Ascend the Shinra Tower: Final Fantasy VII
Ascend the Shinra Tower: Final Fantasy VII Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- Floor tiles (ユカ): 20, numbered 1F to 20F.
- Action cards (アクションカード): 24, each with a front (オモテ) and a back (ウラ).
- Wall tiles (カベ): 54 in total:
- Logo (ロゴ): 12
- Propeller (プロペラ): 12
- Staircase (カイダン): 12
- Pipe (パイプ): 12
- Pillar (ハシラ): 6
- Figures (コマ): 24 in total:
- Cloud: 1
- Allies, 1 each: Aerith (エアリス), Tifa (ティファ), Red XIII (レッド XIII), Barret (バレット), Biggs (ビッグス), Wedge (ウェッジ), Jessie (ジェシー)
- Enemies, 2 each: Guard (警備兵), Air Soldier (空中兵), Sweeper (スイーパー), Stanley (スタンレイ), Bomb (ボム)
- Enemies, 1 each: Guard Scorpion (ガードスコーピオン), Reno (レノ), Rude (ルード), Rufus (ルーファウス), Dark Nation (ダークネイション), Sephiroth (セフィロス)
- Rule sheets (ルール説明書): one each in Japanese, English, French and German.
Setup
- Place the 1F floor tile in the centre of the table and place Cloud on the ^ symbol. The floor tiles and walls stacked on this 1F floor are together called the Shinra Tower (神羅（しんら）ビル).
- Place the 2F to 20F floor tiles together on the table.
- Place the wall tiles together on the table, sorted by type.
- Place the allies and enemies together on the table, each group separately.
- The groups of floor tiles, walls and figures gathered in steps 2 to 4 are called the object supply area (モノ置き場).
- Shuffle all action cards face down and place them on the table as the draw pile (山札). Set aside a discard area (捨て札置き場) beside it.
- Turn the top 2 cards of the draw pile face up and lay them side by side.
- The player who most recently climbed the Shinra Tower becomes the start player (スタートプレイヤー), who takes the first turn. If not, decide by rock-paper-scissors or a similar method.
Game Flow
In this game, turns are taken clockwise starting with the start player. On their turn, a player performs the Action Phase (アクションフェイズ), then the Check Phase (チェックフェイズ), then the Refill Phase (補充フェイズ), in that order.
Action Phase (アクションフェイズ)
Cloud searches for and defeats allies and enemies.
- Choose 1 of the 2 face-up action cards (オモテ).
- Perform the action of the chosen card. Actions are Enemy Actions (索敵アクション) and Defeat Actions (撃破アクション). An action card with two options lets you choose one of them and perform only that one.
Enemy Actions (索敵アクション)
- Place the 2 wall tiles indicated on the action card onto the floor tile of the top floor (最上階, the current highest floor).
- Place 1 floor tile on top of the walls you just placed.
- Note: each floor tile shows its floor number. Place the floor tiles so that they run 1F, 2F, 3F... from the bottom of the Shinra Tower.
- Place the enemy indicated on the action card onto the floor tile you just placed.
Boss Appearance (ボスの登場) On floors 4, 8, 12 and 15, place additional enemies. After the Enemy Action, place onto the floor tile the enemy indicated by that floor tile's icon.
Defeat Actions (撃破アクション)
- Place the ally indicated on the action card onto a floor tile of your choice on any floor of the Shinra Tower.
- If that ally is already on the Shinra Tower, move it to a floor tile of a different floor of your choice.
- Cloud and allies can defeat enemies with their Defeat Actions (details on p. 6). Remove each defeated enemy from the Shinra Tower and return it to the object supply area.
- However, if the action card indicates Cloud, Cloud does not move. Enemies are still defeated by the Defeat Actions of Cloud or of the allies.
Defeat Action table (撃破アクションについて)
| Figure on the floor | Defeat up to |
|---|---|
| Cloud (クラウド): enemies on Cloud's floor | 1 enemy, or 3 enemies (two cards shown) |
| Tifa (ティファ) or Red XIII (レッド XIII): enemies on their floor | 2 enemies |
| Aerith (エアリス): enemies on her floor and on the floor one below | 1 enemy on each floor |
| Barret (バレット): enemies on his floor and on the floor one above | 1 enemy on each floor |
| Biggs (ビッグス), Wedge (ウェッジ) or Jessie (ジェシー): enemies on their floor | 1 enemy |
Placement Rules (乗せ方について)
Walls (カベ): Place upright on the top floor tile.
- Good example (○): the wall stands upright on the floor tile.
- Bad example (×): the wall lies flat on the floor tile.
- Folding walls (カベの折り方): Bending a wall slightly before placing it on the Shinra Tower lets it support the floor tile more stably. Good example (○): the wall is bent with its sides folded up. Bad example (×): the sides are splayed outward.
Floor tiles (ユカ): Place on top of the walls. The sheet shows good and bad examples of stacked floor tiles.
Figures (コマ): Stand upright on a floor tile.
- Good example (○): the figure stands on the floor tile.
- Bad example (×): the figure lies flat on the floor tile.
Rules for placing objects (乗せるときのルール)
- Objects (モノ: figures, floor tiles, walls) may be placed on the Shinra Tower with one hand or two.
- An object you placed on your own turn may be placed again if it falls, and you may freely make small adjustments.
- Objects already on the Shinra Tower must not be moved unless an action card indicates them.
Check Phase (チェックフェイズ)
If there is no enemy in front of Cloud, he climbs the Shinra Tower toward the top floor, up to the floor where an enemy is.
- Check whether an enemy is on the floor where Cloud is.
- If there is an enemy: Cloud does not move.
If there is no enemy: place Cloud on the floor tile of the nearest floor that has an enemy.
- If no floor has an enemy, place Cloud on the floor tile of the top floor.
Refill Phase (補充フェイズ)
Place the card you chose in the Action Phase face up in the discard area. Then, in the empty space, turn the top card of the draw pile face up and place it there.
The turn then passes clockwise to the next player.
Fallen Objects (落ちたモノについて)
Determining whether an object has fallen (落ちたかどうかの判定)
An object that falls onto the table (somewhere other than on a floor tile) is treated as having fallen from the Shinra Tower.
Handling fallen objects (落ちたあとの扱い)
- Walls (カベ): Arrange the fallen walls so their number is clear, and place them beside the table.
- Floor tiles and allies (ユカ・仲間): Return them to the object supply area.
- Cloud and enemies (クラウド・敵): The player whose turn it is places the figure back onto a floor tile of the floor it was on just before it fell. If a floor tile of that floor cannot be used, place it on the floor tile of the floor closest to the one it was on.
- Example: the 6F floor tile falls, and Cloud, who was on that floor, falls with it. Cloud is placed on the 5F floor tile.
- Objects placed on the player's own turn (自分の手番に乗せたモノ): Falling does not count as falling. Place them back on the Shinra Tower as many times as needed during the turn.
Ending the Game (ゲームの終了)
Game Clear (ゲームクリア)
- All enemies on floors 1 to 8 have been defeated.
- Cloud is on a floor tile of the 8th floor or higher.
When both conditions are met, everyone immediately counts to five together. If the Shinra Tower has not collapsed after five seconds, the game is cleared and all players win.
Well done: Cloud and his companions have conquered up to the 8th floor. End the game here, or aim even higher...?
Game Over (ゲームオーバー)
The game ends in defeat for all players if any one of these conditions is met:
- The Shinra Tower collapses.
- 5 or more fallen walls (神羅ビルから落ちたカベが5枚以上) have accumulated.
- During an Enemy Action, the enemy you want to place on the Shinra Tower is not in the object supply area.
Cloud's challenge has ended in failure... Continue?
Supplementary Rules (補足ルール)
These rules may be read after you start playing. If you are unsure what to do in a situation, check here.
No Draw Pile (山札が無い)
If the draw pile is empty during the Refill Phase, turn all the action cards in the discard area face down, shuffle them thoroughly, and make them the new draw pile. Note: action cards not chosen remain where they are.
Required Wall Not Available (指示されたカベがない)
If the wall tiles indicated on the action card are not in the object supply area, choose a different type of wall tile instead and place it on the Shinra Tower.
Objects Left Hanging Partway (中途半端に残ったモノ)
When objects fall, some may be left hanging partway. For example:
- a wall without a floor tile on it remains;
- a wall is caught on the Shinra Tower;
- a figure has landed on a wall.
In such a state, remove every object other than the objects you placed on your own turn as fallen objects.
Action Cards in the Discard Area (捨て札置き場にあるカード)
Anyone may check the contents of the action cards in the discard area at any time.
Solo Play (1人プレイ)
When playing alone, do not pass the turn during the Refill Phase. Instead, repeat your own turn.
Challenge to Sephiroth (セフィロスへの挑戦)
End the game here, or aim even higher...!!
Once the game is cleared, everyone may challenge a greater height. Resume the game with the player after the last player who took a turn.
- All enemies on floors 1 to 15 have been defeated.
- Cloud is on a floor tile of the 15th floor or higher.
When both conditions are met, everyone immediately counts to five together. If the Shinra Tower has not collapsed after five seconds, the party wins against Sephiroth and the game is fully cleared.
Sephiroth appears on the 15th floor. Can you defeat Sephiroth, the final goal?