Kenta Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
  • Kenta Disc
  • Kenta Dice
  • Kenta Finish line marker
  • Action cards
  • Objective cards
  • Identification cards
• Gameplay
• Objective
• Preparation
• Race
  • Pawns
  • Hot spot sprints
  • Kenta Finish line
  • Voting for movement of the Kenta Finish line
  • Action cards
• End of Race
• End of Game and Scoring
• Objective Cards
  • Color objectives (five cards, one for each color)
  • Last-place objective (one card)
  • Finish line objective (one card)
• Action Cards

Components

• 1 Board
• 1 Kenta Disc
• 2 Kenta Dice
• 1 Kenta Finish line marker
• 48 Action cards
• 7 Objective cards
• 10 markers; 5 black and 5 white
• 5 Identification cards, 1 for each player
• 5 Pawns in 5 different colors, one for each player
• 10 Discs in 5 different colors, two for each player.

Kenta Disc

Black on one side, white on the other. The color of the Kenta Disc determines the squares that will be active during each turn and where the player you want to use an action card on should be; if the Kenta is black, the player must be in front of you; if it is white, s/he must be behind you.

Kenta Dice

Two identical dice, one of them black, the other white. They are twelve sided, with three faces showing "I", two faces showing "II", three faces showing "III" and three faces showing "IV".

Kenta Finish line marker

An orange marker signaling the square the pawns must reach for the race to end.

Action cards

These cards provide special actions during a player's turn. They are described in depth at the end of these rules.

Objective cards

These cards show each player's secret objective. They are described in depth at the end of these rules.

Identification cards

These cards show each player's color and they include a key to the symbols used in the action cards.

Gameplay

Kenta throws players into uncertainty, into chaos, into the others' influences on our own destiny. It is a race, not against time, but against the unpredictable. The Kenta Finish line marker moves at the players' will and crossing it first does not guarantee victory.

Objective

Players take part in a very special race with a secret objective. When the race finishes, the objectives for each of the players are revealed for bonus points and this decides the winner of the game.

Preparation

The board is placed in the middle of the table. Next, flip the Kenta disc and place it in the center of the board, so all players can see what side (black or white) is showing. Place the Kenta Finish line (orange marker) on square 25 in the track.

Each player chooses an identification card, two discs and one pawn, all in the same color. One of the discs is placed on the '0' square in the scoring track in the board, and the other will be used for signaling going through a hot spot sprint. The pawn is placed on square 0 (30) in the track. Also, each player takes one white marker and one black marker.

One objective and one action card are dealt to each player. Objective cards are kept secret until the end of the race. Action cards are kept secret until used.

Finally, the starting player is decided at random.

Race

Starting with the first player and counter-clockwise, each player performs the following actions:

1. Roll the Kenta dice: a. If the two dice show the same number, the Kenta disc is automatically flipped (if it was showing the white side, it now shows the black side, and vice versa). Also, players vote for the movement of the Kenta Finish line (see Voting for movement of the Kenta Finish line). b. If the two dice show different numbers, choose one of the dice and make the Kenta disc show that color.
2. The squares in the color shown by the Kenta disc are now active (and the ones with the opposite color are inactive).
3. The action corresponding to the value of the chosen die (or dice) is performed: a. If value is I, II or III, the pawn is advanced 1, 2 or 3 squares. b. If value is IV, draw a card from the pile.
4. Use up to two cards for special actions. You can use each card in one of two different ways: a. Perform the actions show in the card. b. Discard it, face up, and draw one card from the pile.

Pawns

Each player has one pawn, showing her/his place in the race. During a player's turn, his/her pawn will very likely be moved, and due to the effect of some cards, other players' pawns may move too. Every time a pawn ends its movement on a square showing a card (see left), that player draws a card from the pile. When it ends on a square which has been made active by Kenta (see right), s/he moves two squares forwards/backwards, depending on what the square shows. If after moving forwards or backwards the pawn ends up on a square showing a card, the player draws a card from the pile. A pawn which has not been moved will not be affected by this.

Hot spot sprints

Hot spot sprints are squares that give bonus points when they are reached or passed, allowing the player to move forward a number of squares once the race is over. The first player who reaches or goes through one of these spots gets 1 point, the second one, 3 points; and the last one, 2. When two or more players reach or go through one of these spots at the same time, they all get the same number of points. When one player reaches or goes through one of these spots for the second time, s/he does not get any points. To show how many points have been awarded, the first disc in the scoring track is adjusted. The second disc is used to show a player going through a hot spot sprint.

Kenta Finish line

The Kenta Finish line is an orange marker which indicates the square in the track that must be reached by pawns to end the race. It starts on square 25, and moves every time one of these four situations happens:

1. When the numbers in the dice are the same, after rotating the Kenta disc, all players vote for or against moving the Kenta Finish line (see Voting for movement of the Kenta Finish line).
2. When the pawn of the active players ends its movement caused by the dice in a hot spot sprint square, said player moves the Kenta Finish line forwards/backwards in one square.
3. When any pawn ends its movement caused by the dice in a hot spot sprint square, all players with their pawns in a hot spot sprint square vote for or against moving the Kenta Finish line (see Voting for movement of the Kenta Finish line).
4. When a player applies the actions on a card showing the symbol on the right, s/he rotates the Kenta disc or moves backwards/forward the Kenta Finish line in one square.

Voting for movement of the Kenta Finish line

When two or more players have to vote for or against moving the Kenta Finish line, they do so by hiding a black or white marker in their hand and producing it at the same time. The Kenta Finish line moves forward in one square for each black marker and backward in one square for each white marker.

Action cards

Players must have at least one action card and no more than five. When the action that makes a player lose her/his last card ends, that player draws a card from the pile immediately. When a player holds five cards and gets extra cards, these are immediately discarded. This is explained in depth at the end of this rules book.

End of Race

The race ends immediately when a pawn reaches or goes through the Kenta Finish line, or when the Kenta Finish line moves to reach the pawn in the first position. The race also ends if the pile is completely drawn for the second time.

End of Game and Scoring

The position for each player is decided: more than one player may hold the same position.

Players get points, showing in the scoring track, according to the following:

1. Achieved objectives (see Objective cards).
2. Action cards in his/her hand that award additional points (see Action Cards).

Finally, players move their pawns forward as many squares as the scoring tracks is showing. The player with the pawn further up the track wins the game. In the case of a draw, the player with the most cards in his/her hand is the winner (those cards awarding points are not considered for this). If there is still a draw, the rest of the players vote for the winner.

Objective Cards

Objective cards determine the secret objective for each player. There are three kinds of objectives:

Color objectives (five cards, one for each color)

There are a total of five cards of this kind, one for each color. In games with less than five players, those cards showing the colors that will not be used are discarded before the objectives are dealt. There are two possibilities:

a) When the player's color does not coincide with the one in the card, the player moves 4 squares forward if the player with that color ends up in the first position. Regardless of the first objective, if the player ends up in the second position, s/he moves 2 squares forward.

b) When the player's color coincides with the one in the card, the player moves 5 squares forward if s/he ends up in the second position; if s/he does not end up second, s/he moves 2 squares backwards.

Last-place objective (one card)

There is only one card of this kind. If the player ends up the last, s/he moves 8 squares forward. If the player ends up neither last nor first, s/he moves 3 squares forward.

Finish line objective (one card)

There is only one card of this kind. In games with less than five players, it is discarded before objectives are distributed. If the Kenta Finish line ends the race on a square below 20 or over 30, the player moves 5 squares forward. Regardless of the first objective, if the player ends up last, s/he moves 4 squares forward.

Action Cards

Action cards allow for special actions during a player's turn. They have some symbols that always hold the same meaning:

• Flip/move Kenta or the Finish line: The active player must flip the Kenta disc or move the Kenta Finish line one square forward/backwards.
• Affected player must be ahead or behind: The player affected by this card must be ahead the active player when the Kenta disc is black and behind him/her when the Kenta disc is black. This card cannot be used against a player in the same square as the active player. (Editor's note: the printed text says "black" in both clauses; the icon pairs a white (down-pointing) triangle with a black (up-pointing) triangle, so the second clause presumably means "when the Kenta disc is white". Transcribed as printed.)
• The active player (I).
• The player affected by the card (you).
• The other players (all of you).
• Move forward/backwards (+/-).
• Draw/discard one card. The active player draws one card from the pile, or discards one card face up.
• Give one card to another player.
• Get one point at the end of the game if you are holding this card.
• STOP: Cancel the effects of other player's action card. Both cards are discarded immediately. It can be played even when it is not your turn. The player whose effects have been canceled gets one point, marking it in the scoring track.

Action cards always produce their effects up-to-down. A game may end without all the effects in one card having been applied. Some examples follow:

• The active player chooses another player. That player must be in front of you if the Kenta is black, behind if the Kenta is white. Said player moves 2 squares forward.
• The active player moves 1 square forward.
• The active player moves all the other players one square forward/backwards. S/he can move some players forward and some others backwards.
• The active player moves one square backwards/forward.
• The active player chooses another player. That player must be in front of you if the Kenta is black, behind if the Kenta is white. The active player gives this card to said player.
• The active player flips the Kenta disc or moves the Kenta Finish line one square forward/backwards.
• All players (this includes the active player) move one square forward.
• The active player moves three squares forward. (The player holding this card at the end of the game gets one point)