KATAMARI RIDEREach player rolls two dice. The player rolling the highest number is Player 1, and so on in descending order. If there are any ties, the tying players reroll to determine rank. Player 1 gets to pick first which Cousin to use, then Player 2, etc. Once each player has chosen a Cousin, line the figures up on the starting spaces, with Player 1 farthest from the center and Player 4 closest. Then, place the smallest Katamari (2x2) on the Katamari starting space. Distribute the 20 Stars onto their corresponding colors (5 of each color).

Choosing Your Cousin:Each Cousin and Star are tied to an element: Fire, Water, Earth, and Wind. All four of these elements relate to each other like a game of rock-paper-scissors. Water is strong against Fire, Fire is strong against Earth, Earth is strong against Wind, and Wind is strong against Water. Fire/Wind and Water/Earth are neutral relationships. These relationships affect how the Cousins interact during the game, and no matter which Cousin you choose, you’ll always be weak against someone and strong against someone. Wind

Earth

Fire

Water

Cousin Movement:When it is your turn, roll one die. You must move as many spaces as the die reads.Limitations:- no diagonal movement.- you may not enter any one space twice during the same turn.- you may only move in the three directions allowed by that section of the board (i.e. never against the dominant “downhill” direction of that area - see example on right).How you interact with other Cousins/the Stars while moving depends on your and their element:- if the other Cousin/Star is weak to your element, if you pass through or land on their space, they are moved back one space (“uphill”).- if the other Cousin/Star is neutral to your element, you may pass through their space as a normal space, but you may NOT land there for the final move of your turn. - if the other Cousin/Star is strong against your element, you may not pass through that space. If you land there for some reason out of your control, you must move backwards (“uphill”) until on a space you can inhabit. - if the Star is your color, you collect it as you pass through the space. You collect the Star whether or not you finish your turn on its space.Even after a Star has been moved from its original colored space, the space still has the same element effect. For example, the Fire Cousin can never walk through a blue space, whether it has a Blue Star or not.

example

An out-of-control Katamari is rolling rampant a high mountain peak and knocking all the Cousins’ Stars out of the sky. Use the Katamari to your advantage to thwart your Cousins and collect all five of

your Stars before night sets in with a starless sky.

GETTING STARTED

PLAY

Katamari Movement:After each player’s turn, roll both dice. The normal die determines the number of spaces the Katamari moves. The purple-outlined die determines direction: - if you roll 1 or 2, the Katamari moves in towards the center.- if you roll 3 or 4, the Katamari stays on its present track. - if you roll 5 or 6, the Katamari moves out away from the center. If the Katamari is already against an edge and cannot move any further in the direction the dictates, the Katamari just stays on its present track.

center

startturn 1:

distance: 4/direction: 1turn 2:

distance: 3/direction: 5turn 3:

distance: 3/direction: 4

If the Katamari comes into contact with you, you may either try to vault over the Katamari or jump onto it.

Vaulting over the Katamari:Flip a coin. If heads, you successfully jump over the Katamari. If any of your Stars is on the Katamari on the same row that you are leaping, you collect them as you leap over the Katamari. If tails, you fail, and the Katamari rolls over you. If you currently have any, you drop one of your Stars – place it in the space directly behind your Cousin.For both situations, if you are able to land on the same space you started (either after jumping or being crushed), place your Cousin back in that space If the Katamari’s stopping ending position blocks your original space, place your Cousin in the space directly behind the Katamari.

Jumping onto the Katamari:- if the space is unoccupied or occupied by the element neutral to you, you simply enter the space and push the Star or Cousin in that space one space backwards on the Katamari.- if the space is occupied by the element strong against you, you must try to vault over instead.- if the space is occupied by one of your own Stars, you enter the space, collect the Star, and then may rearrange any other Stars on the Katamari however you like (but you cannot rearrange other Cousins on the Katamari).- if the space is occupied by a Star weak against you, you may knock any other Cousin(s) on the Katamari off. If a Cousin has any Stars and is knocked off in this manner, he/she must drop one Star on the Katamari in the space he/she had been occupying. - if the Space is occupied by a Cousin weak against you, that Cousin is thrown off the back when you jump on, and if he/she has any must leave a Star on the Katamari as close to his/her original space as possible.

If you come from behind the Katamari and move onto it during your turn, you may also attempt to jump onto it from that side. All the same rules apply, just on the other side of the Katamari.

COUSIN/KATAMARI INTERACTION

The player who collects all five Stars of his/her color is the winner. For a shorter game, you could reduce the number of Stars required to win, or set a time limit and declare the player with

the most Stars at the end the winner.

While riding the Katamari:While on the Katamari, you take action each time the Katamari does. After each of the Katamari’s moves, flip a coin. If heads, you stay on the Katamari; if tails, you are dropped off the back (without touching any other Katamari spaces). For each time that you flip heads and stay on, you may move one space in any direction on the Katamari, even diagonally. If you are on the edge of the Katamari, you may also move off and onto the field. Once you are off the Katamari, you return to your previous place in the player turn cycle.

Katamari Size:Whenever the Katamari enters a space with a Star on it, the Star is rolled up in the Katamari. The star is placed on the Katamari space where they came into contact. The Star then stays there until affected by an outside force. If the Katamari picks up another Star that enters the Katamari on the same space, the first Star simply gets pushed back one space on the Katamari. If a row on the Katamari is full and picks up another Star (or Cousin), the Star (or Cousin) in that row on the back edge of the Katamari gets pushed off the back and is placed on the space behind the Katamari.

The Katamari changes size according to how much stuff it is currently made of. It starts in its smallest form, 2x2, with four available spaces. It can grow and shrink throughout the game according to its constitution at the moment.0-2 spaces filled – small (2x2) 3-8 spaces filled – medium (3x3) 9-16 spaces filled – large (4x4)Both Stars and Cousins on the Katamari affect its size, and changes in size happen immediately, even in the middle of the Katamari’s move for that turn. When the size changes, replace it with the appropriate Katamari piece and move all Cousins and Stars onto the new Katamari.

RULE REFERENCE

Katamari Size0-2 spaces filled: small (2x2)3-8 spaces filled: medium (3x3)9-16 spaces filled: large (4x4)

Katamari Direction:1 or 2: the Katamari moves in towards the center.3 or 4: the Katamari stays on its present track. 5 or 6: the Katamari moves out away from the center.

WindEarth

FireWater

Moving around the Field:Cousin/Star is weak to you: if you pass through their space, they are moved back one space.Cousin/Star is neutral to you: pass through their space normally; cannot land there Cousin/Star is strong against you: can’t pass through or land on that space. Star is your color: you collect it as you pass through the space.Colored squares have these effects whether or not a Star is on them.

Vaulting over the Katamari:Flip a coin.Heads: you successfully jump over the Katamari; collect any of your Stars you leap over. Tails: the Katamari rolls over you - you drop one Star.Place your Cousin back as close to original space as possible.

While Riding the Katamari:After each of the Katamari’s moves, flip a coin. Heads: you stay on the Katamari.Tails: you are dropped off the back. After each Heads, you may move one space in any direction on the Katamari, including off the edge of the Katamari and back onto the field.

Jumping onto the Katamari:Space occupied by element neutral to you, enter and push the Star or Cousin one space back.Space occupied by element strong against you, you must vault over instead.Space occupied by Star weak against you, you may knock any Cousins off. Cousins knocked off drop a Star on the Katamari in the space he/she had been occupying. Space occupied by a Cousin weak against you, he/she is thrown off the back and must leave a Star on the Katamari.Space occupied by one of your own Stars, enter and collect the Star, then rearrange any other Stars on the Katamari as you like.

1 game board4 Cousin figures20 stars (5 red, 5 blue, 5 yellow, 5 green)2 dice (one normal, one purple-lined)3 Katamari (one sized 2x2, one 3x3, one 4x4)

GAME PIECES

When the Cousins land on one of their five color spaces, they can use a special power tied to their element. Each Cousin’s power is different, so if you are playing by the advanced rules, see which power you would like best in order to pick the right Cousin for you.

These powers may only be used if you end your turn directly on the color space. You have the choice of using the power at the end of your turn, or waiting until the beginning of your next turn. But be careful if you de-cide to wait until the beginning of your next turn to use the power; if you are moved from your color space by another Cousin or the Katamari before you use the power on your next turn, you forfeit the chance. These powers are unaffected by the element strengths/weaknesses; that is to say, the fire power will still affect the water Cousin.

Wind - Cyclone: a cyclone blows out of nowhere and switches your and another Cousin’s position on the board. This power works even if the other Cousin is currently riding the Katamari.

Fire - Volcano: a volcano suddenly erupts and spews lava onto the surrounding area. You may choose any one red space, including the one you are on, and cause it to “erupt,” which affects the eight surrounding spaces (or fewer, if the red space is up again the edge of the field). Any Cousin caught in the eruption drops one Star one space behind them. If the Katamari is caught in the eruption, you may choose any one of the spaces within volcano range and cause the Cousin or Star occupying it to fall off the back of the Katamari. Only one vol-cano may erupt per turn, but there is no limit to how many things within its range it can affect.

Earth - Quake: the ground starts to shake and rattles a Star loose. You may take one uncollected Star of any color, even on the Katamari, and place it back on any one of its own color spaces that are currently unoccupied by a Star or Cousin.

Water - Gush: a cascade of water bursts from the ground. You may choose any blue space, including the one you are on, and blast a stream of water in any direction and for any distance (think how a chess queen moves). Any Cousin hit by the water drops one Star one space behind them. If the Katamari is hit by the water, whatever object on the Katamari you hit is knocked off the Katamari in whatever directions makes sense with the direction the water is flowing. Gush works much like Volcano does - however, you may choose only one target, and if there is a Cousin between you and your desired target, you may NOT shoot “through” the first Cousin - whatever the stream hits first is what it hits. You MAY however shoot through Stars.

ADVANCED RULESoptional, for a simpler or more complex game