Ninja Burger: Secret Ninja Death Touch Edition

Ninja Burger: Secret Ninja Death Touch Edition Rulebook

Table of Contents

Components

This super-deluxe Secret Ninja Death Touch Edition of Ninja Burger includes everything from both the original edition and the Sumo-Size Me! supplement, plus more. It contains:

This rulesheet.
Three black ninja dice.
Tokens representing Money and Honor.
216 cards: 18 Ninja cards (black back), 87 Mission cards (red back), and 111 Fortune cards (white back). 72 of the cards carry a sumo-wrestler icon, indicating that they originally appeared in Sumo-Size Me!. This has no effect on play.

How to Win

You are about to join the elite Ninja Burger delivery team! You will deliver tasty Ninja Burger meals to some very strange places, and nothing will stand in your way.

The object of the game is to win promotion to Branch Manager! There are three ways to earn this promotion. The first is to be so much better than your rivals that you are chosen to open a new franchise. This happens if, at the end of a round, you have at least 5 more Honor points than every other player.

You can also win by replacing the Branch Manager of your own franchise . . . which may occur somewhat unexpectedly.

The Branch Manager's position comes open when the TOTAL honor of all players at the table, at the end of a round, is at least (10 × Number of Players). At that point, your Ninja Burger branch has won so much honor that the Branch Manager is promoted! The ninja with the highest Honor is chosen to replace him, and wins.

On the other hand, if total Honor drops below (4 × Number of Players), the Branch Manager goes to apologize to his ancestors. (The game must play three full rounds before this can happen.) Again, the ninja with the highest Honor becomes his replacement, and wins. Try to do better than your predecessor . . .

If there is a tie for highest Honor when the Branch Manager's position comes open, the ninjas with the highest honor will fight it out in a sudden-death tiebreaker; see The Challenge, below.

Starting the Game

Divide the cards into three decks: Ninja, Mission, and Fortune cards. Leave room for a face-up discard pile beside each deck.

Put the Money and Honor tokens in a convenient place. Create the Tip Jar by putting eight money counters in a cup: four $50, two $100, one $200, and one $500. You will only draw from the jar if a card tells you to. You don't start with any money, but you will get paid at the beginning of each turn.

Deal each player three Ninja cards. Each player picks one to be his character and discards the others. Reshuffle the whole Ninja deck after everyone has chosen. Put six Honor tokens on each character.

Each ninja reports to the Ninja Burger office and is issued three Fortune cards. The first round of play now starts.

Your Character

As you prepare for your first assignment, review your abilities . . .

Skills

Your character card shows your skills. The five basic Ninja Skills are Combat, Stealth, Disguise, Climbing, and Customer Service. Most ninjas have high levels in these skills.

A few ninjas happen to have other skills . . . things like Driving and Animals. Many ninjas don't have these specific skills. The last listing for each character is simply "Other Stuff." It covers all skills that are not named on the card! When you are called on to make ANY skill roll for a skill that is not listed on your character card, roll against Other Stuff.

COMBAT includes the unarmed martial arts, the use of all weapons, and the lethal use of anything else that might be lying around. The ninja learns when to kill silently and when to kill with really loud yells. The ninja also learns how to subdue foes without killing, as anyone might be a customer someday.
STEALTH is the ability not to be seen or heard, as well as the skill of entering places where one does not belong. The ninja should not be seen by anyone except the customer.
DISGUISE is vital to the ninja. Sometimes it is not possible to avoid being seen. If you must be seen, then it is important not to be recognized.
CLIMBING is, of course, vital. This also includes leaping, falling, and swinging from ropes . . . while carrying a bag in one hand.
CUSTOMER SERVICE is the ability to remember the customer's special needs and to project confidence at all times. The ninja must be able to maintain his cheerful demeanor despite fatigue, inner angst, and the wounds of battle. A happy ninja means a happy customer!

Special Abilities

Each card also tells a bit about your character. Some characters have a special ability of some kind (which tends to make up for low skill scores) or a special disadvantage (which tends to make up for high skill scores).

Honor and Money

Honor tokens can never be transferred to other players. Gained or lost honor always goes to the "bank."

Money, on the other hand, can be transferred at any time, even in the middle of missions (you may buy items from your fellow ninja in mid-mission, too, if they'll sell!). You are welcome to bribe your fellow ninjas, or to beg them for favors.

Play of the Game

The game is played in rounds. In each round, each ninja in turn will try to complete his assigned mission. Each phase starts with the ninja who currently has the highest Honor, and goes clockwise. On the first turn, everyone has the same Honor score so everyone rolls the three dice; the high roller goes first in each phase.

The Round

Phase 1: Pay. Everyone takes money tokens worth $100. The ninja with the highest Honor gets a $50 bonus (if there is a tie for highest Honor, nobody gets the bonus). Everyone also draws one Fortune card.

Phase 2: Draw Mission Cards. Starting with the ninja with the highest Honor, everyone draws one Mission card. This is the Mission assigned by your Branch Manager. Look at your Mission, without showing it to anyone else, and decide whether you will come to the Staff Meeting (see below for the reason why you might choose not to).

Phase 3: Reveal Missions. When everyone has decided, all players who will come to the meeting expose their Mission cards at once. Those who are not coming to the meeting leave their Mission cards face-down for now.

Phase 4: Staff Meeting. Everyone who came to the meeting draws another Fortune card. Those players can now make deals to trade Missions; you can sweeten deals with money and Ninja Stuff. However, low-Honor ninjas who come to the meeting may get stuck with an Errand . . . Everyone must end up with one Mission.

However, if you don't come to the meeting, you get an early start on your mission, so you get one free second try on any failed roll on that mission!

(If only one ninja comes to the meeting, he still gets a Fortune card . . . and, because the meeting broke up early, he still gets one free second try on any failed roll.)

Phase 5: Missions. Starting with the player with the highest Honor and going clockwise, each player reveals his Mission (if it was still face down) and tries to perform it. This is the player's "turn." See Missions, below, for details.

Phase 6: Honor Bonus/Penalty. After each player has attempted his Mission:

If only one ninja succeeded, that ninja gets an extra point of Honor.
If only one ninja failed, that ninja loses an extra point of Honor!
If no ninja failed a Mission this round, the entire franchise gains merit! Each player gets one more Honor token at the end of the round.

Phase 7: Discard. All players must now use or discard cards to get their hands down to 5 or less. Item cards may be bought at this time. Fortune cards may be played unless the card says otherwise.

Phase 8: Check Honor. The round is over. Check to see if the ninja with the highest Honor has at least 5 more than his nearest rival. If so, he wins.

Then check to see if the total Honor of the franchise is so high or so low that the Manager's position becomes open (see How to Win). If the position becomes open, the player with the highest Honor will win, with ties settled by a duel.

If no one has won, a new round can start. Before the round starts, though, any ninjas whose Honor has gone to zero or less must make amends . . .

You Have No Honor!

If your Honor is zero at the end of a round, you must apologize to your ancestors. This requires you to go to visit them, and unfortunately it will not be possible for you to come back. Discard all your cards and money. Now draw a new Ninja card and three Fortune cards . . . and see if your new character does better than your last one! You start with 6 Honor.

Missions

Each mission represents a delivery job (except for Errands - see below.)

Sometimes you get a choice of which skill to use. When you deliver to the desert island, for instance, you will encounter sharks. You may either fight them with Combat or avoid combat with an Animals skill roll.

When a ninja's skill is tested, he rolls 3 dice. A success is any roll less than or equal to his rating in that skill. A roll of 3 or 4 represents a brilliant success, and the ninja automatically gains a point of Honor.

Sometimes a test is hard or easy; this modifies your skill. For instance, if you have a Climbing skill of 12, but your mission says to roll "Climbing at -2," your effective skill for that roll is only 10. Likewise, if it says to roll "Climbing at +2," you roll against your skill plus 2, so you succeed on a 14 or less.

Skill Rolls

Each mission consists of a series of skill rolls. These are numbered, and must be completed in order. You cannot attempt #2 until you have passed #1, and so on. If you fail any roll, and cannot turn your failure into success by making a legal re-roll, playing a card, or using a special ability, you have failed the mission.

As you go through your mission, state each roll as you make it . . . so other players know what you're doing, can play cards if they wish, and can enjoy your ninja prowess. If you come to a hard roll, don't be shy about asking for help; remember that you can trade or buy items at any time, even if you are on a mission. Ninjas are SNEAKY that way.

If you roll higher than your skill, you have failed. Depending on the circumstances, you may be able to try again, or your mission may be doomed.

Note that some Fortune cards give you effective bonuses to your skills. A few items can even be used to help other players on their missions.

Some ninjas also have special abilities that affect their skill rolls.

Skill Modifiers: If one card raises your skill to a specific number, and another card gives you a bonus or penalty, go to the specific number first and then take the bonus or penalty. Example: Ayumi Chosho has a pathetic Combat skill of 9, but he has taken a "Training Course in Combat" (which raises that skill to 12) and he has the "Official Ninja Burger Katana." The cards are applied in that order: first the Training Course raises his skill to 12, and then the +2 from the Katana is applied, so he has an effective skill of 14!

Skill Substitution: Some special abilities and cards allow the ninja to substitute one skill for another. In this case, the roll is against the new skill. If the Mission card specified bonuses or penalties to the roll, they still apply to the new skill. However, cards relating to the old skill can no longer be used (and if they had already been used, they are discarded without effect). For instance, "Little Kids Watching" affects Disguise skill. If you substitute another skill for Disguise, then "Little Kids Watching" can no longer affect that roll.

Ninja Fast-Talk: Some substitutions require the player to explain how he is substituting one skill for another. This is a chance for ninja roleplaying and silliness. The other players do not have to approve the explanation, and you are free to ignore this rule if you don't find it fun.

Rerolls: Some characters have the power to repeat failed rolls. Some cards allow rerolls. And anyone who skipped the Staff Meeting gets one free reroll. There will be times when a ninja will get three or four tries at the same failed roll.

Success and Failure

Each mission card shows the consequences of success and failure. If you succeed, you (usually) get a reward; take this reward immediately.

If you fail, you (usually) suffer a penalty. Take the penalty immediately. When you are required to "discard cards," this means to discard from your hand. When you are required to "lose items," this means to lose items you have in play.

If you are required to discard more cards than you have, or lose more money than you have, you simply lose as much as you have and proceed. There is no extra penalty.

It is now the next ninja's turn to attempt his mission.

The Tip Jar

A few cards give you a draw from the Tip Jar if you succeed on the Mission.

Make up the Tip Jar at the beginning of the game by putting eight money counters in a cup: four $50, two $100, one $200, and one $500. When a successful delivery lets you draw from the Tip Jar, choose one money counter without looking.

You must show everyone what you drew. The Tip Jar is never refilled, so if several counters have been drawn and the $500 is still in there, your chances of getting it continue to improve. If the jar empties, all further "Tip Jar" results are worth a flat $100 each.

Fortune Cards

Fortune cards have white backs. They give you advantages, or let you make trouble for your foes.

Some Fortune cards may be played during your turn to help you with your mission . . . for instance, to give you a second chance on a failed roll. Other cards may be played at other times. Read each card to see when it should be used. There are several types of Fortune card:

Ninja Stuff

"Ninja Stuff" cards represent useful items which will help you make your skill rolls. Note that some items must be discarded after one use.

Each Ninja Stuff card has a price on it. By paying this price, you may take the card from your hand and put it in front of you. You now own the item. You may "buy" an item at any time in the game, even during a mission!

Exception: if an Interesting Times card is played on you, or a failed Mission costs you money, you must pay the penalty immediately. You cannot suddenly spend all your money on Stuff and then say "I'm broke! No money to pay the penalty!"

There is no limit to the number of Ninja Stuff items you may have in play.

If you fail a skill roll, but you have a useful item in your hand and enough money, you may buy that item from your hand. If it gives you an automatic success or increases your skill by enough that you succeed, then you made your roll! (For instance, you couldn't climb that building in time, but you had money in your pocket and knew where to buy helicopter tickets. So you succeeded after all!)

AND . . . if you fail a roll but one of your fellow ninja has a useful item, and you can agree on a price, you can buy it then and there. This can also turn a failed roll into success, but it can be expensive!

Enhancers

An Enhancer is a card that improves an item of Ninja Stuff. You must already own the item that you play it on. Most can be used on either regular or one-shot items, but it's generally a waste to enhance a one-shot item.

There is no cost to add an Enhancer once you get the card . . . you may put it with the chosen item at any time. Once an item has been Enhanced, the enhancement never leaves it.

There is no limit to the number of Enhancers you can put on a single item. If you can get the cards, you are welcome to have the Cursed Wasabi-Coated Combat Spatula with Secret Compartment. Or whatever.

You may sell or trade an Enhancer from your hand, but once you play an Enhancer on an item, you cannot sell or trade it except as part of the item.

Interesting Times

Some Fortune cards are "Interesting Times." You will play these on your rivals to make their missions more difficult. Each Interesting Times card has red instructions right under the art, telling you the circumstances under which you can play that card.

The player on whom the card was played must then read it and follow the instructions. It may make all his rolls harder, or it may require him to make an extra roll to deal with some new situation! Note that if a Mission card says that all rolls on that mission are at a penalty, this applies to extra rolls required by Interesting Times cards, too. Extra rolls required by Interesting Times cards are part of the mission, and you can use rerolls on them.

Errands

Ten of the Missions are merely Errands. These are not food deliveries; these are other, less honorable, tasks which must nevertheless be performed for the good of the franchise. When you draw an Errand, you may choose to perform it normally, in which case you may want to skip the Staff Meeting. However, if you go to the Staff Meeting, you may be able to push your Errand off on someone with lower Honor.

If you have the lowest Honor of those present at the meeting, or are tied for lowest, you must keep the Errand and try to perform it.

If you do not have the lowest Honor at the meeting, you may trade the Errand for the Mission card of whoever at the meeting has the lowest Honor, and does not already have an errand (if rivals are tied for lowest, you choose).

If multiple Errands appear at the same Staff Meeting, the player with the highest Honor trades his away first; as always, ties are settled by a die roll.

Sometimes a player will be able to draw two Mission cards and choose one. If one of these cards is an Errand, the player who drew it may either discard it or keep it. If he keeps it, follow the rules above.

Interesting Times cards cannot be used to make an Errand more difficult. They apply only to the regular sort of Missions, not to Errands.

These cards can be played either on yourself or on a rival immediately after a successful delivery. A New Menu Item requires one extra roll before the delivery is really successful . . . but it improves the rewards. Only one New Menu Item card can be played on any one delivery. If through some trick of fate two players try to play a New Menu Item at the exact same time, the one with the higher Honor prevails. If both have the same Honor . . . well, in that case, both cards count after all!

Goals

A Goal card represents a personal goal that you have set yourself. You win extra Honor by meeting a Goal. You may play a Goal card at any time by putting it face-up in front of you. Then follow the instructions on the card.

The "Mastery" Goals require three successive uses of a particular skill. This must be an actual use of the skill. If you use a card or special ability to (for instance) substitute Climbing for Combat, this would count as a Climbing roll for Goal purposes. If you were working on Combat Mastery, substituting Climbing would not count as either a success or failure for Combat.

You may discard a Goal at any time. There is no penalty for doing so.

Exception: the "Rivalry" goal is permanent until one of the two characters returns to his ancestors.

You may have only one Goal in play at a time, unless you are Mrs. Johnson.

You may sell or trade a Goal from your hand, but once you play a Goal in front of you, you cannot sell or trade it.

Card Management

Ninja and Mission cards have horizontal layouts. They are meant to be set in front of you, and most of the time they are face-up; you don't keep them in your hand.

Mission cards may be traded at the Staff Meeting, but at no other time.

Fortune cards have vertical layouts. They are meant to be kept in your hand (though Ninja Stuff is placed in front of you after you pay for it).

The Fortune cards in your hand may not be traded. Once you pay for an item of Ninja Stuff and put it in front of you, that item may be sold or traded at any time, even to a player who is on a mission.

If any deck of cards runs out, reshuffle the discards.

The Challenge

When the Branch Manager's position comes open, the winner is the ninja with the highest Honor. But what if there is a tie?

In that case, the question is settled quickly and honorably. The tied ninjas fight a duel. Each one makes a single roll against his Combat skill.

All bonuses and gadgets count for this roll. Any card or special ability that allows a reroll or a skill substitution can be used (rerolls are allowed even if the first roll was a success, if the player wishes, but you must keep the second roll).

However, no one may play any cards to affect anyone else's roll. Each ninja is on his own for this!

If one ninja makes his roll, and his rival(s) fail, the one who made his roll is the winner.

If more than one ninja succeeds in the roll, the winner is the one who made his roll by the greatest amount. (Example: If your adjusted Combat skill, taking all your Ninja Stuff into account, is 14, and you rolled a 13, you made your roll by 1. If you rolled a 10, you made it by 4.) If you use an "automatic success" card, it is a success by 0.

If there is a tie, the tied players (only) fight another round in the same way, until there is a victory.