Shadows in Kyoto Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Goal of the Game
• Components
• Game Elements
• Setup
• Gameplay
• Move
  • Site Type
• Conflict
• End of the Game
• Description of the Tactic Cards
• Advanced Rules Part 1. Charisma
• Advanced Rules Part 2. Equipment
• Credits

Goal of the Game

As the commander of Oniwaban or Meiji government, players must order their agents to investigate Hanamikoji, secretly gathering key intelligence from the opponent while protecting their own agents who possess such critical intelligence.

Through movements, conflicts, and tactics, players have 3 different paths to victory:

• Capture 2 enemy agents who possess real intelligence (marked with a star).
• Let your opponent capture 3 agents of your own who possess fake intelligence (without a star).
• Succeed in the escape of 1 agent of your own who possesses real intelligence.

Components

• 1 Area Board
• 50 Site Cards (25 for each player)
• 16 Tactic Cards (8 for each player)
• 6 Equipment Cards (3 for each player. See Advanced Rules Part 2.)
• 7 Charisma Cards (3 for each player and 1 neutral card. See Advanced Rules Part 1.)
• 12 Agent Tokens (6 for each player)
• 12 Agent Stickers (6 for each player)
• 2 Reference Cards

Note: Before your very first game, carefully peel off the stickers and place them on the agent tokens with the matching colors. Each agent token will only have one sticker on them.

Game Elements

Area Board

• Oniwaban territory (dark green background)
• Oniwaban headquarter
• Normal site
• Neutral site
• Starting symbol
• Confinement area
• Government territory (golden background)
• Government headquarter

Agent Tokens

Each agent token has an identity, marked by its sticker: REAL Intelligence or FAKE Intelligence, and a power: 3 > 2 > 1 > 0, but 0 > 3. The sticker on the agent token represents that agent's "identity." An identity includes its power and the type of intelligence it carries.

Site Cards

Types of Site:

• Shrine (red)
• Residence (green)
• Market (yellow)
• Castle (blue)
• Wild (counts as any Site)

Tactic Cards

Most of the tactic cards provide players with an immediate effect that may only be used once, then they are put into the discard pile. Tactic cards with the "secret" type are instead placed in front of players, and are only put into the discard pile once their effects have been resolved.

Setup

1. One player should choose to represent Oniwaban, and the other should choose to be the Government. The players should sit opposite from each other. Place the Area board in the middle of the table, with Oniwaban player facing Oniwaban territory (dark green background) and the Government player facing the Government territory (golden background).

2. Each player takes the 25 Site cards and 8 Tactic cards belonging to their colors. Each player shuffles their own piles facedown separately, forming a Site Draw Pile and a Tactic Draw Pile.

3. Each player draws 4 cards from the top of their Site Draw Pile and 2 cards from their Tactic Draw Pile, forming their starting hand. Players should keep their hands hidden from the opponent.

4. After examining his or her hands, each player takes the 6 Agent tokens of his or her color and places them on the sites with the starting symbols in his or her own territory. Each site may only contain 1 agent token, with the sticker side facing its owner, so only the owner knows its identity.

   Note: During the game, players are not allowed to view the identity of the agent tokens of the opponent.

5. Place the 2 Reference cards next to the Area board. Oniwaban player will start the game.

Gameplay

Beginning with the Oniwaban player, players take turns until one of the victory conditions is met.

During a player's turn, the player must perform the following actions in order (all actions are mandatory):

Play One Card

A) If a Site card is played, the active player moves one of his or her own agents to the corresponding site (see Move, below).

B) If a Tactic card is played, simply follow the instructions on the card (see Description of the Tactic Cards, below).

Note 1: After the instructions are carried out, place the used Tactic card face up off to the side of the board on top of the discard pile (see Setup), forming a new pile if necessary.

Note 2: Players may view their own discard pile at any time during the game, but may not view the opposing player's discard pile.

Draw Back Up To 6 Cards

The active player draws back up to 6 cards, choosing whether to draw from the Tactic Draw Pile and/or the Site Draw Pile. The turn ends, and the opposing player may now take his or her turn.

Note 1: Once a pile runs out, the active player may no longer draw from that pile.

Note 2: If both the Tactic Draw Pile and the Site Draw Pile run out, the active player will no longer draw cards to replenish his or her hand.

Note 3: Players may arrange their hands however they like. For example, even though the starting hand consists of 4 Site and 2 Tactic cards, players may choose to turn their hands into 3 Site and 3 Tactic cards during this step, depending on their strategy.

Move

Unless otherwise stated by Tactic cards, Charisma cards, or Equipment cards, players must obey the following rules when moving their agents:

• Agent must be moved to the site that shares the same color as the Site card being played.
• Agent must always move forward, either directly forward or diagonally forward to the left or right. Agent may not move to the side or backward.
• Agent may only move 1 space.
• Each player may only have 1 agent at each site.

Examples:

• The agent may move to the residence (green) or the market (yellow).
• The agent may not move to the market (yellow), the shrine (red) or the headquarter because it cannot move to the side or backward.
• The agent may not move to the shrine (red) because it can only move 1 space.
• The agent may not move to the neutral site because each player may only have 1 agent at each site.

Site Type

• Normal site (shrine, residence, market, castle): Play the Site card with the corresponding type to enter.
• Neutral site: Play any Site card to enter.
• Oniwaban headquarter: Play any Site card to enter. May only be entered by agents controlled by Oniwaban player.
• Government headquarter: Play any Site card to enter. May only be entered by agents controlled by the Government player.

Conflict

If one agent moves into a site where an enemy agent is present, a conflict occurs. The agent moving into the site is considered to be the attacker, and the agent already present at the site is the defender. Resolve the conflict by following the steps below:

1. Reveal the defender's identity.
2. The attacker secretly compares the powers of both agents (see Agent Tokens. Power: 3 > 2 > 1 > 0, but 0 > 3):
   • A) If the attacker's power trumps the defender's power, or if both values are the same, the attacker wins: The attacker must capture the defender, removing the defending agent token from the board and placing it in the corresponding confinement area on the attacker's side (see Area Board).
   • B) If the defender's power trumps the attacker's power, the defender wins: The defending agent token remains in the original site with its identity revealed. The attacking agent token retreats back to the site it originally came from.

Note: When comparing the powers of both agent tokens, the attacking player may not lie about its power. After the conflict resolves, the defending player may ask the attacking player to double check whether the conflict is resolved correctly and truthfully.

Example: Government player is the attacker, and the Oniwaban player is the defender. Government player reveals the defender's identity, showing a power of 2. Government player compares it with the power of the attacking agent, which is also 2. The attacker wins, and the defending agent token is moved to the confinement area on Government player's side.

End of the Game

The game will immediately end when one of the following conditions is met:

• One side captures 2 of opposing player's agents who possess real intelligence (marked with a star).
• One side allows the opposing player to capture 3 agents who possess fake intelligence (without a star).
• An agent possessing real intelligence ends its turn on opponent's territory, one of the five nearest spaces from opponent (spaces with the opposing background color).

Note: If one agent moves into any of the opponent's starting sites, the active player must immediately declare win or not. If not, he doesn't need to reveal the agent's identity.

The player who first meets 1 of the 3 conditions listed above wins!

Special case 1: In rare circumstances, it is possible for one side to achieve the second condition while the other side achieves the third condition. In this case, the player who meets the third condition wins the game.

Special case 2: In rare circumstances, if a player is unable to play any cards during his or her turn, he or she immediately loses this game.

We suggest playing a best-out-of-3 match, with the players switching sides playing the Government and Oniwaban after the first game. If a third game is necessary, players may choose to play either side as usual, or use any random methods to determine.

Description of the Tactic Cards

Defend / Immediate / 2x

Move 1 of your agents 1 space to the left, to the right, directly backward, diagonally backward to the left, or diagonally backward to the right.

Note: A conflict may trigger as a result, resolve it as normal.

Tunnel / Immediate / 2x

Move 1 of your agents horizontally to any space in the same row. You may not "jump over" another agent (the opponent's or your own) this way.

Note: A conflict may trigger as a result, resolve it as normal.

Charge / Immediate / 1x

Move 1 of your agents 1 space directly forward or diagonally forward to the left or right. Then, move 1 of your opponent's agents 1 space directly backward or diagonally backward to the left or right.

Note: A conflict may trigger as a result, resolve it as normal.

Swap / Immediate / 1x

Take 2 of your agents that are on the same row or column and choose whether or not to switch their location secretly under the table. Do not let your opponent knows whether you swap them or not! Place both the agents back onto the board in their spots after you are done.

Note: If either of the two agents were revealed before you play this card, their identities are hidden once again after the swap, even if you did not switch them at all. Place the token back onto the board such that their identities are facing you.

Bait / Secret / 2x

Place this card face up in front of you, and mark a site. (Mark: Choose a non-wild Site card from your hand and places it facedown under this Tactic card, that card is now marked.)

When an enemy agent enters a site with the same type as the marked Site card, you may reveal the marked Site card to immediately push that enemy agent at most 2 spaces away from you. For each space pushed this way, choose to have it pushed directly backward or diagonally backward to the left or right. The final space it moves into may not contain any agents. Discard the marked Site card and this Tactic card to the discard pile afterwards.

Note: If the enemy agent would cause a conflict, resolve the conflict before activating bait's effect.

Note: When pushing the enemy agent away, it may move through other agents. A conflict will not happen.

Advanced Rules Part 1. Charisma

After the players are familiar with the game, we recommend trying out these advanced rules.

Charisma cards provide the players a strong continuous effect throughout the entire game.

Charisma cards often change the rules of the game. If the effect on the card contradicts with the basic rules of the game, the card takes precedence.

Setup Charisma

After step 4 of setup (see Setup), each player takes the 3 Charisma cards belonging to their side and chooses 1 to place it in front of them. Once both players have chosen a Charisma card, place the remaining unchosen cards back into the game box. They will not be used again this game.

If using the neutral Charisma card, the Government player chooses first and may keep the neutral card instead of a Government Charisma card, or pass it to Oniwaban player who may then choose the neutral card. A player who uses the neutral Charisma card will not choose another Charisma card from his or her side.

Description of Charisma Cards

Oniwaban

• Code Name: Tomoyo / 1x — When drawing back up to 6 cards: For each card you need to draw, draw 2 cards instead (you may draw from either your Tactic Draw Pile or your Site Draw Pile) and choose 1 to put into your hand and the other back to the bottom of the corresponding pile.

• Code Name: Anju / 1x — When using a Tactic card that requires you to mark a Site card: You may mark 2 Site cards instead of 1. Each marked Site card will resolve separately.

  Note: If you mark 2 of the same Site cards, you may only use 1 of them at a time.

• Code Name: Yoko / 1x — When moving your agents: If the space you are attempting to move into contains one of your own agents, you may instead move over that agent to the next space in the same direction.

  Note 1: This ability is optional.

  Note 2: If you choose to use this ability, play the Site card that matches the type of the space you actually entered instead of the space occupied by the agents you jumped over.

  Note 3: You may not jump over more than 1 agent this way.

  Note 4: If the space you entered contains an enemy agent, resolve conflict as normal.

Government

• Code Name: Ayane / 1x — When playing a card for the turn: If the card you played is a Site card (excluding a wild Site card), you may return that card back into your hand instead of placing it in the discard pile.
• Code Name: Chiharu / 1x — When you move your agent: You may enter the opponent's headquarter. When your opponent moves his or her agents: He or she may not move into a neutral site in your territory.
• Code Name: Iroha / 1x — When the opponent attacks one of your agents: Reveal the attacker's identity as well.

Neutral

• Code Name: Ruri / 1x — Game Setup: Choose a non-wild Site card from your Site Draw Pile and place it on top of this card. When your opponent moves his or her agents: Your opponents may not enter a site occupied by one of your own agents that matches the Site card on this card.

Advanced Rules Part 2. Equipment

Equipment may be used individually or combined with Charisma cards for a totally new experience. We strongly suggest trying out both advanced rules once you are familiar with the game.

When you lose an important agent, the special equipment left behind by the agent will grant you a huge advantage and allow you to turn the tide of the game.

Equipment cards often change the rules of the game. If the effect on the card contradicts with the basic rules of the game, the card takes precedence.

Setup Equipment

After step 4 of setup (see Setup), each player takes the 3 Equipment belonging to his or her sides and places them with the back side (gray side) up in front of him or her.

Activate Equipment Cards

During the game, when any one of your agents with identity 3 (real), 3 (fake), 2 (real) or 0 (fake) (see Agent Tokens) is captured by the opponent and placed into confinement (with the star symbol), you may flip one of your Equipment cards to the front side. You may now use its ability. Each Equipment card may only be used once during the entire game. Once used, they are placed back into the game box.

Description of Equipment Cards

Oniwaban

• Typewriter / 1x — During your turn: Choose one of your cards from your discard pile and place it back into your hand.
• Drugs / 1x — During your turn: Choose one of your opponent's agents. During his or her next turn, your opponent must move the chosen agent. If he or she is unable to do so, your opponent must reveal his or her hand to show the reason. He or she then takes his or her turn as normal.
• Pocket Pistol / 1x — When the opponent attacks one of your agents: Guess the identity of the attacker (including its power and the type of intelligence it carries) and reveal its identity. If the guess is correct, place that agent in the confinement area of your territory; otherwise, continue resolving conflicts as normal and that agent remains revealed.

Government

• Wireless Bugs / 1x — During your turn: Choose one of your opponent's agents and immediately reveal its identity.
• Stun Weapon / 1x — During your turn: Choose one of your opponent's agents. During his or her next turn, your opponent cannot move the chosen agent. If your opponent is unable to play any cards from his or her hand, he or she immediately loses this game.
• Bulletproof Fan / 1x — When you win a conflict as an attacker: Immediately move the victorious agent again by playing either a Tactic card or a Site card.

Credits

Designer: Wei-Min Ling Original Idea: Yung-Ying Ding Illustration: Maisherly Chan Logo Design: Sesame Chen Producer: Wei-Min Ling English Translation: Gordon Tsai Graphic Design: EmperorS4 Proofreading: Lorna Wong

The designer wishes to thank all the playtesters of the game. Special thanks to: my family, Maisherly Chan, Yung-Ying Ding, Chau-Hsin Chou, Eros Lin, Eason Chen, and all the Taiwan Boardgame Design members.

© 2017 EmperorS4 Technology Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved. 16F-2, No.267, Sec. 2, Dunhua S. Rd., Da'an Dist., Taipei City 106, Taiwan (R.O.C.)