99 Ninja Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Setup
• How to Play
  • Playing a Turn
    • 1. Swap Clans
    • 2. Activate Techniques
    • 3. Placing a Card
  • Scoring
    • 4. Scoring Samurai
    • 5. Scoring Daimyo
  • Scoring: The Final Showdown
• Hit List
• Ronin
• Clan Techniques
• Solo Mode
  • Solo Setup
  • Automa Turn
  • Automa Scoring Daimyo
  • Player Scoring Daimyo
  • End of Game Scoring
• Reference

Setup

1. Each player places the 8 tokens in their colour onto their Scoring card.
2. Place the Daimyo boards in a 2x2 grid in any orientation.
3. Place the 3 cubes matching the colour in the middle of each scoring track.
4. Lay out 3 Ninja Clan cards (1 of each colour) with the Ninja side showing, and discard the remaining three.
5. Shuffle the Ninja cards and place the cover card on top. Each player draws 1 card from the bottom of the deck and places it in front of them.
6. Select a first player. The second player takes 1 of the Ninja Clan cards from the 3 available, then the first player chooses from the remaining 2. The remaining Ninja Clan card is the Neutral Clan.

See reverse for solo rules.

How to Play

Players score points by using Ninja of their currently held Clan to remove Samurai and eliminate enemy Daimyo.

The Final Showdown happens when either:

1. All seven enemy Daimyo have been eliminated.
2. A Ninja card cannot be drawn from the deck.

The winner of the game is the player with a positive score in at least 2 of the 3 Ninja clans after the final showdown.

In the event of a tie, the highest total positive score wins. If still a tie, the player with the most Daimyo tokens is the winner.

Playing a Turn

1. Swap your Clan card with the Neutral Clan (optional).
2. Activate any techniques, paying their costs (optional).
3. Place your Ninja card, and draw another. If you cannot place your card, discard it and draw another, but do not place it.
4. Score Samurai if applicable.
5. Score Daimyo if applicable.

1. Swap Clans

At the start of your turn you may swap your current Clan card for the Neutral Clan card.

2. Activate Techniques

Techniques are additional powers that may be used on your turn (see Reference).

To activate a technique set aside the number of Favour tokens shown at the bottom. These Favour tokens may no longer be used until the Final Showdown.

3. Placing a Card

• At least one Ninja must be adjacent to an uncovered enemy Daimyo (Note: all 8 spaces are adjacent).
• Ninja cards may be flipped and/or rotated.
• Daimyo may not be covered by Ninja or Samurai.
• Ninja may not cover other Ninja.
• Ninja may cover Samurai.
• Samurai may cover Ninja and other Samurai.
• Ninja cards may be placed overhanging the edge of the board.

Note: players cards are not hidden.

Scoring

4. Scoring Samurai

On your turn, score 1 point for each Samurai that you cover with a Ninja of your clan (example: S).

Scoring Example. Reminder: Players only score points in their current clan.

5. Scoring Daimyo

Daimyo are eliminated when there are no Samurai in any of the 8 spaces surrounding it. For each, perform the following:

a. Place your lowest number Daimyo token on top of the enemy Daimyo.

b. Your opponent flips their highest number Daimyo token to the Favour side.

c. Score points equal to the number of Ninja matching your clan adjacent to the Daimyo.

d. Your opponent scores points equal to the number of Ninja matching their clan adjacent to the Daimyo.

Scoring: The Final Showdown

The game ends with a final scoring stage to determine the winner.

1. Players collect all of their spent and unspent Favour tokens, and placed Daimyo tokens, retaining their facing. Note: if the game ended due to running out of cards, any unplaced Daimyo tokens are flipped to the Favour side.
2. Players secretly assign their Daimyo and Favour tokens to the three clan scoring tracks by placing them onto the Scoring card.
3. Reveal the tokens. Adjust each track the number of spaces shown.

Example: Green Player Wins ->

Hit List

Hit List is an optional module for the game that has players prioritising (or opposing) particular coloured Daimyo.

Before step 6 of setup, each player takes one of the Automa/Hit List cards and places it in front of them with the 7 Daimyo revealed. Note: each player should have a different list of Daimyo.

When a player eliminates a Daimyo, if it is currently the highest of the remaining Daimyo on the list, that player scores 1 additional point in their current Clan.

Ronin

Ronin is an optional module for the game where the Samurai have loyalties to particular Ninja clans.

For the purposes of eliminating Daimyo, players may ignore Samurai that match their current Clan (note: they do not score points during step 5c).

Players gain 1 additional point when covering a Samurai of their opponent's Clan, but 0 points when covering their own.

Example: Player is Black, Opponent is White

• Samurai with no mark = 2 Points
• Samurai with an X mark = 1 Point
• Samurai with a * mark = 0 Points + Ninja

Clan Techniques

Clan Techniques is an optional module that adds additional powers to the game.

During step 4 of setup, place the Ninja Clan cards with their abilities face-up.

Clan Techniques function similarly to the basic techniques, however you may only activate the Clan Technique of your current clan.

Solo Mode

Solo Setup

Create and shuffle the Automa deck using the 7 'A' cards. The difficulty can be increased from level 0 up to level 7 by swapping all cards of that level and below for the B version. For example:

• Level 1 - 1B, 2A, 3A, 4A, 5A, 6A, 7A
• Level 5 - 1B, 2B, 3B, 4B, 5B, 6A, 7A

Create and shuffle the Scoring deck using the remaining 7 cards. Both decks should be stacked face down (Hit List side showing).

Then setup the game as normal with the following changes:

• Step 5: Only you draw a Ninja card.
• Step 6. You are the first player. Randomly assign the Automa a Ninja Clan card of the 3 available.

Note: Hit List, Ronin and Clan Techniques modules are not used.

Automa Turn

1. Draw the top card from the Automa deck. Place it on top of previously drawn cards so that it covers the right side of that card (see below).
2. The Automa performs the action in the top left of the card:
   • Stay: Keep the current clan.
   • Swap: Swap with the neutral clan.
   • Steal: Swap with your clan.
3. Score points for the Automa's current clan by adding the total of all numbers in the middle row. (Diagram: a row of Automa cards with numbers 0+, 2+, 2+ and 3 in the middle row, marked 1, 2 and 3, and the total +7.)

If the Automa deck is now empty reshuffle it.

Automa Scoring Daimyo

If at any point a score marker reaches or would pass the 6th space on the Automa's track, perform the following steps:

1. Place the Automa's lowest Daimyo token on the topmost (available) enemy Daimyo, shown on the Scoring deck.
2. Assign the top Scoring card face down to the scoring track of the Automa's current clan.
3. Move the score marker down to space 5.
4. Flip your highest Daimyo token to Favour and score your points per step 5c in How to Play.
5. Reshuffle the Automa deck. Note: Do not shuffle the Scoring deck.
6. The Automa performs a Swap action.

Player Scoring Daimyo

Score Daimyo as normal with the following changes:

At the start of step d assign the top Scoring card face up to the scoring track of the Automa's current clan, then score points for the Automa as normal.

End of Game Scoring

The game ends when all Daimyo have been eliminated.

1. Assign your Daimyo and Favour tokens to the scoring tracks as normal.
2. Reveal the Automa Scoring cards and assign points using the numbers shown at the bottom of the card.

Reference

Techniques:

• Shinobi-iri: Swap clans with your opponent.
• Chimon: You may cover any number of other Ninja this turn.
• Ten-Mon: Draw 1 Ninja card, and then discard 1 Ninja card.
• Intonjutsu: Treat all empty spaces as Black Ninja this turn.
• Boryaku: Draw 1 Ninja card. Play both cards this turn in any order.
• Kayakujutsu: Samurai score 1 extra point this turn.
• Kenjutsu: Red Ninja score 1 extra point this turn during Daimyo elimination.
• Hensojutsu: Up to 2 other Ninja may be treated as White Ninja this turn.
• Choho: Up to 2 Samurai may be treated as White Ninja this turn.