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Donburiko
2013
Rules assistance for Donburiko
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–4 players
- 15 min
- 7+
- Complexity 1.4/5
Rules assistant for Donburiko
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Donburiko is a board game released in 2013 for 2–4 players, 15 minutes per game, and ages 7 and up. It was designed by Masanofu and its main mechanics are Hand Management.
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About the game
Players in Donburiko (ドンブリコ) need to grab acorns while staying out of the ponds, as acorns don't appreciate spending lots of time in the water. (The game's setting comes from the children's nursery song "Donguri Korokoro" (どんぐりころころ), in which acorns roll down from the hills into the ponds, first excitedly playing with the loaches – a type of freshwater fish – only to then pine for the mountain left behind. The last line of the song: "He cried and the loach didn't know what to do.") Each player starts with a few chips, each worth a point. The 16-card deck – which consists of two loaches (worth 0), four ponds (worth -1 or -2) and ten acorns (worth 1-5) – is shuffled, then a number of cards equal to the number of players are laid face-up. Each player receives a hand of 3-4 cards. On a turn, a player either places a card from his hand into one of the columns or claims one of the columns. When placing a card, he can lay it face-up (taking one chip from the bank) or face-down (placing one of his chips on the card); when taking a column, it must have at least two cards and at most six. After taking a column, the player sums the cards in that column, with a loach turning the negative ponds positive and with two of the acorns worth either 1 or 5 at the player's discretion. If the column's sum is between 0-6, the player takes that many chips from the bank; if more than 6 or less than 0, he pays the difference to the bank. This player is then out of the round, while the others continue to play cards or take columns. A round ends when no columns remain, columns with only one card remain, or someone scores 6 chips from a column; in the latter case, the round ends immediately, and no one else scores anything. Players then start a new round. When the bank empties or a player has 20 or more chips, players complete the current round, then the player with the most chips wins!
Questions and answers
Donburiko supports 2–4 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Donburiko is 15 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Donburiko for ages 7 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Donburiko has a complexity rating of 1.4 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Donburiko belongs to these categories: Card Game. Its main mechanics are Hand Management. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Donburiko are: Masanofu. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Donburiko as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.