Become a master of tactics in the Empress's garden!
Geisha, also known as Okiya, is an abstract strategy game where players compete to win the favor of the Empress by placing their tokens in the Imperial garden. Players try to form a line or block their opponent from continuing the game.
To set up, shuffle the 16 tiles and arrange them in a 4x4 square. Each tile depicts one of four types of vegetation (maple, cherry, pine, or iris) and one of four poetic symbols (rising sun, bird, rain, or tanzaku - small pieces of paper for writing wishes).
On their turn, a player removes one tile from the edge of the square, then places a token in that space. The opponent must choose a tile that matches the vegetation or poetic symbol of the previously removed tile. The game continues until:
- A player forms a line of four tokens in any direction,
- A player creates a 2x2 square with four of their tokens, or
- A player picks a tile that prevents their opponent from placing a token.
The winner is the player who achieves one of these goals. You can play a single game, a "best of three," or a points-based match where the winner earns points based on the number of tiles remaining on the board. The first player to reach ten points wins the match.
Note: This is the Scandinavian edition, but English rules are available for download on our website.
Box contents:
- 16 tiles
- 8 tokens per player
