Nekonoko
Move the shared cat around the outside of a 5x5 flower field, then use the other die to reach inward and collect a flower.
Setup
- Each player gets kitten chips: 8 in 2-player, 7 in 3-player, 6 in 4-player.
- The flower tokens used depend on player count.
- In 2-player games, use 4 colors with 4 tokens each, for 16 total.
- In 3-player games, use 5 colors with 4 tokens each, for 20 total.
- In 4-player games, use 5 colors with 5 tokens each, for 25 total.
- The cat pawn starts at perimeter position
0.
Turn
- Roll the
d4 and d6.
- Choose one die to move the cat clockwise or counter-clockwise.
- If you chose the
d6 and it shows 6, you may jump to any of the four corners instead of moving six spaces.
- Use the other die to count inward from the cat's new position and target one board cell.
- If that cell has a flower, collect it and place one of your kitten chips there. Even if there is no flower, you may still place your kitten chip on the target cell.
Placement and Swapping
- If the target cell already has your own kitten chip, you do not collect the flower. Instead, set aside one kitten chip from your hand and end your turn.
- If the target cell has another player's chip, you replace it.
- The replaced chip stays with you as a captured lost kitten.
- If the target cell is empty and has no flower, you still place your kitten chip there.
- If the die points outside the board, you collect nothing.
Variant
Adjacent corners only: when the d6 shows 6, the jump target is limited to the corners adjacent to the cat's current position.
End and Scoring
The game ends when every player has used all kitten chips in hand.
Score from three sources:
1. Flower Token Score
Same-color groups (おなじいろ)
| Count of same color | Points |
|---|
| 2 | 1 pt |
| 3 | 2 pts |
| 4 | 4 pts |
Different-color variety (ちがういろ)
| Number of colors collected | Points |
|---|
| 3 | 1 pt |
| 4 | 2 pts |
| 5 | 3 pts |
Both the same-color group points and the different-color variety points are added together.
Example: Red×3, Yellow×2, Green×1
- Same-color: Red 3 = 2 pts, Yellow 2 = 1 pt → 3 pts
- Different-color: 3 colors → 1 pt
- Total: 4 pts
2. Board Score
Count the chips in your single largest orthogonally connected group on the board. That count is your board score.
3. Lost Kitten Score
2 points to the player(s) holding the most kitten chips of other colors (tied players each receive 2 points).
