San, Ni, Ichi Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Object
• Setting Up the Main Deck
• Gameplay
  • Selection Phase
  • Attack Phase
  • Damage Phase
• Attack Cards
• Winning Elements
• Weapon Cards
  • Block
  • Torinoko (Smoke Bomb)
  • Sai
  • Shuriken
  • Yoso Kogeki (All Element Attack)
  • Tonfa
• Breaking Ties
• Taking Damage
• Ending the Game
• Alternate Rules
  • Alternate Weapons Gameplay
  • Simplified Scoring
  • Team Play

Object

The object of San, Ni, Ichi! is to be the player with the lowest Total Damage at the end of the game. That player is the winner.

Setting Up the Main Deck

Attack Cards:

Separate the Attack Cards into their three elements: Fire, Water and Wood. Depending on the number of players, select the correct Attack cards based on the following table.

# of Players	element cards	weapon cards
3	1-5	6
4	1-6	10
5	1-8	11
6	1-10	12

<example: if there are four players, add the Attack Cards from each Element with Strength 1 through 7.>

Weapon Cards:

Shuffle the Weapon Cards. Based on the table, deal out the correct amount of Weapon Cards for the number of players, and display them face up so all players may see which Weapons are in play.

Shuffle the selected Weapon and Attack Cards together and deal out all of the cards to the players. Each player should receive seven cards.

Gameplay

Each round of San, Ni, Ichi has three phases: the Selection Phase, Attack Phase, and Damage Phase.

Selection Phase

Players will each choose one card from their hand and place it face down horizontally in front of them. All chosen cards are revealed at the same time. After all cards are revealed, the Attack Phase begins.

Attack Phase

Cards are played in order from the lowest Strength to the highest Strength. Attack Cards are played into players' Combat Piles, which represent current fights. Other cards are Weapon Cards and have special effects. After all cards have been played, the Damage Phase begins.

Damage Phase

The player or players with the highest Strength Attack Card on the top of his or her Combat Pile will move that entire Pile face down into his or her Damage Pile (takes damage). All Combat Piles not taken as damage remain in play until they are taken as damage or the game ends.

The next round begins with the Selection Phase. The game continues until all cards have been played and the Damage Phase of the final round is resolved.

Attack Cards

During the Attack Phase, players will take turns playing their chosen cards in order based on the cards' Strength, from lowest to highest. Attack Cards are played onto another player's Combat Pile.

The rules for playing Attack Cards on Combat piles are as follows:

1. If a player does not have a Combat Pile, ANY attack card may be played in front of that player to start a Combat Pile.

2. To play an attack card on a player who already has a Combat Pile, your Attack Card must beat the Element of the top Attack Card of that player's Combat Pile. <see winning elements, pg. 8>

3. You may start a Combat Pile on yourself or play cards on your own Combat Pile.

4. If you play a card on your own Combat Pile, you may Counter by moving that Pile to another player as long as he or she DOES NOT have a Combat Pile in front of them already. <You may not swap other players' Combat Piles in this manner.>

5. You may choose to discard your card.

6. If there are no legal plays, you must discard your card.

Winning Elements

In this game, Fire beats Wood, Wood beats Water, and Water beats Fire. In other words, you may play Fire cards on top of Wood cards, Wood cards on top of Water cards, and Water cards on top of Fire cards.

Weapon Cards

Weapon Cards have special effects that dictate how they are played. Weapon cards are played in numerical order of their Strength from lowest to highest, just like attack cards, with the exception of the 'Torinoko' (see below). Based on the number of players, Weapons that are added to a player's Damage Pile count for damage indicated by the red Damage Number on the card.

<example: a Shuriken with Strength 22 adds 2 points of damage in a three player game, 3 points in a four player game, 4 points in a five player game, and 5 points in a six player game.>

Block

No attack cards may be added to your Combat Pile for this round. The weapon 'sai' may not be played on you this round. Shuriken and Tonfa may still be used against you. Your Combat Pile may still be added to your Damage Pile if it has the highest Strength at the end of the current round. Block is discarded at the end of the current round.

Torinoko (Smoke Bomb)

DO NOT select this as your card during the Selection Phase. Discard Smoke Bomb at the start of the Damage Phase. You do not add any cards to your Damage Pile this round; if you have the highest Strength card on top of your Combat Pile, your Combat Pile remains in play. The remaining player(s) with the highest Strength top card takes damage. Draw the card with the lowest Strength from your Combat Pile into your hand.

<Important: if a Smoke Bomb is the last card in your hand, it cannot be played and must be discarded instead, so be sure to use it before the last round!>

Sai

Swap any two existing Combat Piles. Sai is discarded at the end of the current round.

Shuriken

Play directly into any player's Damage Pile. Shuriken is not thwarted by Block.

Yoso Kogeki (All Element Attack)

Play as an Attack card onto another player's Combat Pile. Yoso Kogeki may be played on any element. Yoso Kogeki takes on the next logical element (Example: A Yoso Kogeki played on top of a Fire card would take on the Water Element, and only Wood cards could be played on top of it). You may not use the Yoso Kogeki to move your Combat Pile to another player. Yoso Kogeki may be picked up with Tonfa.

Tonfa

Draw the top card of any Combat Pile into your hand, then discard a card from your hand. You may discard the card you drew. Tonfa is not thwarted by Block. Tonfa is discarded at the end of the current round.

Breaking Ties

When breaking a tie for the order of Attack Cards with the same Strength, play cards in alphabetical order of the letter located below the Strength.

Taking Damage

After all cards have been played, the player with the highest Strength on the top card of their Combat Pile will take that entire pile as damage, adding it face-down into their Damage Pile. If there is a tie, all players that tied take their Combat Piles as damage.

Ending the Game

After all cards have been played and damage is resolved, the game is over. All Combat Piles still in play are discarded. Each player adds up the Strength of the cards in their Damage Pile to get their Total Damage. The player with the lowest Total Damage is the winner!

Alternate Rules

Alternate Weapons Gameplay

You may alter the main deck of San, Ni, Ichi! to create a more interesting challenge. Use the following table during the set up to change the number of weapon cards during the game set up.

# of players	element cards	weapon cards
3	1-6	3
3	1-7	none
4	1-8	4
4	1-9	1
5	1-9	8
5	1-10	5

Simplified Scoring

For younger players, instead of totalling the Strength of the cards in your Damage Pile to decide the winner, simply add up the number of cards in your Damage Pile. The player with the fewest cards in their Damage Pile at the end of the game wins.

Team Play

If you are playing San, Ni, Ichi! with four or six players you can team up into two or three sets of pairs, with each pair playing as a team. The game is played using the same rules, but teammates can play the block and smoke bomb cards for each other. Teams should refrain from sharing their hands.