Machi Koro: Life BGG How To Play
Transcript
You've already built the city of your dreams. Now, it's time to build the life you've always wanted. They say money can't buy you happiness, but they also said putting your life savings into cryptocurrency was a bad idea. So, what do they know? Hi, I'm Nikki Pontius from Board Game Geek here to teach you how to play Machi Koro Life designed by Masao Suganuma and published by Pandasaurus Games who sponsored this video. Machi Koro Life is a new standalone game in the Machi Koro family.
In it, two to five players will take turns rolling dice and activating cards that match the die rolls to gain hearts to buy more cards of their dreams in a race to finally feel fulfilled with the choices they have made. The player who first gets eight victory points on their dream cards wins the game. The components of the game are two D6 dice, 80 heart markers, the currency of the game, 80 life cards which will gain you hearts, and 56 dream cards which will gain you victory points. To set up, shuffle each of the four decks of cards separately. Create four draw piles with the dream cards labeled two through six at the top, and dream cards labeled one below.
Life cards one through six, and life cards seven through 12 at the bottom. Regardless of the number of players, reveal five unique cards from each deck. If a card matches in name any previously revealed card, place it on the top of the matching card, keeping all cards visible. Each player receives five heart tokens. Place the rest within reach of all players. Before starting the game, players will buy their starting cards with these initial heart tokens. This is known as your portfolio, and it will be placed face up on the table in front of you. Beginning with the start player and clockwise around the table, players get to buy one card from the lineup by paying the cost in hearts. You can buy either life cards or dream cards, but you can only buy one at a time.
Cards with a cost of zero are free, but you can still only buy one at a time. Just as in the display, if a card matches any previously bought card, place it on top of the matching card, keeping all cards visible. Buying cards is repeated three times around the table. Players start the game with the maximum of three cards. You do not have to buy a card if you don't want to or if you are unable to due to lack of hearts. You don't have to use up your hearts. If you do have hearts left, you will begin the game with these hearts. Fill the rows back up to five unique cards and begin the first turn of the game. On a player's first turn, first activate any dream card with the effect that says, "At the start of your turn."
Like the child card. Next, decide if you will roll either one or both of your dice. This decision must be made before rolling.
Activate any life cards with the matching total, depending on what type or color they are. Life cards come in four colors and correspond to their type and when they can be activated. Red cards are activated on an opponent's turn. Blue cards are outdoor hobbies and activate on anyone's turn. Green cards are indoor hobbies and activate on your turn only. Lastly, purple cards are interaction with other players and activate on your turn only. So, in this setup with a total of four, the active player with a green four professional license would trigger and they would gain three hearts from the supply.
Anyone else that had a green four would not trigger because it is not their turn. However, anyone including the active player that had a blue four gym would trigger and gain a heart from the supply because blue cards activate on anyone's turn. Some cards that activate have players taking hearts directly from each other such as the red flea market card or the purple charity work card. If you owe hearts to an opponent but do not have enough to pay it all, pay what you can. The remaining difference is ignored and the player you owe hearts to does not receive hearts from the bank to make up the difference. If there is a payment to several players at the same time, for example, if a three is rolled, this triggers everyone's three
flea market cards. Remember, red cards activate first and are triggered in counterclockwise order from the active player.
The active player A will have to pay player C one heart for their flea market card, then pay player B two hearts for both of their flea market cards. Payment is always made before you earn income from other cards. After paying and collecting cards is complete, if the active player has no heart tokens, they gain one heart. Then, the active player may purchase up to one card from the face-up array. It may happen that a player cannot buy a card on their turn. In that case, you simply skip the step. The cost of the card is indicated by the heart on the left of the card. Life cards cost you zero to three hearts.
Dream cards can cost you zero to 32 hearts and give you victory points. They range one to six. That's the number in the star on the right of the card. Hearts are paid to the stock. Add the purchased card to your portfolio, unless specified on the card. A player can have several copies of the same card. Their effects will stack, meaning that the effect will happen twice if you have two cards, three times if you have three cards, etc. Some cards combo with other cards. Purchasing this dream card luxury card and pairing it with the life card travel will gain you additional hearts when a 10 or 11 is rolled, triggering the travel card. The dream card world champion can only be purchased if you already have the life card sports in this case.
However, the world champion card is triggered not by a dice roll, but simply by having it and is triggered at the start of your turn. If the active player has bought a card or for any other reason any of the rows in the array have less than five unique cards, refill back to five. When a deck runs out, do not take cards from other decks. Now it's time to check for win conditions.
If on your turn you have now reached eight victory points on your dream cards in your portfolio, the game is over immediately and you are the winner.
If you have not reached eight victory points, activate any cards that activate at the end of your turn like investing stock or partner. Then the next player in clockwise order takes their turn. Play will continue until a player has reached eight victory points by the end of their turn. And that's how you play Machi Koro Life by Pandasaurus Games. With all these possible card combos, who couldn't obtain a happy life?
If you think this game is for you, check out its game page on Board Game Geek. It's been fun teaching this game to you. Have a great day.