Shogun Showdown
Shogun Showdown Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Objective
In Shogun Showdown each player uses their hand to win tricks. After a round of play where all cards are exhausted the player who won the most 'temple cards' during the round must put their temple(s) on a table to endure the other Shogun's attack. The other players flick their shuriken cards won during the round at the Shogun's temple(s). If the Shogun's temple(s) survive, the Shogun gains another temple card. Once a Shogun earns 4 temples, the Shogun is the winner.
Game Setup
All cards are shuffled and dealt to players evenly, the remaining cards are put back in the box. The player who has the single red samurai starts the game. If no player has the 1 red, then the 2 or 3 red starts.
Game Play
The game is played in four phases: Battle, Body Count, Showdown, & Spoils, described below.
Note: If at any point a tie occurs, the tie is settled through the number of cards a player has won, starting with Samurai, then Shuriken, and then Temples.
Battle (Card Play)
The first player leads with any card. Each player plays cards (clockwise) in the same suit (samurai color) or a non-suited card (throwing star or temple). The winner leads the next round. Play continues until all cards are played.
Suits
The suits are the colors-Red, Black, and White. Temple and throwing star cards are considered non-suit cards. Non-suit cards never win against suited cards.
Card Strength
The strength of suited cards is dependent on the number of samurai. If a suit is played prior to another player, all players must follow suit if they have it. Any off-suited card played is null. The strength of non-suited cards are based on the number of tips to the shurikens.
Temples are equivalent to not having any value and always lose except in the case when all players play a temple, the last player who played a temple wins.
Body Count
The player who won the most temple cards becomes the defender and immediately gains 1 temple. He/she takes their temple cards and creates a standing temple as follows:
(Diagram: 1 Temple Card; 2 Temple Cards; 3 or 4 Temple Cards.)
In the 3/4 card configuration, two white clips are used to hold the third temple on top of the other two. The temples are placed at a distance of 8 feet away from the attacking Shogun.
Note: this distance may need to be adjusted based on the skill of the players.
The Shogun Showdown
Suited cards are removed from each players tricks. For each suited card that the attackers have beyond the defender, they line up end to end from the throwing line towards the temple. The attacking Shogun remove their shurikens they won during the round and prepare to flick them at the temple from the line created (of suited cards).
Attackers Turns
The attacking shogun take turns flicking their throwing stars at the temple(s). The player with the least shurikens goes first, then the next least and so on. The players proceed to throw all of their cards at the target before the next attacker begins.
Spoils
If the defending Shogun succeeds (and the temple stands), he/she adds another temple to their temple deck and sets it aside. If the defending Shogun fails, the attacking Shogun who knocked it down gains a temple.
Repeating Game Play
The game play repeats as shown above, again with reshuffling, dealing all of the cards (minus the temple decks and the remaining cards after deal), totaling temples won, and the show down.
Game End
The game ends when a Shogun has earned 4 temples and becomes the Emperor of Japan.