kind: 4 cards with the same rank.
2. Full House: 3 cards with the same rank and a different pair.
3. Straight: All 5 cards in numerical sequence (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4, 5).
4. Three of Kind: 3 cards with the same rank.
5. Mini Straight: 4 out of 5 cards in a numerical sequence (e.g., 5, 6, 7, 8). Two Pair: 2 cards with the same rank and another 2 cards with same rank.
6. Pair: 2 cards with the same rank.
7. Single: 1 card with the largest number among your gathered cards.

Note: The rulebook text refers to point values and star counts "as shown on the Reference Card" (the Crown row and rightmost row). The Reference card's printed point values are not reproduced in the rulebook pages and are not transcribed here.