Kami
Kami Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Content
- Number of players: 2 to 4
- Age: 8+
- Duration: 20 minutes
- 32 cards
- 15 score tokens
- Rules FR/ENG
Forces Present
Soldier (x10)
Often ignored, his humility is matched only by his valour. He respects his Lord, honors his Ancestors and has as his sole objective, once the fights are over for him, to become a Kami.
Spear (x4)
Subjected to very strict discipline ever since childhood, the future Spear's main function is to protect her Lord. Respected and feared, she is invincible if accompanied by her sisters in arms.
Horseman (x4)
Fast, conscientious and efficient, the Horseman is an aesthete of military art. When he is at the peak of his talent, it is said that the Kami guide the arrow that he has just shot.
Silver Dragon (x4)
Messenger of the Kami, the Silver Dragon sometimes intervenes in a battle. Is it to influence the victory or to seek heroic fighters, nobody knows.
Gold Dragon (x4)
Protector of precious stones and metals, the Golden Dragon will take part in the fight if a Lord is ready to grant him a great part of his riches.
Tower (x2)
Impassive witness of all battles, it reassures or frightens depending on which side of the wall one is located. Unwavering memory of past glories, it is said that Kami like to stay there.
Madman (x2)
Linked to the Kami and the forces of Nature, the Madman is a being that inspires terror. His mere presence on a battlefield can initiate victory.
Empress (x2)
Venerated far beyond the Kami, the Empress has all the powers. Her word is truth, her power radiates and her appearance in a battle is often the trigger to victory.
Kami
Present in all places and all things, Kami are respected, summoned and venerated. Ancestors, divine or natural spirits, Kami are part of Life.
Detail of a Card
Number of copies of the card in the game (here there are 2 copies).
Points of the card (here 5 points).
Traditional (4 Players)
Form two teams of two players, partners sitting opposite to each other (see example below). Partners won't be allowed to share information.
Each player draws a card at random. The one with the highest value, becomes the first player.
After shuffling the cards, the first player deals eight cards per player.
The first player always starts by playing a card face-down on his defense line, and then places a card face-up on his attack line (see example below).
The next player, clockwise, chooses to PASS or COUNTER the first player's offensive.
PASS: the choice of not playing a card, even if you have the option. Then it is the next player's turn.
COUNTER: place a card - identical to the last attack card played - face-up, on your defense line. Afterwards, play a card on your attack line. A player can counter his partner. Then it's the next player's turn.
If all players pass, the player who has placed the last attack card plays a new defense card face-down. Then he can play a new attack card. And then, it's the next player's turn.
The turns are consecutive until a player places his last card in hand. This stops the round immediately. The player scores - for his team - the points on the last card played, except in the case of a Master Stroke (see below). For the next rounds, the second player becomes the first player and deals the cards. The team to reach 15 points wins the game.
Master Stroke
When the round ends, if the last attack card played is identical to the last defense card AND the last defense card is face-down, the points are doubled!
Warning: if the cards are identical but both face-up, the points are not doubled.
The Art of War, or How to Defeat Your Opponents
Empress
Very powerful, she can counter all attacks, except those initiated by a Soldier or a Spear.
An Empress may be placed in attack only if there is already one played (face-up) in defense or if it is the last card played in the hand.
Demoralized
After dealing cards, if a player has at least five Soldiers in his hand, he can ask his partner to choose to cancel the round. At least five Soldier cards must be shown to all players. If the round is cancelled, the cards are dealt by the same player. The first player doesn't change. This rule only applies to the 4-player mode.
Strategic Advice
To pass your turn, even if you have the right card to counter an attack, can be a beneficial strategy to win the round.
Don't hesitate to counter your partner, especially if it allows you to put down your last card.
Example of a 4-Player 1st Round
Two teams: Maud and Pauline vs Justin and Nathael.
- Justin is the first player. He plays a card face-down on his defense line. Then he launches an attack with the Soldier on his attack line.
- Pauline counters him with a Soldier in defense. Then she launches an attack with a Horseman.
- Nathael counters the Horseman with an Empress (he can do it because the card played by Pauline is neither a Soldier nor a Spear). Then he launches an attack with a Spear.
- Maud passes.
- Justin and Pauline pass too.
- Nathael plays a card face-down on his defense line (because his attack was not countered). Then he launches the next attack with a Golden Dragon.
Chaotic (3 Players)
An army has not turned up, breaking past alliances. You are now all on your own.
The first player deals ten cards to each player, and two cards are set aside face-down; they will not be used in this round. However, the second player may look at one of the cards face-down, and the third looks at the other. Since the first player always hides his first card, each army leader will have information that the other two will not know.
The rules of the game are the same as for four players, except that you do not play as a team and the "Demoralized" rule does not apply. The first player to reach 15 points wins the game.
Duel (2 Players)
You want to take advantage of the presence of an imposing troop of mercenaries to defeat your enemy. Only your opponent had the same idea as you.
To form the army of mercenaries, the first player places eight cards face-down in centre of the table, and then places one card face-up on each of them (see example below). Then he deals eight cards to each player, so that all cards will be dealt.
Each player can use the mercenaries, in attack or defense. Taking a card from the mercenaries reveals the hidden card below and makes it available. The card taken from the mercenaries must be played immediately, not added to the hand.
The rules are the same as for four players, except that you do not play as a team and the "Demoralized" rule does not apply. What's more, your last attack card played must be an attack and come from your hand, not from the mercenaries. The first player to reach 15 points wins the game.
Game Modes
Soldier: To win the game, you must score at least 15 points (or more).
Lord: To win the game, you must score exactly 15 points. If you score more, you have to subtract the points that exceed 15. (For example: you have 17 points, so 15+2, you remove 2 extra points, that will make you 13 points in total.)
Kami: To win the game, you must score 15 points exactly. Going beyond throws you back to zero.
Kami is freely inspired from the Goita Shogi, a card game derived from the Shogi, the games of generals, which is a traditional Japanese board game similar to chess.
Kami is published by Oka Luda / Art&Bear, beautifully illustrated by Pauline Berdal.