FAQ
69 answered questions19 official
Rules questions from the BoardGameGeek forum. Answers marked Official were confirmed by Devir or the designers.
Common mistakes
- Activating Gardeners after round 3 — they act only at the end of rounds 1 and 2. Ruling · Rule
- Paying for a lower die with the Lantern Reward it triggered — pay the difference first. Ruling · Rule
- Placing two Courtiers (or climbing twice) with one Courtier action — one of each part at most. Ruling · Rule
- Counting Courtiers at the Gate for Warrior scoring — only Courtiers inside the Castle multiply. Ruling · Rule
- Taking one of each Resource from the three-Resource icon — it is one of your choice. Ruling · Rule
- Stacking dice on your Domain board — never allowed. Ruling · Rule
Showing 69 of 69
Are coins limited during the game?
No, coins are unlimited.
Source: BGG thread
What do I receive from my Starting Resource card?
You receive all items printed on your Starting Resource card (not just a single resource).
Source: BGG thread
What is a "letter of decree"?
It is an extra card added to your Lantern Area at the start of the game, indicated by a ghosted image on certain Starting Resource cards.
Source: BGG thread
How many Daimyo seals can a player own at one time?
The maximum limit is 5 seals.
Source: BGG thread
Can Daimyo seals be traded away at any time?
Yes, at any moment during the game, you may exchange 2 Daimyo seals for 1 resource of your choice, or 1 Daimyo seal for 1 coin, as many times as you wish.
Source: BGG thread
What happens if a player has 5 seals and is about to receive more?
You may legally exchange your seals for coins or resources at that point to avoid losing excess seals.
Source: BGG thread
Do you need to pay Daimyo seals to cross checkpoints on the Passage of Time track at any time you own them, or specifically when moving past them?
You must pay when you are actively moving along the track and need to pass a checkpoint; you cannot arbitrarily pay seals in advance when not moving.
Source: BGG thread · BGG thread
How do coins and Daimyo seals score at the end of the game?
You add all your remaining coins and Daimyo seals together, and you receive 1 clan point for every combination totaling 5 (rounded down). Alternatively, you can convert seals to coins at a 1:1 ratio first.
Source: BGG thread · BGG thread
Is there a tiebreaker for the end of the game?
Ties go to whoever is higher in the turn order. If your time marker is ahead or on top of another player's, you are higher in turn order.
Source: BGG thread
Can you place a die on a castle room if none of the die tiles match that color?
No. If there are no actions available for one of the die colors, dice of that color cannot be placed in that room.
Source: BGG thread
Must you be able to pay the full coin difference to cover a die icon or lower value die?
Yes, you must be able to pay the full coin difference in order to place the die there.
Source: BGG thread
When placing a die on a space, are the associated actions mandatory?
No, all actions are optional. You can choose not to perform any given action even if you have the resources/money to do so.
Source: BGG thread · BGG thread · BGG thread
When choosing the lowest value die (leftmost on the bridge), when is the lantern bonus triggered?
You must first place the die and pay or receive coins based on its value, and then trigger your lantern bonus before carrying out the die action(s).
Source: BGG thread · BGG thread · BGG thread · BGG thread
What is the lantern bonus for level 1 and level 2 castle cards? Official
The lantern bonus is always 1 coin for level 1 cards and 1 VP for level 2 cards.
Source: BGG thread
Can you use the resources gained from a lantern action to pay for the placement cost of the die that triggered it?
No. You must pay for the dice placement before anything else happens; you cannot use lantern proceeds to pay for placing a lower die.
Source: BGG thread
What happens if all available dice are too low and you cannot afford the coin difference?
You can always place a die on the Well, whose pip value is always considered a 1 for all players, meaning you never pay extra coins to place a die there.
Source: BGG thread
When you play the Well action via a castle card, do you earn the coin difference based on the die used?
No. You only resolve the coin difference for the actual space where you placed your physical die. Triggering a Well action from a card acts as if triggered with a value-1 die and does not grant additional coins.
Source: BGG thread
In a 3-4 player game, can a player stack multiple dice of the same color in the same spot over multiple turns?
Yes. Stacking a second die of any color on a subsequent turn is allowed.
Source: BGG thread · BGG thread
When a bridge has only one die left, does it matter which side it is on to determine if it's the lowest/highest? Official
The single die remains on whichever side it currently occupies, and taking it yields the corresponding bridge bonus based on its position.
Source: BGG thread · BGG thread
Can action phases during a turn (such as Lantern bonuses) be executed in parts, returning to them later after performing other actions?
No. You must resolve all steps of your turn in order and in full (Step 1: Take die, Step 2: Place die and pay/receive coins, Step 3: Take lantern bonus, Step 4: Carry out actions). You cannot jump back between steps.
Source: BGG thread
Do gardeners activate at the end of the third (final) round?
No. Gardeners are only activated at the end of rounds 1 and 2; you proceed directly to final end-of-game scoring after round 3.
Source: BGG thread · BGG thread · BGG thread
When gardeners are activated at the end of a round, do you need dice on your specific side of the bridge, or just anywhere on that bridge?
Any dice on the respective bridge will do; the position of the die within the bridge is irrelevant, and each die counts for both sides of the bridge (left or right).
Source: BGG thread · BGG thread · BGG thread
When gardeners activate at the end of a round, do you have to pay the rice cost again? Official
No. The rice cost is paid only when placing the gardener. Subsequent end-of-round activations do not require rice, though any coin costs associated with the action must still be paid if used.
Source: BGG thread · BGG thread
Are you obliged to perform and pay for the action when you place a gardener? Official
No, taking the action is optional. You can choose to place a gardener without paying for or taking the action, though you will still get the points at the end of the game.
Source: BGG thread · BGG thread
If an end-of-round gardener action allows you to place a *new* gardener under a bridge with dice, does that new gardener immediately trigger its action during that same end-of-round phase? Official
No. Gardeners placed during the end-of-round gardener action phase only get their immediate placement benefit and do not receive a second bonus activation for that end-of-round phase.
Source: BGG thread · BGG thread · BGG thread · BGG thread
Can you place multiple gardeners from your own clan in the same garden card?
No, you may only have a maximum of one of your gardeners on any given garden card, though multiple gardeners from different clans can occupy the same card.
Source: BGG thread · BGG thread
Are the spaces inside the castle rooms limited in capacity? Official
No, all of the rooms and floors in the castle (including the gates and top floor) have unlimited capacity for clan members from all clans.
Source: BGG thread · BGG thread
Can a player have more than one courtier of their own color in the exact same room of the castle?
Yes, multiple courtiers of the same color can occupy the same room.
Source: BGG thread
What are the components of a Courtier action, and can they be done in any order?
A Courtier action consists of two optional parts: (1) paying 2 coins to place a courtier at the gate, and (2) paying 2 or 5 Mother-of-Pearl to move an existing courtier up 1 or 2 floors respectively. You may perform one or both parts in any order, and can promote a courtier first to use resulting funds/rewards to pay for placing a new courtier.
Source: BGG thread · BGG thread · BGG thread · BGG thread · BGG thread
Can you perform the same courtier action (e.g., place two courtiers at the gate, or social climb twice) during a single Courtier action?
No. You can carry out up to two different actions (at most one courtier placed and/or one moved up 1-2 steps): either just one of them, or both once each.
Source: BGG thread · BGG thread
Can a player without any remaining courtiers on their player board still take the courtier action just to promote an existing courtier in the castle?
Yes. Placing a new courtier and promoting an existing one are two independent parts of the courtier action.
Source: BGG thread
When taking the courtier action, do you have to promote the same courtier you just placed at the gate, and can you split the two-level move between two different courtiers?
No, it does not have to be the same courtier you just placed, but you cannot split a two-level move between two different courtiers.
Source: BGG thread · BGG thread
Can courtiers move between any rooms on the floors (e.g., from leftmost 1st floor to rightmost 2nd floor)?
Yes. Room position (left, right, center) does not matter; any courtier on the 1st floor can move to any room on the 2nd floor.
Source: BGG thread
When you move a courtier up to a castle card with multiple white bonuses, do you get all of them?
No, you choose just one of the available white bonuses.
Source: BGG thread
When moving a courtier up through the castle floors, which Steward or Diplomat card do you take into your personal domain?
You take the card from the specific room where your courtier's movement ends.
Source: BGG thread
When a courtier takes a card from a room, what happens to the card previously in your personal domain?
You take the Action card you had in your personal domain, turn it over, and place it face down on top of the last card in your Lantern Area.
Source: BGG thread
After acquiring a new card from the castle, you can perform the light-side action from that card. If there are two light-side actions on the card, do you get both or just one of them?
You choose and perform just one of them.
Source: BGG thread
Can you resolve actions on a card in any order?
Yes, you can resolve actions in full and in any order.
Source: BGG thread
If your first die action allows you to take the card from that room, which second die action do you perform (the old card's action or the replacement card's action)? Official
You perform the action you triggered with the die using the old card.
Source: BGG thread
When a courtier ends on the 3rd floor (Daimyo's room), can you take the actions in any order?
No, you must carry out the steps in the strict order specified in the rules: first gain the Lantern Reward, then place the Courtier and gain the indicated benefit.
Source: BGG thread
Can a player have more than one courtier in the three marked spaces on the Daimyo's floor? Official
Yes, but only one courtier per marked space. The floor itself can hold an unlimited number of courtiers.
Source: BGG thread
What happens when the main board card deck is empty and a courtier action cannot refill the board? Official
You carry out the light-background action from the courtier room, but you do not take the card from the board, you do not add your domain action card to your lantern area, and the rest of the steps are ignored so your personal domain keeps its available actions.
Source: BGG thread · BGG thread
When setting up steward and diplomat cards in the castle, must all three principal actions (Gardener, Courtier, Warrior) be present?
No. You only need to reshuffle and deal again if all cards in the castle show the exact same dark-background principal action. Having only two different actions is completely valid.
Source: BGG thread · BGG thread
Can warriors "climb" or move to higher training yards during the game?
No. Once placed in a training yard, warriors stay there for the entire game and cannot climb.
Source: BGG thread
How is scoring calculated for Warriors in training yards?
You multiply the total value of your Warriors in a training yard by the number of your Courtiers located inside the castle (courtiers strictly at the gate do not count).
Source: BGG thread
When you place a die on your personal board meeple line (e.g., warrior, courtier, gardener), does that automatically deploy a meeple?
No. Placing a die on a personal domain line grants you the visible resources and the action card at the end of that row; it only deploys a meeple if the final card's action or a deployment icon explicitly permits it.
Source: BGG thread · BGG thread
When placing a die on your player board (Personal Domain action), can you choose a row that already has a physical die placed on it? Official
Yes, existing dice do not block this choice.
Source: BGG thread · BGG thread · BGG thread
Can you stack dice in your personal domain?
No, stacking is never allowed on your player board.
Source: BGG thread · BGG thread
Can you trigger the exact same personal domain line multiple times in a single turn? Official
You cannot trigger the exact same line again merely from a single dice placement/within a single turn using bonus cascading activations. You can activate a given line up to twice per turn: once via direct die placement, and once via a bonus action icon (such as from a Yard Tile), but triggering the exact same line twice via bonus action icons is restricted.
Source: BGG thread · BGG thread
When an action or icon triggers a Personal Domain action ("as if you had placed a die"), can you activate a row even if a die is already present in that space? Official
Yes.
Source: BGG thread
When an action card or bonus allows you to "perform any action associated with a [color] die tile in the castle," how many actions do you get?
You may pick and perform only one action associated with that color die tile, not all actions on the card or multiple instances of matching colors.
Source: BGG thread · BGG thread
When an icon shows the three basic resources (food, iron, mother-of-pearl) without a number, do you get one of each or choose? Official
You take 1 resource of your choice.
Source: BGG thread · BGG thread
[Bōeki] When purchasing Privilege Card 6 ("Do not pay for the season change on the time track"), if you reach space 5 with pending movement steps, can you cross from space 5 to space 6 for free during that same movement? Official
Yes. Since the card becomes active the exact moment you land on or pass the trade action, you do not have to pay for the season change.
Source: BGG thread
[Matcha] When using a ceremony tile that states "Move one of your geishas already on the Path of Tea," can you move a geisha starting from the entrance? Official
Yes, the entrance is considered part of the Path of Tea, allowing you to move a geisha from the entrance to the pond or the tea house.
Source: BGG thread
[Matcha] When taking a Geisha action, can you first move an existing geisha along the Path of Tea and then place a new geisha at the entrance? Official
Yes, you can do them in that order.
Source: BGG thread
[Matcha] When using a ceremony tile to move a geisha, do you get to take the action or bonus of the field the geisha lands on? Official
Yes, you get the bonus.
Source: BGG thread
[Matcha] When advancing a geisha from the first step to the 3rd step in the Tea House, do you get the effects of the 2nd and 3rd steps, or only the final step where you stop?
You only receive the effect of the space where your movement ends.
Source: BGG thread
[Matcha] In the Tea House, next to each level's scoring criteria, what do the identical symbols showing 2 Geishas mean?
It is an iconification of the rule stating that a maximum of 2 Geishas per player can be placed in each of the 3 Tea House rooms.
Source: BGG thread
[Matcha] When scoring Geishas and Warriors in the Tea House, does the 5-cost steel warrior count as 2 warriors?
No, you count the number of physical warrior pieces, so each warrior counts as one.
Source: BGG thread
[Matcha] Can the base game action space allowing you to "gain any resource" be used to gain the Matcha resource?
No. "Gain any resource" is limited to the three base resources (rice, iron, pearl); you can only gain Matcha when explicitly seeing the Matcha icon.
Source: BGG thread
[Matcha] Can the base game action "perform a personal territory action" be used to trigger an action in the green territory (Geisha row) from the expansion?
No, it is restricted to the three original rows on your personal domain board and cannot activate the green die row.
Source: BGG thread · BGG thread
[Matcha] When taking a Flower Arrangement or Calligraphy card from the tea garden, does it replace the card on your player board and send the old card to your lantern area?
Yes.
Source: BGG thread
[Matcha] When performing the Outskirts of Himeji action where the chosen card has a Lantern action, do you trigger the Lantern action before or after adding the card to the lantern row? Official
First trigger the lantern action, then add the card to the lantern row.
Source: BGG thread
[Matcha] Does the fish icon refer only to water lilies, or can you pay 3 coins to get the blue tile effect?
It refers only to the water lilies.
Source: BGG thread
[Matcha] During end-of-round gardener/geisha bonus activations, do players take all their bonuses at once, or one gardener/geisha at a time in turn order?
In turn order, each player activates all of their eligible gardeners/geishas (one at a time in the order of their choice) before passing the turn to the next player.
Source: BGG thread
[Matcha] When choosing a die action of any color in the castle via a training yard tile that costs 4 coins (e.g., choosing a white dice), do you get the benefits of two white dice (e.g., 1 coin + well + lantern) or choose one?
You choose one single action of that die color, not all of its printed benefits.
Source: BGG thread
[Matcha] Does the solo Automa get End of Round VP bonuses (1, 2, and 3 VP depending on the round) if it has a Geisha on the Pond Overlook space? Official
Yes, treat them as if they were Gardeners for end-of-round scoring and activations.
Source: BGG thread · BGG thread · BGG thread
[Matcha] When the solo Automa is forced to lose points, coins, or move back on the passage of time track via new solo cards, what happens if it cannot fulfill the full amount?
It loses as much as it can. That action is independent, so it loses whatever possible, and then receives clan points equal to the round number as usual.
Source: BGG thread
[Matcha] Does the solo Automa get clan points from the Tea House tiles?
No, just like in the base game, the bot does not get any reward from these tiles.
Source: BGG thread