Hanzō: Light and Shadow Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Before You Start
  • How to Use Hanzō Cards to Create New Maps
• Components and Setup Notes
  • Components (PnP)
  • What You Need to Play
  • Notes on Components
• 1 – Solo – Into the Unknown
  • Game Goal
  • Setup
  • Board – Side A
  • How to Play
  • Events on Board Side A
  • Dice Placement and Resource Collection
  • How Resource Collection Works
  • End of Turn – Reinforcements
  • End of Game (Solo)
• 2 – Ninja vs Samurai – The Challenge
  • Introduction
  • Game Goal
  • Setup
  • How to Play
  • Events on Board – Side B
  • Resource Collection
  • End of Game (2-Player)
• Extra – Increasing the Solo Difficulty
  • + Minimum Difficulty
  • ++ Moderate Difficulty
  • +++ Insane Difficulty
• More Examples – Die Collections

Before You Start

1. Print the maps. You can find them in LOW INK, COLOR, or CLASSIC (Full Color) versions. You can adapt the print to A4/Letter.
2. Print and fold the player board. You can find it in LOW INK, COLOR, or CLASSIC (Full Color) versions. Adapt the print to A4/Letter.
3. Read the rulebook from page 12.

How to Use Hanzō Cards to Create New Maps

1. Print at 100% scale.
2. Match the FRONT and BACK sides (they are mirrored).
3. Choose or randomly draw 6 Cards and freely build your map, even overlapping spaces.

Note: For a SOLO game, just make sure you have at least one Door. For a 1 vs 1 game, you need at least 4 white resources of each type.

We recommend sleeving the cards.

Components and Setup Notes

Components (PnP)

• 1 Rulebook
• 1 Player Board (SIDE A and SIDE B)
• SPRING Map Sheets (various)

What You Need to Play

• 12 Meeples: the Samurai
• 8 Counters (Cubes)
• 4 Dice (d6 with pips on the faces)

or

• 1 Pencil and 1 Eraser
• 4 Dice (d6 with pips on the faces)

or generically

• 12 small objects like stones or coins
• 8 different small objects
• 4 Dice (d6 with pips on the faces)

Notes on Components

The game maps are divided into Card Modules (3x2), and each Card Module is divided into Spaces. Some spaces contain white resources, while others contain red resources (Doors).

• Roof squares: show both a roof and a floor.
• Floor squares: show only the floor.
• Neutral squares: contain a red Door. They are neither Roof nor Floor and can always be used, unless specific events related to the Doors occur.

1 – Solo – Into the Unknown

Game Goal

Recover the 10 weapons and reach the Eleventh House, by bringing all 4 resource counters to the value of 11.

Setup

1. Place the player board in front of you with SIDE A (RED) facing up.
2. Place one counter on the first space of each resource track and 4 more beside the Events.
3. Choose one map. Place 1 Samurai on a white resource space on each of the 6 Map Cards.
4. Place the remaining 6 Samurai Meeples and the 4 dice to the side.

Note: If you're using a pencil, simply mark the position of the Samurai on the Map.

Now you are ready to play.

Example: on the side, you can see the 6 Samurai placed on the Map: 1 per Map Card, on a white resource. Below, the 4 markers are placed on the starting space of the board.

Board – Side A

The type of Board is shown next to the weapons to be recovered. Also take note of the SOLO Ninja symbol.

How to Play

The game is played in turns. On each turn:

1. Roll all 4 dice.
2. Choose 1 die to discard — its value determines the event for this turn. Apply the event's effects immediately and for the rest of the turn.
3. Place a counter on the event to keep track (or mark it with a pencil). That event can't be triggered again until you reset.

Once you have marked 4 Events, reset the Board by erasing or removing the markers.

Note: If all dice rolled show numbers already marked on the Event track: no more effects will be applied. You are lucky: one die more to play in this turn.

Events on Board Side A

1. Bad Weather: discard 1 extra die. The second one does not trigger events.
2. Guardians: you must not interact with doors this turn.
3. Flying Lanterns: You may only place dice on the ground and collect resources only if they are on the ground. Reminder: Red Doors are not considered rooftops or ground.
4. Samurai: immediately add 1 Samurai to a white resource.
5. Patrolling Samurai: This turn, you may place dice only on rooftops and collect only the resources located on rooftops. As above: Doors are neither rooftops nor ground.
6. Quiet Night: no event this turn.

Event card icons as printed: Bad Weather – Discard 1 die; Guardians – No Doors this turn; Flying Lanterns – Stay on the ground; Samurai – Add 1 Samurai on a white resource; Patrolling Samurai – Stay on the Rooftops; Quiet Night – Nothing happens.

Dice Placement and Resource Collection

Place the remaining dice on the Map one at a time and progressively mark the resources collected from each die. You may place them anywhere there is a free space and not in conflict with the current event.

Dice can be placed with 45-degree rotation to allow diagonal collection.

Resource icons as printed: Door (red), Kayaku, Kara, and Hi. The caption on the page reads "Kemuridama – Smoke Bomb".

Example: If the GUARDIANS event is active this turn, you cannot place a die that would collect a Door. If the FLYING LANTERNS event is active this turn, you cannot place a die that would collect a resource on a Roof.

How Resource Collection Works

Collection happens based on the arrangement of the pips on the face of the played die:

• 1 pip: take 1 resource covered by the die.
• 2 pips: take 1 resource of your choice along the diagonal defined by the die's pips.
• 3 pips: take 1 resource covered by the die + 2 adjacent diagonal resources.
• 4 pips: take 2 resources of your choice along the diagonals indicated by the die's pips.
• 5 pips: take 1 resource covered by the die + 2 along the diagonals indicated by the die's pips.
• 6 pips: take all resources in the direction indicated by the die's pips.

Pick-up diagram labels as printed: 1 – "1 in the spot"; 2 – "1 visible on the diagonal"; 3 – "1 on the spot + 2 adjacent"; 4 – "2 visible even on the 2 diagonals"; 5 – "1 on the spot + 2 adjacent"; 6 – "All visible on the same line".

When you collect one or more white resources, advance the corresponding counters on your Player Board. You may choose the order in which to collect them.

When you collect a Red Door, move the Door counter, if possible (***), forward and remove 1 Samurai from the Map — you've overpowered them using the weapon you just gained.

Collection rules:

• You cannot collect resources beyond a Samurai or a die placed. You cannot see them.
• You may collect only visible resources (not covered by Samurai or dice).

Warning (***): the Door counter may never surpass the other counters. Whenever this would happen, it remains in its previous position and the resource is wasted.

Example 1 – RED (above): The active event this turn is SAMURAI ON PATROL. You can neither place dice nor collect ground resources. Place the die showing 3, aligned with the indicated diagonal. This placement complies with the event, since you're not collecting any ground resources. You may collect both KARA and HI in any order you prefer. Take note: the Samurai Meeple prevents you from taking the resource beneath it — but in this case, that's actually an advantage, as it helps you comply with the event.

Example 2 – BLUE (above): Place the die showing 3, aligned with the indicated diagonal. You're on the rooftop, BUT this placement would collect the KARA resource located on the ground. This goes against the event's condition. So, you cannot place the die this way. Look for a different position or die orientation — for example, the PINK placement (on the side). If you have no alternative placements, you've lost.

Example 1 – RED (page 14): The active event is SAMURAI. We place the die showing 5, aligned with the red diagonal. The collection forces us to take 2 KARA, which we mark on the Player Board, and 1 GATE, which we cannot collect because the Gate counter cannot advance beyond the underlying resources.

Example 2 – BLUE (page 14): We place the die showing 5, aligned with the blue diagonal. The collection gives you 1 HI, which you mark on your board, and 1 GATE, which you can now obtain because you had previously loaded a HI. Since you've gained a GATE, you can finally remove a Samurai.

End of Turn – Reinforcements

After placing all your dice, the turn ends and reinforcements arrive for the Samurai:

• Place 2 new Samurai on the Map. Samurai are placed starting from the Map Cards that have at least 1 of your dice on them, always on a white resource.
• If that's not possible, place them on a nearby card (still on a white resource).

Gather all your dice — even the one discarded — and prepare for the next turn.

End of Game (Solo)

The game ends if:

• VICTORY: All 4 counters reach their maximum value (11). Congratulations!
• DEFEAT: You must place a Samurai or a die, but you cannot. Sayonara! (For example, because you don't have any left Samurai to play.)

2 – Ninja vs Samurai – The Challenge

Introduction

In this mode, one player takes on the role of the Ninja, focused on recovering their weapons, while the other plays the Samurai, determined to stop them before they escape.

Game Goal

The Ninja must recover all the weapons and escape by reaching the eleventh space (i.e., bringing all 4 resource counters to the value of 11). The Samurai wins if they manage to stop the Ninja before that happens.

Setup

Setup is the same as in the solo mode, with the following differences:

• Use the Player Board on SIDE B (which features different events compared to SIDE A). You can recognize it by the symbol showing a Ninja and a Samurai (see above).
• At the beginning of the game, the Samurai places 3 Samurai Meeples — one per Map Card (3x2), always on white spaces. The remaining Samurai Meeples (9) will be controlled by the player who plays as the Samurai.
• The game Map is chosen by the Ninja from the available options.

Note: If you're using a pencil, simply mark the position of the Samurai on the Map.

Now you're ready to play.

Example: Above, you can see the Game Sheet with 3 Samurai placed on the Map — one per Card, each on a white resource.

How to Play

The game structure is similar to the solo mode, but includes interaction between the two roles.

Each turn plays out as follows:

1. The Ninja rolls all 4 dice.
2. The Samurai chooses and removes one of the rolled numbers, thus determining the first Event of the turn (then place the corresponding die on the Event).
3. The Ninja freely places one of the remaining dice and collects the corresponding resources (dice can be rotated 45° to enable diagonal collection).
4. The Samurai chooses and removes a second die, activating a second Event, which stacks with the first (again, place that die on the Event).
5. The Ninja places their final die and collects the corresponding resources.
6. At the end of the turn, the Samurai places 1 new Meeple on the Map, starting from a Card Module that contains at least 1 Ninja die, and always on a white resource.
7. Then gather all 4 dice and start again from step 1.

Warning (!): If any resource passes the RED vertical line shown on the Board, the Samurai starts placing 2 Samurai at the end of each turn.

Events on Board – Side B

1. Samurai: Immediately add 1 Samurai to a white resource. Then continue the turn as normal.
2. Flying Lanterns: This turn, you may place dice only on the ground and collect only ground resources. DOORs are considered both Rooftop and Ground, so they are valid.
3. Spirits: Erase all events this turn. (Printed icon text: "Cancel 1 Active Event".)
4. Patrolling Samurai: You may only place dice on the roofs and collect resources on the roofs this turn. (Doors count as both Roof and Ground, so they are valid.)
5. Sleeping Guardians: The Ninja immediately gains 1 resource of their choice.
6. Quiet Night: No events this turn.

Board Side B pick-up labels as printed: 1 in the spot; 1 visible on the diagonal; 1 on the spot + 2 adjacent; 2 visible even on the 2 diagonals; 1 on the spot + 2 adjacent; All visible on the same line.

Board Side B footnotes as printed: ** REMEMBER: You can place dice rotated 45 degrees. *** REMEMBER: Dice, Samurai, and the outer edge of the map are obstacles to resource collection.

Resource Collection

Each die collects resources based on its value, exactly as in the solo mode. All rules, limits, restrictions, and benefits related to the resource counters and the Door counter remain unchanged.

At the end of the turn, the Ninja retrieves all dice — including the discarded ones — and the next turn begins.

How collection works (also known as resource gathering): Collection happens based on the arrangement of the pips on the face of the played die:

• 1 pip: take 1 resource covered by the die.
• 2 pips: take 1 resource of your choice along the diagonal defined by the die's pips.
• 3 pips: take 1 resource covered by the die + 2 adjacent diagonal resources.
• 4 pips: take 2 resources of your choice along the diagonals indicated by the die's pips.
• 5 pips: take 1 resource covered by the die + 2 along the diagonals indicated by the die's pips.
• 6 pips: take all resources in the direction indicated by the die's pips.

End of Game (2-Player)

• VICTORY – NINJA: if all 4 resource counters reach the value of 11.
• VICTORY – SAMURAI: if, at the end of a turn, it's no longer possible to place a new Samurai Meeple, or if the Ninja is unable to place their dice.

Extra – Increasing the Solo Difficulty

Have you already defeated the Samurai and want to test yourself with even greater challenges?

The following optional rules increase the difficulty of the game, making the Samurai more unpredictable, numerous, and dangerous. Choose freely which ones to activate — and how many — then fight your way through the hordes to claim final victory!

+ Minimum Difficulty

Disastrous Events: Always discard the die with the lowest value to determine the event for the turn. This won't affect placement, but it will severely limit your strategic options.

Paper Doors: Doors are considered both Roof and Ground. The result? 3 out of 6 Events can block access to Doors entirely.

++ Moderate Difficulty

Constant Reinforcements: Start the game with only 4 Samurai on the Map (instead of 6). At the end of each turn, however, add 3 Samurai instead of 2. The pressure ramps up quickly!

Dull Weapons: When you collect a Red Door, you may remove a Samurai only if it's adjacent to one of your placed dice (8 spaces around). Otherwise, no Samurai is removed — the weapon failed to take effect.

+++ Insane Difficulty

Wounded: You've been hit! Your mobility is limited: roll only 3 dice instead of 4. After discarding one for the event, you'll have just 2 dice to place (and in case of Bad Weather, only 1!). Survival will be a true feat.

Gradual Procedure: Resources must now be collected in strict order. No counter can move ahead of the one directly below it on the player board. If it happens, the increase is canceled and the resource is wasted. You'll need careful planning... and nerves of steel.

More Examples – Die Collections

Let's look at a few examples to help visualize the rules explained earlier.

Numbers 1, 3, and 6 are very simple for everyone. Let's focus on numbers 2, 4, and 5, which tend to be more complex during the first game.

Example 1 (p.16): We're not considering any Events. By placing the die showing 2 this way, we can choose 1 resource along the diagonal. We cannot collect the resource underneath the die.

Example 2 (p.16): In this case, the die showing 4 and a Samurai Meeple prevent us from collecting most resources. We can only obtain the visible resource: KARA (the shell of the smoke bomb).

Example 3 (p.16): As long as it doesn't conflict with the Event, I can always rotate the die to choose the resources I prefer. In this case, I can choose whether to take KAYAKU or KARA.

Example 4 (p.17): No Events for now. Die 4, placed as shown. Collect 2 resources on the same line or 1 + 1 on different lines. When Events are active, these choices may be restricted. You may then collect: – 2 resources on the Vertical, OR – 2 on the Horizontal, OR – 1 on the Vertical and 1 on the Horizontal.

Example 5 (p.17): In this case, the Die 4 can collect only one resource. The DOOR is under the die and cannot be taken; KARA is beyond the map break, so it's also inaccessible.

Example 6 (p.17): By rotating Die 4, and with no obstacles or restrictions, you can collect resources with multiple options. In this case, you may take 1 + 1 resources on the same diagonal or on two different ones.

Example 7 (p.17, Patrolling Samurai): The Event requires you to place and collect on a rooftop. With Die 5, you collect the resource under the die plus 2 adjacent ones. IN RED: The two Samurai present allow this placement because they cover the white ground resources. If even one Samurai were missing, you couldn't place the die this way, as you'd be forced to collect a ground resource — which would violate the current Event. IN BLUE: Correct placement on a rooftop and collection of rooftop-only resources. You simply need to choose which adjacent resources to take.

Example 8 (p.17, Guardians): The Event prevents you from collecting DOORs. The dice you play must not collect DOORs. Some cases: – RED Die 5 – OK: no DOORs are collected. – BLUE Die 5 – OK: collects 2 adjacent white resources. – BLUE Die 4 – NOT OK: must collect 1 + 1 resources, including a DOOR. – RED Die 2 – OK: collects 1 diagonal resource. If no other options are available, place a die without collecting any resources.