Maiko
Maiko Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
- 1 game board
- 4 maiko boards (white, purple, pink and green)
- 4 tutor cards
- 81 tiles
- 9 friend tiles
- 72 item tiles (white, purple, pink and green)
- 16 kamon tokens
- 1 first player marker
Game Setup
- Place the game board in the middle of the table.
- Place the 4 tutor cards next to the game board. They must be visible to all players.
- Each player chooses a maiko board and takes a kamon token. Place the rest of the kamon tokens next to the game board to form the pool.
- Shuffle all the tiles (items and friends) facedown and put one on all 81 spaces of the game board (see the image hereafter).
- The oldest player takes the first player marker. The training can now begin!
In a two player game: Remove 3 friend tiles as well as all item tiles of one color you do not play. Return them to the box, they will not be used during this game. Finally, do not put any tiles in the following central rooms: zen garden and tokonoma (see the drawing hereafter).
Playing the Game
Starting with the first player and playing clockwise, your goal is to find pairs of items by revealing 2 tiles. Moreover, you can call upon the tutors for help.
Flip Up 2 Tiles (mandatory)
During your turn, flip up 2 tiles of your choice, one after the other, for all players to see.
- If the tiles share the same item (no matter the color), place them both in the order you prefer on the matching item space of your maiko board. The order you place your tiles has no impact on the various game effects. Whenever you find 2 tiles sharing the same items, your turn continues and you can play again.
- If the tiles represent different items, put them back facedown on the original spaces. Your turn ends and the next player's turn begins.
- If a friend tile is revealed, you receive a kamon token and your turn immediately ends (if the first revealed tile is a friend tile, the second one is not revealed). If you previously revealed a tile, put it back facedown on its space. The friend tile remains face up until the end of the game. This is an additional landmark on the game board.
Friends are helpful people you will meet during your training!
Example: During her turn, the pink maiko reveals a pink kimono and a green kimono. She places them on the kimono space of her board, in the order of her choice. She has just learned one of the nine arts! She keeps playing. This time she reveals a pink kimono and a purple kimono. She places them in the order of her choice. When she completes a row, she sweeps the kimono tile of her choice; in other words, she will discard this tile. She keeps playing. She first reveals a white comb and then meets a friend. Her turn immediately ends. She takes a kamon token and flips the comb tile facedown, while the friend tile remains face up.
Ask a Tutor for Help (optional)
Once per turn and at any moment, a maiko may visit a tutor so they can teach her their talent. To do so, she puts a kamon token on the tutor card in order to trigger the effect of their talent.
Danna, the Protector
The player reveals a tile of their choice on the game board. If it is an item tile, they take it and immediately place it on their board, their turn continues normally. If they reveal a friend tile, it remains face up on the game board. The player takes a kamon token and their turn immediately ends.
Example: The purple maiko pays a visit to Danna. She hoped to reveal a purple tile but her memory is fuzzy: she reveals a white tile that she immediately places on the matching space of her board and she keeps playing.
Oka-san, the Mother
The player takes any item tile of their color from any other player's board (even a non-visible tile) and places it on their own board. Their turn then continues normally.
Example: The white maiko pays a visit to Oka-san. She takes a white item tile from the pink maiko's board and places it on her own board. She keeps playing normally.
One-san, the Elder Sister
The player secretly looks at up to 6 tiles on the game board without revealing them to any other player. The player then replaces the tiles facedown on the same spaces. If the player finds any friend tiles, their effects are not triggered. Their turn then continues normally.
Example: The green maiko flips a green kimono and pays a visit to One-san. She secretly looks at 6 tiles, then she puts them back on their spaces. Among them, she spotted the other green kimono and a friend. So, she reveals the green kimono and places the pair on her board, allowing her to play once more. Finally, she decides to reveal the friend: she takes one kamon token and her turn immediately ends.
Sabanto, the Servant
The player sweeps any item tile from their board (even a non-visible tile). In other words, they discard this tile which is definitively removed from the game.
Example: The pink maiko pays a visit to Sabanto. She decides to sweep a green bonsai from her board. She keeps playing normally.
Complete a Column
Whenever you fill all the spaces of a column, you get a kamon token. This effect is not triggered again if you form a second layer of tiles in the same column. However you get another kamon token if any space of this column is first emptied (by using a tutor's talent, for example) and then filled again. NOTE: If the kamon tokens' pool is empty, you can get one from a tutor card.
Complete a Row
Whenever you fill all the spaces of a row, you may sweep (i.e. discard) a tile of your choice in every space of this row (even a non-visible tile). The chosen tiles are definitively removed from the game. This effect is especially useful to clear your board of unwanted tiles to avoid losing points at the end of the game. It is not triggered again if you form a second layer of tiles in the same row. However you will trigger this effect once more if any space of this row is first emptied (by using a tutor's talent, for example) and then filled again.
Example: The green maiko fills the second row of her board with the following pairs. So, she may sweep one single tile in every space of this row. She sweeps the purple and pink tiles to avoid losing points at the end of the game.
End of the Game and Final Scoring
The end of the game is triggered as soon as a player has filled each space of their maiko board (no matter the color). This player ends their turn, may sweep a last row and may use a last kamon token (if that player empties a space of their board, the game will end anyway). Finally, we go around the table so every player has an equal amount of turns.
Each player then counts their points as follows:
- +1 point per tile of their color
- -1 point per tile different from their color
In case of a tie, the player with the most tiles of their own color wins. If there is still a tie, the concerned players share the victory.
Example: At the end of the game, the pink maiko has 10 pink tiles and 3 tiles different from her color. Therefore, her final score is 7 points (10-3).
The maiko with the most points wins the game and becomes a Geisha!