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BONUS PAGE : STRATEGY


Basic tactics
Advanced techniques
List of special abilities


BASIC TACTICS

In Kigetsu, you have to become very observant.
Always ask yourself this question : how can I gain one or more cards during my turn?
There are 7 essential paramters that you should check regularly :


1) Every time a city is visited, always have a look at your cards, to see if you can put them down or not.

In the same time, pounder the value of your warriors. Be careful of the high-level warriors, who will
probably join the game very late, and will be useless because there won't be any counter left then.
Don't hesitate to discard useless warriors or weapons, they will offer you more than if you keep them.
In the same way, if you put a good warrior down on your game, it makes lesser warriors obsolete, and those can be discarded.

2) Don't forget special actions and special abilities, which can transform the course of a game.

Special actions are dangerous as they give an advantage but, in the same time, you lose a card when you use one of them.
Beginners shouldn't use those cards too much, unless they understand their power properly.
When you use secpial cards, make sure they can bring you something interesting, or heavily penalize others players.
The warriors' special abilities are much more powerful and interesting, as they are activated as long as the card is put down.

3) On the map of Japan, check how many counters are needed in order to visit the next available city or cities.

If you can't visit a city during your turn, you can still get closer to it but yet, you'll help the next players.
You may also start a fight : that may be risky, but you will probably weaken some players.
On the map of Japan, the Akita-Nigata-Sendai area is very important and can settle the whole game.
Don't let it to your opponents, even if it requires a good fight in order to prevent them from travelling.

4) During a fight, every time a turn finishes, make a recap of the best combination and of the combination that must be obtained to win.

Use probability theory : with 5 counters, you will have a double. With 4 counters, you can have it quite easily, but with only 2 or 3, you'll need
a good piece of luck. It is the same for higher combinations : with 9 counters, you will have a triple, with 13 counters,
you will have a quadruple... Always try to pounder the amount of probability and the share of certainty, and just be careful of the
too high or too low stakes, which can quickly turn against you.

5) Keep watching the two stacks of counters before you start your turn, and always check your own stocks.

Drawing fresh counters may lead you to perform an action that you didn't wanted to perform. Yet, if you use your stocks, you will be
less constrained, and you will also save one card. Don't make reincarnation a sort of systematic ritual : sometimes you
don't have to discard anything, and sometimes you'll need to throw more than one card away.
There is no point having many cards without any counter to put on. Try to fill as many cards as possible, especially
during battles, so that you can travel farther when the combat stops.

6) Check the cards and abilities of your opponents in order to predict their reactions.

The stocks of your opponents indicate their strenght, and allow you to anticipate their actions.
In the same way, certain powers can be more dangerous for you than others. Also, just before the end of the game,
the moves on the map of Japan must be precisely calculated : you can block your opponents by ensuring
that they won't be able to finish, either by lack or excess of counters. You may also eliminate them. Leave as few
counters as possible in order to limit their moves and to force them to pass their turns.

7) Identify the strongest player and the players who lag behind.

It is forbidden to count the scores before the end so, ideally, remember them progressively.
Else, play according to what you see : the leader is often the most easily recognizable.
Note that you have a great deal of influence over the player that is next to you. The more powerful it is,
the more careful you nedd to be. If you see that you can't gain anything during your turn, don't hesitate to
favour a player that lags behind, instead of a strong player.


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ADVANCED TECHNIQUES

There are some advanced techniques to try when the basic mechanisms are assimialted.
Those techniques are not crucial, but they can help the player who performs them.


Showing the cards progressively

This is a bluff technique, very easy to perform.
When a card of your hand can be put down, wait for the moment you will really need it, and wait for your turn.
At the beginning of the game, if you limit the amount of cards, your opponents will think that you are in trouble,
and that you can't travel far or fight properly. They can favour you without being aware of it.
So, put your cards down at the last moment, and hide your game as long as possible.

Splitting the counters on your cards

This stage is often a crucial one. Globally, one should always have a good warrior, plus an additional helper, and
a weaker card, all three filled with counters. The strongest card starts fights, the helper finishes them, and the weak
card allows to start a new turn, either a travel or a fight. This typical pattern is not a rule.
Yet, when the game is almost finished, if a player launches a crucial fight, it is a key move to split the counters as much as possible
on your cards and have, for example, one counter per card. This allows to play more turns, without having to discard, so that you let other
players discard themselves and do the job in your place.

Preventive attacks

If your starting cards allow it (weapons, oucasts, special moves), you may try to attack at once, right when the game starts.
This may have a devastating effect on the other players. Try to master the game as long as possible and if you can,
perform a series of battles, until other players manage to stop you.

Passing turns

Passing your turn is almost useless except if you dominate the game or if you have a good stock of counters.
Don't pass your turn like that, or to avoind conflict, except if you try to favour a player who lags behind.

Eliminating a player during a battle

If you see that the following player is about to be eliminated, attack with one counter.
Once this player eliminated, you will win the fight and gain an extra card.
In certain games, those types of fight can be many, and the victory is often for the player who
has the greatest number of cards. As a consequence, ally to other players if necessary.

Yin and Yang

The choice between Yin and Yang is crucial. When you play your counters on the Battlefield, you give a certain impulse to the game,
and indicate your global strategy : travelling or fighting. During a standard game, the very first battle is often started by
a player who didn't have the choice to do it. He must then try to give his own impulse to the game.

Ideally, the battle you started should go on until you play your next turn, so that you have a chance to win it yourself. That's why you
should try to find the proper amount of counters to play according to the number of players. When there are few players, it is safer to play on the Yin,
in order to boost the number of counters on the Great Sun, and take advatage of it later. But this is different if there are more players.
In that case, you should play just one or two counters on the Yang side, in order to force the winner of this battle to start another right away,
so that you may have a chance of winning his fight when you play your next turn.



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LIST OF SPECIAL ABILITIES


Each clan posesses a set of powers which are dedicated to fighting issues, travelling issues or both.
There are also 15 special cards that can be used once. This section brings some elements in order to use all those powers best.


Basic powers (weapons):

Secondary weapons + starting weapon:
The secondary weapons can attack at the same time as your starting card. The effect is comparable to the warriors who have the
"shooting" attribute (see below). Nevertheless, the counters do not mix on the same card ; you can't put 3 counters right on your starting weapon,
as secondary weapons can attack independently. This specific power onyl works during battles, never for travalling.

Armours:
There are 2 armour cards, which increase the capacity of a weapon (secondary or starting weapon) by 1 counter.
Thus, a secondary weapon such as a katana can receive 2 counters instead of one. Armour cards can't receive counters themselves.


First level powers:

Ashigaru (shooting):
The cards which posess the "shooting" attribute can add their counters to another card while attacking, making that card more powerful.
Nevertheless, you spend a greater number of counters at once, which forces you ti have good stocks.
This stype of card is almost useless for travelling, and you can't combine the effect of two shooters.

Negi (invocation):
This allows to put the warriors from the "earth" clan at will, without any building required. It is very efficient if you have a level 2 or a level 3 warrior
in your hand right at the beginning of the game. Otherwise, with time, the power becomes useless, as the required buildings will come out.

Komuso (diplomacy):
When a building is drawn from the bag, this power allows you to draw another one, and to choose yourself which will be kept and which
will be put back into the bag. It is very useful if you have high level warriors and if you want to put them down faster.
Note that this power is allowed ony if you are the player who visited the city in question.

Ainu (werewolf):
Probably the most powerful ability of the first level, as it allows, in battle, to make a genuine metamorphosis !
Indeed, if the counter from this warrior is a full moon, it is worth a triple. It its therefore a very powerful attack, which
has one in four chance to be successful. The effect lasts during the whole fight, and can be combined with other full moons
(for example : a full moon which is worth triple + two other full moons = a quintuple). Near the end of the game,
when counters become scarce, this card is truly awesome and can become almost invincible.


Second level powers:

- Kyudoka (shooting):
See: Ashigaru. The shooting power as well as the potential for travelling are incresed.

- Chunin (substitution):
If you win a battle, this cards allows you to invert Yin and Yang, and so, to share the counters differently in the two stacks.
You can thus redirect the game at will, and counter the projects of the player who initiated the fight. A very powerful power if it is well used.

- Chunin (ninjutsu):
This power gives you a dramatic advantage on the battlefield, as it allows to make changes directly on moon-counters, on any side of the
Yin-Yang. You can thus try to increase the current combination, or "crush" the battle power. As this power only works at the end of your
turn, you are also allowed to use it when you discard a card to pass.

- Shugenja (genjutsu):
A very tactical power, wich allows to split the counters which are already present on your cards, just before playing.
For example, during very violent battles, you can spred your energy and play longer. On the contrary, if you need a very important
quantity of counters, this power allows to take advantage of weaker warriors in order to upgrade a stronger one.

- Kannushi (conjuration):
This power blocks all the "Special Action" cards that are played by your opponents... but not yours ! The card is itself quite weak, as a counterpart,
but it can save you from very tricky situations. Don't forget to claim its power whenever it is possible, in order to counter your opponents.


Third level powers:

- Shogun (war leader) :
The presence of this card increases the capacity of all the other cards you previously managed to put down.
For example, a "samurai" card can store 3 counters but however, with the shogun, its capacity increses by one counter, which now allows him to
store 4 counters. Your cards can therefore attack stronger or travel farther, but only if you can afford to do so. This can cost you a great
deal of counters indeed! This power is very useful with warriors such as the Jonin, Yamamba or the Ainu.

- Soojoo (blessing) :
This cards brings you extra counters whenever you perform a reincarnation. It allows to reload your warriors faster. For example, if
you discard 2 cards during your turn, you will gain 12 fresh counters instead of 8. However, this power is quite useless if the card is put down too
late in the game. Moreover, the card is not very powerful, and is useful only for its power : it therefore needs a mighty warrior to be efficient.

- Kami (resurrection) :
If you win a fight, this power brings you two extra cards instead of one. And with the kami's great attack power, those fights will be easier to win!
You can then make your team grow, or gain extra counters for the next turn. And your final score will be dramatically increased.
You'll have great advantages, but only if the card comes early enough in the game.

-Yamamba et Jonin (fireball / ice bolt) :
Those two powers are identical, and can be used only during battles. They can double the power of the two moon-counters that are present on the
refering card, thus allowing to make a double or a quadruple with just one single attack! This power only works when you play the counters: when the
next player's turn will start, the counters will lose their attributes. This power is your privilege, and is good for defence, it is useless if you start a
fight with it. However, if there are many counters on the battlefield, this power is combined to other counters (for exemple, a full moon
which counts for a double + another full moon already present = a triple).
Those cards are the most dangerous of the game, and become dredful before the end, when the players are forced to play just a few counters.


Instant powers:

- Rat (sabotage) :
This power allows to weaken the moves of all your opponents, and forces them to impoverish themselves, as reincarnations become more expensive.
Play this card at the end of your turn, depending on the number of players and of the number of remaining counters. The effect lasts for one round.

- Goat (dodge) :
This power stops a fight. Use it for yourself in the middle of the game, in order to stop a hard fight, and go on travelling.
Use it to counter the potential victory of an opponent, especially before the end of the game, when there aren't anymore cities to visit.

- Pork (wealth) :
This card is always positive, and can be played by beginners without hesitation. You don't lose any card, and gain an extra point for the final score.
The four cards that you didn't keep go back to the stack, under the pile.

- Ox (strenght) :
This power is comparable to a "double reincarnation". It can be added to a standard reicarnation.
This power is great for loading the power of your warriors to the maximum. Use it as early as possible in the game.

- Dragon (fury) :
This power makes a fight go on, if you feel you can't be the winner... or just for the pleasure of slaughtering !
Basically, you cancel the victory of an opponent during a fight, and the next players change sides on the Yin-Yang in order to go on fighting.
For example, imagine that the battle power was a double, on the Yin, and that one of your opponents obtained a triple, on the Yang : use your fury,
cancel his victory, and the fight thus goes on, with the next player starting his turn. The battle power is now the triple that your opponent had
just obtained on the Yang. It is therefore necessary to play on the opposite side of the triple, that is to say on the Yin, where was the original
battle power. The next players will have to beat the triple - that is to say, to make a quadruple - in order to win !
Finally, if your position is comfortable, and if you want other players to be eliminated, you can cast the fury on yourself.

- Cock (leadership) :
This power is very useful at the beginning of the game, if you have a powerful warrior to put down. Otherwise, this card may be useless,
if you draw only weak cards, or if you wiat too much and reach the end of the game, as buildings will all come out regularly.

- Dog (protection) :
This cards weakens an opponent and allows you to play without spending any card... except this one. Use it on strong warriors who have
many counters on them (5 or more) in order to gain as many points as possible. The advantage of this power is that it doesn't force you
to draw counters in the stacks, so that you are free to choose the action you want to perform if one stack is empty.

- Horse (speed) :
A very powerful power which allows to use a part or all your stocked counters, to travel or to fight.
It can help you gain many cities at once or win a crucial battle. It is great at the end, to finish the map of Japan.
Otherwise, this power can help you save your energy, if you want to play as few counters as possible.
For exemple, if you have a powerful card, with 7 counters on it, you can play just 3 counters from it and keep the ramining 4 for the next turn.

- Tiger (power) :
A very powerul ability which grants you an extra bonus of 3 counters, that you can use at will, as long as it is your turn to play.
For example, you can spend the three of them at once, or add them to another card, or play them one by one, alone, or added to
another card. They can also come back on your cards to refill the power of some special warriors (ainu, jonin, yamamba) to take advantage of
their abilites. Warning : this card cannot be refilled through a reincarnation process. Once the third counter is spent, the power is discarded.

- Monkey (agility) :
This power is comparable to the second level power "ninjutsu". Yet, this card may be used at the end of any turn, even at the end
of the turn of an opponent. You can thus manipulate the counters on the Battlefield at each turn, incrase of decrease the battle power,
and even try to cancel the victory of a player if he wins the battle !

- Snake (venom) :
An awesome power, which speeds up the pace of the game. Use it when you have strong position, because you suffer the same evil as other
players : everybody loses a card, but you discard your special action... If possible, wait to have an greater nimber of cards than your
opponents to use this power, but don't wait too much either, because if the players manage to put all their cards down, they will become immune.

- Rabbit (luck) :
A simple and efficient power, that can be played by beginners without hesitation. You don't lose any card and gain an extra amount of counters.
Using this power is a good opportunity at any time of the game. It can also be combined to a standard reincarnation.

- Susanoo (God of Storms) :
This is a very efficient power which brings the advantage - or drawback ? - to slow the game down. You can increase the amount of counters
of the stack of your choice, contrary to the two other gods, who are dedicated to a specific stack.

- Tsukiyomi (Moon God) :
This power brings the counters back on the Great Moon and provokes fights, dark ages, chaos... it's the ideal solution to slow the
game down or to get rid of some players, if you feel strong enough.

- Amaterasu (Sun Goddess) :
This power brings the counters back on the Great Sun and restores the golden age, which allows to travel more easily on Japan... it's the
ideal solution to speed the game up, or to gain extra points when all seemed to be lost. Use it in the middle or in the end of the game.



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