Takenoko Game

As one of the up-and-coming gardeners of the Emperor's royal bamboo plot, it is your job to shape and maintain the land. The Emperor has discerning tastes and has given you unique conditions to be met. Manipulate the garden to fulfill those conditions, and you could have the greatest honor bestowed upon you. But it won't be easy the weather changes every turn, you are competing against other caretakers, and a hungry panda constantly stalks the crops! Although this is a competitive game, the garden is collectively cared for by all gardeners. As such, any player can change the farmland or reap the rewards when the terrain reflects their specific goals. The colorful garden is built from the earth up by the players and is different every game. Each turn, a player rolls the weather dice and takes two actions. Different game elements are affected depending on the weather conditions rolled. For example, if the lightning icon is rolled, the nervous panda moves to a plot and devours growing bamboo shoots. Players can choose from among five different actions: drawing plot tiles, taking an irrigation channel, moving the gardener or panda figure, or drawing an objective card. Plot tiles build the landscape, and irrigation channels ensure that bamboo can grow on a plot. The gardener and panda figures grow and eat bamboo, respectively, and objective cards allow a player to gain points by fulfilling certain conditions. Conditions can be fulfilled by the growth of certain bamboo colors, the arrangement of the map, or bamboo shoots eaten by the panda. The player who has completed the most objective cards by the end of the game becomes the Emperor's most prestigious gardener. For 2-4 players. Game time: 45 minutes. ~ Janine