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What’s in the Box

• 6 Red Ninjas
• 2 Ninja Masters—one red and one black
• 2 Grey Shadow Ninjas—one red and one black
• 2 Four-Sided Dice
• Game Board
• Rule Sheet

The Object of Ninja Versus Ninja

In Ninja Versus Ninja, each player controls a team of Ninjas attempting to defend their dōjō and venture into the opponent’s dōjō to earn points. There are two ways to win: earn seven points or eliminate all of the opponent’s Ninjas.

Setting Up

1. Give Player 1 the six black Ninjas, the black Ninja Master, and the black Shadow Ninja. Give Player 2 the six red Ninjas, the red Ninja Master, and the red Shadow Ninja.
2. Place the game board between the two players, as shown in the graphic below.
3. Place the red and black Ninja Masters on the Scoring Tracks as indicated below.
4. Place the red and black Shadow Ninjas on the Shadow Tracks as indicated below.
5. Place the Ninjas on the game board in the pattern shown below, with the black Ninjas in the black dōjō and the red Ninjas in the red dōjō. Ninjas must face the opposing dōjō at the beginning of the game.

Playing the Game

Each player rolls both dice and the player with the highest total takes the first turn.

A turn consists of rolling both dice, totaling the numbers rolled, and moving one Ninja exactly that many spaces. See Ninja Moves for allowable moves.

• A Ninja will either move within the home dōjō or go on a Mission. Any time a Ninja leaves the home dōjō, that Ninja is considered to be on a Mission. Going on a Mission is the only way to earn points. See Going on a Mission.
• A Ninja may eliminate an opposing Ninja while in the home dōjō or while on a Mission. If a Ninja’s move ends on a space occupied by an opponent’s Ninja, the opponent’s Ninja is removed from the board and remains out of play for the rest of the game. No points are scored for eliminating Ninjas.

Players alternate taking turns until one player has scored seven points or eliminated all of the opponent’s Ninjas.

Winning the Game

The first player to earn seven points, or to eliminate all of the opponent’s Ninjas, wins Ninja Versus Ninja.

Ninja Moves Moves Allowed A player may only move his or her own Ninjas. Ninjas must move along a clear path. If any space on a path is blocked by a Ninja, of either color, that path may not be taken. Straight Line and L-Shaped moves, in any direction, are allowed on any move. An L-Shaped move is a move with one, and only one, 90° turn, regardless of the number of spaces moved. A One Reversal is allowed during the three turns while a Ninja is on a Mission. A Reversal is when a Ninja moves away from the home dōjō, and then moves back on the same path, toward the home dōjō, all in one turn. A Reversal is only allowed inside the opponent’s dōjō. B A Reversal may be combined with an L-Shaped move.C Moves that end on a square occupied by an opponent’s Ninja are allowed. The opponent’s Ninja is thereby eliminated from the game and removed from the board. D Moves Not Allowed Diagonal moves Moves that require jumping over Ninjas, of either color Reversals within a player’s home dōjō or in the neutral zone Moves that include more than one 90° turn Moves that end on a square occupied by a player’s own Ninja

Going on a Mission

When a Ninja leaves the home dōjō, that Ninja begins a Mission.

• A Mission must be completed within a total of three consecutive turns.
• Each player may only have one Ninja on a Mission at any one time.
• Ninjas are not required to use all three turns of a Mission and may return on turn two or even turn one.
• While on a Mission a Ninja is not required to enter the opponent’s dōjō and may return having only advanced as far as the neutral zone.
• Whenever a Ninja returns to its home dōjō it is rotated to its original orientation (facing the opponent’s home dōjō) and remains in that orientation until it begins a Mission.
• If a player has a Ninja on a Mission, that player may choose to move another of his or her Ninjas, but that move still counts as one of the three turns for the Ninja on the Mission.

The Three Turns of a Mission After each turn of a Mission, the Ninja is rotated to indicate how many turns that Ninja has to return to the home dōjō.

TURN 1 The turn in which a Ninja leaves the home dōjō is the first turn of a Mission. At the end of that turn, the Ninja is rotated 90° clockwise to indicate that the Ninja must be returned to the home dōjō within the next two turns of that player. Ninja position after turn 1

TURN 2 On the second turn of a Mission, the Ninja is rotated an additional 90° clockwise to indicate that the Ninja must be returned to the home dōjō on that player’s third turn. This Ninja is rotated regardless of whether or not the player decides to move it. Ninja position after turn 2

TURN 3 On the third turn of a Mission, the Ninja must be returned to the home dōjō or it is eliminated from the game and removed from the board. If the Ninja is successfully returned to the home dōjō it is rotated 180° to its original orientation. Ninja position after turn 3

Scoring Points

To score points a Ninja must move out of it’s home dōjō, across the neutral zone, into the opponent’s dōjō, and make it back safely to the home dōjō, all within the three turns of a Mission. The number of points scored depends on how far into the opponent’s dōjō the Ninja advances.

• The Shadow Ninja is used to indicate the number of points that could be earned on a Mission. When a Ninja moves into the opponent’s dōjō, the Shadow Ninja is moved to the number on the shadow track which corresponds to the deepest row that the Ninja has reached.
• If the Ninja on a Mission is eliminated by an opposing Ninja or does not return to the home dōjō by the third turn of that Mission, no points are earned and the Ninja is removed from the board. The Shadow Ninja is returned to the start of the Shadow Track.
• If the Ninja on a Mission returns home safely, the Ninja Master records the score by moving the number of spaces on the scoring track indicated by the position of the Shadow Ninja. The Shadow Ninja is then returned to the start of the Shadow Track.