Shikoku
Shikoku Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Objective of the Game
Players are pilgrims climbing the 33 steps, chanting mantras to reach the pagoda. But the "Middle Way" seeks moderation, never the extremes. Being first is frowned upon… and so is being last! The winners of the game are those who are in second and second-to-last position on the steps at the moment any player reaches the top.
Components
- 1 board
- 33 mantra cards (numbered 1 to 33)
- 8 pilgrim cards (8 colors)
- 16 pilgrims (8 colors)
- 8 player aid cards
Setup
Place the board in the center of the table. The area above the board is called the mantra zone, where cards will be played.
Each player takes a color and places the matching pilgrim card in front of them: one pilgrim on the starting step on the board (step 1), which will mark what step number they are on, and the other pilgrim in the mantra zone, which will be used to mark their cards.
Shuffle the 33 mantra cards and deal 3 cards to each player.
Now reveal a card from the deck and place one of the pilgrims from the mantra zone on top of it, at random. Repeat this action while there are still pilgrims left in the mantra zone.
Sort the cards in the mantra zone from lowest (left) to highest (right). This sorted sequence is the mantra row, which determines the players' turn order.
To finish setup, each player advances as many steps as the walking icons shown on the card marked with their mantra pilgrim.
Playing a Round
The game is played in rounds, each made up of three phases:
- Play a mantra card
- Go up the steps
- Collect mantra cards
1. Play a Mantra Card
The cards in the mantra row are moved upward to make room for the new round. These cards will no longer be used as such; they represent the previous round and show us the turn order.
Following the order established by the mantra row, each player plays a card from their hand into the mantra zone and places their pilgrim from the mantra zone on top of it.
If other cards are already present, the new card must be placed in numerical order (lowest to highest) according to the card's central number. To place it in order, it is allowed to separate cards that have already been played in the mantra zone.
Example: The red pilgrim, first in the previous round, becomes last in the new round and will draw their card from the deck, if any remain. Play begins with the blue pilgrim, followed by green, then black... The black pilgrim has to separate the card placed by green in order to place theirs in order. After that, pink and red will play.
2. Go Up the Steps
Once all players have played their card, we advance the pilgrims on the board:
a) The players whose card is in the second position starting from the left, and in the second position starting from the right, do not go up the steps.
b) The rest of the players go up as many steps as the walking icons shown on their card indicate.
Special rule for 3/4 players: Only the player whose card is in the second position starting from the left does not go up the steps.
3. Collect Mantra Cards
Move the mantra card (with its pilgrim) of lowest value from the first to the last position of the mantra row. This will be used to determine the order of the next round.
Now:
a) The last player in the mantra row draws a new card from the deck (if any remain).
b) Following the order of the mantra row, the players take one of the cards played in the previous round so as to have three in hand.
If the last player already has three cards, they do not take the leftover card; it is removed from the game and set in a visible place, to help players recognize which cards are no longer part of the game.
End of Game
If, at the end of phase 2 (go up the steps) of a round, one or more players reach or pass the pagoda (step 33), the game ends.
If a player passes step 33, their movement is considered to end on step 33 (the pagoda).
The player or players who reached the pagoda are considered to be in first place, and can never be considered winners.
The player or players who are in second position from the top and second position from the bottom win the game. (For 3/4 players, only the player or players in second position from the top win.)
If two or more players share a step, they are considered to share that position.
If the player or players in second position from the top are also in last position, they win the game all the same.
Credits
Author Eloi Pujadas
Illustration Amelia Sales
Development Pak Gallego
Graphic Design Marc Simó