Long ago, the most valiant Yokai apprentices fought for the title of Supreme Yokai. These brave duelists were trained from an early age by masters in the art of mystical evocation, and use their powers to awaken the nature spirits that have ruled the Earth since before the War of Forgotten Times.
The Heroes exiled by Herion the Beautiful-the spirit of difference-are awoken from their eternal sleep and bound to the Earth by the Yokai through their magical Hoshi Stones. Now they fight again as they did in that fateful war ages ago.
As one of the Yokai apprentices, can you evoke powerful Heroes to triumph in the arena until you can draw Herion the Beautiful back to Earth and claim the title of Supreme Yokai?
Components
- 20 Hero cards
- 20 Duel cards
- 2 special eight-sided dice
- 2 special ten-sided dice
- 10 Hoshi Stones
- The Arena
- Deluxe Storage Box
- Rulebook
Setup
Note: These are the rules for two players. Rules for more players and other variants can be found at the end of these rules.
The players sit opposite each other, close enough to touch. Clear the playing area of all distractions and objects. Keep the dice and Hoshi Stones handy. Place the Arena in a circle between the two players.
- Shuffle the Hero cards and the Duel cards separately.
- Deal five Heroes to each player. Each player chooses three to use and discards the other two face down.
- Deal five Duel cards to each player. Each player chooses three to use and discards the other two face down.
- Each player now has a hand of six cards: three Heroes and three Duel cards.
Setup Variant
Experienced players may want to try this variant: Combine steps 2 and 3 together, but deal one less card of each type.
In other words, deal four Heroes and four Duel cards to each player at the same time. Each player chooses three Heroes and three Duel cards from their eight cards.
Game Play
The game is played over a series of Duels. In each Duel, the players try to exile their opponent's Heroes from the world. Before you begin, choose a starting player. Since the game is played simultaneously, the starting player only determines who reveals cards first.
Starting the Duel
Each player chooses one Hero and one Duel card from his hand and places them face down in front of him. Set the rest of your cards aside for now. Then, beginning with the starting player:
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Reveal your chosen Hero and read its abilities out loud.
Example: Your Hero is the Lord of the Night, which says: "Your opponent must have his eye covered (with one hand) when he hits you, or the hit is canceled".
It is important that your opponent knows this ability before the duel begins, so he can react to your Hero's ability.
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Depending on the type of card, your chosen Duel card may be revealed at this time or remain face down.
Example. YourDuel card is Rage, which says: "Play Rage after you have been hit. Battle with the
. "You must keep this card hidden, and can play it only after you have been hit (though you are not forced to play it).Example: Your Duel card is Backstab, which says "Roll
: You may try to touch your opponent's hand. If you succeed, reveal Backstab and your opponent is hit".You must keep this card hidden, and can play it only after you have rolled
and touched your opponent's hand. At that point, by revealing this card, your opponent is hit and loses one Hoshi Stone (unless he has a card or an ability which cancels the hit). -
Take the die shown on your Hero. It is recommended that you and your opponent use two different colors.
Three faces of the dice show the following symbols:
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Take two Hoshi Stones. Place your stones in front of you.
Now you're ready to play! Count aloud from three to zero, and the Duel begins!
Fighting a Duel
The Duel is fought over a series of rounds. Each round generally ends when one player has been "hit" and loses a Hoshi Stone.
During a Duel, you must obey all of the following rules.
Rules of the Duel
During a Duel, you do not take turns! You and your opponent duel simultaneously!
You play only with one hand!
Roll your die as fast as possible, at the same time as your opponent. For faster rolling, you are allowed to simply "pinch" and release your die, but it is important that the die is actually lifted off the table and allowed to roll. You can't just push it around with your finger!
When rolled, the die must first touch the area inside the Arena - otherwise the roll is not valid! If the die rolls out of the Arena, that's okay: the result still counts.
But, you must still roll the die inside the Arena when you pick it up again.
If you roll a 
, you may swing the hand you use to roll and try to make physical contact with the hand your opponent uses to roll (tap it gently!). You can aim for the palm or the back of the hand: both are fair targets.
If you successfully touch your opponent's hand, you have "hit" and the round ends. Your opponent must discard one of his Hoshi Stones. Once the stone is discarded, the Duel resumes with the next round.
If you fail to touch your opponent-because you missed when you reach for him or touched him somewhere other than his hand (such as an arm)-you "miss" and the round continues. You will have to roll another before you can try to hit again.
If you see that your opponent has rolled a , or if you see him trying to swing at you, you may pull your hand up to avoid being hit. In other words, you may assume the defensive position as shown here:
Note: sometimes, touching your opponent's hand does not mean to "hit" him; always refer to what the card says.
For example, if your Hero is the Fire Harpy ("Roll : you may try to touch your opponent's hand. If you succeed, he battles with the 
for the rest of the Duel. ") and you touch your opponent's hand after you have rolled , he is not considered "hit" and does not lose a Hoshi Stone (but he can still defend himself if he sees you rolled @x.jpg!).
End of a Duel
If you have no Hoshi Stones left, you have lost the Duel. Your Hero is removed from the game: it has been exiled from this world back to its own dimension. The Duel card used for that Hero is also discarded, whether it was revealed and/or used or not.
Next, you must take up the hand of cards you set aside earlier and choose another Hero and Duel card for the next Duel. Reveal your Hero (and Duel card, if needed) as before. Your new Hero begins at full health, so take back your two Hoshi Stones. Now a new Duel can begin.
If you win the Duel, you fight the next Duel using the same Hero and Duel card, and with your current number of Hoshi Stones-your Hero does not heal between Duels!
If your opponent has no Heroes left, the game ends and you win!
End of the Game
If your opponent has no Heroes left, the game ends and you win!
Rules of Honor
You cannot interfere with your opponent's rolls! Play fairly!
If you roll any result, but pick up the die in a rush, you can't just place the die back on the table: that result is lost! Quick, resume rolling!
Each time you roll a
you only get one chance to hit your opponent. If you miss, you can't try again immediately: you need to roll another first. Quick, resume rolling!If you roll a
but your opponent goes into the defensive position, after a moment it counts as a miss and both players must resume rolling!If both players roll a and both touch their opponent at the same time, it is a draw: Neither player loses a Hoshi Stone. Resume rolling!
You are allowed to bluff (i.e., swing even when you don't have a
result, pretending to have rolled one). However, if you touch your opponent while bluffing, you are hit and lose one Hoshi Stone!If any dice falls off the playing surface or you are uncertain of rules interactions, you can ask for a timeout. This timeout begins after your opponent finishes what he was doing, e.g. if his die was rolling then he completes his roll and possibly hits. Resume with a countdown.
If the text on a card contradicts the rules, the card always takes precedence. If a situation arises that seems not covered by the rules, use common sense and decide with your opponent what is most fair.
Disclaimer: The physical contact intended in this game is minimal and will not cause any harm (just like playing 'patty-cake'). Don't use force when playing. Remove all jewelry. Respect your opponent. Play fairly!
Constructed Deck Variant
Before the game begins, each player prepares two decks: one with four Heroes, one with four Duel cards. The total cost of those cards cannot be more than the amount agreed upon by the players (we suggest 40 points). Your decks cannot have more than one copy of any card.
Next, shuffle your Hero cards and Duel cards separately, then draw three of each to use during the game (the rest are removed from play).
Proceed to duel until all three of one player's Heroes are exiled. The other player wins the game!
You may combine this variant with the rules for three or more players.
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