Takenoko
This article is about the board game called Takenoko. For information about the bamboo shoot, see Bamboo shoot.
 Box cover of the 2012 English edition | |
| Designer(s) | Antoine Bauza |
|---|---|
| Publisher(s) | Asmodee |
| Players | 2 to 4 |
| Age range | 8 and up |
| Setup time | 5 minutes |
| Playing time | 45 minutes |
| Random chance | medium |
Takenoko is a board game created by Antoine Bauza in 2011 and originally published by Asmodee, Bombyx and Matagot. Takenoko is a game in which each player must try to achieve certain objectives as outlined on three different types of objective cards they draw into their hand throughout the game. The game has an unusual theme where players will move a gardener, a panda and add plastic representations of bamboo to hexagonal shapes of different colours.
Information
A long time ago at the Japanese Imperial court, the Chinese Emperor offered a giant panda bear as a symbol of peace to the Japanese Emperor. Since then, the Japanese Emperor has entrusted his court members (the players) with the difficult task of caring for the animal by tending to his bamboo garden.
In Takenoko, the players will cultivate land plots, irrigate them, and grow one of the three species of bamboo (Green, Yellow, and Pink) with the help of the Imperial gardener to maintain a bamboo garden, common for all players. They will have to bear with the immoderate hunger of the sacred animal for the juicy and tender bamboo. The player who manages to achieve the most hidden personal goals in the shared garden, managing land plots best, growing the most bamboo while feeding the delicate appetite of the panda, will win the game.
Honors
- 2013 Ludoteca Ideale (Italy)
- 2012 Nederlandse Spellenprijs Nomination (Netherlands)
- 2012 As d'or Jeu de l'année (France)