Indie Boards and Cards | Kodama 2nd Edition | Card Game | Ages 14+ | 2-5 Players | 30 Minutes Playing Time

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Legend has it that the ethereal echoes heard deep within the woods are created by kodama. As if the trees themselves are whispering secrets and chanting ancient hymns, these haunting sounds captivate the imaginations of those who stumble upon them. The player wearing the most green starts the game as the first player. Give that player the first player marker. Surviving verbal retellings, the adoption of an entire language, and even the establishment of a religion that is as old as Japan itself, the locals’ veneration of Kodama is certainly one that is destined to last throughout the years. References: Kodama - The Tree Spirit Kodama - Yokai Kodama Kodama - Mysterious Tree Spirits in Japanese Shintoism Whatever form they took, kodama were said to be possessed of supernatural power, that could either be a blessing or a curse. Kodama that were properly worshipped and honored would protect houses and villages. Kodama that were mistreated or disrespected brought down powerful curses. The Japanese have always known that some trees were special. For whatever reason—maybe because of an interestingly shaped trunk, or a sequence of knots resembling a human face, or just a certain sense of awe—some trees were identified as being the abodes of spirits. Depending on where you lived, these spirits went by many names. But the most common term, the one that is still used today, is kodama.

For now, keep the Decree card for this season visible and accessible to all players. During the second and third Decree Phases, discard the Decree card from the previous season. Each branch card features an assortment of six possible icons: caterpillars, clouds, fireflies, flowers, mushrooms, and stars. The branches themselves come in a variety of organic shapes. Trunk Card listed 古多万 as the Japanese word for spirits of the trees. Another Heian era book, Genji Monogatari (源氏物語; The Tale of Genji), uses木魂 to describe kodama as sort of tree-dwelling goblin. Genji Monogatari also uses the phrase “either oni or kami or kitsune or kodama,” showing that these four spirits were thought to be separate entities.

Known as tree spirits, the kodama yokai are best described as the animated souls of the most ancient trees in Japanese forests. Each individual kodama is connected to its tree and usually lives in it but can also travel around the forest. The newly added card can only touch one other card. You must not cover any of the features. Your branch card must not hang over the edge of the table. The oldest known reference is from the 10th century CE (Heian period) in the Wamuryorui Jyusho (和名類聚抄; Japanese Names for Things; written 931 – 938 CE), this was a dictionary of sorts: As for the earliest written account of the tree spirits, well, we have Japan’s oldest book, the Kojiki 一 in English, Record of Things Past 一 to thank for that! And in there, the story of the tree god Wakunochi-no-kami was detailed. There is also very little player interaction, even though it is competitive and everyone draws branch cards from a central pool of cards. It is possible to take the branch that would give your opponents the most points, but most of the time you’re better off focussing on what you need, rather than ruining other players’ plans.

From the designer of the hit game Kigi, Kodama: The Tree Spirits branches out into a fun new way to play! Grow your tree by placing cards in clever arrangements, being careful to leave room for future growth. At the end of each season, one Kodama will award you points for how well your tree suits its needs. With beautiful art and innovative mechanics, Kodama is an inTREEguing game for the whole family.This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. But this combination is unsatisfying, and in later years 木魂 (木 ; ko; tree – 魂 ; dama; soul) was adopted as well as木魅(木 ; ko; tree – 魅 ; dama; soul), and now in modern times木霊 (木 ; ko; tree) – 霊 ; dama; spirit) tends to be used. There is little difference between木魂, 木魅, or 木霊, all being variations of the term “tree spirit.” The enormous number of variations on how you place branch cards gives Kodama plenty of replay value, and the game adds to that further with 15 season “decree” cards that introduce small tweaks to the rules or new scoring opportunities to each season (also creating an obvious place for future promo cards or expansions). Most of these are minor, but there’s one for the final season that significantly changes game play. The standard rules limit players to moves that score a maximum of ten points (if placing a branch would earn you more than that, you can’t place it). However one Fall decree card changes that to twelve points. While you can’t see any season decree card until the previous season has ended (meaning you won’t be able to plan ahead for it), the player best set up to take advantage of that one card can garner a large advantage in the final round. Existing before Japan even had a written language 一 the lore used to be passed around by means of word of mouth.

I’m pretty sure Kodama: The Tree Spirits is the cutest game I own, and I mean that as a compliment. There’s clearly a benefit to a creating a game that’s so visually appealing that it makes folks want to play it. Its cute aesthetic is thoroughly worked into every facet of the game, from its theme all the way down to its gameplay, as players grow trees to please the alien child-like spirits of the forest. Shuffle the Decree cards for each season separately. Set one Decree card for each season facedown to the side of the play area.Oni and yōkai are supernatural beings that play significant roles in Japanese mythology. While kodama are not typically classified as oni or yōkai, they often coexist in the same folklore and legends. In Aogashima, Izu Islands, people place small shrines at the base of cryptomeria (Japanese cedar) trees and still worship and pray to them. This is said to be the remainders of a nature-worshiping religion that once dominated.