Each contest that the Moon Princess holds to determine the strength of the clans is called a challenge. Over time, the Moon Court has held many different and difficult challenges pitting teams from the clans against each other. While the Moon Princess’s challenges can seem capricious and cruel, it is imperative that the best shinobi are found to protect Kagejima.
CHALLENGE RULES[]
Each challenge is won in a different way and has its own unique rules.
Ninjas Allowed: This is the maximum number of models from each team that may be on the game board at one time. Any models on the team in excess of this number must be kept in the Training Ground, in reserve.
Setup: All special components, if any, that must be setup for the challenge are listed here. Note that lanterns and shrines are placed in all challenges, as detailed in Setup.
Special Rules: Each challenge has special rules that dictate how the challenge is played.
Challenge Length: The challenge is played for the specified number of rounds, or until one player satisfies the conditions to win the challenge as specified in the Special Rules, or cedes the game.
Additional XP Awarded: This is how models can earn experience (XP) during league play. If the challenge is not being played as part of a league, XP may be ignored. These XP are awarded in addition to any of the standard ways to earn XP.
SENTRIES[]
When sentries are used in a challenge, players must first determine which type of sentry they will use. Only one type of sentry may be used in a challenge, unless it specifies otherwise. Ninja All-Stars includes six Samurai Sentries.
Sentries are deployed during Step 4 of Setup, immediately after lanterns and shrines are deployed.
Starting with the player with initiative, players take turns deploying one sentry at a time. A sentry may only be deployed within two spaces of the object it is guarding, which is outlined in the special rules of the challenge. The full number of sentries shown in their profile must be deployed in any challenge that uses them. Once all of the sentries are deployed, then Setup continues as normal.
After each player has had a turn during a round, the players make an opposed affinity test. The winner of the test chooses one sentry and activates it. If the test is tied, then the player with the initiative activates a sentry.
When a sentry is activated, check to see if it has LoS to any non-sentry model within five spaces of itself. If it does, then it must move toward and attempt to get adjacent to the closest non-sentry model that it has LoS to, and then attack that model with its action. If multiple non-sentry models are in LoS and equidistant, then the activating player decides which model the sentry attempts to get adjacent to and attack.
If the sentry does not have LoS to any non-sentry model, then the player that activated the sentry may move it up to three spaces and search with its activation.
Sentries will assist each other when attacking and defending, if possible.
During a sentry’s activation, the player who activated it will roll dice and make all decisions for the sentry. When a sentry is being attacked, the player to the left of the attacking player rolls for and makes all decisions for the sentry.
If all of the players’ models have activated and sentries remain that have not yet activated, then all of the unactivated sentries will activate one after the other before the end of the round.
If a sentry is Injured, place it in any player’s Healing House with two Delay tokens. At the end of a round, if there are any sentries in a Training Ground, they are deployed as outlined above before any other models are deployed.
MEDALS[]
To pick up and carry a medal, a model in an adjacent space must spend one movement point. Place the medal token beside that model. Picking up a medal is Stealthy.
The medal moves with the model, and the model may move and fight normally. If a model carrying a medal is Injured, place the medal in the space the Injured model occupied.
Spaces with medal tokens may not be moved into or occupied.
GOAL SPACES[]
Goal spaces represent a location that is important to the challenge in some way. How models interact with a goal space will be detailed in the challenge in which goal spaces are used.
Spaces with goal space tokens may not be moved into or occupied.
PLAYING WITH 3 – 4 PLAYERS[]
Challenges are played as normal. Play starts with the player who has initiative and proceeds clockwise around the table for setup, deployment, activations, etc.
It is not recommended to play “Intercept the Messenger” in a 3 – 4 player game unless the players can determine a split between attackers and defenders that they can all agree on. The easiest way to do this to have players form two teams.
ASSASSINATION[]
In Assassination, each team tries to Injure the enemy VIP to score points. Once a VIP is Injured, a new VIP is chosen and the challenge continues.
Ninjas Allowed: 6
Special Rules: After setup, starting with the player with initiative, and moving clockwise around the table, each player selects one model from the player’s team to their left as that team’s VIP. When a VIP is Injured, or otherwise removed from the board, a new VIP is immediately chosen for the team by the same player that chose that team’s VIP at the beginning of the game.
Whenever a VIP is Injured, the enemy team that Injured it scores three points.
Whenever a VIP is Stunned, the enemy team that Stunned it scores one point.
The team with the most points at the end of the challenge wins.
Challenge Length: 7 Rounds
Additional XP Awarded: Each time a model Injures an enemy VIP, that model gets 2 XP.
INTERCEPT THE MESSENGER[]
One team is the attacker and the other team the defender. The defender scores points by getting their messenger off the enemy side of the board edge. The attacker scores points by Injuring messengers.
Ninjas Allowed: 7
Setup: All small-base models start the game in Stealth.
Special Rules: The player with initiative at the start of the game is the attacker, their opponent is the defender.
After setup, the defender chooses one friendly model to be the messenger. If the messenger leaves the board for any reason, the defender chooses another friendly model to be the messenger. Only models that are in one of the defender’s deployment zone spaces can be chosen as the messenger. If there are no models that can be chosen, the next model of the defender’s that enters one of the deployment zone spaces becomes the new messenger.
When the defender moves the messenger off the board from one of the attacker’s deployment zone spaces, they score two points and the messenger is put into the defender’s Training Ground.
When the attacker Injures the messenger, they score one point.
The team with the most points at the end of the challenge wins.
Challenge Length: 9 rounds
Additional XP Awarded: Whenever a model Injures the messenger, it gets 2 XP. Whenever a messenger gets off the attacker’s board edge, it gets 2 XP.
CHAMPION[]
In Champion, each team chooses a champion. A team’s champion is the only model that can score points.
Ninjas Allowed: 7
Special Rules: After setup, starting with the player with initiative and moving clockwise around the table, each player selects one non-chunin model on their team as their Champion. When a Champion is Injured, or otherwise removed from the board, a new Champion is immediately chosen by the team’s player. Whenever a Champion Injures an enemy model, the Champion’s team scores three points. Whenever a Champion Stuns an enemy model, the Champion’s team scores one point.
The team with the most points at the end of the challenge wins.
Challenge Length: 8 rounds
Additional XP Awarded: Whenever a model is chosen as a Champion, it gets 2 XP.
KING OF THE HILL[]
In King of the Hill, both teams attempt to dominate the center of the board to score points.
Ninjas Allowed: 6
Setup: All small-base models start the game in Stealth.
Special Rules: A team scores one point by having more models in the scoring area at the center of the board at the end of each round.
The four spaces that form a square at the very center of the board and the twelve spaces adjacent to them are the scoring area. At the end of a round, if a team has more models in the scoring area than the enemy team, it scores one point.
The team with the most points at the end of the challenge wins.
Challenge Length: 8 Rounds.
Additional XP Awarded: Whenever a team scores a point, its player may choose one model that is in the scoring area at the center of the board to get 2 XP.
INFILTRATION[]
In Infiltration, each team attempts to steal the medals out from under the noses of the sentries.
Setup: In Step 4 of Setup, before lanterns and shrines are placed, place one goal space token and one medal token 6 spaces in from the left side and 8 spaces up from the edge of the board for the player with the initiative. Then place another goal space token and medal token 15 spaces in from the left side and 13 spaces up from the edge of the board for the player with the initiative.
Infiltration uses sentries. Deploy the sentries guarding the medals.
All non-sentry models start the game in Stealth.
Ninjas Allowed: 6
Special Rules: When a model picks up a medal, it scores one point. When a model carrying a medal moves into one of its team’s deployment spaces, the medal is immediately returned to its goal space and the model’s team scores two points.
If a sentry moves adjacent to a medal that isn’t currently being carried, then the medal is retrieved and is returned to its goal space. Retrieving a medal does not use a sentry’s action. A sentry must attempt to retrieve a medal if it has LoS to the medal and the medal is closer to the the sentry than a non-sentry model. If a sentry retrieves a medal, it may continue moving and use its action to attack a model as normal.
The team with the most points at the end of the challenge wins.
Challenge Length: 8 rounds
Additional XP Awarded: When a model picks up a medal, it gets 1 XP. When a model takes a medal to one of its team’s deployment spaces, it gets 3 XP.
BRAWL[]
Brawl is a test of strength to determine which team of ninjas are the mightiest warriors. The teams battle each other with no goal other than Injuring their opponents.
Ninjas Allowed: 7
Special Rules: A team scores one point whenever one of its models Injures an enemy model. When a nonchunin Injures a chunin, then two points are scored instead of one. The team with the most points at the end of the challenge, wins. If one team scores nine points, it wins immediately and the challenge is over.
Challenge Length: 6 Rounds.
Additional XP Awarded: Each time a model Injures an enemy model, it gets 1 XP. When a chunin injures a non-chunin, it does not receive this additional XP.
SEARCH[]
In Search, each team searches crates for valuables to score points while avoiding the sentries.
Setup: In Step 4 of Setup, immediately before lanterns and shrines are deployed, flip all crate tokens so that the elemental icon side is face down, then mix them thoroughly. Starting with the player with initiative, and moving clockwise around the table, players take turns placing crates, elemental side down, until six crates have been placed. Crates cannot be placed on a space of obscuring terrain, or within two spaces of a board edge or another crate. Search uses sentries. Deploy the sentries guarding the crates. All non-sentry models start the game in Stealth.
Ninjas Allowed: 7
Special Rules: A model may spend its action to check a crate in its influence zone. To check a crate, turn it face up and roll one die. If the roll matches the elemental symbol of the crate, then the model has found an objective and the crate is removed.
When a model turns a crate face up, its team scores one point. If the crate is an objective, its team scores an additional three points.
The team with the most points at the end of the challenge wins.
Challenge Length: 9 rounds
Additional XP Awarded: When a model checks a crate, it gets 1 XP. When a model finds an objective, it gets 2 XP.
CAPTURE THE MEDAL[]
In Capture the Medal, each team must steal the enemy team’s medal and return it to their Goal Space to score points, while defending their own medal at the same time.
Ninjas Allowed: 7
Setup: In Step 4 of Setup, immediately before lanterns and shrines are deployed, all players place a goal space token and a medal token on the space that is ten spaces from their left side of the board and four spaces in from their board edge. This is done before any lanterns or shrines are put out.
All small-base models start the game in Stealth.
Special Rules: A team scores points by stealing the enemy team’s medal and taking it to their own team’s goal space.
When a model picks up its own team’s medal, it is immediately returned to the team’s goal space. When a model picks up an enemy team’s medal, the model’s team scores one point.
Once in a space adjacent to its own team’s goal space, a model carrying an enemy team’s medal may spend one movement point to capture the medal and score four points. Once the points are scored, the medal is returned to the enemy team’s goal space. The team with the most points at the end of the challenge wins.
Challenge Length: 9 Rounds
Additional XP Awarded: When a model picks up a medal, it gets 1 XP. When a model returns its own team medal to the team’s goal space, the model gets 1 XP. When a model captures an enemy’s medal, it gets 3 XP.