Zombie Ninja Pirates
Zombie Ninja Pirates Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
About the Cards
There are three different kinds of cards: Type cards (green border), Action cards (blue border), and Object cards (red border).
Type Cards
Type Cards let you become a type of person: a Zombie, Ninja, Pirate, or Mad Scientist. You can be multiple Types at once (for example, a Zombie Ninja Pirate). You can not have more than one card of the same Type in front of you at once (you can not be a Ninja Ninja, for example). When you lose a Type, you only lose that Type, not any Objects you may have in your Chest. Type cards cannot be played by themselves; You must use an apporpriate Action or Object card (see below).
Action Cards
Action cards are played from your hand. You can use them on yourself or another player, as appropriate. Follow the instructions on the card. When you use an Action card, that card is discarded. You can only use an Action card during your turn, and you can only use at most one Action card per turn (see below).
Object Cards
Object cards are objects that you collect. You play Object cards onto the table in front of you (called your Chest) or another player (into their Chest). You can play an Object into your Chest, even if you are not the correct Type to get points for having that Object (see below). You can have more than one of the same Object in your Chest at once.
Object cards are worth points depending on what Type you are. When you play an Object card on the table, turn it to indicate its point value. An upright Object card indicates positive points. A sideways Object card indicates 0 net points, either because you are not yet the appropriate Type or because you are two conflicting Types. An upside down Object card indicates negative points. (See Figure 1.)
Figure 1: Illustration of Object cards on the table in front of a player. Upright, sideways and upside-down Object cards are shown beside the Chest area, with the Type (Identity) cards in the lower row.
Some Object cards can also be used like Action cards. When you use an Object card, discard it just like an Action card. You can use these Object cards either from your hand or from your Chest, but only during your turn. You can play at most two Object cards per turn, one from your hand and one from your Chest (see below). An Object card will stay in the Chest in which it was placed for the entire game, unless affected by another card or used as an Action.
Starting the Game
Remove the END GAME card and shuffle the deck. Deal 5 cards to every player. Take the lower third of the deck and shuffle the END GAME card into it. Replace this portion under the rest of the deck. You may also want a 20 sided die or other type of counter for each player to keep score, but this is optional. Determine who goes first by who can do the best Mad Zombie Ninja Pirate Scientist imitation. Play proceeds clockwise.
Playing the Game
Each turn, you do the following, in order.
- You must play 1 Action or Object card from your hand (with the appropriate Type, if applicable).
- You may use 1 Object card from your Chest (optional).
- You may discard up to 2 cards.
- You must draw back up so that you have 5 cards in your hand.
If you cannot or choose not to play any card from your hand (step 1), you must skip steps 1-3 and instead discard your entire hand and draw a new hand of 5 cards.
When someone draws the END GAME card, they must immediately reveal it. The game enters lightning round. The player who drew the END GAME card draws back up to 5 cards (if possible). Every player then has one turn to play as many cards from their hand or their Chest as they want. When the player who drew the END GAME card has finished his turn, the game ends. Total your points. The person with the most points wins!
If there is a tie, the person who is the most Types wins. If there is still a tie, the person with the most Objects wins.
Combining This Game with Vampire Werewolf Fairies
Zombie Ninja Pirates can be combined with Vampire Werewolf Fairies and played with 2-10 players. There are some slight rules changes to accommodate the combined decks.
- It is recommended that the "Reset" card be removed.
- During game setup, shuffle one END GAME card into the lower third as usual. Shuffle the second END GAME card into the middle third of the deck. After the first END GAME card is drawn, players must now play 1 or 2 Action or Object cards from their hand each turn (but still only 1 Object from their Chest). When the second END GAME card is drawn, the game enters lightning round as usual.
- Each player starts with 7 cards, and draws back up to 7 cards at the end of the turn (instead of 5).
- All "Boat" cards let you become a Pirate, Ninja, or Witch.
- All "Bite" cards let you become a Zombie, Vampire, or Werewolf. The action of stealing a card works for either a Zombie or Vampire, regardless of the artwork.
- All "Cure" and "Witch's Brew" cards are worth points for either a Mad Scientist or Witch. Using these cards removes either a Zombie or Vampire (your choice) but not both from a selected player.
- All "Internal Conflict" cards can be used on a player who is any of the opposite pair Types (Vampire/Werewolf, Witch/Fairy, Pirate/Ninja, or Zombie/Mad Scientist). It does not need to be the pair specified on the card.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Someone played "Bite" on me and now I have more than 5 cards. Do I have to discard?
A: No, but you may not draw until you have fewer than 5 cards in your hand.
Q: I have a "Ninja" card in my hand. Can I play it and get 5 points?
A: No, you cannot play a Type card by itself. You would have to use (and discard) a "Sensei", "Boat", or "Dojo" card in order to play the "Ninja" card.
Q: I played a "Butterfingers" card on another player. Do I get to choose which Object he discards?
A: Yes. The player who uses this card gets to choose which Object is affected.
Q: Can I play a "Butterfingers" card on myself to get rid of a bad Object?
A: Yes. Butterfingers can be played on any player, including yourself.
Q: Someone just played "Dishonor" on me and made me lose my Ninja Type. Do I lose all my Objects which were worth points as a Ninja (like "Sensei") also?
A: No. You only remove the Type, not any Objects in your Chest.
Q: I have a "Brains" card and I am both a Zombie and a Mad Scientist. Does that mean the "Brains" card is worth double?
A: No. You only get the points once per card. If you have more than one "Brains" card then each one is worth 2 points.
Q: I have a "Zombie" card and a "Virus" card in my hand but am already a Zombie. Can I play these cards and get another 5 points?
A: No, you cannot double up on a Type and get points again. You may discard those cards if you so choose during step 3 of your turn.
Q: Do I have to play a card from my hand? Can I just use an Object card from my Chest?
A: Each turn, you must play a card from your hand first, or else discard your whole hand and draw 5 new cards, ending that turn.
Q: The "End Game" card just came up. Can I play "Reset" to undo it?
A: No. The wording on "Reset" is to shuffle the discards and put them on the top of the deck. This does not cancel the lightning round, which is already in effect as soon as the "End Game" is drawn and revealed.
Q: I just played a game combined with Vampire Werewolf Fairies. How can I separate out the two games?
A: If you want to separate your decks after playing a combined game, the Vampire Werewolf Fairies cards have a pentagram symbol in the lower left corner on the card front. You can use this symbol to tell from which game a card belongs.