Quick Kodama Run Down
Posted: 31 March 2026, 01:04
I get asked often enough in a kodama game "how does kodama work?" that I have written down an explanation. I have now decided to post it here since it is easier to send a link to someone than to copy paste in bite sized chunks.
I am open to suggestions on things I have left out or could clarify better!
Kodamas are mainly useful for 2 things.
1. the new trees added to the game convert 1 kodama = 1 resource. So the 6 costing sun card gives you +1 sun per kodama you have in play, similarly the 7 water card gives you +1water per kodama you have in play.
You get a different number of kodamas per turn based on how many kodamas you draw (or if you buy the 8 kodama tree which gives you +1 kodama for the rest of the game).
2. The second thing they are useful for is that you can use them each turn to buy resources. You can see this to the left of your tree board.
2 kodamas = 1 X tile
3 kodamas = 1 extra resource token (you can see these next to the 3 kodama tiles on the bottom of the cards for purchase)
4 kodamas = 1 extra turn per round
^^ with one slight edge case — if you planted the 8 cost extra kodama tree during your turn, it won’t add to your resources for the purposes of buying an x tile, resource token or extra turn, but it WILL be converted to resources by your trees.
A couple extra things to keep your eye on that’s different from base:
1. When you purchase a kodama, which you do using however many flowers you have per turn, the little fire creature on the circle board will move 3 spaces (at least he will in 2 player, in 3 player he moves 2, in 4 player he moves 1).
Each time he passes one of us, he will emit an extra fire in the middle of the board. So if you play first, you still might burn if the other player buys a kodama and he jumps over one of you, even if you ended your turn above the fire limit.
2. It is much easier in this game to win with flowers than in base, because of the flower kodama card (costing 11 sun to buy).
3. If you look at the 3 kodama piles, the first one has 13 written on the flower symbol under it, the second has 13 written on a tree, and the 3rd has 13 written on a fire symbol.
Once a pile is emptied, you’ll see that under the pile there is a symbol of either flower/tree/fire that now says 15. That means the win condition for that symbol goes from 13 to 15. Now you need 15 of that resource to win the game.
4. If you buy a kodama and it is not the last one in its pile, you can no longer go back in time that turn to before you purchased it. This is because it reveals the next card under, which is considered new information. Keep this in mind when buying kodamas, because you will no longer be able to restart your turn.
I am open to suggestions on things I have left out or could clarify better!
Kodamas are mainly useful for 2 things.
1. the new trees added to the game convert 1 kodama = 1 resource. So the 6 costing sun card gives you +1 sun per kodama you have in play, similarly the 7 water card gives you +1water per kodama you have in play.
You get a different number of kodamas per turn based on how many kodamas you draw (or if you buy the 8 kodama tree which gives you +1 kodama for the rest of the game).
2. The second thing they are useful for is that you can use them each turn to buy resources. You can see this to the left of your tree board.
2 kodamas = 1 X tile
3 kodamas = 1 extra resource token (you can see these next to the 3 kodama tiles on the bottom of the cards for purchase)
4 kodamas = 1 extra turn per round
^^ with one slight edge case — if you planted the 8 cost extra kodama tree during your turn, it won’t add to your resources for the purposes of buying an x tile, resource token or extra turn, but it WILL be converted to resources by your trees.
A couple extra things to keep your eye on that’s different from base:
1. When you purchase a kodama, which you do using however many flowers you have per turn, the little fire creature on the circle board will move 3 spaces (at least he will in 2 player, in 3 player he moves 2, in 4 player he moves 1).
Each time he passes one of us, he will emit an extra fire in the middle of the board. So if you play first, you still might burn if the other player buys a kodama and he jumps over one of you, even if you ended your turn above the fire limit.
2. It is much easier in this game to win with flowers than in base, because of the flower kodama card (costing 11 sun to buy).
3. If you look at the 3 kodama piles, the first one has 13 written on the flower symbol under it, the second has 13 written on a tree, and the 3rd has 13 written on a fire symbol.
Once a pile is emptied, you’ll see that under the pile there is a symbol of either flower/tree/fire that now says 15. That means the win condition for that symbol goes from 13 to 15. Now you need 15 of that resource to win the game.
4. If you buy a kodama and it is not the last one in its pile, you can no longer go back in time that turn to before you purchased it. This is because it reveals the next card under, which is considered new information. Keep this in mind when buying kodamas, because you will no longer be able to restart your turn.