Yu-Gi-Oh!: Millennium Game Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Contents
• The Object
• Game Set-Up
• Overview
• Let's Play
• The Slider Reader
• Movement
• Trap Tiles
• Monster Sliders
• Battling
  • Janken
  • Ikusa
  • Saikoro
  • Winning a Battle
• Arena Duels
  • Dueling with Monsters
• Winning the Game
  • Winning 2 and 3-Player Games

Game Contents

• 1 Game board
• 1 Six-sided numbered die
• 2 Duel dice
  • 1 Dice label sheet
  • 1 Green die
  • 1 Blue die
• 4 Character movers
  • 1 Yugi (Red)
  • 1 Kaiba (Blue)
  • 1 Mai (Yellow)
  • 1 Joey (Green)
• 4 Slider Readers
  • 1 Yugi
  • 1 Kaiba
  • 1 Mai
  • 1 Joey
• 28 Trap Tiles
• 24 Monster Sliders
• 3 Battle Cards
• 5 Millennium Puzzle Pieces

Label Application Instructions: Match the blue and green-colored Duel Dice to the same-colored dice labels. Peel the labels and apply one to each side of the same-colored die. It does not matter which label goes on which side, only that blue labels are applied to the blue die, and green to the green die.

The Object

Gather powerful monsters and duel other players in the Arena to win their piece of the Millennium Puzzle. The first player to obtain all five pieces wins the game.

Game Set-Up

• Open the game board in the center of the playing area.
• Place all of the Slider Readers on the playing area with the character labels facedown. Each player draws one, youngest player first. The character on the back of the Slider Reader they draw assigns the mover they will use. Note: The color of a mover's base denotes that player's home Game Shop.
• All players' movers start in the Arena.
• Shuffle the Monster Sliders and place them beside the board.
• Shuffle the Trap Tiles and deal 7 to each of the four Trap Tile spaces on the board.
• Shuffle the three Battle Cards and place them beside the Monster Sliders.
• Each player takes one of the four triangular pieces of the Millennium Puzzle. Place the square base (and any remaining pieces of the Puzzle if less than four people are playing) on the grassy spaces around the Arena.

Overview

In order to become the King of Games, players must obtain all five pieces of the Millennium Puzzle. Each player begins the game with one piece of the puzzle; the final piece (or pieces if fewer than four people are playing) awaits them in the Arena. Players may not attempt to win the final piece until they have captured the other four.

In order to win puzzle pieces, players challenge each other to duels in the Arena. Players need powerful monsters to win these Arena Duels; they gather monsters by visiting the Game Shops located at the four corners of the board or by winning battles outside the Arena.

Battles take place outside the Arena and are always fought for Monster Sliders – the loser must forfeit their Monster Slider to the winner.

Arena Duels take place in the Arena and are always fought for pieces of the Millennium Puzzle -- the loser forfeits all pieces of the Millennium Puzzle they possess to the winner. (See ARENA DUELS).

Players also collect Trap Tiles outside the Arena. These tiles grant players special powers they can use in battle. (See TRAP TILES).

Once a player collects all the puzzle pieces from their opponents they may travel to the Arena and attempt to win the final puzzle piece(s). The remaining players choose the strongest among them to defend the final piece. That player travels to the Arena and the duel commences.

The first player to capture all five pieces of the Millennium Puzzle is the winner.

Let's Play

• Each player rolls the numbered die, re-rolling any ties. Highest roll goes first. Play proceeds around the table to the left.
• The first player rolls the numbered die and may move up to the number of spaces rolled on the die. Players do not have to move the full number of spaces rolled. (See MOVEMENT).
• Whenever a player lands on a space with the Trap symbol, they may draw one Trap Tile from the deck. (See TRAP TILES).
• Whenever a player enters any Game Shop they may draw one Monster Slider from the pile. (See MONSTER SLIDERS).
• When outside the Arena, if a player stops in a space adjacent to another player's mover, the moving player may choose to battle their opponent. This is accomplished by declaring that they wish to battle, then drawing a Battle Card. (See BATTLING).
• When inside the Arena, a player may challenge any other player on the board for their Millennium Piece(s). The challenged player immediately places their mover in the Arena, and their monsters duel. The loser gives all puzzle pieces in their possession to the winner. After the duel, both players place their movers in their opponent's home Game Shop and draw a Monster Slider. (See BATTLING).
• The first player to collect all five pieces of the Millennium Puzzle is the winner.

The Slider Reader

The Yu-Gi-Oh!™ Millennium™ Game uses a unique system to let your monsters battle.

Each character comes with its own Slider Reader, and each Reader has 2 small windows. When you place a Monster Slider into the Reader, numbers will appear through the windows. These are your Duel Numbers. Duel Numbers tell you how many times you get to roll the green and blue Duel Dice when attacking another player's monster. The Green number tells you how many times to roll the Green Die and the Blue number how many times to roll the Blue Die. The more times you get to roll, the more chances you have to hit. Whichever monster scores the most hits in a duel wins. (See ARENA DUELS).

Each Slider Reader is unique. Putting the same Monster Slider in different Readers will give you different Duel Numbers. You will soon discover that some monsters work better with certain characters than they do with others – you need to figure out which work best for you.

Movement

• Although players never have to move the full number of spaces rolled on the numbered die, they must always move at least one space on their turn. They may not end their move on the same space they started from.
• Players may move diagonally.
• Two movers cannot share the same space unless they are in a Game Shop or in the Arena.
• Movers may enter the Arena (or exit, on their first turn) from any space bordering the Arena. They may not move through the grassy spaces on either end. Players may not enter or move through the Arena unless they are dueling for a puzzle piece.
• Movers may only enter or exit a building, including Game Shops, through door spaces. All door spaces are highlighted yellow.
• Players may not visit the same Game Shop or Trap Symbol twice in a row.
• If another mover or movers block your way, move to the next available space.
• Picking up a Monster Slider or Trap Tile, or Battling or Dueling another player ends a player's movement.

Trap Tiles

• Whenever a player lands on a space marked with a Trap symbol, they may draw a Trap Tile from the pile within that building. If the Trap Tiles in that building are all gone, players may not draw from the piles in other buildings. They may not have more than 4 Trap Tiles in their hand at a time – if they have more, they must discard the extras without using them, placing them at the bottom of any Trap deck.
• The number in the upper right corner of the card is its Ikusa Number. This number is used to determine the outcome of an Ikusa Battle. (See BATTLING).
• To use a Trap Tile, turn it face-up on the table and follow the directions on the card.
• Trap Tiles can be played the same turn they are picked up. Players can play as many Trap Tiles as they possess in a single turn.

Trap Tile effects:

• +1 Hit – Add 1 to the total number of hits rolled on the Duel Dice.
• 1 Miss Equals 2 Hits – Count 1 miss rolled on the Duel Dice as 2 hits. Note: You must roll a miss to use this card.
• Take Another Turn – Play this card at the end of your turn to go again.
• Monster Swipe – Swap any of your Monster Sliders for one of your opponent's Sliders that is not in their Reader. You may not look at any of their facedown Sliders when choosing. If your opponent only has one Slider, you may not use this Trap Tile against them.
• Arena Duel – Instantly transport you and an opponent to the Arena for a duel.
• Instant Battle – When outside the Arena, move an opponent to a space adjacent to your mover. Battle automatically begins.
• Open Eye – Look through an opponent's Trap Tiles and take one. If this brings the total in your hand above four, discard a Tile of your choice.
• Move Twice Your Roll – Multiply your roll on the movement (numbered) die by 2. Note: This can be played AFTER the movement die is rolled.
• Lose a Turn – Play this card on an opponent – they lose their next turn.

Monster Sliders

• Players only use Monster Sliders to duel other players in the Arena. A seemingly random jumble of Duel Numbers covers each Slider, but once you insert Sliders into your Reader, the Reader identifies which Duel Numbers apply to you.
• Players may keep no more than 3 Monster Sliders at a time – if they have more they must discard the extra at the bottom of the Monster Slider deck.
• The Monster Slider in your Reader must be left face-up for the other players to see. Additional Sliders in your hand can be left face down.
• You must always keep a Monster Slider in your Reader unless you don't have any Sliders left. When you are defeated in a battle, your opponent takes the Monster Slider from your Reader – you must immediately replace it with any Slider in your hand (unless you have no more Sliders) before the next player's turn begins.
• You may only swap Monster Sliders from your Reader when it is your turn. Once you begin an Arena Duel you may not swap a Slider even if it is your turn. If another player challenges you to an Arena Duel on their turn, you must fight with whatever Monster Slider is already in your Reader.

Battling

Battles take place outside the Arena and allow players to win their opponent's Monster Sliders.

• To challenge another player to a battle, the challenger must have a Monster Slider. A battle occurs when the challenger stops on a space adjacent to the player they wish to battle. Note: you cannot battle inside Game Shops and you may only battle once per turn.
• The challenged player shuffles the Battle Cards and the challenger draws one, turning it face-up on the table. There are 3 types of Battle Cards that identify the type of battle to be fought:
  • Janken (Paper, Rock, Scissors)
  • Ikusa (War)
  • Saikoro (Dice)

Janken

• Janken is played just like the game of "Paper-Rock-Scissors". Both players make fists and shake them in the air in time with each other. However, in this version of the game, the players chant "Jan", "Ken", "Pon", shaking their fists in time with each word. Upon saying "Pon" the players simultaneously reveal their hand symbols.
• Paper beats rock, rock beats scissors, and scissors beats paper.
• In the event of a tie, the players repeat the process until someone wins.

Ikusa

• To play Ikusa, the battling players shuffle the Trap Tiles they have gathered and fan them out in front of them, facedown. Each chooses a tile for their opponent, drawing it from their opponent's hand, and flips it over in front of their opponent. Challenger chooses first. Compare the Ikusa Numbers in the top right-hand corner of the tiles – the highest number wins.
• If a player has no Trap Tiles, they automatically lose. If neither player has a Trap Tile, draw a different Battle Card.

Saikoro

• Saikoro is a Dice Battle.
• Each player rolls both Duel Dice 3 times, challenger first, and counts the number of hits rolled. Re-roll any ties. The player who scores the most hits wins.

Winning a Battle

• When two players battle outside the Arena, they compete for Monster Sliders. The loser of the battle must forfeit the Monster Slider in their Reader to the victor. If the loser has no Monster Slider, they must forfeit a Trap Tile to the victor. If the loser has no Trap Tiles, then they lose their next turn.
• If the victor already has 3 monsters, they must choose one Monster Slider to discard. The discarded Slider goes to the bottom of the deck of Monster Sliders.
• Additionally, the victor draws one new Trap Tile from the Trap Deck. If this brings their total above four, they must discard one Tile to the bottom of the deck.
• After battling, the turn ends.

Arena Duels

• To duel for a piece of the Millennium Puzzle, a Player must enter the Arena or use an Arena Duel Tile from the Trap Deck to travel there.
• When a player enters the Arena, they may summon any other player to the Arena to duel for their piece(s) of the Millennium Puzzle. This duel is always fought with Monster Sliders.

Dueling with Monsters

• Each player looks at the Monster Slider in their Reader to determine how many and which colored Duel Dice they may roll. The colored numbers that appear through the windows of the reader let players know which color die to roll and how many times to roll it.
• Duel Dice come in two colors: blue and green. The green die gives a much greater chance of hitting because it has more "Hit" symbols than the blue die.
• Each player rolls the appropriate number and types of dice. The player who rolls the most hits wins. In the event of a tie, players re-roll all of their Duel Dice again.
• The loser of an Arena Duel forfeits all Millennium Puzzle pieces they hold to the victor. If the loser has no puzzle pieces, they forfeit the Monster Slider from their Reader.
• After dueling inside the Arena, players travel to the home Game Shop of their opponent. Both combatants draw a new Monster Slider. The winner draws first.

Winning the Game

Play proceeds until one player has gathered all pieces of the Millennium Puzzle from the other players. At that point, the player travels to the Arena and attempts to win the final piece(s) of the puzzle. The challenger risks all pieces they have collected thus far for the puzzle piece(s) located in the Arena.

The other players decide which of them has the most powerful Monster Slider loaded in their Reader and the best Trap Tiles in their hand and sends that player to defend the final puzzle piece. The two players duel each other with their Monster Sliders as described above.

If the challenger wins the duel, they take the final piece of the puzzle from the Arena.

If the defending player wins, they take all the pieces of the puzzle from the challenger. They do not win the piece(s) held in the Arena.

The first player to win all five of the puzzle pieces wins the game!

Winning 2 and 3-Player Games

If you are playing a 2 or 3-player game, the Arena will contain more than one puzzle piece. You must win each Arena piece one at a time, and you may only do so after capturing all other puzzle pieces from the opposing players.