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How to play
Grounded in Takenoko's rulebook — cite-checked answers, not guesses.
Get a straight answer with the exact rulebook passage to back it up.
The easy-to-forget bits, straight from the rulebook.
Game end (2 players)
For 2 players, the game ends when a player completes their ninth objective, which triggers the last round.
Game end (3 players)
For 3 players, the game ends when a player completes their eighth objective, which triggers the last round.
Game end (4 players)
For 4 players, the game ends when a player completes their seventh objective, which triggers the last round.
Tie breaker
In case of a tie, the player with the most points on the panda objectives wins; in the event of a further tie, the tied players share the victory.
Starting items
Each player receives their own individual board, 2 action tokens, and an objective of each category.
Actions per turn
A player must perform two different actions per turn chosen from five options.
Hand limit
A player can only have a maximum of 5 objective cards in their hand and must complete at least one objective before drawing again if at the limit.
Plots drawn
When taking the 'plots' action, the player draws 3 plots, chooses 1, and places it in the game.
To set up Takenoko, follow these steps: * Place the pond tile in the center of the table. * Place the gardener and the panda on the pond tile. * Mix the remaining land plot tiles to form a face-down draw pile. * Place the irrigation channels and improvements (sorted by type) next to the draw pile, forming a reserve. * Set the Emperor card aside. * Sort the remaining objective cards by category (plot, gardener, panda), shuffle them, and form three face-down draw piles. * Each player receives their own individual board, 2 action tokens, and one objective card of each category. Players can look at their objectives but keep them hidden from others. * The tallest player starts the game.
On your turn, you must perform two steps in order: 1. **Determine Weather Conditions**: You roll the weather die and apply its effect. This step is skipped in the first round of play. 2. **Perform Actions and Meet Objectives**: You choose two actions from five available options. These two actions must be different from each other. You place two tokens on your individual board to finalize your choices, and you decide the order in which to resolve them. After your actions, you pass the weather die to the player on your left. Additionally, at any time during your turn, you may complete one or more objectives if their conditions are met. This does not count as an action. Once an objective is completed, it cannot be lost.
To win the game of Takenoko: 1. The game ends when a player completes a certain number of objectives, which triggers the last round. The number of objectives required depends on the number of players: * **2 players**: 9 objectives * **3 players**: 8 objectives * **4 players**: 7 objectives 2. The player who triggers the final turn takes the Emperor card. 3. Other players then each take a final turn. 4. Finally, players total the points indicated on the objectives they completed during the game. Objectives still in hand have no value. Objectives yield victory points, and once completed, they cannot be lost. 5. The player with the highest score wins the game. 6. In case of a tie, the player with the most points on panda objectives wins. If there's still a tie, the tied players share the victory.
Rules summaries are AI-generated from the official rulebook and may contain mistakes — check the manual for anything critical.
Scoring in Takenoko works as follows: * Players earn victory points by completing objectives. * When you complete an objective, you place the card face-up in front of you. Once an objective is completed, it cannot be lost. * At the end of the game, each player totals the points indicated on all the objectives they completed during the game. * Objectives that are still in a player's hand and have not been completed have no value. * The player with the highest total score wins the game. * In case of a tie, the player with the most points from panda objectives wins. If there's still a tie, the tied players share the victory.
The game ends when a player completes a certain number of objectives, which triggers the last round. The number of objectives required depends on the number of players: * **2 players**: 9 objectives completed. * **3 players**: 8 objectives completed. * **4 players**: 7 objectives completed. When a player reaches this threshold, it triggers the last round, and that player takes the Emperor card. This player may still complete other objectives during the turn in which they trigger the final round. Afterward, all other players each get one final turn to complete objectives and improve their scores. After everyone has had their final turn, players total the points from all objectives they completed during the game. Objectives still in a player's hand have no value. The player with the highest score wins. In case of a tie, the player with the most points from panda objectives wins; if there's still a tie, tied players share the victory.