Rules - Out of the Box Publishing

The Object of Ninja Versus Ninja TM
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.
What’s in the Box
• Ages 8 to Adult
• 2 Players
• 15–20 Minutes
per Game
• 6 Black Ninjas
• 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
To download these rules in Spanish, French, or German go to:
www.otb-games.com
TM
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.
Red Shadow Track
Red SCORING Track
RED DOJO
PLAYER 1
NEUTRAL ZONE
PLAYER 2
BLACK DOJO
BLACK SCORING Track
BLACK Shadow Track
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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.
• 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.
• A Reversal may be combined with an L-Shaped move.
• 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.
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
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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.
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.
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 1
Ninja
position
after
turn 2
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.
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Strategic Hints
Play the Odds
The safety of any space on the board is determined by what the other player must roll
to eliminate your Ninja while it is occupying that space. If your opponent needs to roll
a 2 or an 8 to eliminate your Ninja, then that space is relatively safe. If your piece can be
eliminated with a roll of 4, 5, or 6, then that space is quite risky.
Take What You Can Get
If your Ninja is on the third turn of a Mission and your roll is insufficient to return that Ninja
to your home dōjō, see if you can eliminate one of your opponent’s Ninjas. You will lose
your piece either way so you might as well benefit from the unfortunate situation.
Play Defensively
Sometimes it is advantageous to keep your Ninjas back to protect your dōjō. You cannot
score points with this strategy, but you will be in a better position to eliminate your
opponent’s Ninjas.
Keep Your Friends Close and Your Enemies Closer
In your opponent’s dōjō, if your Ninja is adjacent to an opponent’s Ninja, there is no way for
that Ninja to eliminate your piece (the two dice can only roll the numbers 2–8). Adjacent
Ninjas may also protect you by blocking the path to your Ninja.
Protecting Your Dojo
If your opponent has entered your dōjō and is attempting to get home to score points,
sometimes the best course of action is to use your own piece to block that Ninja’s exit.
Forcing that Ninja to move one or two extra spaces may be enough to guarantee that it
will not make it back within the three turns of that Mission.
Out of the Box Publishing Inc.
609 Bennett Road
Dodgeville, WI 53533
800-540-2304
info@otb-games.com
www.otb-games.com
Original Concept Tushar Gheewala
Game Play Design Team Max Osterhaus, Ellen Winter, Al Waller,
Mark Alan Osterhaus
Illustration and Graphic Design John Kovalic, Cathleen Quinn-Kinney
Production Development Tom Strom, Matt Mariani
©2008 Out of the Box Publishing Inc. All rights reserved. Ninja Versus Ninja, Award Winning Fun®, and Out of the Box® are trademarks of Out of the Box Publishing Inc.
#7007 Printing Number 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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