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Rise of Kage
Rise of Kage
Gameplay Breakdown
& Victory Conditions
In Rise of the Kage, the ninja player(s) must accomplish
their mission to win the game. In order to do so, they
need to acquire enough search tokens in order to meet
the difficulty of the chosen mission and also fulfil the
conditions on the mission card.
The Guard player wins if by day-break (end of turn
eight) the ninjas have not completed their mission, or if
they are fully alerted to (alert level reaches the bell) the
ninja presence. If all of the ninjas are eliminated, then
the guard player has also won.
Players
13. Special rules - Any special rules this boss may have.
15
Game Contents
12. Guard slots - This is the type of guards this boss is able
to recruit. As well as the number of starting guards.
Alert 2 guards
11
16
1
2
+1
10 5
Kenta
Special Rules
13
14
Guard Points & Noise Tokens
10
7
10
12
Bushi
Area of Influence
Tokens
Action Tokens
Dice
2. House - The house the ninja belongs to. There can only
be one ninja model from each house in any game.
3. Combat - Modifier added to the result of force tests.
4. StealthModifier added to the result of stealth tests.
5. Defence - This is the target number for force tests made
against the ninja model.
6. ReactionThis number is the modifier added to the
result of reaction tests.
7. Special rulesAny special rules this ninja may have.
8. Card slots - A ninja may only have a number of bonus
and equipment cards as it has card slots.
9. Dice locationsEach location receives a dice of the
corresponding colour. Locations with a wound token
on them are not allocated a dice.
Abilities
+2
+2
Equipment Slot 1
Equipment Slot 2
Search Tokens
There are five groups of Search Tokens:
A, B, C, D, and Traps, which range
in value from 3 to 6, and are placed
number side up.
Noise Tokens
Whenever a Ninja player fails any test, or
performs an action without including a stealth
dice, a Noise Token is placed on the Guard
players play mat. These will be utilized as
additional Action Tokens by the Guard player on his
following turn, and allow a Guard model to be activated
above the limit set out on the guards specific card. There
is no limit to the number of Noise Tokens you can allocate
to a Guard model. If a Noise Token is generated within
the Area of Influence of an un-alerted guard model,
the model automatically goes into the Alert state. If a
Ninja model generates any Noise Tokens the alert level is
increased by one. If the Alert Level Token is on the bell at
the end of the ninja turn, the guard player wins.
Wound Tokens
Move Tokens
1 Shizuka
Door Tokens
Shoji Door
Plank Door
Barrack Tokens
The Guard player starts with two
Barrack Tokens, their placement
is dictated by the Game Board. An
additional two Barrack Tokens may
be brought into play via game effects
found on the cards. Any guard model
recruited comes into play adjacent to any Barrack Token
in play, chosen by the Guard player.
Escape/Infiltration Tokens
Escape/Infiltration Tokens indicate the
location on the Game Board where ninja
models will enter play, and in certain
missions, where they can escape. The
tokens are placed by the Ninja players
during their set-up phase according to
the placement rules, which will vary
depending on the game board chosen for
play. Escape/Infiltration Tokens are placed
number side down.
Bell Tokens
Bell Tokens are another tool in the guard
players arsenal.
When a bell token is placed adjacent to any
door, any attempt to move through that door
by a Ninja model will generate an automatic
noise token for the Guard player.
Hostage Token
Denotes a hostage and is only used on certain
missions. The mission card will dictate how
the Hostage Token is used.
Card Types
Lantern Tokens
Lantern Tokens have an Area of Influence of
three squares and are permanently in the Alerted
State. Any concealed Ninja model that moves
through the lanterns area of influence will be
detected, and if a detected Ninja model moves through a
lanterns area of influence, a Noise Token is generated.
Smoke Bombs
Disturbed
Ninja Deck
Equipment These cards represent equipment the
Ninja models may use, these must be placed on an
available card slot when they are used. Some cards have a
limited use and are discarded after the number of uses.
Events Event cards must be revealed as soon as they
are drawn and the effects applied immediately.
Bonuses Bonus cards may be played at any time. If a
remains in play bonus card is played, then it must be
placed as an equipment card.
Mission Deck
The mission deck consists of 10 generic missions and
the board-specific missions. See page 9 for more
information.
Adrenaline
Escape deck
Caltrop Tokens
A Ninja model equipped with caltrops
may place a Caltrop Token on any square
that contains one of his Move Tokens. If a
guard model moves over a Caltrop Token
then his move ends on the square the
token was placed. The guard model may
not be assigned any further action or noise tokens this turn.
Any Caltrop Token with a guard model on the same square
is removed from play at the end of the Guard players turn.
Status Tokens
Once a guard model becomes alerted or a
ninja model is detected, a status token is
placed on the models base to indicate that
this model is alerted or detected.
Chest/Fire Tokens
Used as objectives in
certain missions.
Guard Deck
The guard deck is made up of generic guard cards and
the selected boss cards. Boss cards are identified by an
associated boss image on the card (see A). These cards
are shuffled together to create the guard deck
Mission Deck
Remains in play
Escape Deck
2 0 3 2 3
2 1 4 2 3
2
Guard Deck
Bushi
2
2
Models
Game Board
Guard Models
Moving
Watchdog Model
The Watchdog model is always in the alerted state.
Ninja Models
Ninjas are represented by the corresponding playing piece.
Wall
Permissible
search area
Doorway
Square
Walls
Infiltration Points/
Escape Points
Doorways
Locations where door tokens can be placed during set
up. Models may not move diagonally through a doorway.
Infiltration Points/
Escape Points for all boards
In this example, Shizuka has line of sight to only one Guard (as shown by the green
line) - line of sight to the other four Guards is blocked by walls, a door or the Guard
she can see.
Line of sight
A ninja model has line of sight to all squares from which
it can draw an imaginary line to the center of the square
it occupies without passing through a wall, door, or a
square occupied by another model.
A guard model has line of sight to all Squares within
his AOI from which it can draw an imaginary line to the
center of the square it occupies without passing through
a wall or door.
In this example, the Guard has line of sight to Shizuka (as shown by the green line),
but does not have line of sight to Yuto (as his Line of Sight is blocked by the door)
or Katsumi (as while his line of sight is clear, Katsumi is not within his AOI).
Round Sequence
1. Replenish dice.
2. Allocate move.
3. Reaction roll.
4. Activate ninjas.
5. End of turn, start Guard turn.
Replenish dice
All Ninja models replace corresponding colour dice on
any dice locations without wound tokens on them.
Allocate move
All Ninja models place six Move Tokens. The first
token must be placed adjacent to the Ninja models
current square and each subsequent one adjacent to
the previously placed one.
Reaction roll
All Ninja models make a reaction roll using 1D6 (not
taken from your dice pool) modified by their reaction
attribute. Each Ninja model will activate in order from
highest to lowest.
Activation
The Ninja models move along the path dictated by their
Move Tokens. A Ninja model may stop anywhere along
the path, but cannot deviate from the path already laid
out. A Ninja model may attempt (or be forced) to make
actions at any point along the path. A Ninja model can
only be activated once per turn.
Rise of the Kage
Evade Examples
Melee Examples
10
11
Guards Turn
Guard Actions
Discard cards
The player may discard any number of cards from his
play mat and his hand. He may then draw cards up to
his maximum hand size from the guard deck.
Perform Actions
The guard player may perform as many actions with
Guard models as he has Action or Noise Tokens. Select
a Guard model to activate and allocate that model an
Action Token. The token is discarded and the effects of
the action are applied. Once a Guard model has been
allocated an Action Token any further actions using
Action Tokens, must be allocated to this Guard model
before allocating Action Tokens to another Guard model.
Any number of guard cards may be played to open slots
on your play mat. Once there are no more empty slots
you can no longer play cards, until the start of your next
turn. During the following ninja players turn you may
play cards in reaction to ninjas actions if any empty card
slots are available.
Recruit guard
Spend any remaining Action or Noise Tokens to recruit
additional Guard models.
12
Move
Model may move a number of Squares equal to their
move statistic. A Guard model cannot move through a
Square occupied by a detected Ninja model or end its
move on the same Square occupied by another model.
Detect
A Guard model may attempt to detect a Ninja model
that is within their AOI. Roll a number of dice equal to
the Guard models awareness. The target number is 6
modified by any penalties to the Ninja models stealth.
If the Ninja model is in the AOI of more than one guard
model, then the guard player receives a +1 modifier, for
each additional Guard model, to the detection roll.
Attack
An alerted Guard model may make an attack against a
detected Ninja model in an adjacent square. The target
value for the force test is the Ninja models defence
value. The guard player rolls a single dice, modified
by the Guard models combat value. If the attack is
successful a Wound Marker is placed at the next dice
location on the Ninja models play mat. If this is the
last dice location available, the Ninja model is removed
from play.
Ranged attack
An alerted Guard model, with the range attack ability can
declare a ranged attack against a detected Ninja model
within its line of sight, AOI and the weapons range.
The target value for the force test is the Ninja models
defence value. The guard player rolls a single dice,
modified by the Guard models combat value. If the
attack is successful a Wound Marker is placed at the next
dice location on the Ninja models play mat. If this is the
last dice location available, the Ninja model is removed
from play.
Call for help
Change the state of a single un-alerted Guard model that
is within the active models AOI to alerted.
Ring the bell
Increase the alert level by one. This may only be done at
certain locations.
The Thoughts
of the Grand Master
The Kage Kaze Zoku, the Shadow Wind Clan has since time
immemorial stood watch over the world of men. For generations
at a time we have faded in and out of the Jwar Isles collective
consciousness, in and out of favour as a mothers threat of choice to
an unruly child, in and out of the nightmares of lowly Burakumin
and lordly Daimyo alike. Layer upon layer of myth and legend
building up over a time so vast that separating the truth from the
story has left many a wise man broken and entire rooms of the Blue
Libraries of Sen no Machi overflowing with scrolls and tomes
dedicated to our clan.
That is about to change, we have been stirring of recent. Seeding
information in carefully selected fertile minds. Razing entire villages
to the ground simply to fire the imagination of the people and their
leaders. Small reminders of who, in the rich darkness of night, must
truly be feared.
Alas such subtle acts are no longer enough for old man Takashi.
Sat atop his mountain, he has forgotten his pledge to the Shadows.
Following the Battle of Segwan and the loss of his son and heir,
Hida lost a grip on the war he had started. Impressively swift and
incisive strikes by the Eagle clan orchestrated by the tactical master,
general Shiho Hideo, were taking their toll on Hidas forces and
the Dragon was learning that preparation is not always a match for
brilliance. One lonely night amongst many, knelt in the privacy of
his own chambers, Hida wept again for Akira and there during this
moment of weakness was when we reached out a hand to him, when
he accepted our help. There he reviewed with amazement the offer
we gave and who knows what drove him; revenge for his son? Lust
for power? Only Hida could truly tell. But he accepted, with all his
heart, he accepted. And now old man Takashi sleeps so soundly in his
bed. Perhaps his hearing is not quite what it was or he simply feels
safe in his hill top fortress, his surviving sons giving him comfort and
confidence. Perhaps he no longer fears the Shadow Wind Clan, like his
predecessor before him. He certainly has not heeded our calls nor paid
what he owes, what is rightfully ours. He will though, he will learn to
fear his own shadow by the time that we are through with him.
Ideals
The Shadow Wind Clan have at their very heart the belief in the
power of the number three, they embark on missions in squads of
threes, they train in threes, their organization is split into three
houses. Their Mon embodies and explains this belief showing the
Crows, three of course, believed to have been the messengers of the
first divine Grand Master. These Crows at their masters bidding
ventured to lands not meant for the living. Their life was the fee to
enter Jigoku, for which they paid willingly. A long tale is told about
their journey to the depths of hell but in the end each managed to
return to their master. All three bore the gift of a single berry, plucked
from the Tree of Jigoku. Said to be a sorry looking thing, its trunk
withered and broken, its bark jagged and brittle, the very opposite
of the Grand Father Tree that the monks of Ro-Kan so revere. And
yet it endures. Sustained by the constant flow of misery ripped from
those that enter its domain. With all of this pain it bore three simple
yet elegant looking red berries, the agonies of eternity condensed and
distilled into their tiny forms. The Shadow Crows left the Tree of
Jigoku bare and there it has sat to this day, barren.
With his prize collected it is said that the Grand Master held the
power of the Kami in his hands. And he had prepared all of his life
to use it. The berries were host to the most powerful poison known to
man, the hatred and bile encapsulated in them was enough for their
wielder to strike down any who opposed him. With a mere thought
they would contract a malady from which there would be no return.
It began when a prominent warlord was taken ill, although the lands
of man were fractured during Ankoku Jidai (the Dark Age), the
daimyo was still a powerful man of his time, with sizeable forces to
call upon. It meant nothing as all of his best shugenja were called to
his chambers, upon which, one at a time they all hastily withdrew
muttering and shaking their heads. None could offer a solution,
leaving him finally alone with a young monk from a local temple he
had been so disdainful of when in good health. In the space of two
days his impressive form had decayed to nothing and in the space of a
week the lands he called his own were in disarray, neighbor fighting
against neighbor to stake their own little claim. By the time the Cycle
was through the Kage Kaze Zoku had swept down from the Nest,
their mountain fortress, and crushed what little resistance they met.
All swore fealty to the Shadow Wind Clan. The Grand Master
struck out to take more and more leaving death and destruction in
his wake. Slavery and torture cemented their own place in the Jwar
Isles as a way of life, whilst humanity and kindness ebbed and faded
gradually away. The sun was setting slowly on the people of the East.
In an age of shadows, the world was plunged yet further into the
depths of darkness.
The stories of the Jwar Isles are littered with heroes of light and
great honour. However the eventual decline in power of the ninja
was ultimately brought about from the unlikeliest of sources. An odd
collection of individuals led by the fallen samurai, known now only
as, Tetsuo. That Tetsuo should be included in the halls and histories
of heroes would have been as unthinkable to the man himself as much
as to any that were unlucky enough to cross his path.
In the many years since, it has been prophesized that if all three orbs
were to fall into the hands of the Kage Kaze Zoku once again, then
even the focused might of the Golden Empire would be swept away
before it, extinguishing the age of Saisho Kara and ushering a new
age the likes the world has never seen before.
Rise of the Kage
13
Grand Master
Favoured House
House of the
Long Shadow
House of the
Bleeding Moon
Grand Master
Houses
Throughout their time as Shadow Crows, the new Chief Crows will
have learned to hate the other Houses. Even when one has completed
the training and been elevated to the status of Shadow Crow the
killing and the culling of the weak does not stop. Competition is fierce
between the Houses, annual duels to the death between the three
Houses eliminate those not worthy to stand up and be counted as a
ninja of the Shadow Wind Clan. The Chief Crows select the ninja
that will represent their House each year and it is seen as an honour
and a privilege to get the opportunity. The House that emerges
victorious from these duels is the favoured House over the twelve
Cycles of the following year.
Chief Crows
The Chief Crows have successfully completed the Rites of Shadow,
these rituals are sacred to the ninja of the Kage Kaze Zoku and
occur only when the Chief Crows die. The Grand Master chooses the
ninjas that will complete the Rites. Three squads are formed, each
house represented by one Shadow Crow in each squad. The end of the
Rites of Shadow sees the nine ninja fight for their squads in mortal
combat. The melee is only paused if a ninja falls and then the two
remaining Shadow Crows have to make a choice, live the life they
have left or commit Seppuku in honour of the lost.
In truth the combat is only a tiny fraction of the Rites of Shadow.
When a squad undergoes the rituals together, every member is
changed by the process forever, the bonds forged between members
of the squad are beyond camaraderie, friendship, love or the ties of
blood. Their psyches are intertwined, the very fabric of their beings
woven together to make a stronger whole. When a member of the
squad is lost many cannot survive this loss and Seppuku is the easiest
of the choices. Those that choose to live on take charge of training the
clans new recruits and are given the term The Soulless.
Shadow Crows
The remaining two squads now battle it out for the right to become
the Chief Crows and take leadership of their respective Houses. Only
then do they finalise the Rites of Shadow, linking their life force,
living on in the knowledge that if one falls they all do.
The Soulless
Only once in the history of the Kage Kaze Zoku have the Chief Crows
been sent on a mission and that to the very depths of Jigoku. The
Chiefs were asked to select the Shadow Crows for the most important
task any Grand Master of the clan had ever devised. For the first
and last time in the clans history the Chief Crows returned to their
Master united; in failure. They had no Shadow Crows worthy of
the undertaking. They could think of no other way to claim the prize
their Master sought than to take it themselves.
Acolytes
Training
House of the
North Star
Organisation
Adepts
Shadow Crows
Below the Chief Crows lie the Shadow Crows, only these ninja are
entrusted with missions from the Grand Master. If the Grand
Master is the head and the Chief Crows the eyes and ears, then the
Shadow Crows are certainly the arms of the clan. Only those ninja
selected by the Chief Crows for missions ever meet the Grand Master
and even then they do not see him. They wait for his presence
prostrate, sometimes for days, to receive their orders. Even if they
looked up they would struggle to see him. The master of shadows,
his outline is unclear, his exact location hard to pinpoint even if one
were to stare.
The Soulless
The choice to live on as The Soulless is final, never again will they
take a mission as a Shadow Crow nor again attempt the Rite of
Shadow. The breaking of their squad during the Rite of Shadow
tears their very soul to pieces, those that do choose the harder path of
living lose whatever glimmer of humanity, however small, they may
have had left. This makes them incredibly competent taskmasters,
unable to feel compassion they care nothing for those whose training is
entrusted to them other than to weed out the weakest, ensuring only
the strongest survive. Whether this is the intention of the Rite or a
useful side effect, is unknown.
Worms
Genin
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15
Training
The training and selection process begins immediately upon
induction. The flat blue, empty eyes of the Soulless are the first thing
new children see when they are initiated; those that flinch away or
show fear are the first to fail the training. Those that cant or will
not kill these failures are the next to fail. Those that survive these
first two tests go on to receive the title of Worm. They receive no
formal training and are treated like vermin. All of the mundane
tasks that need doing fall to them and the Genin and they learn
quickly to carry these out without complaint. Many Worms starve,
the only food available to them is from the scraps of others, the Kage
Kaze Zoku are isolated and lead a Spartan lifestyle, scraps are few
and far between. Beatings are both regular and brutal particularly
at the increasingly skilled hands of the Adepts, but nobody is allowed
to kill the Worms except for the Soulless.
The Worms are though often left to their own devices, learning to
climb during this time as well as working out which plants on the
basin wall will sustain and which will kill is essential. The few
that are destined to rise within the organization, adapt. They begin
to observe the training around them, they learn to listen without
stopping what they are doing, to watch without raising their heads
from their chores. They force their eyes to attune to the darkness of
the basin. Most importantly of all they learn that not being seen is
seemingly impossible, not being noticed however is within their grasp.
Genin
The lowest of the low, the Genin are Worms that never plucked up
the courage to take their place amongst the Adepts. If a Worm fails
to make the step before their twelth birthday then they are consigned
to the fate of the Genin. They live to serve alongside the Worms they
once were, they often live the longest lives in the clan
There is only one way to move up through the ranks from a Worm
to an Adept. Three Worms, no more no less, may form their own
rudimentary squad. Together they attempt to take the life of an
Adept, succeed and the clan welcomes three new Adepts. Fail and die.
Planning and preparation is important, as is going about the business
of forming a squad. Selecting the best to ally oneself with is essential,
but not so much as doing so discreetly. The Soulless remain ever
vigilant, their dead eyes always seeking to identify the forming of
Worm squads and they are always on hand to crush them. Not all
Worms are young, whilst the clan only recruits children there is no
requirement for the Worms to form a squad and try to take down an
Adept. However if on a Worms sixteenth birthday they havent risen
to Adept then they never will, they become a member of the Genin.
Timing is also of utmost importance, one must be ready to defend his
or her life as an Adept, and no one is more vulnerable than a newly
promoted Adept. They are thought an easy target by the Worms
they left behind, holding the status but without the training other
experienced Adepts have been immersed in.
From Adept to Acolyte is a matter of training. Those Adepts that
complete the rigorous training the clan offers whilst fending off the
Worms that plague them at every turn have the right to be considered
an Acolyte.
16
17
Reference
Introduction2
Gameplay Breakdown
& Victory Conditions2
Players2
Game Components
Breakdown 3
Guard Play Mat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Ninja Play Mat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Dice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Dice Pool (Ninja player) . . . . . . . . 4
Tokens5
Action Tokens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Noise Tokens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Wound Tokens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Search Tokens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Card Types7
Ninja Deck. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Mission Deck. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Escape deck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Guard Deck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Guard Profile Cards. . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Hostage Token. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Turn/Alert Level Tokens. . . . . . . . 6
Caltrop Tokens. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Poisoned Rice Tokens. . . . . . . . . . 6
Status Tokens. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Chest/Fire Tokens. . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Reaction roll. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Activation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Open Doors
(Stealth/Force action). . . . . . . . . . 10
Watchdog Model. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Ninja Models. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Game Board 8
Moving. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Exchange Equipment
(Free action). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Walls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Permissible search areas. . . . . . . . 8
Doorways. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Line of sight. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Bell Tokens. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Allocate move. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Guard Models. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Move Tokens. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Escape/Infiltration Tokens. . . . . . 6
Replenish dice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Infiltration Points/
Escape Points for all boards . . . . . 8
Barrack Tokens. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Models 8
Round Sequence 9
Setting Up 9
Guard Player Set-Up . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Ninja Player Set-Up. . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Guards Turn 12
Advance the Turn Token. . . . . . . . 12
Discard cards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Collect action point. . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Perform Actions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Recruit guard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Guard Actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12