Kōhaku Rulebook

Table of Contents

Components
Setup
Turn Order
Koi Varieties
Feature Tiles
End of the Game
Scoring
Solo Rules
- Turn Order
Detailed Component List
Quick Setup Reference
Credits

Components

58 Koi tiles
62 Feature tiles
4 scoring tokens
1 Pond board
4 reference cards

Setup

Place the Pond board in the center of the table where all players can reach it comfortably. Prepare the Koi tiles according to the number of players:

2 players — remove all Koi tiles with 3 and 4 pebble icons. Shuffle the remaining Koi tiles and remove 7 more at random.
3 players — remove all Koi tiles with 4 pebble icons. Shuffle the remaining Koi tiles and remove 5 more at random.
4 players — shuffle all Koi tiles. Remove 5 at random.

Place the shuffled stack of Koi tiles face down next to the Pond board. Shuffle the Feature tiles and place their stack face down next to the Pond board as well.

The Pond board has spaces marked with fish and spaces marked with water lilies. Fill the fish spaces face up with Koi tiles, and the water-lily spaces face up with Feature tiles.

The calmest player goes first.

Turn Order

Starting with the first player and going clockwise, players take turns choosing Koi tiles and Feature tiles to build their own personal koi pond.

On your turn, carry out the following steps in order.

Choose tiles. Choose two adjacent tiles on the Pond board: 1 Koi tile and 1 Feature tile. You must take two adjacent tiles of different types from the Pond board, but you are not required to place them next to each other in your own pond.
Place tiles. Place the chosen tiles into your own koi pond. New tiles must touch at least one previously placed tile along at least one side. Koi tiles and Feature tiles must be arranged in a checkerboard pattern (as on the Pond board) — two Koi tiles may never touch. Once a tile has been placed, it can never be moved or removed. Place the first 2 tiles next to each other; you may place any tiles after that in any part of your pond.
Replenish the Pond board. If you did not take tiles from the central area of the Pond board, slide the remaining tiles there over to the matching empty space at the edge of the board. Then refill the central area of the Pond board from the corresponding Koi tile and Feature tile stacks. Play then passes to the next player.

Koi Varieties

Koi come in a whole palette of vivid colors, and they're often joined by dragonflies and charming baby koi (fry).

Single-color koi. These beauties less often satisfy the conditions of Feature tiles, but they are guaranteed to bring in 1 point each at the end of the game. Their tiles are marked with a coin as a reminder — coins also help break ties.

Two-color koi. When scoring, two-color koi count as both of their full colors. For example, a red-and-white koi counts as both red and white. Incidentally, red-and-white koi are the most recognizable of all, and this coloration is the one called "Kōhaku."

Feature Tiles

There are 7 types of Feature tiles in the game. Points for each are scored differently.

Single Lily. Score 2 points for each adjacent Koi tile with a koi of the same color as the flower. If the flower is surrounded by matching-colored koi on all four sides, the player scores 12 points instead.

Two Lilies. Score 2 points for each adjacent Koi tile with a koi of the same color as one of the two flowers. If the koi's colors match both flowers, score 3 points instead.

Stones. Baby koi love to hide among them. Score 1 point for each baby koi on adjacent Koi tiles.

Frogs. They're hungry! Score 1 point for each dragonfly on adjacent tiles.

Butterflies. Every Koi tile in the same row and/or column as the butterflies counts. Score 2 points for each Koi tile with a koi of the same color as the butterflies.

Turtles. Score 5 points for each turtle in your pond. Its location does not matter.

Statues. Statues score a different number of points depending on how many adjacent Koi tiles they have. The color of the koi does not matter.

1 tile = 1 point
2 tiles = 3 points
3 tiles = 6 points
4 tiles = 10 points

End of the Game

Players take an equal number of turns. With two players, the game lasts 14 rounds. With 3 or 4 players, it lasts 12 rounds. After the last player finishes their turn, the Koi tile stack will run out and there will be nothing left to refill the Pond board with. When this happens, remove any remaining tiles from the board and flip it over. The scoring track is on the other side.

Scoring

Each player chooses a scoring token. Then, taking turns, tally the points for your ponds. Points come from the Feature tiles. We recommend going through them left to right and top to bottom, calling out your points aloud so the other players can follow along. Then score 1 point for each coin in your pond. The player with the highest score wins. In case of a tie, the tied player with the most coins wins. If the tie still isn't broken, the tied players peacefully accept fate and share the victory.

Solo Rules

You will be playing against virtual opponents — a trio of koi breeders who consider themselves the best at building ponds for their beloved fish. Don't let them get too full of themselves — prove that your pond is the best!

Objective. Score more points than the koi breeders. You face three competitors at once, each with a different skill level (difficulty). Yellow is easy. Red is medium. Black is hard. Can you beat them all?

Setup. Remove the Koi tiles with 3 and 4 pebble icons. Shuffle the remaining Koi tiles and fill the Pond board as you would for a multiplayer game. In solo play, do not remove any additional Koi tiles from the stack. Shuffle the Feature tiles and add them to the Pond board. You're ready to begin.

Turn Order

Your turn. The game begins with your turn, which proceeds by the normal rules. Choose a Koi tile and a Feature tile, then slide the tiles in the central area of the Pond board over and refill it with new ones, following the normal rules.

The koi breeders' turn. The koi breeders collect fish and sometimes take Feature tiles. They do not build ponds. Place the tiles they take into separate stacks next to the game board. The koi breeders' turn proceeds in several steps.

Reveal the top tile of the Koi tile stack. The koi breeders take every Koi tile from the Pond board with exactly the same set of colors. Place these Koi tiles, including the one revealed from the shared stack, into the koi breeders' Koi tile stack. If they managed to take tiles from the Pond board, skip step 2.
If you revealed a Koi tile and there are no fish of the same color on the Pond board, place the revealed tile into the koi breeders' Koi tile stack. Then reveal a Feature tile. The koi breeders take every Feature tile from the Pond board that matches the revealed tile's type. Place these tiles into the koi breeders' Feature tile stack. Single Lily tiles are considered to match each other regardless of color. The same rule applies to Two Lilies tiles and Butterfly tiles. If the koi breeders failed to take any Feature tiles from the Pond board, their turn ends here. Otherwise, proceed to step 3.
The koi breeders refill the Pond board, filling empty spaces left to right and top to bottom. There is no need to slide tiles in from the central area to the edges.

End of the game. The game ends the moment it becomes impossible to refill the Pond board. Score your points using the white token, following the normal rules.

Scoring. The koi breeders share common tile stacks, and their score is calculated for each difficulty level in turn. Start with the yellow token (easy level).

Yellow (easy): add 3 points for each Koi tile and 2 points for each Feature tile.
Red (medium): add 1 point to the yellow level's score for each Feature tile.
Black (hard): add 1 point to the red level's score for each single-color koi (with a coin) and 1 point for each Single Lily tile.

How many collectors did you manage to beat? Did you defeat all three?

Detailed Component List

Single-color Koi

4 of each color. Each color includes koi with two and three baby koi, and two and three dragonflies.

Black
Red
White
Yellow

Two-color Koi

7 of each color combination.

4 without coins. Each color includes koi with two and three baby koi, and two and three dragonflies.
1 with three coins. Each color includes a koi with one baby koi and a koi with one dragonfly.
2 with four coins. Each color includes 2 koi with one baby koi and one dragonfly.

Color combinations: Black-Red, Black-White, Black-Yellow, Red-White, Red-Yellow, White-Yellow.

Feature Tiles

24 Single Lily tiles, 6 of each color
6 Two Lilies tiles
6 Turtle tiles
6 Frog tiles
6 Stone tiles
6 Statue tiles
8 Butterfly tiles, 2 of each color

Quick Setup Reference

Players	Remove	Randomly
1	3 and 4 pebble icons	0
2	3 and 4 pebble icons	7
3	4 pebble icons	5
4	Nothing	5

Credits

Game Creators

Designer, illustrator, and graphic designer: Danny Devine

Playtesters: Steven Aramini, Joe Kisenwether, Paul Kluka, Wil Reid, Sarah Reid, and Ryan Sanders.

Russian Edition: Hobby World LLC ("Мир Хобби")

General management: Mikhail Akulov Production management: Ivan Popov Publishing department director: Alexander Kiselev Editor-in-chief: Valentin Matyusha Managing editor: Yulia Kolesnikova Translator: Diana Goncharik Lead layout designer: Ivan Sukhovey Layout designer: Ekaterina Lyskova Proofreader: Olga Portugalova Licensing manager: Ivan Gudzovsky

If you have designed a board game and would like it published, write to [email protected]. Special thanks to Ilya Karpinsky.

Reproduction and publication of the game's rules, components, and illustrations without the rights holder's permission is prohibited.

Kōhaku Rulebook

Table of Contents

Components
Setup
Turn Order
Koi Varieties
Feature Tiles
End of the Game
Scoring
Solo Rules
- Turn Order
Detailed Component List
Quick Setup Reference
Credits

Components

58 Koi tiles
62 Feature tiles
4 scoring tokens
1 Pond board
4 reference cards

Setup

Place the Pond board in the center of the table where all players can reach it comfortably. Prepare the Koi tiles according to the number of players:

2 players — remove all Koi tiles with 3 and 4 pebble icons. Shuffle the remaining Koi tiles and remove 7 more at random.
3 players — remove all Koi tiles with 4 pebble icons. Shuffle the remaining Koi tiles and remove 5 more at random.
4 players — shuffle all Koi tiles. Remove 5 at random.

Place the shuffled stack of Koi tiles face down next to the Pond board. Shuffle the Feature tiles and place their stack face down next to the Pond board as well.

The Pond board has spaces marked with fish and spaces marked with water lilies. Fill the fish spaces face up with Koi tiles, and the water-lily spaces face up with Feature tiles.

The calmest player goes first.

Turn Order

Starting with the first player and going clockwise, players take turns choosing Koi tiles and Feature tiles to build their own personal koi pond.

On your turn, carry out the following steps in order.

Choose tiles. Choose two adjacent tiles on the Pond board: 1 Koi tile and 1 Feature tile. You must take two adjacent tiles of different types from the Pond board, but you are not required to place them next to each other in your own pond.
Place tiles. Place the chosen tiles into your own koi pond. New tiles must touch at least one previously placed tile along at least one side. Koi tiles and Feature tiles must be arranged in a checkerboard pattern (as on the Pond board) — two Koi tiles may never touch. Once a tile has been placed, it can never be moved or removed. Place the first 2 tiles next to each other; you may place any tiles after that in any part of your pond.
Replenish the Pond board. If you did not take tiles from the central area of the Pond board, slide the remaining tiles there over to the matching empty space at the edge of the board. Then refill the central area of the Pond board from the corresponding Koi tile and Feature tile stacks. Play then passes to the next player.

Koi Varieties

Koi come in a whole palette of vivid colors, and they're often joined by dragonflies and charming baby koi (fry).

Feature Tiles

There are 7 types of Feature tiles in the game. Points for each are scored differently.

Two Lilies. Score 2 points for each adjacent Koi tile with a koi of the same color as one of the two flowers. If the koi's colors match both flowers, score 3 points instead.

Stones. Baby koi love to hide among them. Score 1 point for each baby koi on adjacent Koi tiles.

Frogs. They're hungry! Score 1 point for each dragonfly on adjacent tiles.

Butterflies. Every Koi tile in the same row and/or column as the butterflies counts. Score 2 points for each Koi tile with a koi of the same color as the butterflies.

Turtles. Score 5 points for each turtle in your pond. Its location does not matter.

Statues. Statues score a different number of points depending on how many adjacent Koi tiles they have. The color of the koi does not matter.

1 tile = 1 point
2 tiles = 3 points
3 tiles = 6 points
4 tiles = 10 points

End of the Game

Scoring

Solo Rules

Turn Order

Reveal the top tile of the Koi tile stack. The koi breeders take every Koi tile from the Pond board with exactly the same set of colors. Place these Koi tiles, including the one revealed from the shared stack, into the koi breeders' Koi tile stack. If they managed to take tiles from the Pond board, skip step 2.
If you revealed a Koi tile and there are no fish of the same color on the Pond board, place the revealed tile into the koi breeders' Koi tile stack. Then reveal a Feature tile. The koi breeders take every Feature tile from the Pond board that matches the revealed tile's type. Place these tiles into the koi breeders' Feature tile stack. Single Lily tiles are considered to match each other regardless of color. The same rule applies to Two Lilies tiles and Butterfly tiles. If the koi breeders failed to take any Feature tiles from the Pond board, their turn ends here. Otherwise, proceed to step 3.
The koi breeders refill the Pond board, filling empty spaces left to right and top to bottom. There is no need to slide tiles in from the central area to the edges.

End of the game. The game ends the moment it becomes impossible to refill the Pond board. Score your points using the white token, following the normal rules.

Scoring. The koi breeders share common tile stacks, and their score is calculated for each difficulty level in turn. Start with the yellow token (easy level).

Yellow (easy): add 3 points for each Koi tile and 2 points for each Feature tile.
Red (medium): add 1 point to the yellow level's score for each Feature tile.
Black (hard): add 1 point to the red level's score for each single-color koi (with a coin) and 1 point for each Single Lily tile.

How many collectors did you manage to beat? Did you defeat all three?

Detailed Component List

Single-color Koi

4 of each color. Each color includes koi with two and three baby koi, and two and three dragonflies.

Black
Red
White
Yellow

Two-color Koi

7 of each color combination.

4 without coins. Each color includes koi with two and three baby koi, and two and three dragonflies.
1 with three coins. Each color includes a koi with one baby koi and a koi with one dragonfly.
2 with four coins. Each color includes 2 koi with one baby koi and one dragonfly.

Color combinations: Black-Red, Black-White, Black-Yellow, Red-White, Red-Yellow, White-Yellow.

Feature Tiles

24 Single Lily tiles, 6 of each color
6 Two Lilies tiles
6 Turtle tiles
6 Frog tiles
6 Stone tiles
6 Statue tiles
8 Butterfly tiles, 2 of each color

Quick Setup Reference

Players	Remove	Randomly
1	3 and 4 pebble icons	0
2	3 and 4 pebble icons	7
3	4 pebble icons	5
4	Nothing	5

Credits

Game Creators

Designer, illustrator, and graphic designer: Danny Devine

Playtesters: Steven Aramini, Joe Kisenwether, Paul Kluka, Wil Reid, Sarah Reid, and Ryan Sanders.

Russian Edition: Hobby World LLC ("Мир Хобби")

If you have designed a board game and would like it published, write to [email protected]. Special thanks to Ilya Karpinsky.

Reproduction and publication of the game's rules, components, and illustrations without the rights holder's permission is prohibited.