Onitama

The game is played on a 5x5 board. Each player receives five pieces, one master piece placed in the middle square of the back row, known as the Shrine, and four pieces flanking the master, known as pupils. Sixteen movement cards dictate the movement of the pieces during the game. Five of the 16 movement cards are utilized per game.[4]

The goal of the game is to capture the opponent's master piece, known as Way of the Stone, or to move their master piece into the opponent's Shrine, known as the Way of the Stream. Players shuffle the 16 movement cards and then give two movement cards to each player and one movement card is placed on the side of the board for a total of 5 movement cards in play.

Each piece can be captured, and captures other pieces, the same way which is based on the movement provided by the movement cards. After one player moves they must replace the movement card at the side with the used movement card, allowing both players rotating access to all 5 movement cards in play.[5]

Two expansion packs were also released. "Sensei's Path" includes 16 new and unique cards that can be used as a standalone set of move cards instead of those found in the base game. "The Way of the Wind" introduces a neutral piece that can be moved by both players. The wind spirit is an impassable object, which neither pupils nor masters may displace from a square it occupies. If the wind spirit lands on a pupil pawn, it does not capture it, but instead swaps places with it.

• Onitama Publisher Page
• Onitama on BoardGameGeek