Bamboo an action management and tile optimization strategy game for 2 to 4 players that plays in 90 to 110 minutes. The goal of the game is to gain the most happiness points. To achieve this, a player will spend incense sticks to gain bamboo shoots in order to take actions to fill their player board (their home) with tiles that will score them happiness points while also striving for a comfort balance, and for control in the temples that yield spirit benefit tiles and happiness points. The game is played over four years with four phases to each year – Phase 1 obtain incense sticks, Phase 2 take actions, Phase 3 resolve control of the spirit temples, and Phase 4 feed your family. At the end of year four score additional happiness points for spirit tiles you gained during the game and subtract happiness points for unbalanced comfort in your home. The player with the most happiness points is the winner.
Player Boards (your home)
– Incense Sticks Reserve. Incensed sticks are used to obtain control in the temples on the main board.
– Temple section: comprised of 4 different colored temples which you will place bamboo shoots of the same color. Bamboo shoots are used to take actions from action spaces on the main board and determine which temple on the main board you will place your incense sticks.
– Personal Scoring (Balance) Tiles section: contains spaces for 6 Balance tiles split into 3 columns: left, middle, and right (2 scoring tiles for each). You start with 1. Once completed and scored the Balance tile is set aside freeing the space for a new Balance tile.
– Home Tiles section: a 3×5 grid. Left side has 6 spaces for tiles that meet the left or middle Balance tile conditions, Right side has 6 spaces for tiles that meet the right or middle Balance tile conditions, and 3 spaces for tiles that meet any of the Balance tiles conditions. Each home tile will have a comfort value that is important at end of game scoring.
Main Board:
– Bamboo Stalks section: Contains four stocks for placing your bamboo shoots. Bamboo shoots depict the actions that you will take when placed in the stalks and the color of one of the temples. The shoots in the stock(s) will slide up gaining you more bamboo shoots to place in the corresponding temples on your board for future use.
– Three Types of Action Sections:
Balance – gain additional scoring (Balance) tiles from the market to place on your player board and to score your completed Balance tiles. Or score one happiness point.
Improve your Home – purchase home tiles from the market to place on your player board (your home). Or gain a coin.
Funding and Cook – gain coins necessary to acquire home tokens and food tokens necessary to feed your family.
– Main Temple section: 4 colored temples in the same four colors. Place your incense sticks in the temple that corresponds to your temple where you played the bamboo shoots from. This is an area control section. In Phase 3 the player with the most incense sticks in each temple will gain the spirit benefit tile from that temple. Incense sticks are returned to your incense stick reserve for future use.
Feed Your Family (Phase 4) – pay in food tokens. For each home tile on your board, it will cost you 1 food unit.
End of game additional points (end of year 4):
– Is your home in balance? Receive 2 negative points for every comfort point difference between the total in comfort value on the home tiles on your left side to the ones on your right side.
– Completed Scoring (Balance) tiles on your board not yet scored receive ½ value points.
– Score 2 points for each of your Spirit benefit tiles.
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