Official Nekojima Rules
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Nekojima is a cat island in Japan where you must skillfully build and maintain an electrical network across its four districts. The challenge lies in the island's narrow spaces and the playful cats that stroll on the cables. Your task is to avoid short circuits by ensuring no cable touches another. Here's how to play:
Objective
Your goal in Nekojima is to balance Denchuu (electric poles) across the island. In cooperative mode, aim to progress as far as possible together. In competitive mode, try not to be the one who makes the structure fall.
Game Components
1 Game board
21 Denchuu: 7 White, 7 Pink, 7 Blue
28 Cubes: 7 White, 7 Pink, 7 Blue, 7 Black
1 Cube bag
2 District dice
7 Cat silhouettes
1 Level counter
20 Bird’s Nest tokens (for the Urban Jungle variant)
Setup
Place the game board at the center for all players to access.
Put all cubes into the bag.
Arrange the Denchuu, dice, Cats, and level counter by color on the table.
If playing the Urban Jungle variant, add the Bird's Nest tokens to the setup.
Game Play
1. Roll the Dice
Roll both dice to determine the districts where you will place your Denchuu. The active player chooses one district, while the player to their right selects the other. If both dice show the same district, the active player picks first, and the neighbor picks the same district.
2. Choose and Place Your Denchuu
Draw a random cube from the bag.
Choose a Denchuu with a cable that matches the cube color. If a black cube is drawn, keep drawing until a colored cube is obtained.
Place the Denchuu according to the dice-determined districts. One pole must be in the designated district, and the other in the second district. You can stack Denchuu or place them directly on the board.
Cables come in different lengths: Pink (Short), White (Medium), Blue (Long).
Important: Manipulate only the poles without touching the cables directly. Denchuu must not be placed upside down, stacked on top of each other, or moved once placed.
3. Black Cubes
Cooperative mode: Each player who places a Denchuu and draws a black cube also places a Cat on a matching cable.
Competitive mode: Give the black cube to a player of your choice, requiring them to place a Cat on their turn.
Cats must be suspended from a cable matching the color of the last drawn cube and may only contact that single cable.
4. Validate Your Installation
Once Denchuu is placed, insert the color cube into the level counter. If a Cat is hung, insert the black cube too.
A level completes when 4 cubes are placed in a single column from levels 1 to 7.
Cooperative mode tracks completed levels, while competitive mode measures difficulty.
Validation Rules:
Avoid short circuits by ensuring cables don’t touch each other or poles.
Cats must not touch the board, poles, or cables other than the one they are hung on.
Denchuu must not exceed the board's edges.
End of Game
The game ends when a Denchuu falls or the structure collapses. If in cooperative mode, evaluate your progress and aim to reach all 7 levels. In competitive mode, the one who causes the fall loses.
Solo Mode
Progress through levels alone by assigning districts using dice.
Both dice showing the same district lets you choose the adjacent district.
Game Variants
Urban Jungle: Stack up to 2 poles, using Bird’s Nest tokens to mark the limit.
Skyscrapers: Use up to 2 supporting poles per district.
Duo: Play in pairs, installing Denchuu simultaneously.
Expert: No room for error; any mistake leads to immediate elimination.
Whether playing solo or in teams, the game tests your precision, coordination, and strategy to keep the island's electrical network stable. Can you rise to the challenge and keep Nekojima’s cables safely connected?
