This game functions on the principal that while all pandas are cute, only some are Adorable — sacrilege, I know, but for the purpose of gameplay it makes perfect sense! Scoring is governed by the ever-shifting Panda Laws (aka Laws of Adorableness) that dictate which cards are adorable at a given time. There’s ten panda types, numbered, and four laws/categories to divide them into: odd pandas, even pandas, high pandas, and low pandas. The challenge? Having plenty of whichever is currently in style… or changing the Law to fit your hand!
Each player has four cards in hand. On your turn, if scoring conditions haven’t been reached, you’ll play one Panda from your hand face down, ignoring its effect, one face up, which you do resolve, and then you’ll draw back up to four. Panda powers are designated by type, some examples being #8 Cat Panda’s “Change the current Panda Law” and the #10 Party Panda who demands all hidden (face down) pandas be immediately revealed.
To understand the impact of the Party Panda, we need to revisit the beginning of the turn, specifically “if scoring conditions haven’t been reached.” See, the very first thing you do each turn is check the Red Panda in the middle of the table. If its quota of Adorable Pandas has been fulfilled – a number which varies on amount of players – a scoring round takes place. The quota only accounts for pandas that are face up, though, hence the Party Panda’s power!
To be clear, scoring isn’t the end of the game. It’s more of a… resetting intermission. All hidden pandas are revealed (if there are still hidden pandas to reveal), anyone with two or more Adorable Pandas gets one bamboo, and whoever has the most gets a second. The back of a 1-value bamboo is a 2-value bamboo, so just flip it! If there are at least three Banana Pandas in play, those each score a bamboo as well, and then all Adorable Pandas (plus successfully activated Banana Pandas) are reshuffled into the deck. All other pandas remain in play, and the active player chooses a different Panda Law to reign… which they’ll surely use to their advantage, since this all happens before they officially take their turn. Convenient, that!
As for victory, the first player to five bamboo wins the game! This is an pretty quick play, I’d say no more than 15 minutes once you’re familiar with the rules, so it’s great for when you’re short on time.
