AEG Ninja Rulebook

7/31/2019 AEG Ninja Rulebook

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Tachi entered the apparently abandoned tea housequickly, slipping through the pooled shadows almost

without thought. The soulless dregs that called this quarter

o the city home rarely noticed anything other than

their own misery, so ensuring that they did not see him

was simplicity in itsel. The tea house itsel was equallyunremarkable, indistinguishable rom the rest o the city

around it. It had allen into disrepair some time ago, but

earlier in the day, Tachi had received a note with the name

o the tea house and the symbol o a mask. It was a mask

he knew well.

The interior o the house was, i anything, in greater

disrepair than its outside. One table was pristine, however,

lit by a single lantern and set with an elaborate tea set.

One man sat at the table, enjoying the tea while clad in

black and crimson, the upper hal o his ace hidden by an

elaborate mask, the same mask rom the note Tachi hadreceived earlier. It was not always the same man who wore

the mask. It was not even always a man. It did not matter.

Whoever wore the mask was his master, and Tachi obeyed

without question.

Tachi,the master said. Punctual as ever.

I live to serve , master.

There is a matter o a witness who has seen things that

should have remained unseen .The master sipped at the

tea and seemed pleased. This man is presently a guest

o the Lion at their estate in the city. He needs to be dealtwith beore he can attend the Imperial Court tomorrow

and present his testimony.

O course,Tachi said at once. Are there any secondary

targets with whom he may have already spoken?

It is unlikely,the master said. He is quite sel-

aggrandizing, and would not risk someone else reporting

it, robbing him o the glory.The master chuckled. They

make it simple.

It will be done,Tachi said.

Kyotu knew that there were some who ound sentry duty

uneventul, but the young samurai had always ound that

it appealed to his quiet nature. The simple sensation o a

quiet, serene duty post was ulfllment enough or him

which made his present duty all the more unpleasant.

Te ninja and his traitor accomplice must nd the locationswhere they can complete their two secret missions,then exit the map alive beore dawn breaks. Te guardsseek to stop them.

The Object o the Game

The young Lion orced a smile as he watched his charge

fnish another container o sake. Magnifcent!the man said.

Your hospitality has been exquisite, my riend!

Kyotu bowed sharply. I am honored that you are pleased,

he said. The hour is late. Would you like me to call or tea?

The man scoed. Tea? I never touch it. I would enjoymore sake, however.

O course,Kyotu said. He began to say something else,

but was interrupted by a sot rap at the door to the chamber,

which drew an attentive glance. The guest smiled and

began to speak, but Kyotu silenced him with a gesture.

He had let instructions that the guest was not to be

disturbed or any reason.

There was a serving girl at the door. The tea you requested,

my lord,she said sotly, bowing as she presented the tray.

Even as she spoke the words, even as the eeling o alarm

gripped Kyotus chest, he heard the aintest rustling o cloth.

The window.

He turned and drew his blade, crossing the room in the blink

o an eye, but o course there was nothing there. Only the

wind.

The guest, his charge, lay on the ground, his eyes wide. He

clutched his throat, where a tiny drop o blood betrayed a

wound no bigger than a pinprick.

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Tis game box comes with everything you need to play,except or some un people and a couple o pens or pencils.

FiguresTere are twenty-seven plastic miniatures in the box: 10guards with swords, 10 guards with spears, 3 drunk guardswith big bottles o sake, one ninja, one traitor, and twolanterns. Te lanterns are used to track the Alert Level andthe game turn. Te rest o the gures represent the Lion Clansamurai and the Scorpion Clan intruders involved in thenights work.

CardsYou also have 58 playing cards, which are divided into threedecks based on the design on the back. Tere should be 36cards with a Lion Clan symbol on the back or the guards,12 cards with a red Scorpion Clan symbol on the back orthe ninja, and 10 cards with a black Scorpion Clan symbolon the back or the traitor.

Private MapsFour pads o miniature maps have been provided or theplayers to mark secret resources and movement.

Privacy ScreensTe our small screens are used to help keep yourprivate map private.

Game BoardTe game board shows a map o the ortress where the actiontakes place. A urn Record rack and the Alert rack areound on one side.

Te map is divided into discreet zones by gold lines, blue lines(in moats) and gray stones (or walls).. Zones may have one ormore o the ollowing eatures:

Moat

Watch Post

Barracks

Patrol rack

Wall

Mission GoalsA punchboard with six dierent mission goals (lettered A-F)allows the player(s) to determine the intrudersmissions secretly.

Components


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Setup

Place the map on a table between the players. It doesntmatter how the map is oriented.

ake one o the lanterns and place it on the None box o

the Alert rack. ake the other lantern marker and place iton urn 1 o the urn Record rack.

Sides and MissionTere are two sides: Te intruders (ninja and traitor) and theguards. Determine who will play which side. For three-playergames, have one person control the ninja and one persontake the traitor. For our players, have two players playingthe guards (one controls the guards with swords, and onecontrols the guards with spears).

Tese rules are written assuming one intruder player and oneguard player. Look or sidebars to explain how the rulesdier or three- and our-player games.

Shufe the 6 mission goals. Draw one mission each orthe ninja and the traitor. Te missions are kept secretrom the guards.

Te missions are located insidethe castles; each intruder mustnd the location o his missionand exit the map beore the end

o the 20th turn.

34 Players:Intruder playersmay look at eachothers mission

and strategy cards.

Selecting StrategyNext, the intruder player selects 8 o the 12 ninja cards orthe ninja, and 7 o the 10 traitor cards or the traitor.Tese cards orm the ninjas and traitors hands, which must

be kept separate. All cards chosen are kept secret rom theguard player.

Te guard player likewise secretly selects 24 o his 36 cardsto orm his initial hand. He shufes the remaining 12 guardcards together to make a draw deck.

4 Players:With two guard players, divide the cardsevenly between them, with each guard player gettinghal o each type o card. Each guard player selects12 o their 18 cards to orm their hands, and shufesthe remaining six cards to orm a personal draw deck.Always keep the guard players hands, decks,and discard piles separate.

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Play HintI you are unsure about which cards tochoose, try these basic decks:

Guard: Awaken x4

Kenjutsu x2

Patrol Listen x4

Patrol Search x4

Sentry Listen x6

Sentry Search x4

Ninja: Kenjutsu x2

Rope x2

Secret Passage x1

Shadow Walk x1

Shuriken x2

raitor: It Was a Cat x1

Kenjutsu x2,

Potent Sake x2

Rope x1

Secret Passage x1


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4 Players:When setting up, guard players must useequal numbers o guards with spears and guards withswords. Te weapons o the guards in a patrol indicatewhich player can control that patrol and can play cards

on it. I both weapons are present, then both playerscan play cards on it, thus it is advantageous to the guardplayers to have mixed patrols.

Placing Figuresake 8 guards and place them as sentries in zones with watchpost icons . Since there are 12 watch posts and only 8guards, some posts will be let empty. No more than oneguard can be on a watch post.

Next, make three patrols o 2 guards each. Place the patrolsin any zone on one o the patrol tracks. Align the gures inthe patrol so they clearly ace one direction. (Facing onlymatters or patrols, and then only when those patrols are onthe red patrol track.)

Do not place the ninja and traitor gures on the map. Keepthem nearby.

Marking the Guards Private MapTe guard player takes one o the private maps to markresources and mission goals.

On his private map, the guard player marks the locations o8 sleeping guards with an S on his private map. Tey mustbe placed in zones with a barracks icon . He can placeup to two sleeping guards per barracks zone. Tese may beawakened during the game with theAwaken card.

Te guard player also marks the ollowing objects on his mapin zones that do not have a watch post icon . Each ofthese objects must be placed in its own zone ; they may notshare a zone with another object o any sort. (Te meaningo these symbols is explained under Searching or Missions,page 11.)

6 mission goals, marked AF.Place three o these in each o the two castles.

2 traps, marked with a T. ese must be placed inthe castles. Tey may both be in the same castle.

2 hidden sentries, marked with an H. ese must beplaced in the castles. Tey may both be in the same castle.

Te guard may place the objects in the area shown.


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Marking the Intruders Private MapTe intruder player takes one o the private maps to markhis movement.

Te intruder player selects a secret starting position or theninja. Tis must be at the edge o the map. Mark the ninjasposition with a 0 on the private map.

Te intruder player selects a secret starting position or thetraitor. Tis position must be within the outer moat, but itmay not be inside a castle, in a moat, in a zone with a guard,or in zones that are directly between the two castles. Markhis position with a 0 on the private map.

Finally, the intruder player chooses locations or a secretpassage. Tis passage allows or very swit movement acrossthe map. It has two entrances, which may be in any zoneexcept moat zones. Mark each entrance with an X. Youcan put both entrances in the same zone i you wish, thoughthere is no advantage to doing so.

Note:When one player plays both intruder gures,you will need to dierentiate between them.Use dierent colored inks, or preace the turnnumbers with an N or a .

4 Players:I the intruders cannot agree on thelocations or the secret passage, then each gets toplace one end o it.

Te ninja must set up at the edge of the map, as shown.

Te traitor can begin in any of the highlighted zones.

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While you read through the rules, you can also play thegame step by step. At the very least, we suggest you havethe components out to help you learn.

OverviewEach turn, the guard player moves his patrols and guards,and has them listen or and search or intruders. Te intruderplayer moves the ninja and the traitor secretly on the mapand tries to avoid detection, while searching or their missionobjectives. Each player can use cards or special eects.

Key Concepts

Alert LevelAt the start o the game, a ll is quiet and the guards have no

inkling that something is amiss. However, this can quicklychange.

Tere are 4 levels of alert: None, Low, Medium, andHigh. Te Alert Level may increase at any time during theturn as the guards get suspicious. Te Alert Level decreasesat the start o each turn as the guards get complacent andmutter about shadows and small animals, and wonder wheretheir riend wandered o to.

When an alert is triggered, move the marker up the Alertrack as indicated. Te Alert Level cannot go above High.

Hidden MovementFor most o the game, the ninja and the traitor will not be onthe map. It is up to the guards to deduce where they are andnd them.

Guards, Sentries, and PatrolsIn these rules, a guard is any guard gure, regardless o whathe is doing.

A sentry is any solitary guard. Sentries are stationary. Tey donot move without a card eect, and the acing o the gure hasno eect on game play. You can use a Sentry Search card tomove a single guard out o a patrol.

A patrol is a group o two or more guards that move about themap together. Under most circumstances, they move along thepatrol track, noted on the map. Guards in a patrol must alwaysace in the same direction. While the patrol is on a patroltrack, the patrol must always ace in a direction that ollowsthe patrol track.

It is possible or a patrol to end a turn in the same zone as asentry. In this case, the sentry can join the patrol, or he canremain stationary. I he joins the patrol, he must adopt theircurrent acing. I not, be careul to keep him separate (orexample, by giving him a dierent acing).

It is also possible or a patrol to leave the patrol track. In suchcases, the patrols acing is no longer relevant.

I there are several sentries in a zone, the guard player canorm them into a patrol as he wishes.

Turn OrderEach game turn consists o the ollowing:

Alert Phase: Te guard player draws cards based onthe current Alert Level, and then the A lert Level drops.He can play any o the drawn cards that he wishes.

Guards Card Phase: Te guard player can play cardsor special eects.

Guards Patrol Phase:Te guard player moves his patrols.

Intruders Phase: Te intruder player makes his secretmoves, play any cards he wishes, and searches ormission goals.

Players must complete each phase beore moving to thenext one.

How to Play


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Alert PhaseFirst, advance the marker to the next turn.

Shufe all guard cards played last turn into the draw deck(except Kenjutsu cards being used to track wounds).

Te guard player places his hand ace down on the table.Ten he draws as many cards as are indicated by the currentalert level (High = 3, Medium = 2, Low = 1, None = 0).Te guard player keeps these newly drawn cards separaterom his hand or the moment.

Ater drawing cards, decrease the Alert Level by one.

Finally, the guard player can playany or all of the cards hejust drew. However, he can play only one card per sentryor patrol. Once a guard has had a card played on it (whetheras a sentry or while in a patrol), no more cards can be playedon it this turn. (Exception: Kenjutsu cards, see Attacking theIntruders on page 12.)

Once he is fnished, the cards he did not play go into his hand.

Listen CardsTe guard player can playSentry Listen and/or Patrol Listencards to try to detect the intruders. Te intruder player thenchecks to see i the sentry or patrol hears anyone.

A guard hears an intruder based on the intruders locationand how ar the intruder moved on the previous turn. Tusi the intruder moved one zone in the previous turn, thenlistening guards one zone away rom that intruder hear him.I the intruder moved 3 zones, then guards up to 3 zonesaway rom the intruder can potentially hear him. Noisepasses through walls and across moats; distance is the onlything that matters.

Te traitor can playIt Was a Catto make the guards hearnothing. He can play this card whether or not he is withinlistening range, and can also play it to cover or the ninja.

I a guard hears an intruder, the intruder player tells himso. He does not tell the guard which intruder he heard, nor

where the intruder is.

I a guard hears an intruder, raise the Alert Level by one.Ten the listening guard (either the sentry or the wholepatrol) can move up to two zones to search or the intruder.Patrols cannot split up during this move.

I a guard enters the same zone as an intruder, the intruderis detected. See Detection on page 12.

4 Players:Te guard players must always keep theircards and draw decks separate. When shufing theprevious turns cards, each player shufes his own cardsinto his own deck. When drawing cards due to an alert,

the guards must agree on how to split the card drawsbetween the two o them.

Te ninja is at the X. If he moved one zone last turn, guardsin the zones marked 1 can hear him. If he moved 2 zones,

guards in the zones marked 2 can also hear him.

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Search CardsTe guard player can playSentry Search, Patrol Search,and/orAwaken cards to try to locate the intruders. Tis isbest done ater an intruder gives you some indication o hislocation, either by making noise or by searching or missions.

Guards can move 2 zones (they stop i they detect anintruder in the rst zone).

Each guard can move only once per turn. Guards maynever cross a wall. I a guard enters a moat, his moveends immediately.

When playing a card on a patrol, patrols can leave thepatrol track. Te patrol must still move as a group.

You can orm a new patrol by bringing together 2 or moreindividual guards. I the patrol is on the red patrol track,you must also ace them in the same direction so theyace along the patrol route.

Likewise, you can also dissolve a patrol by moving theindividual guards apart using a Sentry Search card.

Guards Card PhaseTe guard player then picks up his hand.He can play up to 2 cards from his hand.

Te guard player may play his cards in any order. Remember,he can play only one card per sentry or patrol per turn.

Guards are paid to be alert. Tus, i the guard player playedno cards during the Alert Phase, and chooses not to playcards in the Guards Card Phase, he can have one sentryor one patrol listen or intruders without having to playa card. Tis is handled just as i he had played the card,including raising the Alert Level and moving theguard(s) in question i they hear something.

I the guard chooses this option, he cannot play any othercards except Kenjutsu cards this turn.

Guards Patrol PhaseAter he is nished playing all his cards, the guard playermoves all patrols that are on the red patrol track.

Patrols that are on the patrol track must move along the routethe track denes. However, i any gure in the patrol hasalready moved this turn, that patrol does not move duringthis phase.

Patrols always move two zones orward, ollowing the patroltrack. Patrols that are not on the patrol track do not moveduring this phase.

When patrols leave a zone that has a ork in the patrol track,they choose which ork to ollow. Face the patrol in thatdirection. Tey may not reverse direction and go backthe way they came.

4 Players:Each guard player can only move his ownsentries, or patrols with at least one o his gures in it.

4 Players:Te guard players must agree on whoplays how many cards (up to 2 cards total betweenthem). I they cannot agree, each guard player canplay up to 1 card rom his hand.


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Intruders PhaseTe ninja and the traitor make their secret moves duringthis phase.

Unlike the guard player, the intruder player can play cardsat any point during his turn, and can play as many cardsas he likes each turn. However, each card can only be playedonce; the intruder player cannot draw cards like the guardplayer does.

MovementTe intruders can each move up to 3 zones. However, theaster they move, the easier they are or the guards to hear(see Listen Cards, page 8).

0 = Stand still

1 = Sneak 2 = Walk 3 = Run

Te ninja and traitor move secretly. Instead o placing gureson the gameboard, the intruder player notes the game-turnnumber on each zone that is entered on his private map.When walking or running, underline or double-underlinethe nal destination zone, respectively.

Intruders can move into zones with guards. I they do notkill all the guards upon entering that zone, they must reveal

themselves. Tey do not have to stop in the zone just becausethere are guards there. See the rules on Detection (on page12) or how this is handled.

When an intruder enters a moat, he immediately ends hismovement.

Te intruders can climb over a wall by playing a Ropecard.Indicate the location o the rope by drawing a line acrossthe wall on the private map, connecting two zones. Whenan intruder crosses a wall with a rope, he must halt in thezone directly behind the wall. Later, either intruder can use

the rope again to cross between the same two zones ineither direction.

Te rope marked on the mapallows the ninja to cross the wall.

Te ninja crosses the moat and wall, runs to the next moat,climbs over the wall, and then explores the castle.

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When an intruder discovers a trap, raise the Alert Level byone. Do not erase the trap in case the intruders are carelessand search there again.

When a hidden sentry is discovered, the intruder can

neutralize him with a Kenjutsu or Shuriken card. I thesentry is not killed, place a new guard gure in that zone.Increase the Alert Level to High. In either case, erase thecorresponding H on the guard players private map.

Exiting the Map

It costs one zone o movement to exit the map (you canconsider o the map to be a single zone that extends all theway around the board). Once an intruder exits the map, hecannot return. You must tell the guard player immediatelywhen an intruder exits the map, and you must also declarewhich intruder it was.

Place anyKenjutsu cards being used to mark that intruderswounds into the guards discard pile.

Searching or MissionsIn order to complete a mission, the intruders must nd thezone that contains their mission target. Tey do this bysearching zones.

Intruders can search any zone they moved into or out oduring the turn. Tis gives the guard player an indication othe intruders locations. Intruders declare their searches atercompleting all their movement. Te intruder player canonly search 2 zones per intruder per turn.

Intruders can search zones with guards still in them, i theymoved through those zones. Tis usually means the intrudersget detected, which is very dangerous.

o search a zone, the intruder declares a search and points tothe zone he is searching on the game board. You do not haveto announce the search zones in the order o the intrudersmovement; you can announce them in any order to misleadthe guard player. However, you must announce whichintruder is searching which zone.

Ater the intruder player declares all zones that are beingsearched, the guard players must announce what is hiddenin those zones: a mission target, a trap, a hidden sentry, ornothing.

When a mission target is discovered, the guard player mustgive the missions code (A-F). If this corresponds to thatintruders mission goal, show the guard player thatmission goal. Tat mission is now completed. Intrudersmay not complete each others missions. Intruders mustsearch a zone and reveal their mission goal to complete amission, even i they already know the mission is locatedthere (e.g., it was discovered by the other intruder).

4 Players:Te guard players can decide whichdiscard gets how manyKenjustu cards.

4 Players:Te guard players can decide which unusedguard gure to use when the hidden sentry is revealed,and thereore which player controls that guard.

Game HintAs the intruder, you may nd it helpul to

mark mission goals with their letter (AF)and all other zones you search with a dot on your private map.


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DetectionWhen one or more guards move into the same zone as an

intruder, the intruder player must announce it immediatelyand place the appropriate gure on the game board. Teguard ends its movement and can attack the intruderimmediately. Move the Alert Level to High.

When an intruder enters the same zone as one or moreguards, the intruder can playShadow Walkto passundetected, or other cards to kill or neutralize all guards inthe zone. I he does not do so, he must place his gure on theboard and move the Alert Level to High.

When a detected intruder moves into a zone with no guards

in it, or eliminates all guards in his zone, he immediatelybecomes hidden again, and the player removes the gurerom the game board. Do not adjust the Alert Level.

CombatAn attack can occur when a guard enters or starts in thesame zone as an intruder, or vice versa. Te active player isthe attacker.

Attacking the GuardsI the attacker is an intruder, discard one Kenjutsu card toremove one guard. Move the Alert Level up by one or two, asindicated on the card. Note that the intruders have a limitednumber oKenjutsu cards, thus they must avoid beinginvolved in too many combats.

An intruder does not have to kil l a guard just because heenters the zone. I he chooses not to or cannot, raise the AlertLevel to High.

Attacking the IntrudersI the attacker is a guard, the guard player can play as manyKenjutsu cards as he has guards in that zone. He can do thiseven during the Guards Patrol Phase.

Kenjutsu cards do not count against the one-card-per-guardlimit. It is perectly legal to play a Sentry Search on a guardto move him into a zone with an intruder, and then play aKenjutsu card to attack that intruder. However, each guardcan attack only once per turn.

When a guard attacks, the intruder gets a wound. Placethe Kenjutsu card in ront o the intruder player to trackhow many wounds the intruders have suered (ninja to theintruder players let, traitor to the intruder players right).Te Alert Level goes to High.

Te ninja dies when he has been attacked 3 times (i.e., hashad three Kenjustu cards played against him). Te traitor dieswhen he has been attacked twice. When an intruder dies,place anyKenjutsu cards being used to mark that intruderswounds into the guards discard pile.

4 Players:Te guard players can decide whichdiscard gets how manyKenjustu cards.

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Number o GuardsTere can only be 20 guard gures on the map at any time.Tis includes drunk guards. I there are 20 guards on themap, sleeping guards cannot be awakened.

I there are 20 guards on the map and an intruder triggersa hidden sentry, rst the intruder has a chance to kill thehidden sentry. I he does not, the guard player may selectany one guard (even a drunk guard) and remove it rom themap so that he can place the hidden sentry on the map asa guard. I the guard player chooses not to do this, theintruder is still detected and the Alert Level moves to High.

Intruder DeathI the intruder player loses a character beore turn 10, hecontinues with a new copy o that intruder at the start ohis next turn (the dead intruder is considered to have been a

clever decoy). Each intruder only gets one new lie per game.

Select a new starting position in the same manner as or thestart o the game. Use the actual turn number (instead o 0).Te secret passage remains at the same location. Te intrudercan move on the turn he restarts.

Select new cards: 6 cards or a ninja and 5 or a traitor.Tese cards are selected rom all the cards provided (i.e., youcan select cards that you did not choose when setting up).

Once the starting location and starting hand have been

chosen, shufe the dead intruders mission goal with theunused mission goals. Draw a new mission goal or the newcharacter. You might already know where the mission canbe ound, but the mission is not considered completeduntil that intruder searches that zone.

Te guard player selects up to 5 cards rom the cards inhis draw deck and discard pile, and adds those cards to hishand. He also gets 3 extra sleeping guards. Note the newsleeping guards on the private map. Remember, there maybe no more than two sleeping guards per barracks,but you may place these new guards in barracks thathave had sleeping guards wake up and depart.

All ropes, drunk guards, etc., let by the deadintruder remain.

When an intruder dies on turn 11 or later, no new intrudercharacter gets created and the guard player gets no bonus.


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The Secret PassageAt the start o the game, only the ninja and traitor know thelocation o the secret passage. Te secret passage has twoentrances; it does not connect to the map in any other zone.

Te secret passage is considered a single map zone. I a guardand intruder are in the secret passage at the same time, theintruder is detected.

o indicate that a gure has entered the secret passage, theintruder player draws a circle around the turn number on hisprivate map.

A gure cannot move through the secret passage in a singleturn.As soon as you move into the secret passage, yourmovement ends.

When a guard nishes his turn in the same zone as anentrance to the secret passage, the intruder player must revealits existence. From then on, the guards are able to use thesecret passage too. Discovering the secret passage does notraise the Alert Level.

I the guard passes through the zone o the entrance to thesecret passage without stopping, he notices nothing.

When you wish one o your gures to enter the secretpassage, place the Secret Passagecard ace-up in ront oyou and place your gure upon it. Each gure needs itsown card to use the secret passage. Te ninja and intrudercannot use each others Secret Passagecard.

When a guard enters the secret passage, the intruder playerdoes not need to tell the guard player where the other exit is;the guard player can only nd out by luck or by sending aguard out the other exit.

Next turn, gures can leave the secret passage by either exit(note that guards still need a Sentry Search or Patrol Searchcard to move out o the passage). Retrieve your gure romthe card (and place it on the game board i it is a guard).Exiting the secret passage counts as one zone o movement.

When a gure leaves the secret passage, leave the SecretPassagecard ace up in ront o that player. reat the secretpassage as a new zone. You must still stop your movementwhen you enter the secret passage.

Guards outside the secret passage cannot hear intruders thatare in the secret passage. Guards cannot listen or intruderswhile inside the secret passage.

Guards cannot enter the secret passage or the rst timewithout the Secret Passagecard. Once they play that card,

one guard can move in or out o the secret passage by using aSentry Search card. I the guard player has both Secret Passagecards in play, two guards (total) can use the secret passage,and the guard player can move two guards in and out at thesame time using a Patrol Search card.

4 Players:Te guard players can use each othersSecret Passage cards.

Play HintAt the end o every turn, mark the zonesthat your guards are in with a dot. Tis willhelp to narrow down the location o thesecret passage.

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Te game ends when there are no intruders on the board(because they have been killed or have escaped), or the 20thturn ends.

o win, both intruders must complete their mission andescape the map. I only one intruder completes his missionand escapes, the game is a draw. Any other outcome is avictory or the guards.

Lone Wolf: In this 2-player variant, the intruder chooseswhether to play either the ninja or the traitor (he does not

play both). Te guard player sets up only 2 patrols (not 3)at the start. o make things harder on the guards, you canhave the intruder player choose starting hands or both theninja and the traitor. He still only plays one o the two, butthe guard player doesnt know which one until he plays acard. Te intruder wins i he completes the mission andescapes the map. Otherwise the guard wins.

Contested Ground: I you have 2 intruder players, theydont have to cooperate. Instead, have them each draw amission goal (or write down a mission letter (A-F) so thatthey might both have the same goal!). Tey do not share

inormation, they cannot use each others ropes, and theyeach have their own secret passage that they cannot share.

Playing CardsPlayers can only play cards on their turn. Te only exceptionis It Was a Cat, which the intruders can only play in responseto a Sentry Listen or Patrol Listen card.

Te intruder can play any cards he wishes as a blu. Forexample, he could play a Ropecard on a turn that he is nevernext to a wall, or It Was a Catwhen hes nowhere near thelistening guards. Te card is lost, but hopeully the guardplayer will be distracted or diverted by the ruse.

Difcult TerrainA gures movement ends as soon as he does any o theollowing:

Enters a moat zone.

Enters the secret passage. Crosses a wall using a rope.

Ending the Game

Variants


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Gameplay Hints Credits

GuardsAs the guard, do not squander your resources early. Youmight want to wait until the intruders raise an alarm to startsearching.

I the intruder enters the secret passage, you can tell becausehis gure will be on the card. Its pointless to listen or him.

While it is tempting to Awaken guards as ast as you can,doing so shows the intruder player where they are. It mightbe better to save them or a surprise later.

IntrudersMost intruder cards can be played to no eect as a blu.You lose one o your very precious cards, but you can send

the guards o chasing ghosts.

ake your time. 20 turns is longer than you think.

I the Alert Level is already High, there is no additional alertpenalty i you cause all sorts o trouble. Run around in theopen, kill those guards, get done what you can!

Game BalanceWhen the players have vastly dierent skill levels, the gamemight become impossible or weaker players or unchallenging

or stronger players. Here are some suggestions or ways tomodiy the play balance to make the game more enjoyable.

Increase or decrease the number o cards the intruders get.Even 1 or 2 cards makes a huge dierence. Adding 3 cardsto the ninja makes him a Hollywood-style killing machine.

Completing a mission (i.e., visiting the zone with theappropriate intruder) raises the Alert Level.

Finding the secret passage raises the Alert Level.

Increase or decrease the number o guards, patrols, andsleeping guards.

Allow guards to notice ropes in the same way that theynotice the secret passage.

Do not allow guards to notice the secret passage.

Design: Frderic Moyersoen

Development: Edward Bolme

Art Direction: Steve Argyle, Edward Bolme, Adrian Burton

Cover Art: ConceptopolisConcept Art: Llyn Hunter

Sculpts: Kaleido Services

Graphic Design: Creative Instinct

Fiction: Shawn Carman

Rules & Editing: Edward Bolme

Production: Dave Lepore

Art: Conceptopolis (Assassinate the Daimyo, Kenjustu,Patrol Listen, Patrol Search, Rope, Sentry Listen, Sentry Search,Shuriken), Yutthapong Kaewsuk (Destroy the Supplies),

MuYoung Kim (Shadow Walk), Jorge Matar (It Was a Cat,Murder the Honored Guest, Plant Incriminating Evidence,Poison the Well, Secret Passage), Florian Stitz (Awaken, StealWar Plans, Potent Sake)

Playtesting: Jeremy Carlson, Jason Crognale, Benj Davis,Rhiannon Davis, Dan Flannery, Flip Florey, Frank Forte,Jim Getz, Matt Hoyt, Sean Hurley, Luke Lancaster, JaimeLawrence, Jack Lee, Naomi Lee, Keith Miller, ammieMiller, Doruk Ozaydin, Amy Phillips, Chad Phillips, JeQuick, Joe Rapier, Bryan Reese, Melissa Reese, BrandonSnyder, Quentin Stephens, Karilynn Sweet, om Sweet, Don

Walsh, Joseph Williams and also dedicated gamers rom RedDragon, Winning Movez, SA, Outpost, Cha, Spelgevaarand other Belgian game clubs.

Special Tanks: Nicolas Bongiu andthe L5R teampast, present & uture.

Copyright Alderac Entertainment Group,Inc. Ninja: Legend o the Scorpion, AlderacEntertainment Group, Legend o the Five Rings,and all related marks and images are M and Alderac Entertainment Group, Inc.All rights reserved.

Visit www.l5r.com/ninja and www.alderac.com

Questions? Email [email protected]

Become a an at www.acebook.com/alderac

Documents

AEG Ninja Rulebook