Kombo Klash!
Kombo Klash! Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
- 1 Cloth Game Board
- 48 Kombo Tiles
- 4 Reference Tiles
- 4 Scoring Counters
Aim of the Game
The goal of Kombo Klash is to score as many points as possible by the end of the game. The game ends at the end of a round in which one or more players reaches or exceeds the target score. The player with the most points wins.
Before each game agree the target score:
- QUICK GAME: 50 points
- STANDARD GAME: 75 points
- LONG GAME: 100 points
Set Up
- Shuffle all of the Kombo Tiles into a single face-down stack. Place it on the centre space of the board to form a draw pile. Keep an area to the side of the board free to be used as a face-down discard pile.
- Draw and place one random tile face-up in each of the four corners of the board.
- Each player draws a starting hand of five tiles into their hand. If a player does not like their initial hand, they may discard it face-down and redraw five tiles. They may only do this once.
- Randomly assign a Reference Tile to each player, making sure you include the tile with the starting-player symbol. This indicates the starting player for the game and each round.
- Finally, each player picks a scoring counter and places it near the score tracker.
You are now ready to play.
Anatomy of a Tile
1. CREATURE ABILITY
This symbol refers to the creature's unique ability. A player can choose to trigger it when played. See Creature Abilities for more details.
2. KOMBO SCORE
This is the creature's Kombo value. You will use this to calculate how many points are gained when you score a Kombo.
Note: The Chameleon does not have its own Kombo Score. Instead, its Creature Ability allows it to mimic that of another creature. See Creature Abilities for details.
How to Play
A game of Kombo Klash is played over multiple rounds. Starting with the first player and going clockwise, each player plays one or more tiles from their hand, making use of each creature's unique ability as they try to score a high value Kombo. A round ends once all players have taken a turn.
The #1 Rule of Kombo Klash: Players may NEVER look at a face-down tile on the board, in the draw pile or in the discard pile.
On your turn
- You must Play a Tile at least once on your turn. You can do this multiple times as long as you have the tiles available to play.
- You may also Score a Kombo once, and only once, at any point during your turn IF there is a valid Kombo present on the board.
To Play a Tile
Place the tile face-up on an empty space that is next to a face-up tile, a face-down tile or the draw pile. Tiles are considered to be next to each other when their sides touch, not corner to corner. When a tile is placed on the board, you must choose whether to trigger the creature's ability at that time, resolving it fully before doing anything else.
If you decide not to trigger the ability at this time, you cannot do so later. See Creature Abilities for an explanation of each creature's ability and how they work.
If, after playing a tile and optionally resolving its ability, there is no space left on the board, see When the Board is Full. This step must be completed before you can continue your turn.
To Score a Kombo
A Kombo is formed when three or more of the same face-up tiles are next to each other on the board. For a Kombo to be valid each tile in the Kombo must be of the same creature and share a side with at least one other tile in that Kombo. See Examples of Scoring Kombos.
If there is more than one Kombo available you must choose one, and only one, to score.
To score a Kombo, calculate the combined point value of all the tiles in that Kombo and move your scoring counter accordingly.
After scoring, flip all tiles that formed the Kombo face-down.
At the End of Your Turn
Draw back up to five tiles. Then the next player clockwise takes their turn.
Examples of Scoring Kombos
EXAMPLE 1: Three of the same tile share a side with at least one other tile. This Kombo scores 9 points (3x).
EXAMPLE 2: When forming a Kombo, the Chameleon's Mimic ability allows it to copy an adjacent creature and its Kombo Score. This Kombo scores 12 points (4x).
EXAMPLE 3: Only three of the same tile share a side with at least one other tile. This Kombo scores 9 points (3x).
EXAMPLE 4: This is not a valid Kombo - the three tiles do not all share a side with at least one other matching tile.
When the Board is Full
If, after playing a tile and optionally triggering its ability, there are no empty spaces left on the board you must clear the board. To do this, move all face-down tiles on the board to the discard pile. This step must be completed before you can continue your turn.
On the rare occasion when the board is filled with face-up tiles, leave the four corner tiles in place and add all other tiles on the board to the discard pile, face-down. After the board has been cleared, continue play as normal.
When the Draw Pile is Empty
When a player needs to take a tile and the draw pile is empty, form a new one by shuffling the discard pile and placing it face-down in the centre of the board.
End of Game
The game ends at the end of a round in which one or more players reaches, or exceeds, the predetermined target score. This means all players will have the same number of turns. The winner of the game is the player with the highest score. In the case of a tie, the tied players play one more round until there is an obvious winner.
Gameplay Example
- At the start of the Red player's turn, the board is almost full with only one space available. There are three Gorilla tiles in play but they do not form a valid Kombo. There is also one face-down Chameleon on the board.
- The Red player starts by playing a Vulture, using its Revive ability to flip the Chameleon face-up. The board is now full and all face-down tiles must be moved to the discard pile.
- With the face-down tiles cleared, there are more spaces available to place tiles. Next, they play a Kangaroo, using its Kick ability to move the Chameleon closer to the Gorilla.
- The Chameleon's ability allows it to Mimic an adjacent creature and can be considered a Gorilla for the purposes of scoring a Kombo.
- The Red player scores 12 points, flipping the tiles face-down. With their score now 79, which is over the target score of 75, the remaining players have until the end of this round to try and obtain a higher score.
- The Red player is not finished yet. To finish, they play a Snake, using its Hypnotise ability to take the Vulture back into hand. They end their turn and draw back up to five tiles. The next player clockwise now takes their turn.
Creature Abilities
HOWL: The Wolf always knows where her allies are by howling. After playing the Wolf, you may score for each tile still in your hand, regardless of creature type. This does not limit your ability to score a Kombo.
KICK: The Kangaroo can deliver a powerful kick as they enter the Klash. After playing the Kangaroo, you may move any other face-up or face-down tile on the board one space to an adjacent empty space. The tile can be moved up, down, left or right, but not diagonally.
CALL: The Raven is savvy and knows when to call on her allies for support. After playing the Raven, you may draw one tile into your hand.
HYPNOTISE: The Snake's hypnotic gaze allows them to take control of other creatures in the Klash. Play the Snake on top of a face-up tile on the board then take the covered tile into your hand. A Snake cannot Hypnotise another Snake. If you play a Snake to an empty space its ability will not trigger.
SWAMP: The Alligator is a cunning fighter, able to catch rivals unawares. After playing the Alligator, you may flip face-down one or two other tiles anywhere on the board. Gain points for each tile flipped. An Alligator may Swamp another Alligator.
REVIVE: The Vulture's keen eye and ancient powers allow her to spot creatures from afar and revive them. After playing the Vulture, you may flip one tile anywhere on the board from face-down to face-up. Flipping a tile in this way does not trigger its Creature Ability.
SCATTER: When Gorilla enters the Klash, she can summon more useful allies. After the Gorilla is played, you may discard the tiles in your hand and redraw the same number of tiles. Doing so does not end your turn.
MIMIC: The Chameleon is able to blend in with other animals, helping to form a Kombo. The Chameleon has no ability when played. Instead, when forming a Kombo, the Chameleon can take on the same creature type and Kombo Score of an adjacent creature. It can even mimic an adjacent Chameleon already mimicking a creature. When scoring a Kombo, there can never be more Chameleons in a Kombo than the creature they are mimicking.
Gameplay Tips
- You are not limited to your own tiles. Make good use of tiles played by your opponents to form even bigger Kombos!
- You can trigger a Kombo at any time during your turn. There is sometimes a benefit to continue playing tiles after a Kombo has formed but before scoring the Kombo.
- Look for opportunities to play tiles that restrict the potential size of Kombo your opponents can score on their turn.