Inoka
Inoka Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Gameplay Overview
Inoka is played in rounds of multiple Clashes. To Clash, players simultaneously reveal one Tactic card from their hands.
When a player wins a Clash, they take the Leaf Totem. To win the round, a player with the Leaf Totem may either win a Clash using the Attack Tactic while in possession of the Leaf Totem, OR be in possession of the Leaf Totem after the final Clash. The winner of the round claims a Sacred Stone.
The first player to claim 3 Sacred Stones wins!
Tactic Hierarchy
Attack beats Taunt. Taunt beats Block. Block beats Attack.
Components
- Sacred Stones (9)
- Leaf Totem (1)
- Tactic Cards (36): Attack, Taunt and Block, each with Strength levels I, II and III.
Leaf Totem and Gaining Advantage
The only way to obtain Sacred Stones and win the game is to gain Advantage on an opponent. Advantage is represented by the Leaf Totem.
Simply put: If a player doesn't have the Leaf Totem and wins a Clash, then they take the Leaf Totem to show they have gained Advantage.
Setup
Place the Sacred Stones and the Leaf Totem in the middle of the play area.
Each player gets a set of 9 Tactic Cards: Attack I, II, III / Block I, II, III / Taunt I, II, III.
Players will choose 5 cards to use in each round. The other cards will go face down in a discard pile. Anytime a Tactic is discarded, it will go face up in the discard pile.
Player Hand: keep it secret.
Discard Pile: 4 hidden, others face up.
Card Details
Each Tactic card has a reminder of which Tactic it beats and which it loses to, as well as Strength marks and Tactic type. Each set of Tactics includes one card of each Strength level (as shown on the sheet: Block I, Block II, Block III).
Card anatomy: Strength Marks (the marks in the card's corner) and Tactic Type (the paw, shield or spear icon shown on the card).
Prepare
Before each round, each player selects 5 out of their 9 Tactic cards to create their hand for the round.
Put the others facedown in a discard pile; they will not be needed until the next round.
Clash!
To Clash, all players select a Tactic card and place it face down in front of them. Players then simultaneously reveal their chosen Tactic.
The winner of a Clash is decided by consulting the Tactic Hierarchy. In the event of a tie, use the Strength marks to break the tie (e.g. Attack-III beats Attack-II).
Once a Clash is resolved, any discarded Tactics will go face up in the discard pile, so your opponents can see what you've already played.
Clashing in a 2 player game
Clash as described above. The winner of a Clash gains Advantage and takes the Leaf Totem.
If two identical Tactic cards are played (e.g. Taunt-II vs Taunt-II), then the Clash is ruled a tie; the Leaf Totem does not move, and play proceeds with the next Clash.
If the player with the Leaf Totem wins a Clash with an Attack Tactic, they win the round immediately and claim a Sacred Stone (the round is now over). Otherwise, players continue to Clash until both have played all 5 of their Tactic cards.
Whoever has the Leaf Totem after resolving the final Clash is the winner of the round and claims a Sacred Stone.
Example Head-to-Head Clash: Taunt-I beats Block-III.
Example Head-to-Head Clash: Attack-III beats Attack-II.
Clashing in a 3-4 player game
There are two types of Clashes: an initial Free-For-All Clash with all players, and a series of Challenge Clashes that are 1v1.
Free-For-All Clash
All players reveal their chosen Tactic on the count of three. Each player then compares their Tactic against each other player. The player who wins the most matchups wins the Free-For-All Clash.
If two or more players tie for most wins, they pick up their Tactics and Clash again until a single winner remains. The winner picks up their winning Tactic, gains Advantage and takes the Leaf Totem. The losers discard their losing Tactics.
Example Free-For-All Clash: Block-III beats both other Tactics.
Challenge Clashes
The player sitting to the left of the Leaf Totem is the first Challenger. Those two players then Clash. If two identical Tactic cards are played, both players pick up those Tactic cards and Clash again. If this happens 3 times in a row, the Challenger loses.
The winner of the Clash picks up their winning Tactic and takes (or retains) the Leaf Totem. The loser of the Clash discards their losing Tactic.
If the Leaf Totem did not change hands, then the next player clockwise becomes the new Challenger.
If the Leaf Totem DID change hands, then the player to the left of the Leaf Totem becomes the new Challenger. It is possible for the same two players to Clash again, but with their roles reversed.
The process of Challenging continues clockwise around the table with players competing head-to-head for the Leaf Totem.
Players may continue to Challenge until they have just one Tactic card left. Once a player has only one Tactic card left, they are no longer allowed to Challenge for the Leaf Totem and are out of the round.
When no Challengers remain, the player who holds the Leaf Totem wins the round and claims a Sacred Stone. Alternatively, the player with the Leaf Totem may end the round early by defeating all other Challengers in a row.
If you're good enough to beat all your challengers, you deserve a stone - go ahead and claim one.
Triumph (Winning the Game)
The first player to collect 3 Sacred Stones wins! (No matter how many players are playing.)