Tanbo
Tanbo Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
Players: 2 (10 minutes).
62 tokens and 1 bag:
- 20 Snake tokens
- 30 Rice tokens (15 Yellow Rice, 10 Black Rice, 5 Red Rice)
- 10 Dike tokens
- 2 Rice Farmer tokens
- 1 bag
Setup
- Each player places 5 Dikes in a radial pattern (see the illustration in the rulebook) to create 5 paddies.
- Place 2 Snakes in each paddy and 1 Rice Farmer in the paddy of your choice.
- Place the 30 Rice tokens in the bag and place this bag in the centre of the table.
Depending on the variant you choose, the setup may be slightly modified (see the end of these rules).
How to Play
The player who most recently ate rice becomes the starting player.
Take turns alternately from the first player. On your turn, perform phases 1, 2, 3, and 4 in order.
1. Preparation Phase
Pick up all the tokens in the paddy with the Rice Farmer.
2. Movement Phase
Move the tokens, one by one, each to a different paddy in a clockwise direction. (Illustrated: the starting Rice paddy and the arrival Rice paddy, the last paddy where a token is placed.)
For clarity, first place your tokens near the paddy, then center them once your choice is made.
3. Action Phase
Perform actions based on the number of Snake tokens and Rice tokens in the last paddy where you placed a piece. There are five types of action (see below for more details):
| Action | Condition |
|---|---|
| Harvest the Rice | Rice > Snake, Rice and Snake both not 0 |
| Cultivate the Rice | Snake > Rice, Rice and Snake both not 0 |
| Sow | Snake = 0 OR Rice = 0 |
| Rest | Snake = 0 AND Rice = 0 |
| Big Movement (Replay) | Snake = Rice, not 0 |
4. End Phase
Count how many tokens (Rice, Snake, and Rice Farmer) you have in each paddy. If you have more than 10 tokens in a paddy, remove the excess by choosing Snake or Rice tokens and placing them in the centre of the table. Return the removed Rice tokens to the bag.
End of the Game
The player who meets one of the following conditions immediately wins the game:
- Having 25 points
- Leading by 20 points
- Scoring 20 points in one turn
Actions in Phase 3: "Action Phase"
Important Points
- Rice tokens have different values depending on their colour: 1 Yellow Rice is worth 3 points, 1 Black Rice is worth 4 points, and 1 Red Rice is worth 5 points.
- When you add a Rice token to a paddy, draw one randomly from the bag in the centre of the table.
- When you remove a Rice token from a paddy, immediately return it to the bag in the centre of the table.
A. Harvest the Rice (Rice > Snake, not 0)
There are both Rice tokens and Snake tokens, and there are more Rice than Snakes (Rice > Snake, not 0).
Take as many Rice tokens from the paddy as the difference between the number of Rice and the number of Snakes. Place these Rice tokens on your side to keep track of your points.
Note: You may choose the colour of the Rice tokens you take. However, we recommend choosing those with the highest point values.
Example: You have 4 Rice tokens and 1 Snake token in this paddy. You therefore take 3 Rice tokens from the paddy (4 - 1) and place them on your side. They give you 9 points.
B. Cultivate the Rice (Snake > Rice, not 0)
There are both Rice tokens and Snake tokens, and there are more Snakes than Rice (Snake > Rice, not 0).
Add to the paddy as many Rice tokens as the difference between the number of Rice and the number of Snakes.
Example: You have 4 Snake tokens and 1 Rice token in this paddy. You therefore draw 3 Rice pieces (4 - 1) from the bag and add them to the paddy.
C. Sow (Snake = 0 OR Rice = 0)
There are no Rice tokens or no Snake tokens (Snake = 0 or Rice = 0).
Return all the tokens from this paddy to the centre of the table. Add 2 tokens of the type that was missing to the paddy.
Example: You have only 1 Rice token in this paddy. You have no Snake tokens. You return the Rice token from the paddy to the bag in the centre of the table. Then, you add 2 Snake tokens to the paddy.
D. Rest (Snake = 0 AND Rice = 0)
There are neither Rice tokens nor Snake tokens (Snake = 0 and Rice = 0) in your destination paddy, which means the last token placed is the rice farmer and he is alone in the field.
Move the Rice Farmer clockwise to the next paddy containing tokens.
Then, return to the bag as many Rice tokens you have previously collected as the number of paddies you crossed. If you have not collected any Rice tokens (you did not set any aside), do nothing.
Note: You may choose the colour of the Rice tokens you return to the bag in the centre of the table. However, we recommend choosing those with the lowest point values.
Example: This paddy triggers the Rest action. You move the Rice Farmer to the next paddy since it contains Snakes. You have moved the Rice Farmer by only 1 paddy. Therefore, you lose 1 previously collected Rice (set aside) and return it to the bag.
E. Replay / Big Movement (Snake = Rice, not 0)
There are as many Rice tokens as Snake tokens, but there cannot be 0 of them (Snake = Rice, not 0). The following actions have an impact on both the opponent and yourself.
(OPPONENT) First, your opponent must choose exactly 2 of their tokens (Snake, Rice, or Rice Farmer) and swap their positions.
Example: Your opponent chooses 1 Rice and 1 Snake, and swaps their positions.
(YOURSELF) After your opponent has completed their action, you perform phase 2 again starting from the paddy where the last token was placed. Then, proceed with the action phase.
Example: You move the Snake and the Rice from the paddy where you placed your last piece. They will allow you to perform new actions.
During your second action phase, perform all possible actions based on the number of Snakes and Rice in the paddy where the last token was placed.
Variants: Good Harvest & Poor Harvest
To enrich your gaming experience, you can try different setups based on the seasons. The Good Harvest offers games with more tokens on the field, while the Poor Harvest has fewer tokens. Each harvest includes 5 unique setups, allowing for varied challenges and increased replayability.
The Good Harvest (Housaku) and Poor Harvest (Husaku) setups are shown only as pictures of the starting paddies (5 setups each) in the rulebook.
New setups will be regularly added to the publisher's website.