Stealth Ninja Miniatures Board Game
Rise of the Kage
Introduction
Rise of the Kage is a fast paced, tense and thrilling board
game for two to four players. The game is set in the world
of the Jwar Isles, and requires one or more players to
control the stealthy ninja, and one player to control the
stalwart guards. The Golden Empire, led by the Takashi
Clan, faces threats from all sides, and its borderlands are
descending into chaos. The last thing the Takashis need
is for the ninja to make matters worse.
The ninja players must attempt to accomplish their
hidden goals whilst searching for items and equipment
to help them achieve this. They need to avoid raising
the alarm in order to escape with their lives. At the same
time, the Takashi Clan player must stop them, throwing
all his resources into eliminating the vermin that attack
from the shadows.
Will you try to further the inscrutable and nefarious
goals of the Kage Kaze Zoku, the Shadow Wind Clan? Or
will you defend the life and honour of the Daimyo of the
Prefecture of Ryu?
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 (turn tracker
reaches the bell) 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
Rise of the Kage is played with between two and four
players. One player takes the role of the Takashi Clan,
using the guards and boss, while the other players play
as the Kage Kaze Zoku and split the three ninjas equally
between themselves.
Game Contents
41 models in 11 unique sculpts:
• Six types of guards and a guard dog,
led by Kenta, the Samurai Lord
• Three ninja of the Shadow Wind
Clan: Yuto, Shizuka and Katsumi
15 dice
1 double sided board
196 cards
1 rulebook
4 player mats
16 doors and stands
113 tokens (24 status tokens,
24 move tokens, 20 search
tokens, 18 noise tokens,
16 action tokens, 16 wound
tokens, 4 barracks tokens,
4 lantern tokens, 4 bell tokens,
3 escape/infiltration tokens,
4 fire/explosion tokens,
2 caltrops tokens, 2 poisoned rice
tokens, 2 turn/alert level tokens, 1
hostage token, 1 ninja token)
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Rise of the Kage
Game Components Breakdown
Guard Play Mat
1. Name - This is the name of the boss.
2. Move - The number of squares the model may move
per move action.
3. Combat - This is the modifier applied to force tests.
4. Defence - This is the target number for force tests
made against this boss.
5. Area of influence - AOI only extends to the side and
front in the un-alerted state, but extends 360° in the
alerted state. Only squares to which the boss has line
of sight are considered to be in his AOI. See over the
page for more information.
6. Actions - This is the number of action tokens that
may be allocated to the model in a single turn. All
actions must be performed before allocating action
tokens to the next model. Any number of noise tokens
can be allocated to a model.
7. Awareness - This is the target number for stealth tests
against this boss model, it is also the number of dice
rolled when this guard type attempts a detection test.
8. Turn tracker - At the start of the guard player’s turn
move the turn token one space towards the bell if any
noise tokens were generated in the previous ninja turn.
9. Alert level - For each ninja model that generated one
or more noise tokens on its activation, the alert level
token moves one space closer to the bell. There are
three possible alert levels: yellow, amber and red.
The tracker is colour coded and the current level will
affect how many action tokens the guard player gets
and which guards he is able to recruit.
10.Hand size - This model’s maximum card hand
displayed on the appropriate play mat.
11. Card slots - Cards may only be played if there is an
empty card slot to place them on.
12. Guard slots - This is the type of guards this boss is able
to recruit for each guard slot. The guard player can
only select one guard type from each slot. The number
in the right hand corner of each guard slot indicates
the number of guards available during set up.
13. Special rules - Any special rules this boss may have.
14.Action token pool - The number of action tokens
collected each turn as determined by the alert level.
15. Special events - Events are triggered when the alert
level reaches these points and are applied immediately.
16.Wound locations - Used to track the damage the boss
has sustained. Once the last location has a wound
token placed on it, the boss is removed from play.
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15
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16
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10
1
3
4
5
6
14
8
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Rise of the Kage
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Area of Influence
This guard has an AOI of 2.
In an un-alerted state, his AOI is to the
dark green squares, although it doesn’t
extend to the red squares as he has no
line of sight to those.
In an alerted state, his AOI is to all green
squares, light and dark, but not to the
red or orange squares, as he doesn’t have
line of sight to those.
Ninja Play Mat
Dice
When a ninja model is in the concealed state use the
values in the top line and when in the detected state use
the values in the bottom line.
Rise of the Kage uses standard six-sided dice, which are
referred to as D6. When dice rolls are made, the single
highest die (regardless of the number of dice rolled) is
compared to a target number that is determined by the
type of action. In order to succeed the value must equal
or exceed the target value. Regardless of the target value,
a six is always successful, and a one is always a failure.
1. Name - The name of the ninja model.
2. House - The house the ninja belongs to. There can only
be one ninja model from each house in any game.
Dice Pool (Ninja Player)
3. Combat - Modifier added to the result of force tests.
Each ninja model has a pool of dice, this is made up of
the corresponding colour die as shown on the model’s
player mat. White dice are force dice, and black dice
are stealth dice. When performing an action, the ninja
player must roll at least one dice of the colour associated
with that type of action (i.e. black for stealth actions,
white for force actions). The ninja player may choose to
roll additional dice of any colour he has remaining on
his player mat. Note that the modifiers on a ninja’s play
mat affect the action and not the dice. Any dice used in a
test are removed from the play mat. See over the page for
more information.
4. Stealth - Modifier added to the result of stealth tests.
5. Defence - This is the target number for force tests made
against the ninja model.
6.Reaction - This number is the modifier added to the
result of reaction tests.
7. Special rules - Any 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 locations - Each location receives a dice of the
corresponding colour. Locations with a wound token
on them are not allocated a dice.
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4
2
8
1
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Rise of the Kage
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6
7
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Tokens
Tokens are used to indicate various conditions and items
within the game. Unless stated otherwise a model may
occupy the same square as a token.
Action Tokens
The guard player receives a number of action
tokens equal to the amount displayed in the
‘Action Token Pool’. Action tokens are allocated
to the guards in order to allow them to perform
actions. Any unused action tokens are discarded at the
end of the guard player’s turn.
Wound Tokens
Wound tokens are used to keep track of
the damage sustained by the ninja and the
guard player models. Tokens are placed over
the first available dice pool location when
a ninja is wounded or over one of the wound locations
if the boss is wounded. When there are no more dice/
wound locations to place wound tokens on, the model is
removed from play.
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.
Action tokens are also used to recruit additional guards
in the ninja player’s turn.
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 player’s 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 guard’s 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 alerted 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.
The Game Board in use dictates the number and
type of search tokens in play, and where they can
be placed by the guard player during the set-up
phase.
During the game the ninja players must collect
enough search tokens to meet the conditions of
the selected mission. In order to collect a search
token the ninja must perform a successful stealth
test while in an adjacent square to the token. The
value on the token (3-6) is the target number for
this test. Each time a search token is collected
it is added to the ninjas’ mission pool. Once the mission
pool contains six tokens, every time an additional token
is added to the pool a test is made to see if the victory
conditions of the mission are met. This is done by rolling
one D6 and adding its result to the mission pool total. If
the result is equal to or greater than the difficulty of the
mission, then the mission condition is met, the mission
card is revealed and any effects are resolved.
Trap Search Tokens
If during a ninja’s search action, the
search token is revealed to be a trap
then the guard player performs a
combat test against the ninja, modified
by the reaction value. If successful, the
ninja sustains a wound. The token is
still added to the ninja player’s mission pool. When a trap
is revealed it always generates a noise token.
Move Tokens
Move tokens are used to denote the path the ninja model
will follow on the game board.
Rise of the Kage
5
Lantern Tokens
Door Tokens
Shoji Door
There are two types of door in Rise of the
Kage: Shoji doors (target value 4), and
Plank doors (target value 5). The Game
Board being played dictates how many of
each door type is available to the guard
player during set up. Doors may only
be placed on doorways. All doors are
considered to be locked. A guard model
may move freely through any door as part
of its move action, but the door is then
removed from play once he does so. If a
ninja model wishes to move through a
door he must either make a force test to
break it down, which will create a noise
token even if a stealth dice is rolled, or
make a stealth test to pick the lock quietly.
If successful the door is removed from play.
Plank Door
Barrack Tokens
The guard player starts with two
barrack tokens, these are placed in any
permissible search area that does not
contain a search token. 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
player’s 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/Ninja Token
Denotes a hostage or ninja and is
only used on certain missions. The
mission card will dictate how the
hostage or ninja token is used.
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Rise of the Kage
Lantern tokens have an area of influence of
three squares and are permanently in the
alerted state. Any guard models who occupy
squares within the lantern’s area of influence
are considered to be alerted and have their awareness
increased by two. The guard models also have their area of
influence increased to any squares that they have line of
sight to and within the area of Influence of the lantern.
Turn/Alert Level Tokens
At the beginning of each of the guard player’s
turns (after the first), the turn token is moved
one place closer to the bell if any noise tokens
were generated in the previous ninja turn.
The alert level token is moved closer to the bell the first
time a ninja generates a noise token each turn. This is
applicable to each ninja model, therefore it can move
one, two, or three (or none at all) positions to the bell
following a complete ninja turn.
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 player’s turn.
Poisoned Rice Tokens
A ninja model equipped with rice tokens,
may place a rice token on any square that
contains one of his move tokens. If he
chooses to do this he must remove a dice
from his play mat. Rice tokens have an
area of influence of three. Any un-alerted
guard model that has line of sight to the rice token and is
within its area of influence has their Awareness and area of
influence reduced to one. If a guard model within the area
of influence of a rice token activates he must move towards
the rice token. If a guard model is adjacent to a rice token,
the guard player can spend an action token to remove the
rice token but the model is also then removed from play.
Status Tokens
Once a guard model becomes alerted or a
ninja model is detected, a status token is
placed on the model’s base to indicate that
this model is alerted or detected.
Chest/Fire Tokens
Used as objectives in
certain missions.
Card Types
Smoke Bombs
Disturbed
Ninja Deck - Equipment
Ninja Deck - Event
Adrenaline
Assassinate (14)
Ninja Deck - Bonus
Mission Deck
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.
Escape Deck
The escape deck cards indicate which escape/infiltration
token the ninjas need to escape from as well as other
effects explained on the mission cards.
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.
Forest
Guard Profile Cards
3
A
When a guard model is in the un-alerted state use the
values in the black line and when in the alerted state use
the values in the white line.
1. Name – Indicates the name of this guard type.
2. Move – The number of squares moved per action token spent.
3. Combat – Modifier to the result of force tests.
4.Defence – Target number for force tests made against
this guard type.
5. Area of Influence – AOI only extends to the side and
front in the un-alerted state, but extends 360° in the
alerted state. Only squares to which the guard has line
of sight are considered to be in his AOI.
Any guards recruited cost
1 more, but may be placed
1
Remains in play
Escape Deck
6.Awareness – This is the target number for stealth tests
against this guard model. It is also the number of dice
rolled when this guard type attempts a detection test.
7. Actions – This is the maximum number of action
tokens that can be allocated to this model in a single
turn. All actions must be performed before allocating
action tokens to the next model. Any number of noise
tokens can be allocated to a model.
Guard Deck
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
1
8.Cost – This is how many action or noise tokens must
be spent to recruit a guard of this type.
9. Special rules – Unique rules for this guard type are listed here.
Guard Profile Card
Rise of the Kage
7
Models
Game Board
Guard Models
Moving
Guard models enter play in the un-alerted state.
Watchdog Model
The Watchdog model is always in the alerted state.
Boss Model
The boss model is always in the alerted state.
Ninja Models
Ninjas are represented by the corresponding playing piece.
Guard models can move a number of squares equal to
their move statistic for every move action performed.
A guard model may change its facing as part of a move
action. They may move through squares occupied by
other guard models or concealed ninja models, but may
not occupy the same square as another model at the end
of their move.
Ninja models move six squares per activation. They
may move through squares occupied by un-alerted
guard models or other ninja models but may not occupy
the same square as another model at the end of their
movement.
Walls
Wall
Walls block all movement as well as the line of sight
(and therefore the AOI of guards).
Square
A move cannot be made diagonally across a corner.
Permissible
search area
Doorway
Infiltration Points/
Escape Points
Permissible Search Areas
Areas where search tokens can be placed during set up.
Only one token can be placed per area.
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.
Shaded areas indicate where escape/infiltration tokens
may be placed. They must be placed at least 12 squares
apart, measured around the perimeter of the board. If
this is not possible any remaining tokens are not placed
on the board.
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).
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Rise of the Kage
The Basic Game
Setting Up
Round Sequence
Guard Player Set-Up
One round consists of the ninja turn, followed by the
guard turn.
1. Select a game board.
2. Select a ‘Boss’.
The Ninja Turn
3. Select guard models from those available.
Ninja players always take the first turn.
4.Place starting guard models, door tokens,
search location tokens and any special items.
1. Replenish dice.
5. Shuffle guard deck.
3. Reaction roll.
6.Ready to play.
Ninja Player Set-Up
1. Take board-specific mission cards and shuffle into the
ninja mission deck.
2. Draw one mission card.
3. Show the selected mission card to the ninja players
(but not the guard player).
4.Select three ninja models, one from each house,
and allocate starting dice to play mats.
5. Each ninja player places an infiltration token number
side down.
6.Place selected ninja models adjacent to ANY
infiltration token.
7. Shuffle the ninja deck. Each ninja model draws from
the top of the ninja deck until they draw a bonus or
equipment card. This is placed on their play mat.
Once all ninja models have their starting card,
shuffle the ninja deck.
8.The game is about to begin.
2. Allocate move.
4.Activate ninjas.
5. End of ninja turn, start the 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 model’s current
square and each subsequent one adjacent to the
previously placed one. A ninja model may discard up
to two dice from his play mat in order to place an equal
number of additional move tokens.
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
9
The actions available to the ninja are:
Melee (Force action)
Search Action (Stealth Action)
See door tokens (page 6) for full details.
Make a force test against a guard model in an adjacent
square. The target value for this test is the defence value
of the guard model. If the ninja player doesn’t roll a
black stealth die as part of this test, he will automatically
create a noise token. If the force test is successful,
remove the guard from play or mark a wound on his card
if this is the boss. If the force test is a failure, a noise
token is generated even if a stealth dice was included
in this test. If the ninja model is not in the AOI of any
guard models then the test is made as though a stealth
die had been rolled, and if successful, a noise marker will
not be generated.
Evade (Stealth Action)
Ranged Attack (Force Action)
If a ninja model moves into, or out of the AOI of a guard
model it must perform a stealth test. The ninja player
only has to make one test per guard, per turn. So if his
move takes him past a guard more than once in a turn,
he does not need to make repeated tests. However he
needs to perform a stealth test for each guard model’s
AOI he passes through. The target value for the test is
equal to the guard model’s awareness value. For each
additional AOI the ninja model is in the awareness of
the guard is increased by 1. If the ninja model’s intended
movement takes him through a square occupied by the
guard model, then the target value is increased by 2.
Ranged force tests can only be made by ninja models
that have the range attack ability. The value of the range
attack ability is the weapon’s range in squares. The
targeted guard model must be within the ninja model’s
weapon’s range and line of sight. The target value for this
test is the defence value of the guard model. If the ninja
player doesn’t roll a black stealth die as part of this test,
he will automatically create a noise token. If the force
test is successful, remove the guard from play or mark
a wound on his card if this is the boss. If the force test
is a failure, a noise token is generated even if he used a
stealth die. The noise token is generated in the square
occupied by the targeted guard model.
In order to attempt a search action, the ninja model
must be adjacent to a search token and not in the AOI
of a guard model. Each time a ninja model conducts a
search action the player must draw a card from the ninja
deck whether the search is successful or not.
Open Doors (Stealth/Force Action)
If the square the ninja is moving to or from is within
multiple guard models’ AOI, then only a single test
is done to avoid being detected by all the guards. The
target value is the highest awareness statistic of the
guards. For each additional guard model’s AOI the ninja
model is in, the awareness is raised by 1.
If the stealth test is successful he may continue moving
undetected, but if it fails the guard model(s) become
alerted, and a noise token is generated. A ninja model
may enter the AOI of a guard model without rolling a
stealth test, but will be considered to have failed the test.
If a ninja model is in the detected state, then he may
only attempt to evade un-alerted guard models. If a
detected ninja model moves into the AOI of an alerted
guard it automatically fails the evade test.
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Rise of the Kage
Exchange Equipment (Free Action)
If at any point ninja models’ move tokens are on the
same square, the ninja models may exchange any
number of equipment cards from their play mats.
Fade Into The Shadows (Special Action)
If at the start of the ninja turn any detected ninja
may become concealed if they are not in any guards
Area of influence.
Evade Examples
In this example, Shizuka is moving past an unalerted Tesaki.
She must take a stealth test with a difficulty of 2 (based on the
Tesaki’s awareness).
In this example, Shizuka is moving past an unalerted Tesaki and
an unalerted Bushi. As the first square she enters overlaps both
AOIs, she must take one stealth test with a difficulty of 4 (based
on the Bushi’s awareness, plus 1 for being within the Tesaki’s AOI).
Melee Examples
In this example, Katsumi is attacking an unalerted Bushi from
within his AOI. The difficulty is the guard’s defence of 3. Katsumi
rolls a single force dice, and because he doesn’t wish to generate a
noise token he rolls a single stealth dice as well. He rolls a 1 and a
2, which succeeds thanks to his combat modifier of +1.
In this example, Katsumi is attacking the same unalerted Bushi,
but this time he is not in his AOI. The difficulty is the guard’s
defence of 3. Katsumi rolls a single force dice, but as he is not
within the AOI of a guard he doesn’t roll a stealth dice. He rolls
a 3, which succeeds, and thus does not generate a noise token.
In this example, Shizuka is again moving past an unalerted
Tesaki and an unalerted Bushi, but from the other side this
time. As she enters the guards’ AOI on different squares, she
takes two stealth tests, the first with a difficulty of 2 (based on
the Tesaki’s awareness), and the second with a difficulty of 4
(based on the Bushi’s awareness, plus 1 for as she is still in the
Tesaki’s AOI).
Rise of the Kage
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Guard Turn
1. Advance the turn token.
Guard Actions
Move
3. Collect action tokens.
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.
4.Perform actions and play cards.
Detect
2. Discard cards & draw back to hand size.
5. Recruit new guard models.
6.End of turn, start next round.
Advance The Turn Token
If the ninja player generated any noise tokens in the
previous turn advance the turn marker one place along the
turn tracker. If the marker reaches the bell and remains
there until the end of his turn the guard player has won.
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.
Collect Action Tokens
The guard player gets a number of action tokens as
indicated by the chosen Boss’s Action Pool.
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 player’s turn you may
play cards in reaction to ninjas’ actions if any empty card
slots are available.
Recruit Guards
Spend any remaining action or noise tokens to recruit
additional guard models. The guard player may only
recruit guards of the same level or lower as the Alert
level. The guard player must have an available model
of the type he wishes to recruit.
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Rise of the Kage
A guard model may attempt to detect a ninja model
that is within their AOI. Roll a number of dice equal to
the guard model’s awareness. The target number is 6
modified by any penalties to the ninja model’s 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 model’s defence value.
The guard player rolls a single dice, modified by the
guard model’s combat value. If the attack is successful
a wound token is placed at the next dice location on the
ninja model’s 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 weapon’s range.
The target value for the force test is the ninja model’s
defence value. The guard player rolls a single dice,
modified by the guard model’s combat value. If the
attack is successful a wound token is placed at the next
dice location on the ninja model’s 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 model’s 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 mother’s 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 Hida’s 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 master’s 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
Structure of the Clan
The clan is structured now as it has been for millennia. The size of
the clan has varied over time, growing and shrinking dependent on
the Grand Master but its brutal training and selection process have
always meant that numbers are kept relatively low. Always a Grand
Master sits at the head of the clan. Below him and serving him
directly are his three Chief Crows. Each Chief Crow runs their own
House within the clan, the three Houses being:
The House of the Long Shadow
The House of the Bleeding Moon
The House of the North Star
The Houses consist of the Chief Crow and his Shadow Crows.
Below the Houses are the Soulless these former Shadow Crows
train the recruits filtering out only the best, through a brutal
regime, to become Shadow Crows.
Grand Master
Favoured House
House of the
Long Shadow
House of the
Bleeding Moon
Shadow Crows
The Soulless
Training
Acolytes
Adepts
Worms
Genin
14
Rise of the Kage
House of the
North Star
Organisation
Grand Master
Houses
How a Grand Master is selected is a secret known only by the
Grand Master.
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
clan’s new recruits and are given the term The Soulless.
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.
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 clan’s 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.
The rivalries that exist between Houses are eliminated in Chief
Crows during the Rites of Shadow. The linking of their souls and
the understanding their merging brings them puts everything into
perspective; the Chief Crows work in perfect unison to run the clan as
effectively as possible.
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.
Rise of the Kage
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 can’t 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.
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 Worm’s sixteenth birthday they haven’t 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
Rise of the Kage
From Worm to Acolyte the recruits bodies go through dramatic
changes, all remnants of fat from their former lives are stripped from
the children; their bodies becoming lean and rangy. Their repetitive
climbing for food develops their flexibility and suppleness as well as
building strength that runs to their very core. Lean sinuous muscles
cling closely to their young frames and are more powerful than one
could believe. Once they become Adepts they begin to add to this base,
increased food and heavy lifting see them bulk out, again the rigorous
nature of their training builds a remarkable muscle memory. By the
time recruits pass through their training they are well and truly ready
to be considered an adult. Both men and women serve the clan, any
form of affection between members is strictly forbidden, punishable by
death. There is no place for love in the Kage Kaze Zoku.
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
Rise of the Kage
17
MH
Manor House
Game Board Layout
18
Rise of the Kage
AD
Artisan District
Game Board Layout
Rise of the Kage
19
Reference
Introduction����������������������2
Gameplay Breakdown
& Victory Conditions��������2
Players��������������������������������2
Game Components
Breakdown ������������������������3
Guard Play Mat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Ninja Play Mat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Dice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Dice Pool (Ninja Player). . . . . . . . 4
Tokens��������������������������������5
Action Tokens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Noise Tokens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Wound Tokens. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Search Tokens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Card Types��������������������������7
Ninja Deck. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Mission Deck. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Escape Deck. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Guard Deck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Guard Profile Cards. . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Round Sequence��������������� 9
The Ninja Turn����������������� 9
Replenish Dice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Allocate Move. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Reaction Roll. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Activation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Models������������������������������� 8
Search Action (Stealth Action). . . 10
Guard Models. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Open Doors
(Stealth/Force Action). . . . . . . . . . 10
Watchdog Model. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Ninja Models. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Evade (Stealth Action) . . . . . . . . . 10
Melee (Force Action). . . . . . . . . . . 10
Game Board ��������������������� 8
Ranged Attack (Force Action) . . . 10
Moving. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Exchange Equipment
(Free Action) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Walls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Permissible Search Areas . . . . . . . 8
Doorways. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Fade Into The Shadows
(Special Action). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Evade Examples. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Trap Search Tokens. . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Infiltration Points/
Escape Points For All Boards . . . . 8
Move Tokens. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Line Of Sight. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Guard Turn ���������������������� 12
Setting Up������������������������� 9
Advance The Turn Token . . . . . . . 12
Door Tokens. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Barrack Tokens. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Escape/Infiltration Tokens. . . . . . 6
Bell Tokens. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Hostage/Ninja Token. . . . . . . . . . . 6
Turn/Alert Level Tokens. . . . . . . . 6
Caltrop Tokens. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Poisoned Rice Tokens. . . . . . . . . . 6
Status Tokens. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Chest/Fire Tokens. . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Guard Player Set-Up . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Ninja Player Set-Up. . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Melee Examples. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Discard Cards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Collect Action Points. . . . . . . . . . . 12
Perform Actions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Recruit Guards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Guard Actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12