Yadokari

The cries of seagulls echo above the crashing of waves as tiny shells scuttle for cover beneath nearby rocks. The birds swoop down, claws outstretched, beaks wide open.

Yadokari is a simple card game where players play as hermit crabs in search of new shells. Smaller shells are abundant, however, larger shells contain higher rates of the darker, more elusive shells - perfect for camouflage. Throughout the game, search for shells, evade predators, and upgrade to higher level shells. But, beware! Once a hermit crab has gone up a shell a shell size, it may not go back down. Do you have what it takes to survive the reef?

• 6 Clear Hermit Crab Cards
• 72 Shell Cards
• 1 D3 Die
• 18 Rocks

1. Each player will select 1 Clear Hermit Crab Card.
2. Shuffle the deck of Shell Cards and distribute 3 cards to each player along with 1 Rock.
3. Separate the deck of Shell Cards as evenly as possible into 5 different decks in the middle of the play area.
4. Place the D3 Die and the remaining Rocks in the middle of the play area.
5. Determine player order.

Yadokari is played in rounds separated into 2 phases - High Tide and Low Tide. During High Tide, players will search for Shell Cards to place beneath their Hermit Crab Cards in order to prepare for Low Tide when predators attack.

High Tide: Take Actions

During a player's turn, they may take 2 actions. Actions consist of Drawing a Card, Playing a Card, or Stealing a Card.

Draw a Card

To draw a card, players will draw the top 3 Shell Cards of one of the five decks. They will select 1 of the three cards to keep and return the remaining 2 to two separate decks that they did NOT originally draw from that turn.

Play a Card

To play a card, players will select 1 Shell Card from their hand and place it beneath their Hermit Crab Card, and above any other Shell Cards if applicable.

The first Shell Card placed beneath a Hermit Crab Card must be a size 1 Shell Card.

If there are already Shell Cards beneath their Hermit Crab Card, the selected card MUST be equal to or higher in size than the shell currently beneath their Hermit Crab Card.

Steal a Card

To steal a card, players must first choose a player to steal from.

Each player will have a certain number of Rocks which determines how many cards a player must pay in order to steal from them. For example, Player A wants to steal from Player B who has 2 Rocks. Player A must pay 2 cards from their hand to player B in order to steal the Shell Card currently beneath their Hermit Crab Card.

In the event that a player cannot pay the price, then they may not steal a card.

Once a card is stolen, it will go to the assailant's hand and the player who was stolen from will add 1 Rock to their player area.

Low Tide: Predators Attack

Once all players have taken their actions, they will enter into the Low Tide phase of the round. In Low Tide, players will choose a player to roll the Die. The number rolled will then indicate the awareness level of the attacking predator that turn and plays out as follows:

1. Predators only attack hermit crabs without camouflage (hermit crabs without any shells).
2. Predators attack hermit crabs with camouflage levels lower than 2 (hermit crabs with white shells or ones without any shells).
3. Predators attack hermit crabs with camouflage levels 1ower than 3 (hermit crabs with brown or white shells, or ones without any shells).

If a player's hermit crab is attacked, the player must choose 1 card from their hand to place into a discard pile. Cards lost during this phase will not be used for the remainder of the game.

Players are not required to discard what they do not have, meaning that in the event a player does not have any cards in their hand, they are not required to discard anything.

End of the Game

The game ends at the end of the round that either a player places a size 5 Shell Card beneath their Hermit Crab Card - or - the number of cards in any of the Shell Card Decks is less than 3.

Once the end of the game is triggered, it may not be undone, and once the last player has taken their actions and predators have attacked, players will count up the points on all of the shells beneath their Hermit Crab Card.

Points are equivalent to the camouflage level of each shell, meaning that white shells are worth 1-point, brown shells are worth 2 points, and black shells are worth 3 points. The player with the highest number of points is the winner.

In the event of a tie, the winner is the player with the highest amount of Shell Cards.

Simple Variant

For a simpler and quicker game, skip the Low Tide phase.

Play Yadokari for free on Tabletop Simulator.

This version, as well as many other Tabletop Simulator mods by Maikai Games may come with a few components that are different from the printed game, however, all components required for playing the game should be included. Please feel free to try out this game as many times as you like, and if you find yourself interested in Yadokari, we hope that you'll consider writing a review here on The Game Crafter letting us know what you think!

Thank you for visiting Yadokari's page on The Game Crafter.

Yadokari was created by Maikai Games, an international family from the US and Japan.

With 3 very young children, we strive to create games that are simple to learn and engaging for all members of the family. We also love to mix fun with education and in Yadokari, players really take on the role of a hermit crab in search of the darkest shells - which are better for camouflage, not just in the game, but in real life as well.

Thank you again for taking the time to look at Yadokari. We hope that you enjoy it and that it makes your game night a memorable one, whether it be with friends or family.

Disclaimer: While Yadokari may be mechanically playable by children younger than the advertised age, the Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) requires that all products manufactured for children under the age of 12 be tested by an independent third party. Please note that Yadokari has not been tested, nor has it received any certification for it to be manufactured for children under the age of 12.