The design of the Koi ponds can have a significant impact on the health and well-being of the Nishikigoi. The Emperor has chosen you to build perfectly adapted ponds, so that the carps can reach their best potential. To do this, you must assign each koi colony its own place. In each round, players must cooperate by assigning a different group of carp to divide the pond. It is important to optimize the area to accommodate the largest number of colonies. In return, you must build the perfect house for the colony.
First, determine the perfect pond by rolling the 3 dice. These dice show you the exact number of nishikigoi you must have inside a pond when it is closed. To shape the pond, each player must play a pond card (part of other cards) in turn until an area of the pond is completely filled (the flowering lily line is closed). To do this, the card can be partially placed above other cards in play (never below). When the pond is closed, if the exact number of nishikigoi of each color matches the dice, remove 5 of the cards played and place them at the bottom of the deck. The rest is set aside to show that you have built a perfect area of the pond.
The game ends when all the cards have been played. There is no more space in the imperial pond and it is time to evaluate your results.