Katana Spirits Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Component List
• Game Setup - Table Setup
• Game Setup - For Each Player
• Gameplay - Summary of Each Turn
• Gameplay - Training
  • Step 1 - Move the Training Token (Mandatory)
  • Step 2 - Take Katana Tile OR Rest
  • Health
• Gameplay - Combat
  • Rewards for Collecting an Enemy Card
  • Lieutenants and Bosses
• Gameplay - Combat to Training
• Gameplay - Lowest Health
• End Game Conditions
• Final Scores and Victory
• Enemy Abilities
  • Minions
  • Lieutenants
  • Bosses
• Variant - Full Training Bonus

Component List

• 5 Player Cards
• 5 Player Tokens
• 3 Boss Cards
• 15 Lieutenant Cards (5 of each colour: red, green, blue)
• 33 Minion Cards (11 of each)
• 7 Training Cards
• 28 Katana Tiles (4 of each)
• 1 Training Token
• 1 Health Card
• 5 Action Cards (Training and Combat sides)
• 50 Score Sheets

Game Setup - Table Setup

1. Randomly place the six Training Cards (numbered 2-4) to form a 3x2 grid. This is known as the Training Area.
2. Place the purple number 5 Training Card beside the Training Area. This will likely be swapped in during the game.
3. Place the Training Token on the top-left card of the Training Area.
4. Gather all the Katana Tiles beside the Training Area.

Create 3 enemy rows:

5. Randomly pick 2 Boss Cards and form an upper row. The remaining third card will go back in the box.

6. Sort the Lieutenant Cards into the three types. Then remove cards so that each stack has as many cards as the number of players.

7. Take the Minion Cards to form a deck:

   • 2-3 players: Remove cards with the 4-player icon (a figure marked 4) and the 5-player icon (a figure marked 5).
   • 4 players: Add cards with the 4-player icon.
   • 5 players: Add cards with the 4-player icon and the 5-player icon.

   Shuffle the Minion Cards then open 3 cards to form a row. Keep the deck next to the row.

8. Place all the Player Tokens at the top "heart" slot in the Health Card.

Editor's note: the player-count markers in step 7 are printed as a figure with a number (4 or 5); they are rendered here as the "4-player icon" and "5-player icon". The number at the top-left of each Minion Card is its Combat Requirement, not a player count.

Game Setup - For Each Player

Each player takes the following cards according to their selected player colour:

• 1 Player Card
• 1 Action Card, turned to the Training side at the start of the game.

Decide the player order clockwise:

• 1st and 2nd player take a size 2 Katana Tile.
• 3rd player takes any single size 3 Katana Tile.
• 4th and 5th player take any single size 4 Katana Tile.

The starting tile must be placed within the 3x5 grid in the Player Card.

Gameplay - Summary of Each Turn

On each player's turn, the player is required to perform one of the following actions: Training or Combat.

Players will then flip their Action Card to match the action that they perform. After performing the action, the next turn will go towards the next player in clockwise direction.

Gameplay - Training

Players train their elemental katana techniques in the form of polyominoes to prepare for combat.

When selecting the Training Action, the player must perform the following in sequence:

1. Step 1 - Move the Training Token.
2. Step 2 - Take Katana Tile or Rest.

Step 1 - Move the Training Token (Mandatory)

Take the Training Token and move it to an orthogonally adjacent Training Card within the 3x2 Training Area.

Not moving the Training Token is allowed at a cost of 1 health.

The 7th Training Card which is set beside the Training Area will not come into play until defeating the corresponding Minion. (Page 13)

The setup (page 3) identifies that card as the purple number 5 Training Card; it is the seventh of the seven Training Cards.

Step 2 - Take Katana Tile OR Rest

After moving the Training Token, the player can choose to take the Katana Tile as shown on the landed Training Card.

A Katana Tile cannot be taken if there are no available tiles.

Place the selected tile within the 3x5 box in the Player Card:

• Tiles can be flipped and rotated.
• Tiles taken are not need to be connected to the previously placed tiles as long as they are contained within the 3x5 grid.
• Players are not allowed to re-arrange the tiles once they have been placed.

Players can also choose to place a maximum of 1 Katana Tile outside the grid for a cost of 1 health. That single Katana Tile outside the grid cannot be removed or replaced until a Combat Action (Page 8) is performed.

Health

The Health Card represents each player's health track which is made up of 5 slots.

Players move their Player Token one step down the health track when they lose 1 health.

If the player is on a lower health slot as shown by the position of the Player Token, that player can choose to move up the Player Token 1 step on the health track as a "Rest" action.

Players are not allowed to take the Katana Tile if they choose to "Rest", and vice versa.

Players will lose points at the end of the game based on where the Player Tokens are placed.

The Health Card prints a point deduction on each slot below the starting (top) slot: -1, -3 and -5 on the three middle heart slots, and -7 on the bottom skull slot. The deductions are shown as artwork on the card and are transcribed here from the printed card.

Gameplay - Combat

Players fight enemies with their newly trained Katana techniques (Katana Tiles) when they are ready.

When selecting the Combat Action, the player will first gather all the Katana Tiles.

There are 3 types of enemies placed in three rows:

• Bosses (upper row)
• Lieutenants (middle row, three stacks by colour)
• Minions (bottom row, with the Minion Card Deck beside it)

To defeat an enemy, the player must use his Katana Tiles' Combat Strength to meet or exceed the enemy's Combat Requirements.

If the total Combat Strength exceeds the Combat Requirement regardless of how much is excess, that player must reduce 1 health.

Players can only defeat 1 enemy per turn. Used Katana Tiles are discarded back to the pile. Katana Tiles that were not used can be kept for their next Combat Action.

Collect the defeated Enemy Card and place it beside the Player Card.

When a Minion Card is defeated by a player, replenish that card space from the Minion Card Deck.

Rewards for Collecting an Enemy Card

Each defeated Enemy Card shows:

• Enemy symbols that might earn additional points: a red torii gate, a green circle emblem, and a blue triangle.
• Points to be earned at the end of the game: the star at the bottom left of the card.
• Card abilities for the player (Pages 13-15).

Lieutenants and Bosses

Each player will need to defeat 2 Minions in order to defeat any 1 Lieutenant:

• Players are not allowed to defeat the same type of Lieutenant more than once.
• Players do not have to defeat 1 Lieutenant after defeating 2 Minions. For example, a player can defeat 4 Minions first, then defeat 2 Lieutenants if they choose to.

2 Lieutenants are required to be defeated to combat all Bosses.

Gameplay - Combat to Training

When a player flips the Action Card from Combat (previous turn) to Training (current turn), that player must do both of the following actions before proceeding to the Training Action:

• Discard all the unused Katana Tiles into the pile.
• Reduce 1 health.

Gameplay - Lowest Health

When a Player Token is at the lowest slot of the health track, that player will not be allowed to take any Katana Tile, as well as not be allowed to perform a Combat Action.

That player must choose the Training Action to "Rest" as the next action.

End Game Conditions

The final round will be triggered after any one of the following conditions:

• All Bosses are defeated, OR
• The Minion Card Deck is depleted.

The game continues until all players have taken the same number of turns, then the game ends.

Final Scores and Victory

After the game ends, Players will determine their final score by adding their total points earned:

• Points shown at the bottom left of defeated Enemy Cards.
• If defeated Gecko Maru: 2 points for each set of 3 symbols on defeated Enemy Cards.
• If defeated Undead Minions: Score 1 point per 3 defeated Enemy Cards of the same symbol.
• Health Card: Check the Health Card to remove points depending on where their Player Token is at the end of the game.

The player with the most points wins the game.

If there is a tie, the player who defeated the most number of Minions wins. If there is still a tie, the tied players share the victory.

Enemy Abilities

Minions

Minion 3 & 5 (Immediate ability after defeat):

Replace a Training Card (that doesn't have the Training Token landed on) with the 7th Training Card outside the Training Area.

This ability is mandatory. A player cannot choose to avoid the replacement of the Training Card.

Undead Minions 7:

Score 1 point per 3 defeated enemies with the matching symbol on their cards at the end of the game.

Lieutenants

Duo Sickles (Lieutenant):

The player has a passive ability to move the Training Token up to 2 steps when they move the Training Token during their future Training Actions.

Despite moving 2 steps, the player can only choose to take one Katana Tile from the Training Card where the Training Token is moved to. (Pages 6)

Fat Tanuki (Lieutenant):

The player has a passive ability to move their Player Token 2 steps up the health track when choosing to Rest during the Training Action.

Gecko Maru (Lieutenant):

Score 2 points for each set of 3 unique symbols of defeated Enemy Cards (Red, green, and blue) at the end of the game.

Bosses

Cat Nemesis (Boss):

This Boss Card can be used as any of the 3 types of symbols for each bonus scoring at the end of the game.

For example, it can score as a symbol for Gecko Maru's scoring, and another symbol for Undead Minion scoring.

Miyamoto (Boss) (Immediate ability after defeat):

All other players must lose 1 health immediately.

Sasaki (Boss) (Immediate ability after defeat):

All other players must discard 1 Katana Tile of their choice immediately.

Variant - Full Training Bonus

This optional variant allows bonus points to be given to players for filling up the 3x5 box in their Player Card with Katana Tiles.

Setup: Each player takes a Full Training Card.

Gameplay: If a player chooses a Combat Action when the 3x5 box is completely filled, that player will take the Full Training Card and slot it under the Player Card showing the "1x" icon.

If a player had a completed box twice, that Full Training Card will be rotated to show the "2x" icon.

The Full Training Card can be flipped for the third time, and rotated again for the fourth and final time.

Scoring: After the game ends, players will score additional points as shown under the Player Card. (The "1x" icon is worth 1 point.)