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Kobayakawa is a game of bluffing and deduction. In this stylish new game from Jun Sasaki, components are kept at a minimum - there are only 15 cards, 32 tokens and the start player marker.
The rules are simple:
At the start each player is given 4 tokens. In addition 8 tokens are placed in the middle of the table. Spare tokens are set aside.
The deck is shuffled and each player is dealt one card face down, an additional card is dealt face up next to the deck (this card is called the Kobayakawa).
Each player takes a turn and either:
- Draws a card to their hand and discards one of their 2 hand cards face up in front of them.
Or
- Turns over the top card of the deck to replace the current Kobayakawa.
After all players have taken their turns, each must decide if they want to stay in and 'fight' by betting a token.
All players that decided to fight reveal their card. The player that has the lowest value card adds the value of the current Kobayakawa to their own card. The player with the highest number (their own card; or their own card + the Kobayakawa) wins the round and they take all the tokens that players bet, plus a bonus token from the middle, they take the start player token for the next round.
On the 7th round (when only 2 tokens remain in the middle) the stakes and the bonus are doubled to 2 tokens.
After this 7th round the game ends and the player with the most tokens wins the game.
Example Round:
Kobayakawa: 8
Player A: 9
Player B: Pass
Player C: 15
Player D: 12
Player C has the highest card value (15), but Player A is declared the winner as the results of the lowest card (9) and the Kobayakawa (8) is 17.
- very compact and quick
- great as a filler with gambling feel
- can be opaque for first-time players
- poker-like betting with cards
- Japanese microgame
- minimalist, fast-paced
- Manila
- Three Dragon Ante
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- betting with tokens — Players place tokens to stay in or fold.
- card drafting — Each player holds a card and can replace or reveal, affecting scoring.
- Card drafting/selection — Each player holds a card and can replace or reveal, affecting scoring.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- This is Camel Up.
- Gambling with your life.
- This is the loudest game at this convention.
- Poker is the number one gambling.
- This is the purest gambling game.
References (from this video)
- minimalist design with subtle depth
- works well with higher player counts
- requires patience to appreciate its nuance
- timeless, minimalist card play
- abstract card game with subtle wagering
- simple elegance; pure competition
- Torres
- Medina
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- betting/token-wagering — After rounds, players wager a token to stay in and reveal scores.
- card drafting — Each player has one face-down card; there is a central card to consider; players draw and may swap with their own.
- card drafting / swapping — Each player has one face-down card; there is a central card to consider; players draw and may swap with their own.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- my top 10 board games that are pure and trendproof
- these games have a timeless quality to them where it almost feels like they could have been played 100 years ago as well as still be played like 100 years in the future
- these games are not necessarily in order of what is more timeless and what isn't because I obviously feel like they either fit that category or they don't
- they all fit that category of feeling trendproof
- these are evergreen games that will weather the storm and stand the test of time
- Push your luck games have a timeless feel to them because… staying in one more round or dropping out and keeping what you've got is kind of a real visceral emotion
References (from this video)
- Small deck enables card counting strategy
- Betting creates psychological elements
- Quick to play
- Mathematical decision-making combines with player psychology
- Card comparison
- River
- Abstract
- Poker
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Ante Up — Players place tokens into central pot to bet they have highest card
- Betting — Risk decision-making based on psychology and mathematics
- Card Counting — With only 15 cards, players can count and calculate odds
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- the reason I wanted to talk about this topic was one was because I've just picked up the quacks of qward Lindbergh expansion the herb witches which is a really good expansion just to add some more of the same really more variety to that game which was my favorite game of last year
- so push your luck or press your luck games as they tend to be called in America
- it's looking at the odds and trying to make a mathematical decision is it worth me taking this risk or is it not and of course the presence of other people around the table changes that because it's not just about the maths it's also about knowing the psychology of those other people
- I love all the messin about you doing captain carcass you turn over one card it allows you to do something else and then you can use this special power to do something else
- the pushier luck stuff is strong in throne that's where the fun in the game is it's recognizing how many does to throw
- I love this honour of games I wish there were more of them
- thank you very much for watching I hope this was interesting for you if you enjoyed it please watch some of my other videos on BoardGameGeek I'm Adam 78 on YouTube I'm Adams Borg in wales on twitter i'm at board game wales