Para-Para
2 Players, Ages 6+
Para-Para パラパラ ▶ pitter-patter is a 2-player hanafuda game. The goal is to form yaku to score more points than your opponent.
This game is a Junior original, created by Louie Mantia.
Cards
This game uses a 48-card hanafuda deck.
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If you’re using a Junior Hanafuda deck, be sure to set aside its extra cards.
Setup
Shuffle the deck and deal three cards to each player. Place the remaining deck adjacent to the field.
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Gameplay
Goal
The goal of Para-Para is to match and capture cards from your hand with cards in the field to form yaku.
Your Turn
When your turn begins, place one card from your hand into the field.
If you find a match, you capture these cards. Place both cards face-up in front of you.
If you cannot make a match, your card remains in the field.
Your captured cards are displayed face-up in front of you, away from the field. It’s best to organize them by rank (Hikari, Tane, Tanzaku, Kasu) rather than by month.
Next, draw a card from the deck into your hand. Then, your turn is over. Now it’s the next player’s turn.
Continue until all cards are depleted.
Scoring
At the end of the round, each player tallies the points of their captured cards according to the following table.
| Hikari | Tane | Tanzaku | Kasu |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
Yaku
Then, each player adds 10 points for every yaku they’ve formed. The result is their score for this round.
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SankōCrane, Rainman, Phoenix |
10 | |||
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MatsuriCurtain, Moon, Sake |
10 | |||
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Ino-shika-chōBoar, Deer, Butterflies |
10 | |||
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ToriWarbler, Cuckoo, Swallow |
10 | |||
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Akatan3 Poetry Tanzaku |
10 | |||
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Aotan3 Blue Tanzaku |
10 | |||
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Kusatan3 Plain Tanzaku, excluding November Tanzaku |
10 | |||
If your cards qualify for multiple yaku, you score points for each of those yaku, unless otherwise specified.
Series
Games are best played in a series of 3, 6, or 12 rounds. The player with the highest total score at the end of the series wins!
If the players have identical scores, rejoice in the shared victory!
Strategy
In this game, you will only be able to hold cards for a short time. Each draw of three cards will be depleted in just three turns. So don’t grow too attached.
The scoring in Para-Para is card points plus yaku points. Half of the deck is worth no points. Prioritize capturing valuable cards to form yaku. With each combination valued at 10 points, it’s worth the effort.
