Tiny Ninjas: Original Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• 01 - Getting Started
• 02 - Game Box Setup
• 03 - Attack & Defend
• 04 - TN Dice, Roll Icons
• 05 - Abilities
  • Attack Abilities
  • Defend Abilities
• 06 - Power-Up Tokens
• 07 - Gameplay Explained
• 08 - Round Structure
  • Now, here's the kicker!
• 09 - Gameplay Flowchart
• 10 - Battle Examples
• 11 - Additional 2-Player Game Modes
  • BLITZ
  • SURVIVOR
  • CHAMPION
• 12 - 1-Player Solo Mode
  • Solo difficulty levels
• 13 - Achievements
• Quick-Start Reference
  • General
  • 2-Player Quick-Start Rules
  • 1-Player Quick-Start Rules
• Credits

Components

• x1 Game Box
• x1 Rulebook
• x1 Reference Card
• x58 Ninja Cards
• x12 Expansion Ninja Cards
• x1 Expansion Rulecard
• x2 Health Dials
• x2 Card Trays
• x6 Power-Up Tokens
• x2 TN Dice

Rulebook contents: 01 Getting Started · 02 Game Box Setup · 03 Attack & Defend · 04 TN Dice, Roll Icons · 05 Abilities · 06 Power-Up Tokens · 07 Gameplay Explained · 09 Gameplay Flowchart · 10 Battle Examples · 11 Game Modes · 13 Achievements

01 - Getting Started

• Players each take a Health Dial and set it to 10. HEALTH can never exceed 10. Eliminate all of your opponent's HEALTH to win.
• Players each take 3 Power-Up Tokens.
• Shuffle the Ninja Cards and lean them, face down, in one of the Card Trays. This will be the Draw Pile. The other Card Tray is used for the Discard Pile.
• If the Draw Pile is ever depleted then reshuffle the Discard Pile to form a new Draw Pile.
• Battles begin with both Players drawing 5 Ninja Cards.
• Hands can never exceed 5 Ninja Cards.
• Do not reveal your Ninja Cards to your opponent.
• The youngest Player chooses whether to attack or defend first after seeing their Ninja Cards.
• Whichever Player defends first must discard 1 of their Ninja Cards before the first Round starts.

02 - Game Box Setup

Health Dials, Card Trays, and Power-Up Tokens can be placed out freely on the playing surface.

Alternately, everything can be placed directly within the Game Box to allow for gaming on virtually any surface!

03 - Attack & Defend

The TOP LEFT area of each Ninja Card features attack and defend information:

• Attack RANGE and Damage Color (upper icon)
• Shield Color and Defend RANGE (lower icon)

The RANGES indicate the minimum and maximum values a Ninja can achieve. This provides a quick reference when Ninja Cards are fanned out.

Attacking and defending is based around colors. Ninjas can attack with Red or Blue damage. They are both equally powerful but Blue is less common and a bit harder to defend against.

The number in the lower right of a Ninja Card shows how many Ninja Cards of this type are in the Card deck.

Ninjas defend damage by using Red, Blue, or Yellow shields. Defenders must have the appropriate shield color to defend some or all of the incoming damage. If the Defender does not have the correct shield type, they cannot defend and will suffer full damage from the attack.

Shield	Defends
Red shields	Red damage only
Blue shields	Blue damage only
Yellow shields	Red or Blue damage

04 - TN Dice, Roll Icons

The Tiny Ninjas Dice, or TN DICE, are color-blind friendly and can be rolled to produce three different sets of results depending on color or symbol.

The TOP RIGHT area of each Ninja Card features the attack and defend ROLL ICONS. One of three icons will specify the type of results to look for. The numbers displayed inside of the icons represent the value of the resulting roll. If no ROLL ICON is present then no roll is required.

The three result sets on a single TN Die:

Result set	Results and odds
Blade count	One 50% · Two 33% · Three 17%
Color	Orange 33% · Green 33% · Purple 33%
Light/dark	White 50% · Black 50%

Example - Pirate (attack 1-4 Red, defend 2-3 Red):

• Pirate attacks for 1-4 Red damage. Rolling One deals 1 damage. Rolling Two deals 2 damage. Rolling Three deals 4 damage.
• Pirate can defend 2-3 Red damage. Rolling White defends 2 damage. Rolling Black defends 3 damage.

Two-dice icon: the icon showing two dice that appears above ROLL ICONS means to roll both TN DICE and combine the results.

05 - Abilities

Attack Abilities

Ninjas generally have attacks that will deal either Red or Blue damage. However, some Ninjas have Attack Abilities which are explained on their Ninja Cards. Attack Abilities don't always deal damage. They can lend support like 'HEAL' or 'REVIVE'. They are called "Attack Abilities" as they can only be used or activated while a Player is attacking.

There is a wide variety of Attack Abilities with various effects so be sure to read the description carefully before using it.

If a description says "Cannot be defended" this means a shield cannot be used and any damage dealt must be taken.

Examples:

• Vampire's 'LIFE DRAIN' allows a Player to heal by the same amount of damage the attack deals minus any amount that is defended. (Card text: Gain HEALTH equal to the amount that Defender loses from this attack, if any.)
• Shadow's 'SNEAK ATTACK' is activated if a Player rolls a Three. This Ability deals 2 undefendable damage. (Card text: Defender loses 2 HEALTH. Cannot be defended.)
• Grim's 'DOOM' does not deal damage but instead has a 50% chance to force the Defender to discard 1 of their Ninja Cards. (Card text: White - No Effect. Black - Randomly take 1 Ninja Card from Defender's hand and put in Discard Pile. Discarded Ninjas have no effect.)

Defend Abilities

There are also a few Ninjas (Turtle, Alien, and Wolf) that have Defend Abilities which can only be used or activated while a Player is defending.

06 - Power-Up Tokens

Players start each battle with three Power-Up Tokens. One of each type.

Token	Used by	Effect
Red	Attacker	Add +1 to a Red damage attack.
Blue	Attacker	Add +1 to a Blue damage attack.
Yellow	Defender	Add +1 to any shield.

Colored icons face up mean the Power-Up is Available. Once Activated flip the Token to show the Tiny Ninjas emblem.

• Colored icon face up = Available - Can Use.
• Tiny Ninjas emblem face up = Activated - Cannot Use.

Each Power-Up Token can be activated once per battle. They must be activated before a Ninja Card is played. You can activate multiple Power-Ups in the same Round.

07 - Gameplay Explained

Gameplay consists of Rounds with Players alternating roles as Attacker and Defender. Roles alternate every Round and Rounds continue until one Player loses all 10 of their HEALTH and is defeated.

	Attacker	Defender
Round 1	Player 1	Player 2
Round 2	Player 2	Player 1
Round 3	Player 1	Player 2
Round 4	Player 2	Player 1

Players attack by playing one Ninja Card, face up, into the discard pile. Ninja Cards can only ever be played one at a time, they cannot be combined in any way. When played, the attacking Ninja's Attack Section is activated and any required action (usually rolling dice) is performed. Ninjas like Solo and Turtle do not have any required action as they deal a flat amount of damage.

Each Ninja Card is divided into a TOP half - the Attack Section - and a BOTTOM half - the Defend Section.

If an attacking Ninja deals damage then the Defender may choose to defend by playing one Ninja Card into the discard pile and activating its Defend Section. Alternately, the Defender may choose to not defend the incoming damage allowing them to save the Ninja Cards in their hand.

Any damage that is not defended is subtracted from the Defender's HEALTH.

08 - Round Structure

The Defender can only play a Ninja Card if an attacking Ninja is dealing damage. If an Attacker plays a Ninja Card that does not deal any damage, like Medic or Angel, the Defender cannot play a Ninja Card of their own.

An attacking Player may take as many attack turns as they want, playing one Ninja Card at a time. The Attacker has control over the Round and decides when it ends. If the Attacker has no remaining cards in their hand the Round ends automatically.

When a Round ends both Players switch roles. Attacker becomes Defender. Defender becomes Attacker. Then a new Round begins.

Now, here's the kicker!

When a Defender becomes an Attacker they restore their hand back up to 5 Ninja Cards.

When an Attacker becomes a Defender they can only defend with the remaining Ninja Cards in their hand.

Therefore, it is important to balance which Ninja Cards you will use for attacking and which you will hold to defend with.

If an Attacker plays their whole hand and has no Ninja Cards remaining then they will be defenseless in the next Round.

09 - Gameplay Flowchart

Steps are colored Battle (red), Choice (yellow) and Reset (green).

1. Attacker plays ONE Ninja. Either:
   • Attacking Ninja does not deal damage - skip straight to the Attacker's choice below.
   • Attacking Ninja deals damage - continue.
2. Defender chooses to defend with ONE Ninja, or chooses to NOT defend:
   • Defender's Ninja defends equal to or more than attack amount - Defender suffers ZERO damage. Defender does not lose any HEALTH.
   • Defender's Ninja defends less than attack amount - Defender suffers PARTIAL or FULL damage. Deduct difference from Defender HEALTH.
   • Defender chooses to NOT defend - Defender suffers FULL damage. Deduct full amount from Defender HEALTH.
3. Attacker CHOOSES to start another attack OR to end the Round.
   • Attacker chooses to attack again - Round continues with Players in same roles (return to step 1).
   • Attacker chooses to end the Round - Defender replenishes hand to 5 Cards and switches role to Attacker; Attacker DOES NOT replenish any Cards and switches role to Defender. New Round begins with Players in switched roles.

10 - Battle Examples

EXAMPLE 1: Attacker plays Trio which deals a flat 3 Red damage, no roll required. Defender plays Archer and rolls Orange which defends 0 Red damage. The Defender suffers full damage and loses 3 HEALTH.

EXAMPLE 2: Attacker plays Master and rolls both dice, getting a Two and a Three for a total of 3 Blue damage. Defender plays Wolf and rolls both dice, getting a One and a Three. This result defends 1 Blue damage and also deals 1 undefendable damage to the Attacker. Attacker loses 1 HEALTH and Defender loses 2 HEALTH.

EXAMPLE 3: Attacker plays Robot and rolls Orange to deal 2 Red damage. Defender plays Shadow and rolls Black which defends 3 Red damage. Defender does not lose any HEALTH.

11 - Additional 2-Player Game Modes

BLITZ

Remove these Ninja Cards: Alien (1), Angel (2). Players start by drawing 15 Ninja Cards each. They may then discard and redraw up to 5 Ninja Cards. Rounds end after a single attack, and Players must attack on their turn. Defenders may choose to defend or not. The winner is the Player with the most HEALTH remaining when both Players have used all their Ninja Cards, or whoever eliminates the other Player first.

SURVIVOR

Remove these Ninja Cards: Medic (2). Players start at 8 HEALTH and cannot exceed 8. Each Player keeps a Grim in their hand for the entire battle. This Grim cannot be used to defend and does not count towards hand size. At the start of a Player's attack turn they can either use Grim's 'DOOM' Ability or gain 1 HEALTH.

CHAMPION

Best of 5 mode with a progressive handicap. Players both start at "Level 1" with 6 HEALTH. HEALTH cannot exceed starting values. Power-Up Tokens are inactive in this mode and are instead used to track Levels. Each time a Player loses a battle they advance a Level for the next game and gain 2 starting HEALTH. (ie. Level 2 = 8 HEALTH; Level 3 = 10 HEALTH) First player to win 3 battles is the Champion!

12 - 1-Player Solo Mode

Remove these Ninja Cards: Baby (2), Grim (2).

Battle against artificial intelligence (AI). You will roll for AI and keep track of its HEALTH. You always start as the Attacker. Before you attack, first draw a Ninja Card for AI to defend with. Once you have seen the AI defending Ninja Card you can decide which of your Ninja Cards to attack with.

You must attack once an AI defending Ninja Card is drawn.

Using Medic's 'HEAL' or Angel's 'REVIVE' does not require a defending Ninja Card to be drawn for AI. However, you cannot use 'HEAL' or 'REVIVE' after AI has drawn a defending Ninja Card.

AI always attacks 3 times while being the Attacker. AI does not use Power-Up Tokens. Instead they can be used to track AI attack turns. Attack for AI by drawing a Ninja Card into the Discard Pile and performing any required action. You may then take your own action as the Defender.

• If AI defends with Alien defend up to 3 Red damage only. Attacking Ninja Card stays in the Discard Pile and is not abducted.
• If AI attacks with Angel shuffle the Discard Pile and randomly select 1 Ninja Card. AI then immediately attacks you with this Ninja Card.
• If AI attacks with Princess choose HEAL if AI has 6 HEALTH or lower. Choose ATTACK if AI has 7 HEALTH or higher.
• If AI attacks with Wolf and rolls 'DEEP FREEZE' on the third attack, the attack does nothing and AI switches to Defender. You got lucky!

Solo difficulty levels

Level	Rule
EASY	As in standard gameplay rules, correct shields are required.
NORMAL	AI can defend with a wrong shield at 50% effectiveness, rounded up. For example 3 or 4 Blue defense can block up to 2 red damage. 1 or 2 Blue defense blocks 1 Red damage.
HARD	Treat every shield AI defends with as a Yellow shield.

13 - Achievements

• Win a battle without any healing.
• Win a battle without losing any HEALTH.
• Win a battle with 1 HEALTH remaining.
• Heal 6 health from Vampire's 'LIFE STEAL'.
• Attack for 10 damage with Legend.
• Win a battle without ever using a Yellow shield.
• Fully deplete the Draw Pile in a single battle.
• Win a battle with your cards revealed the whole time.
• Successfully defend with Pyro to avoid being defeated.
• Win a battle with a hand limit of 4 (your opponent stays at 5).
• Win a battle within 3 Rounds as an Attacker.
• Win a battle in your first Round as an Attacker.
• Win a battle by starting at 5 HEALTH (your opponent starts at 10).
• Win a battle with a HEALTH limit of 8 (your opponent stays at 10).
• Win 3 battles in a row against the same opponent.
• Win 5 battles in a row against the same opponent.
• In BLITZ Mode, end the battle with tied HEALTH.
• In SURVIVOR Mode, win without using "Grim or HEAL" ability.
• In CHAMPION Mode, win undefeated (win 3 battles in a row).
• In Solo Mode, win on NORMAL with 8 starting HEALTH.
• In Solo Mode, win on NORMAL with 6 starting HEALTH.
• In Solo Mode, win on NORMAL 3 times in a row.
• In Solo Mode, win on HARD with 8 starting HEALTH.
• In Solo Mode, win on HARD with 6 starting HEALTH.
• In Solo Mode, win on HARD 3 times in a row.

Quick-Start Reference

General

• Start battles with Health Dials at 10. HEALTH cannot exceed 10.
• Players replenish their hand up to 5 when becoming Attacker.
• Hands cannot exceed 5 Ninja Cards.

2-Player Quick-Start Rules

• Shuffle all Ninja Cards and deal 5 to both Players.
• Players each take 3 Power-Up Tokens.
• Youngest Player decides starting roles (Attacker/Defender).
• Player starting as Defender must first discard 1 Ninja Card.
• Attacker then proceeds with first attack.

1-Player Quick-Start Rules

• Shuffle all Ninja Cards and deal 5 to yourself.
• Take 3 Power-Up Tokens.
• You always start as the Attacker.
• When AI is Defender they draw first when you decide to attack.
• AI always attacks 3 times as the Attacker.
• Difficulty: Easy (regular shield rules); Normal (wrong shield 50% effective, round up); Hard (all Yellow shields).

Credits

Designed by Ryan Leininger. Artwork by Yela Gatchalian-David, Paola Tuazon, and M. Hasbi Fathurrohman. TINY NINJAS is a registered trademark of 2niverse Games. Copyright (c) 2023 2niverse Games. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.