Ninjago: The Board Game Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Build
  • Aim of the game
  • Setting up the game
• Play
  • Playing the game
  • Searching guardhouses
  • Fighting guards
  • Losing golden weapons
  • Using the Sensei
  • Winning the game
  • Fighting the final battle
• Change
  • Your game – your rules
  • Skeleton Steps
  • Sensei Power
  • Ninja Memory
  • Ninja Knockout

Build

Aim of the game

Play as a team of Ninjas to find the four golden weapons and defeat the Skeleton General.

Setting up the game

Before you start playing, build the game using the LEGO building instructions provided in the set. Building the game teaches you about the pieces and how you can use them. This makes it easier to rebuild the game or change the rules later on.

Build the LEGO Dice using the tiles shown below:

Take the four gold and five grey markers and place one marker INSIDE each guardhouse. Shuffle the guardhouses and place them in the spaces shown above. Place the spinner and rope beside the board.

Each player chooses a Ninja and places it inside the fortress in the space by the gate.

LEGO tool: The set includes a tool to help you take tiles off the LEGO Dice.

Play

Playing the game

The oldest player goes first. Play then continues clockwise.

On your turn roll the LEGO Dice and carry out the action you rolled.

Watch out! If you start your turn in a space with a guard you must first spin the spinner to fight him.

Ninja move

Move your Ninja up to two spaces.

• If you move into a space with a guardhouse, you may stop and search it. Then your turn ends.
• If you move into the same space as a guard and another Ninja, you team up to fight the guard in a later turn.

You may not move diagonally or over walls.

Ninja move and guard

• Move your Ninja one space, THEN
• Take a guard from the fortress wall and place it into any space containing a Ninja.

You may not place a guard into a space that already contains a guard.

Ninja move and General

• Move your Ninja one space, THEN
• Move the General one step down the temple steps.

Rope move and General

• Place your Ninja anywhere in its current space. Attach one end of the rope to the head of your Ninja and the other end to the roof of a guardhouse. Swing your Ninja to any space that you can reach and place the rope back beside the board, THEN
• Move the General one step down the temple steps.

Searching guardhouses

If you move into a space with a guardhouse, you may stop and immediately search it. Take the marker out of the guardhouse and place it on the roof.

• If the marker is GREY you are discovered by a guard. Take a guard from the fortress wall and place it into the same space as your Ninja.
• If the marker is GOLD you find a golden weapon. Take a golden weapon from the side of the board and place it by the gate.

Fighting guards

If you start your turn in a space with a guard, you must spin the spinner to fight him. You win the fight if you spin the colour of your Ninja, or of any Ninja in the same space.

• If you WIN, place the guard back on the fortress wall, then roll the LEGO Dice as normal.
• If you LOSE, move the General one step down the temple steps, then your turn ends. Do not roll the LEGO Dice.

Losing golden weapons

When the General moves off the last step of the temple steps he captures one golden weapon from the Ninjas.

• Take a golden weapon from beside the gate and place it on the temple.
• Place the General back on the top step of the temple steps.

If the Ninjas have no golden weapons when the General moves off the last step, all the Ninjas lose the game immediately!

Using the Sensei

Once during the game the Ninjas may use the Sensei to avoid losing the game.

• You may use the Sensei if the General moves off the temple steps and the Ninjas have no golden weapons. Place the Sensei behind the temple and the General back on the top of the temple steps.
• You may use the Sensei in the final battle to avoid losing the last golden weapon. Place the Sensei behind the temple and respin the spinner.

Remember! You may only use the Sensei ONCE in each game.

Winning the game

If the Ninjas find the fourth golden weapon without losing any to the General, all the Ninjas win the game immediately. If not, as soon as the Ninjas find the fourth golden weapon they must fight a final battle with the General to recapture them from the General.

If the Ninjas get all four golden weapons, all the Ninjas win the game.

If the General captures all four golden weapons, the General wins the game and all the Ninjas lose.

Fighting the final battle

Before the final battle, place ALL FOUR Ninjas in front of the temple, even if there are only 2 or 3 players. The player who found the fourth golden weapon fights the General first.

Take all the golden weapons from beside the gate and place one onto your Ninja and any others onto other Ninjas. Then place the General onto one other Ninja. Now spin the spinner.

• If you spin the colour of any Ninja with a golden weapon, the Ninjas recapture a golden weapon. Take one from the temple and place it onto any Ninja.
• If you spin the colour of the Ninja with the General, the General captures another golden weapon. Take one from any Ninja and place it on the temple.
• If you spin any other colour the spin is a draw, and the Ninjas do not win or lose a golden weapon.

After each fight pass the spinner to the next player and fight the General again, until either the Ninjas or the General have won the game. Each player may move the golden weapons and the General onto different Ninjas before spinning the spinner.

LEGO tilt: The best way to pick up a LEGO piece is by tilting it before you lift it.

Change

Your game – your rules

LEGO Games are made to be changed. You can rebuild the game or the LEGO Dice, change the pieces or even the rules! Every little change makes it more and more YOUR GAME.

The secret to changing a game is to only change one thing at a time. If you like the change keep it, if not try another. Get started by trying these suggestions, but remember to make sure everyone knows all the rules before you start playing.

Skeleton Steps

You can make the game easier or harder by changing the number of steps the General moves before the General captures a golden weapon. The normal game uses 8 steps. Using 9 steps will make the game easier. Using only 7 or 6 will make the game much harder. You will need to work together very well to win a hard game.

Sensei Power

At the start of the game build the Sensei power track and place it beside the board.

• Whenever you move into the same space as a guard and another Ninja, move the Sensei one space forwards on the power track. You may not have more than four Sensei power at any time.
• Now if you LOSE a fight against a guard, you may choose to use Sensei power to ignore the result. Move the Sensei one space backwards on the power track and then re-spin the spinner. You may also use any remaining Sensei power during the final battle. You may not use Sensei power if the Sensei is at the start of the power track.

Ninja Memory

Now when you search a guardhouse place the marker on the side of the board instead of on the guardhouse roof. During the game you will need to try to remember which guardhouses have been searched.

Ninja Knockout

If you have not won a fight with a guard after at least three turns, then you may choose to miss your turn and immediately place the guard back on the fortress wall. Do not spin the spinner or roll the LEGO Dice.