Walking in Kamogawa
Walking in Kamogawa Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 1 Double-sided Game Board
- 64 River Cards
- 40 Player Markers (Wooden discs, 8 each in 5 colors)
- 10 Round Cards
- 18 Animal Tokens
- 6 Background Tiles
- 8 Bridge Tiles
- 16 Objective Cards
Setup
- Each player takes 8 player markers of one color.
- Board Setup: Place the board with "Normal Mode" side face up. Randomly place 16 Animal Tokens in the 4x4 grid on the left side of the board, filling every space. Place the remaining Animal Tokens, Background Tiles, and Bridge Tiles above the board as a supply.
- Starting Hand & River Cards: Each player randomly draws 3 River Cards from the deck. Each player then chooses one card to play face up in front of them as their starting River Card.
- River Selection Area: Shuffle the River cards into a deck and reveal 4 cards to form the selection area.
- Objective Cards: Shuffle the Objective cards into a deck and place it to the right of the board as the Objective Card supply.
- Round Cards (used to track 10 rounds).
- Variant Rule: Before the game begins, players may decide whether to include the Round Cards scoring. If this variant is not used, skip the setup for Round Card.
- Shuffle the 10 Round Cards. Overlap each card halfway downward and arrange them in a vertical row so that only the top objective icon of each card is visible.
- The player who enjoys strolling the most becomes the starting player. The game begins!
Terminology
Round A round consists of every player completing one Player Turn. At the end of each round, resolve one Round Card.
Panorama All River Cards connected in front of a player.
Boundary A bridge, or the leftmost and rightmost edges of a player's Panorama.
Segment The section of the riverbank defined by two boundaries. Each segment contains an upper and a lower road, which are considered separate areas.
Background Tiles Onigiri, Dango, and Tea are considered backgrounds. When obtained, place them in the sky area without covering existing icons.
Bridge Tiles These may be placed on bridges or covering scoring symbols. At game end, they award bonus points for specified animals on the same road (horizontal line).
Animal Tokens When obtained, place them on a road. An Animal Token can cover any animal icon on a card or be placed on an empty space, but it cannot be placed on top of another Animal Token.
Game Flow
Starting with the starting player, players take turns clockwise. Each turn consists of two action phases:
- Extend the River — You must play one card and refill your hand from the selection area.
- Score — You may choose one of three scoring options to gain points and receive additional rewards.
End of Round: Resolve Round Card — At the end of each round, evaluate the condition on the top Round Card. The player who uniquely satisfies the condition gains the card. If there is a tie for the highest result, discard the Round Card instead. If the Round Card variant is not used, skip this step.
Turn Actions
1. Extend the River (Mandatory)
The following steps may be performed in any order:
- Draw Card — Take one River Card from the River Selection Area (the 4 face-up cards) or from the top of the deck. Then immediately refill the selection area to 4 cards.
- Extend River — Choose one River Card from your hand and place it on either the left or right end of your Panorama, following the placement rules:
River Card Placement Rules:
- Cards may only be added to the left or right ends of the Panorama. They cannot be inserted between two existing cards (cannot overlap two cards at the same time).
- When placing a card, it must cover at least one icon (animal or background). River Cards must always overlap (or be overlapped) with the existing Panorama.
- Note: If a newly placed River Card covers an Animal Token, lift the token and place it on top of the new card in the original relative position.
2. Score (Optional)
You may skip scoring during your turn. Choose one of the following three scoring options:
- Picnic / Sightseeing: Choose one of the background types in your panorama and score based on that background.
- Search for same Animals: Choose a segment in your panorama and find consecutive animals of the same type.
- Search for different Animals: Choose a segment in your panorama and find consecutive animals of different types.
Picnic & Sightseeing
Important: Each player may place only one marker for each background type. This means a background that has already been scored cannot be scored again.
Count the number of a specific background on your Panorama. Place a player marker in the corresponding space in that background's column and take the Animal Token from that space.
Note: You may not place a marker in a space already occupied by another player.
Example: If a player has 5 Tea icons, they may place their marker in the Tea column at the 5=, 4=, or 3= space. However, there is already a marker at position 3=, so the player chooses to place the 5= in the grid, then takes the Animal Token (turtle) from that space. Place it to their Panorama.
Then place a second marker on the grid according to the number of animals (3= / 4= / 5= / 6=), and gain an immediate reward. The player immediately chooses one reward token or tile from beside the board and places it to their Panorama.
Based on 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 animals, place the marker in the corresponding column. At game end, the leftmost column scores 2 / 4 / 6 / 9 points respectively.
Example: Three herons are lined up in a row, so this player placed their player token in the leftmost space in the row of "3=". Then, they receive a tile as a bonus from the side of the board and places it to their Panorama.
Note: If your target space is already occupied by another marker in the leftmost column, you may still place yours there and push the existing marker one space to the right. The pushed marker will move to a higher scoring space. If both spaces are occupied and a new marker is placed in the leftmost column, push both existing markers one space to the right. The rightmost existing marker pushed off the grid moves into the 3-point area on the far right of the board.
Search for same Animals
Choose an unscored segment in your Panorama. Score based on consecutive animals of the same type within a single road of that segment.
Count the consecutive identical animals in that segment. Place one of your markers on that road, usually on an empty space. If a marker covers an animal icon, that animal is considered removed.
Example: There are sections on both sides of the river. In the diagram above, three turtles are lined up in a row, but not four. On the other side of the river, three egrets are lined up in a row.
Then place a second marker on the grid according to the number of animals (3= / 4= / 5= / 6=), and gain an Objective Card, which is scored at the end of the game.
The player draws 2 Objective Cards from the top of the deck, chooses one to keep face up, and returns the other to the bottom of the deck.
Based on 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 animals, place the marker in the corresponding column. At game end, the leftmost column scores 2 / 4 / 6 / 9 points respectively.
Note: If your target space is already occupied by another marker in the leftmost column, you may still place yours there and push the existing marker one space to the right.
The pushed marker will move to a lower scoring space, but that player immediately gains a reward token or tile as compensation. If both spaces are occupied and another marker is placed in the leftmost column, push both markers one space to the right. The rightmost marker is pushed into the 3-point area on the far right of the board.
Example: The Red player placed their marker on the 4= leftmost square, and gains an Objective Card. Then, this pushes the Blue marker to the right; the Blue player then claims a reward token or tile as compensation.
Note: If you need to place a marker but have none available, you may move one from the board. The moved marker loses its previous score.
Note: Markers placed on River Cards (within your Panorama) can never be moved.
Regarding the use of player markers, it applies to all scoring.
Search for different Animals
The procedure is the same as described above. Choose an unscored segment in your panorama. Score based on consecutive animals of different types within a single road of that segment.
Count the consecutive animals of different types in that segment. Place one of your markers on that road, usually on an empty space. If a marker covers an animal icon, that animal is considered removed.
Example: Four different types of animals are lined up in a row on the road. Place red player marker in that section.
Segment Rules
Segment The space defined by two boundaries is called a segment.
Scoring Each segment has an upper road and a lower road. Each road may be scored once for animal searching.
Each road can contain only one player marker. Once a marker is placed, that road cannot be scored again for animal searching.
If a boundary is extended or covered, making the road longer, any marker remains in the original position, and the road still cannot be scored again.
Example: The path extends to the right, and along that road, you can "Search for Animals." This road can no longer be scored (once a marker already occupies it).
Round Check
The game ends after 10 rounds.
A round is completed once every player has finished their turn. At the end of each round, resolve (or discard) the top Round Card.
These cards also serve as a timer: once all 10 Round Cards have been used, the game ends immediately. The final scores are then tallied, and the winner is determined.
End Game and Final Scoring
The game ends after the 10th Round Card is resolved (or discarded). At this point, each player should have 11 River Cards in their Panorama. Calculate your final score by evaluating the following categories in your Panorama:
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Bridge Scoring: Bridge icon provides bonus points for specific animals. Each animal of the specified type on the same road (within a section not blocked by another bridge or segment boundary) awards 1 point. If a road contains multiple scoring icons (same or different types), resolve each icon independently; they do not interfere with one another.
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Objective Card Scoring: Check each Objective Card in front of the player. If the condition is met, gain the points shown on the card.
- Shiba Inu: 1 point for each icon.
- Onigiri, Dango, or Tea: 1 point for every 2 icons of the same type.
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Board Scoring: Calculate points for Backgrounds, Identical Animals, Different Animals, and the 3-point area on the far right, based on the specific space each of your markers occupies.
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Round Card Scoring: Check the Round Cards collected by the player. Points are awarded based on the total number of cards held: 6 / 5 / 4 / 3 cards = 12 / 9 / 5 / 2 points.
Final Scoring Example
At the end of the game, each player has 11 River Cards in their panorama.
- Bridge Scoring: Turtles: 7 points, Capybaras: 6 points.
- Objective Card Scoring: Shiba Inu: 2 points, Dango: 1 point.
- Main Board Scoring: Four red markers placed on the board (6 + 4 + 1 + 4 = 15 points).
- Round Card Scoring: 3 cards held = 2 points.
Total: 33 points.
Easy Mode
Easy Mode is lighter and faster. At the end of the game, scoring is based on the Panorama you assembled! See the Walking in Kamogawa: Easy Mode Rules companion document for the full rules.
Solo Mode
Solo Mode offers a score challenge. When you have 10 River Cards in front of you or the deck runs out, scoring occurs. Select the cards carefully to build scoring elements and challenge yourself to reach 50 points to win! See the Walking in Kamogawa: Solo Mode Rules companion document for the full rules.