Ninja Versus Ninja Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Objective
• Contents
• The Game Board
• Setup
• Turn Order and Gameplay
• Winning the Game
• Movement of a Ninja
• Completing a Mission
  • The Three Phases of a Mission
• Scoring Points
• Strategy Tips

Objective

In Ninja Versus Ninja, each player commands a group of Ninja who try to defend their own dojo and infiltrate their opponent's dojo to score points. There are two ways to win: score seven points, or eliminate all of the opponent's Ninja.

Contents

• 6 Black Ninja
• 6 Red Ninja
• 2 Sensei — one red and one black
• 2 Ninja Shadows — one red and one black
• 2 four-sided dice
• 1 game board
• Rules

The Game Board

The board is placed between the two players, showing a Black dojo at one end and a Red dojo at the other, separated by a Neutral Zone in the middle. Running alongside each player's dojo are that color's Point Track, where the Sensei marks the score, and Shadow Track, where the Ninja Shadow marks how deep a Ninja on a Mission has traveled into the opponent's dojo.

Setup

1. Player 1 takes six Black Ninja, the Black Sensei, and the Black Ninja Shadow. Player 2 takes six Red Ninja, the Red Sensei, and the Red Ninja Shadow.
2. Place the game board between the players (see the board diagram).
3. Place the Red and Black Sensei on the start of their corresponding Point Tracks.
4. Place the Red and Black Ninja Shadow on the start of their corresponding Shadow Tracks.
5. Arrange the Red and Black Ninja on the board as shown in the diagram: Black Ninja in the Black dojo, Red Ninja in the Red dojo. At the start of the game, the Ninja face toward the opponent's dojo.

Turn Order and Gameplay

Players roll two dice; whoever rolls the higher total goes first.

On your turn, roll both dice, add up the total, and move one of your Ninja exactly that many spaces (see Movement of a Ninja, below).

• A Ninja may either move around within its own dojo, or go on a Mission. As soon as a Ninja leaves its own dojo, it begins a Mission. Completing a Mission is the only way to score points (see Completing a Mission, below).
• Whether in its own dojo or while on a Mission, a Ninja can eliminate an opponent's Ninja. If a Ninja ends its move on a space occupied by an opponent's Ninja, that Ninja is removed from the board for the rest of the game. Eliminating a Ninja does not score points.

Players take turns until one of them scores seven points or eliminates all of the opponent's Ninja.

Winning the Game

The player who first scores 7 points, or who eliminates all of the opponent's Ninja, wins the game.

Movement of a Ninja

• You may only move your own Ninja.
• A Ninja's path must be clear. If even one space along the path is occupied by another Ninja (of either color), that path cannot be used.
• You may move in a straight line or in an L-shape, in any direction. During an L-shaped move you may make one — and only one — 90° turn, regardless of how many spaces you move.
• Over the three turns it takes to complete a Mission, you may make one About-Face. An About-Face is a move in which, during a single turn, a Ninja first moves toward the opponent's dojo and then returns along that same path. You may only make an About-Face while in the opponent's dojo.
• An About-Face may be combined with an L-shaped move.
• You may end your turn on a space occupied by an opponent's Ninja. This eliminates the opponent's Ninja, and its figure is removed from the board.

During movement it is forbidden to:

• Move diagonally.
• Jump over a Ninja (of either color).
• Make an About-Face while in your own dojo or in the Neutral Zone.
• Make more than one 90° turn during a single move.
• End your move on a space occupied by a Ninja of your own color.
• Use only part of your roll, or pass your turn without cause. If a Ninja cannot be moved using the full roll, the player forfeits the move (and, if that Ninja is on a Mission, forfeits that Phase).

Completing a Mission

When a Ninja leaves its own dojo, it begins a Mission.

• A Mission must be completed within three turns.
• Each player may have no more than one Ninja on a Mission at a time.
• You do not need to use all three Mission turns — you may return on the second turn, or even the first.
• During a Mission, you don't need to enter the opponent's dojo at all; you may return home having only visited the Neutral Zone.
• As soon as a Ninja returns to its own dojo, it turns to face its usual direction (toward the opponent's dojo), and its facing does not change again until it begins another Mission.
• While one of your Ninja is on a Mission, you may still move any of your Ninja on your turn — not only the one on the Mission — but the turn still counts as one of that Mission's three Phases.

The Three Phases of a Mission

To track how many turns remain before a Ninja must return to its dojo, the Ninja's figure is rotated after each Mission turn.

Phase 1 — The turn during which a Ninja leaves its own dojo counts as the Mission's first Phase. At the end of this turn, the Ninja's figure is rotated 90° clockwise, showing that the Ninja must return to its own dojo within the next two turns.

Phase 2 — At the end of the second turn, the Ninja's figure is rotated another 90°, showing that the Ninja must return to its own dojo on the player's next turn. The figure is rotated regardless of which Ninja the player actually moved that turn.

Phase 3 — During the Mission's third turn, the Ninja must return to its own dojo. If it does not, it is removed from the game and its figure is taken off the board. If the Ninja successfully returns to its dojo, its figure is rotated 180° to face the opponent once more.

Scoring Points

To score points, a Ninja must leave its own dojo, cross the Neutral Zone, enter the opponent's dojo, and return to its own dojo, all within three turns. The number of points scored depends on how deep into the opponent's dojo the Ninja managed to go.

• The Ninja Shadow tracks how many points a player will score for successfully completing a Mission. When a Ninja enters the opponent's dojo, the Ninja Shadow moves in parallel with it along the Shadow Track, and stops on the space corresponding to the farthest row the Ninja managed to reach.
• If, during a Mission, a Ninja is eliminated by the opponent, or fails to return to its own dojo by the end of the third turn, it is removed from the board and scores no points. The Ninja Shadow returns to the start of the Shadow Track.
• If the Ninja successfully returns to its own dojo, the player scores as many points as shown on the Shadow Track and moves their Sensei forward that many spaces on the Point Track. The Ninja Shadow then returns to the start of the Shadow Track.

Strategy Tips

Don't Push Your Luck — How safe a space is depends on what the opponent needs to roll to eliminate the Ninja standing there. If your Ninja can only be eliminated by a roll of 2 or 8, it is in relatively little danger. But if it can be eliminated by a 4, 5, or 6, its position is quite risky.

Take What You Can Get — If, on the third turn of a Mission, you roll badly and cannot make it back, look for a chance to eliminate one of the opponent's Ninja instead. You'll still lose the points, but at least you'll get some benefit from the situation.

Play Defense — Sometimes it's better to keep your Ninja at home to defend your dojo. This tactic won't score you any points, but it will make it easier for you to eliminate the opponent's Ninja.

Keep Your Friends Close, and Your Enemies Closer — If you're in the opponent's dojo and one of their Ninja is standing right next to yours, that Ninja cannot eliminate you (a roll of 1 is impossible with the dice — only totals of 2 through 8 occur). What's more, it even protects you to some degree, by blocking the path to your figure.

Defend Your Dojo — If the opponent has entered your dojo and is trying to get back out to score points, a good countermeasure is to block their escape route with your own Ninja. Sometimes lengthening their path by just one or two spaces is enough to keep them from making it back within three turns.