Senjutsu: Battle For Japan Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Order
• Components
• Gameplay Overview
• Set-Up & Diagram
  • Diagram key
• Reading Ability Cards
• Key Concepts
  • Card Initiative Speed
  • Tied Initiatives & Advantage
  • Kamae & Kamae Tree
  • Wound & Bleeding Wound Cards
  • Stun Cards
• Instants
• Round Order
• Example Round
  • Example Round (continued)
• FAQ
• Deck Building
  • Example of a character Senjutsu deck

Order

1. Components
2. Preface
3. Gameplay Overview
4. Setup
5. Reading Ability Cards
6. Key Concepts
7. Instants
8. Round Order
9. Example Round
10. Deck Building

Components

• 2 x Reversible Battlefield Tiles.
• 1 x Rulebook.
• 1 x Punchboard of Battlefield Terrain.
• 4 x Individual Samurai Miniatures. (The Master, The Student, The Ronin and The Vengeful).
• 4 x Samurai Consoles.
• 4 x Kamae Trees.
• 4 x Kamae Rings.
• 2 x Reference Cards.
• 110 x Ability Cards.
• 52 x Sensei Ability Cards.
• 20 x Wound Cards.
• 10 x Bleeding Wound Cards.
• 10 x Stun Cards.

Gameplay Overview

Gameplay takes place across a series of rounds, in which each player controls a Samurai embroiled in the fighting that consumed feudal Japan.

The player's Samurai is represented on the battlefield by a miniature on a hexagonal base. A small triangular notch on this base marks the Samurai's front facing, which is important for understanding ability cards.

Ability cards represent the Samurai's attacks, defences and mental preparations. Players construct a deck of 40 ability cards before the game, which make up the entire range of actions available to their Samurai within a single duel.

Each turn, players select a single ability card from their hand to act as their Samurai's actions.

Ability cards are always resolved top to bottom once activated, with each "line" of symbols, text or grids representing an action resolved at the given initiative value.

Set-Up & Diagram

Each player chooses a Samurai and takes their corresponding miniature, shuffled 40 card ability card deck (1), passive ability card (6) and Samurai console (2).

Place the console pawn on the Gateway kamae position and the wound, stun and bleeding wound cards (5) within reach of all players.

Setup the advantage card using their character's initiative number (found on the console), to set the order of the advantage tokens, with the highest initiative Samurai's token placed at the top.

Each player places their Samurai miniature within the any of the first four starting battlefield hexes closest to their table position (3).

Finally, each player draws the top 5 ability cards from the deck into their hand and adds the passive ability card (6). The maximum hand size for any player is 5, with the passive ability card never being counted for the purposes of working out deck size or in-game hand size.

Diagram key

1. Player deck (tutorial deck for first game — a pre-built 40 card starter deck).
2. Samurai console — shows starting initiative, hand size, wound limit and turn order.
3. Starting battlefield hexes (3 of the closest hexes to a player's table position).
4. Advantage card / advantage tokens.
5. Ability card deck, discard pile and reference card.
6. Passive ability card — discard 1 card to: draw 2 cards, or change kamae 1 branch. Returning it to hand does not count towards your hand size. "Your mind is your best weapon."

Reading Ability Cards

Example card: "Emergency Block" — a base card with initiative speed 9/2.

1. Initiative speed: this number value represents the order in which an ability card and its actions will activate once revealed, relative to the initiative speed of the other opponent's ability card. The ability card action with the highest value initiative speed is resolved first.

   If there are two initiative speeds within a single box like shown, the controlling player may choose at which initiative speed the ability card's action will activate, by choosing (in player order) a single initiative value at or between those two values.

2. Card type: ability cards come in three core types, represented by a symbol on the card. Defences (shield), Attacks (crossed blades) and Meditations (seated figure).

3. Ability card actions always resolve in order from top to bottom. This dividing line marks where one segment of an ability card ends and the other begins. There may be a new initiative value provided which determines when the second part of the ability card's actions activate.

4. Instants: if the ability card is an instant (lightning bolt), it will be shown here — either as a replacement (>) or an additional instant (+). Instants can be played from the hand to immediately replace the Samurai's current ability card and its effects or to add to them.

5. Positional attack/defence grid: this grid shows the relative position of the player's Samurai (6) and its facing, along with the position of the attacking / defending effect that takes place on the corresponding battlefield hex. The Samurai's position is always shown as facing towards the top edge of the ability card, this corresponds with the 'front facing' of the Samurai miniature on the battlefield.

6. Kamae effects: if a Samurai is in a Kamae (Kamae symbols), they will receive any corresponding bonus from that Kamae in the top-to-bottom order it is stated on the ability card.

7. Card rank and number. Used in the deck building segment of the game.

Key Concepts

Card Initiative Speed

All ability cards have initiative values, whether this is provided on the ability card or in the case of instants, taken from the attached ability card.

These initiative values range from 1 to 10 and set the activation order of the ability card once revealed in the activation phase.

Tied Initiatives & Advantage

If the revealed ability cards have a tied initiative but are different "types", resolve the cards in this order: Defence (shield), Attack (crossed blades) and Meditation (seated figure).

If the revealed ability cards have a tied initiative value but are the same "type", the Samurai with the highest advantage will resolve their card first.

Advantage is tracked on the advantage tracker card. Each Samurai's relative position is set at the start of the game with the advantage symbol (eye) found on some ability cards changing the order.

Kamae & Kamae Tree

Kamae represents the Samurai's posture and mental attitude. Each Samurai has a different Kamae "tree" (found on the Kamae tree), which represents the Samurai's changing mental and physical disposition.

All Samurai start at the Kamae 'Gateway' (1) and each available Kamae is represented by symbols on the Samurai's Kamae tree and on certain ability cards.

Some ability cards and the passive ability card allows a Samurai to move from one Kamae position to another if it is linked by a "branch" (2).

Being in a Kamae position (1) will unlock the corresponding bonus effects found on ability cards and the use of some Sensei ability cards.

Tip: each Kamae suits a particular style of fighting on the battlefield, whether that's adding movement to a character or buffing attacks. Make sure that your Samurai can make the most of their ability cards by keeping a close eye on the Samurai's current Kamae position and the Kamae effects in the current hand of cards.

Wound & Bleeding Wound Cards

Each time a Samurai is struck by an enemy attack and takes a wound (!), the controlling player must take a wound card and place it in front of them. Each wound card is counted cumulatively and measured against their Samurai's total health points to judge if the Samurai is defeated. Multiple (!) symbols will cause multiple wound cards to be drawn.

If the attacking ability card has a (blood drop) symbol, the player must take a bleeding wound card instead. For each bleeding wound card on a Samurai, the controlling player must transfer an ability card facedown from their deck onto their discard pile in the draw phase before drawing their ability card in the hand.

Stun Cards

Some ability card actions cause stun effects (stun symbol). Each time a Samurai is 'stunned', the controlling player must draw a stun card into their hand. This card cannot be discarded in any way besides playing it facedown in the draw phase.

If a player's hand is fully comprised of stun cards and the passive ability card in the discard phase and exceeds the hand limit, their Samurai is defeated.

Instants

If the ability card has this symbol (lightning bolt), it is an instant. Instant cards can only be played on a non-instant ability card of a different 'type'. E.g., an instant attack card cannot be played on an ability attack card.

Instant replacement cards (replacement symbol) can play from the hand once all ability cards have been turned faceup but before the player with the instant replacement card has resolved their Samurai's current ability card.

Instant replacement cards are placed over the previous ability card, replacing its effects with the effects listed on the new card.

Instant additional cards (additional symbol) can be played onto any non-instant ability card by a player before their Samurai's turn is over. If no initiative value is given, any effects from the instant additional card are resolved simultaneously as an additional part of the ability card's existing actions.

If an initiative value is provided or displayed as an (=) symbol, then any effects are resolved immediately after the ability card's which it has attached to.

Round Order

1. Draw Phase: Each player draws a single ability card from their deck. Each player then selects an ability card to play from their hand and places it face down next to the opponent's chosen ability card.

2. Activation Phase: Each player reveals their ability cards simultaneously and resolve the card's effects in initiative order, starting with the highest initiative. (Speed 0 ability cards are always resolved last during the round sequence.) After all ability cards have been resolved, discard them faceup onto the discard pile.

3. Discard Phase: Each player must end the round without exceeding their maximum hand size, if exceeded, the player must discard ability cards (face down) until they are equal to the limit.

Note: if a player has no ability cards to draw, they must add a wound card to their Samurai.

Example Round

Both players (Red and Yellow) draw a single ability card from their deck into their hand.

Both players select an ability card from their hand and place it facedown next to the opponent's chosen card.

Both ability cards are simultaneously revealed and resolved in initiative order.

Red played 'Swift Mind' speed 9 (1) and Yellow played 'Firm Mind' speed 5 (2). Red player resolves first followed by Yellow.

Red moves into the front left hex and uses the optional rotate (3). Yellow uses the optional directions to move forward two hexes, rotate once (4) and then draws 2 cards from their hand face down (5).

Neither player are in a Kamae yet so they do not benefit from the Kamae bonuses (6).

Example Round (continued)

Second round both players draw from their decks to their hands and both play facedown and revealing simultaneously.

Both players reveal their passive ability cards with speed 0 (7). Yellow player has the advantage (8) and so goes first. Discarding a card immediately to use this card.

When a player discards from their own ability cards they must play them face down into the discard pile (9) (when their opponent forces them to discard they are discarded face up).

Yellow player decides to use their move action whilst Red decides to change their Kamae one branch from their starting gate to 'Balanced' Kamae (10). This allows Red to access the 'Balanced' bonuses on their ability cards (11) whilst they remain in this Kamae.

Third round, they draw and play a card. Red plays 'Wild Swing' speed 7 and Yellow plays 'Calm Defence' with speed boundaries of 6 to 2. Red inflicts two wounds (12) to Yellow which they drawn face up immediately. Red then also discards 1 card (as the Kamae ability is activated). Yellow then resolves their ability card by failing to defend then forced to step back 1 hex of their choice (13).

FAQ

What happens if my character is forced into moving into another character? If two characters collide in movement the ability card of the player that moved first is cancelled on the collision and both players receive a stun card.

What happens if my character moves into an environment object or the arena boundary? The player's character who is moved into the arena boundary or environment object receives a stun card.

What happens if I cannot draw from my deck? A player who runs out of cards to draw from their deck must draw a stun card for each card unable to be drawn.

What happens if my hand limit is filled with stun cards? If you cannot discard from your hand (you cannot discard stun cards face down) and it has gone over the character's card limit they are defeated.

Deck Building

At the core of Battle for Japan: Senjutsu is Samurai deck builder / construction. Each player can create a deck of 40 cards made up of certain card ranks:

Jade; only one jade card is allowed in the entire deck.

Gold; one of each ability card is allowed in the deck.

Steel; up to three of each ability card is allowed in the deck.

Wood; any number of these ability cards are allowed in the deck.

These symbols indicate the card is from Season 1 and is the 29th of 106 cards (example: 029 / 106).

Example of a character Senjutsu deck

Jade

• x1 Dragon Moon Slash

Gold

• x1 Emergency Block
• x1 Evasive Step
• x1 War Cry
• x1 Calm Composure

Steel

• x3 Swift Mind
• x2 Firm Mind
• x2 Horizontal Cut
• x1 Lunging Thrust
• x1 Dash Down Strike
• x2 Severing Cut
• x2 Stone Block
• x1 Wind Block

Wood

• x4 Quick Stab
• x3 Deep Meditation
• x2 Pommel Smash
• x2 Wild Swing

Note: Samurai core card does not count towards deck size or hand size.