Night of the Ninja
Night of the Ninja Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Credits
Game Design: Justin Gary
Art: Ben Charman
Graphic Design: Matt Paquette Co.
Published by Brotherwise Games
Additional Design and Development: Gary Arant, Jason Zila, Jared Saramago, Ryan Sutherland, Mataio Wilson
Box Contents
- 33 Ninja cards
- 11 House cards
- 11 Player standees
- 35 Honor tokens (+ 5 extra)
Overview
It's the Night of the Ninja! Two houses battle for Honor.
You must kill the members of the opposing House before they kill you.
The challenge? You don't know who's an enemy and who's an ally!
Setup
Based on the number of players, set aside an equal number of Crane and Lotus House cards. Begin with the 1 and 2 rank cards for a four-player game, adding additional cards (in order) for larger games.
If there is an odd number of players, include the Ronin.
Shuffle the Ninja deck. Shuffle the 35 star-shaped Honor tokens and stack them number-side down within reach of all players. Each player should place a standee in front of their play space. You're ready to play!
Example: For a 7-player game you would deal Lotus House 1, 2 and 3, Crane House 1, 2 and 3, and the Ronin (x).
Play
Each round, players attempt to identify and kill rival ninjas.
At the end of each round, all members of the House with the highest ranked survivor get a random Honor token (worth 2, 3, or 4 points). The first player to 10 points wins the game!
Each round includes the Start of Round, Ninja Draft, the Night, the House Reveal, and the End of Round.
Start of Round
First, shuffle the prepared House cards and deal one face down to each player. You may look at your own House card but may not reveal it to other players.
If your House card is a high rank (like 1 or 2), try to survive! At ranks 3, 4, or 5 you might see yourself as more expendable. Focus on keeping higher ranked House members alive.
Ninja Draft
Once House cards are assigned...
- Deal three Ninja cards to each player.
- Each player chooses one Ninja card, then passes the remaining two to the player on their left.
- Each player chooses another Ninja card, then discards the last card to the center of the table.
Set aside any Ninja cards that were not dealt this turn, then move to the Night phase!
Choose a card, pass to the left, then repeat!
The Night
During the Night, players play their Ninja cards. The Night is broken down into five phases:
- Spy
- Mystic
- Trickster
- Blind Assassin
- Shinobi
Table talk is encouraged in every phase of the Night!
Spy and Mystic cards are played early, gaining valuable information. Tricksters can shake up the game. Blind Assassin and Shinobi cards kill other players, but only if they can survive to the end of the Night!
During each phase of the Night, you may choose to play any Ninja cards you have corresponding to that phase.
- To play a Ninja card, place it face-up on the table. The number on each card determines when it is resolved. Resolve all cards of that phase in order from first (1) to last (6).
- If no player reveals a card, move on to the next phase.
- A player may choose not to play a Ninja card – they may want to bluff that it's something else – but if a Ninja card is skipped, it can't be played later in the round.
Example: As the Night begins, any player asks, "who has Spies?" Two players simultaneously reveal their Spies: a 2 and a 5. The player with the 2 goes first, followed by the 5. Then the round moves on to the Mystic step.
Dying
Some Ninja cards will cause players to be killed. If you are killed, DO NOT reveal your House card. Knock down your player standee to indicate that you are dead. Note that you may continue to speak, advise your team members, and attempt to manipulate the game!
Special Ninja Cards
Each Trickster card has a different name and a unique ability. Otherwise, the Trickster phase is like any other. You resolve the Tricksters in numerical order, starting with 1 (the Shapeshifter), or the highest ranked Trickster present in the step.
There are three cards that can be played out of sequence. The Mirror Monk and Martyr are played as "reacts" in response to a Blind Assassin or Shinobi. The Mastermind is revealed at the end of the round, if you survived.
Once the Night ends, it's time for the House Reveal.
House Reveal
After the Night, if you're still alive, reveal your House card! The House with the highest ranked surviving player wins the round. 1 is the highest rank, followed by 2, then 3, and so on. Ties are broken by the next highest surviving player of the House. When a House wins, every member of the winning House draws one Honor token – even if they were killed! Award Honor tokens face down.
If playing as the Ronin, you draw one Honor token if you survive the round.
Example: Lotus 1 survives against Crane 2, Crane 3 and Crane 4. Lotus House wins! No matter how many members of Crane House survive, the highest ranking card wins.
Example: Lotus 1 and Lotus 2 survive against Crane 2 and Crane 3. Crane House wins! Their highest ranked cards are tied, so you compare the next pair of cards. 2's are tied, so 3 beats 4.
Example: Lotus 1, Crane 2 and the Ronin survive. Lotus House wins! But the Ronin also gets an Honor token for surviving.
Example: Lotus 2 and Crane 2 survive. If the score is totally tied, no House wins. Award an Honor token to each surviving player.
Winning the Game
While you play each round as a team, you're all competing to be the ultimate winner! At the end of any round, if you have collected enough Honor tokens to score 10 points, reveal them to claim victory! If multiple players reach 10 or more points on the same turn, the highest score wins. If the score is tied, those players share the victory.
A game of Night of the Ninja can end quickly, so be ready to shuffle and play again!
Ninja Card Text
The Ninja cards shown throughout this rulebook read as follows. The number in the corner of each card sets the order in which it resolves within its phase, from first (1) to last (6).
Phase 1 — Spy
Spy — Look at another player's HOUSE card.
Phase 2 — Mystic
Mystic — Look at the HOUSE card and one NINJA card of another player.
Phase 3 — Trickster
Shapeshifter (Trickster 1) — Look at the HOUSE cards of two players. You may secretly swap them around. They may not look at their new HOUSES.
Grave Digger (Trickster 2) — Look at two discarded NINJA cards and pick one. You may play it immediately or keep it in front of you for use later.
Troublemaker (Trickster 3) — Look at another player's HOUSE card. You may reveal it.
Spirit Merchant (Trickster 4) — Look at another player's HONOR token or HOUSE card. You may swap one HONOR token with them.
Thief (Trickster 5) — Reveal your HOUSE card. You may take one HONOR token from a player who has more than you.
Judge (Trickster 6) — Reveal your HOUSE card. Choose a player and KILL them. Mirror Monks and Martyrs do not work on the Judge.
Phase 4 — Blind Assassin
Blind Assassin — Choose a player and KILL them.
Phase 5 — Shinobi
Shinobi — Choose a player. Look at their HOUSE card. You may choose to KILL them.
Out of Sequence
Mirror Monk (react) — Reveal this if a Shinobi or Blind Assassin chooses to KILL you. KILL them instead.
Martyr (react) — Reveal this if a Shinobi or Blind Assassin chooses to KILL you. Gain an HONOR token.
Mastermind (reveal) — If you are still alive during the Reveal Phase, your HOUSE wins the round. (If you are the Ronin, no HOUSES win this round.)