Arcane Wonders | Onitama | Board Game | Ages 8+ | 2 Players | 15 to 20 Minutes Playing Time

Product Information

A player may either win by taking their opponent’s master out of the game or by taking over the other player’s temple. SETUP You can use either your pawn or master to capture your opponent’s master pawn by overtaking the square on the board where the master was positioned. The Way of the Stream Sensei's Path" [7] includes sixteen new and unique cards that can be used as a standalone set of movement cards instead of those found in the base game. A move results in either occupying an empty square or landing on a square occupied by an opponent's pawn, which is then removed from the game. Play alternates until the Master is captured or you fashion a way to land on your opponent's Temple Arch. Final Thoughts on Onitama Onitama is a strategy game for 2 players. The goal of the game is to complete one of the win conditions to score a victory against your opponent.

This brilliant strategy board game for two was created in 2014 by Japanese game designer Shimpei Sato and launched by Arcane Wonders. Chess often gets called a war game. Whether you want to argue about whether that is the case or not, we all agree the point – one side tries to defeat the other by removing their pieces from the board and capturing their leader. Onitama has the same principle at its core, but it’s something completely different in its make up. Released in 2014, the board game Onitama is fairly new to the gaming community, but don’t let that stop you from adding it to your collection! Is Onitama like chess?Onitama plays out in its entirety on a shared 5x5 board, with each player controlling four wooden pawns and one king. The objective of the game is to either remove your opponent’s king from the board or to move your king on to their king’s starting spot. Onitama is, therefore, not only a matter of attrition between two warring sides but also a game of clever movement and foresight. That’s the dance. Whatever you do now, your opponent will be able to do shortly. Maybe more importantly than this, you won’t be able to repeat the same move as last time. Inside are more things of beauty; a neoprene play mat; two sets of pawns, in blue and red – one Master and four students each; a set of 16 cards, and a very thin rule book. Gameplay… There are two methods to win a game: the first method, known as the Way of the Stone, requires the player to capture the opponent’s master piece; the second method, known as the Way of the Stream, requires the player to move their master piece on to the opponent's Temple Arch. If your pawn lands a space occupied by one of your opponent’s pawns, your pawn would “capture” this piece. A pawn which is captured is removed from the game.

Onitama isn’t a war, it’s a dance. Each player starts with two cards in front of them which detail the shape of a move they could take. These might be complex diagonal zig-zags, clever side-jumps or straightforward charges. On their turn they’ll choose which one to play, and they’ll move the piece of their choice of the five on the board (a king and four pawns). Once that’s done their opponent will choose a move card of their own and play it. Then the cards will be placed so they can be added to the opponent’s hand next turn. This opens up a great deal of strategy for anyone who plays Onitama. The level of strategy included in the base game, leveraging the moves you have in front of you whilst trying to give your opponent moves that either hamper or their plans or set you up even further. By moving up to two pieces a turn, you can use the Wind Spirit to make all kinds of set up and tempo based plays. You can send your opponents away from your master, or deliver yours to an advantageous space.Place the master in the square on the center of your side of the board, called the Shrine . Place two student pawns to either side of the master. A move results in either occupying an empty square or landing on a square occupied by an opponent’s pawn, which is then removed from the game. Play alternates until the Master is captured or you fashion a way to land on your opponent’s Temple Arch. Final Thoughts on Onitama You can jump to a position on the board, following the designated movement shown on a card without concern for other pieces that could be in the way. Simply jump over them and place your pawn on the desired square. Inside are more things of beauty; a neoprene play mat; two sets of pawns, in blue and red – one Master and four students each; a set of 16 cards, and a very thin rule book. Gameplay...

Winning the UK Games Expo Award for Best Abstract Game in 2016, Onitama is a competitive two-player game requiring strategy to win. This complete overview covers everything you need to know about the Onitama board game rules. OBJECT OF ONITAMA: The object of Onitama is to win over your opponent by completing one of the win conditions. NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2 players MATERIALS: A rulebook, 2 masters of different colors, 8 pawns of 2 colors, game mat, 2 colored temples, 16 movement cards. TYPE OF GAME: Strategy Board Game AUDIENCE: 8+ A piece defeats an opponent’s piece by moving on to the same square as it. A piece may move through another piece, but only one piece may occupy each square. Players are not allowed to pass their turn unless they have no legal move. Play continues until one of the winning conditions is met. A true master is an eternal student”. And regarding Onitama, this expansion is the greatest embodiment of this. Onitama: Sensei’s Path might look like quite a small expansion, but the truth is it’s an absolute must have if you love the base game. What’s In The Box?At the start this is a confusing wrinkle – players often build an idea of their strategy based on the firm knowledge of what they’ll be able to do next turn. It makes sense to build up your tactical planning around a small set of actions you can repeat – it’s easy to see those shapes and moves ahead on the board. People are good at creating patterns with their brains and repeating and rearticulating the same one on a grid is second nature to many gamers.