Karate Fight
Karate Fight Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Deck
Karate Fight is played with a deck of 54 cards, in three techniques: 16 Attack, 28 Defense, and 10 Skill. Each technique is further broken into several different types of card as illustrated below.
Attack: Chop, Punch, Kick, Throw.
Defense: Dodge, Block, Jump, Evade.
Skill: Strike, Counter, Jan Ken.
Set-Up
Fighters must securely tie a headband around their head.
Then one fighter shuffles the deck and deals the entire deck until each fighter has the same number of cards. If there is an odd number of cards place the remainder to the side.
Fighters must hold their deck face down, and may not look at their cards.
Bow to your opponents.
Fight
The fighter to the left of the dealer begins a bout by drawing a card off the top of their pile and placing it face-up in the middle of the table. The fighter must draw from the front of their pile, pulling the card away from them so that it cannot be seen until it is placed in the center.
When your card has been placed the fighter must declare the name of the card (e.g. Block, Punch, Jump). Louder is better, this is a fight after all!
Faster! Karate Fight is about speed, and the faster you go the crazier and more fun the battle becomes. As you learn the rules concentrate on increasing your speed of play as well.
If the card is a defense card the next fighter to the left must draw and place a card in the center as well. This continues until a fighter lays down an attack or skill card.
When an attack card is played the next fighter in the sequence must also place an attack card for play to continue. The number of chances the fighter has to play another attack card is determined by the type of attack card used.
Attack Type Chances
| Attack Type | Chances |
|---|---|
| Chop | 4 |
| Punch | 3 |
| Kick | 2 |
| Throw | 1 |
| Counter * | 2 |
* See Counter special rules in the Skill Card section below.
If the fighter does not successfully play an attack or skill card in the designated number of chances, the fighter who played the last attack card wins the bout and the entire center pile of cards goes to them. The cards are placed, in order, on the bottom of their pile. Then, the winning fighter begins the next bout.
Hit
Hits override the normal order of play and can occur at anytime. When a Hit occurs every fighter slaps the center pile, palm down, while yelling "Hit!" The fighter which slaps the pile first wins the bout and the center pile of cards goes to them.
The following situations cause a Hit to occur:
- Clumsy Defense: When two of the same defense cards are played back to back.
- Perfect Defense: When one of each defense card is played back to back.
- Strike: When a Strike skill card is played.
- Flurry: When three of the same attack cards are played in a single bout.
- Ultimate Combo: When one of each attack card is played in a single bout.
Coward's Blow
If a fighter slaps the pile when no Hit has occurred they must place one card from the top of their pile, face-up, on the bottom of the center pile. If a fighter performs two or more Coward's Blows in a single bout, they must place two cards in the center pile.
Skill Cards
Skill cards override the normal order of play and are resolved as soon as the card is played.
- Strike Card: When a Strike card is played a Hit occurs.
- Counter Card: When a Counter card is played the direction of play is reversed. If it is played when a fighter is responding to an attack, the Counter counts as an attack. The direction of play is still reversed and the former fighter has two chances to play their own attack or the fighter who played the Counter wins the bout.
- Jan Ken Card: When a Jan Ken card is played all fighters must place their piles on the table and play Jan Ken. The winner wins the bout.
Jan Ken
Each fighter puts their hand into a fist. All players then chant: Jan Ken Poi! On each count raise your fist and bring it down again. On the count of Poi! each fighter changes their hand the the sign of Rock (closed fist), Paper (open palm), or Scissors (index and middle finger in a 'V').
In the event of a tie, or if there are more than two fighters and all three signs are played or one of each type, it is a draw. Players then chant, aiko deshou, followed by Jan Ken Poi, playing again until there is a winner.
If there are only two signs shown then all of the fighters showing the losing sign are eliminated. If there are multiple winners, continue to play until there is only a single winner.
Running Out of Cards
If you are out of cards continue to play. When a Hit occurs you may attempt to win the bout and re-enter the game. If you perform a Coward's Blow with no cards remaining, you are out of the game.
Karate Master
The player to who obtains all the cards wins the fight, and becomes the Takoashi University, Karate Master.