Is Night of the Ninja a Good Board Game? Here’s How To Play

Each year, a large group of friends and I rent a cabin in the mountains and bring about two carloads full of games. It’s an unofficial board game event that I look forward to each year. This year, I was introduced to the Night of the Ninja board game.

And I have to say, this game is a lot of fun.

Night of the Ninja is another social deduction game. But unlike many social deduction games, it’s every ninja for themselves.

In this game, two houses of ninjas battle for honor and try to eliminate members of the opposing house before they eliminate you.

Game overview

Since it’s a game of social deduction, players do not know who’s on what team. You must determine who is an enemy and who is an ally.

Since it’s a ninja game, it’s every ninja for themselves.

Each round, players will draft a new house card and new roles.

Role cards have actions that can be taken during the round. Throughout play, ninjas will look for clues to determine who is an ally and who are members of a rival house, eliminating players if they are able to do so along the way.

Table talk during the game is encouraged.

At the end of each round, members of the house with the highest ranked survivor earn an honor token.

The honor tokens are worth between 2-4 points each. The first player to reach ten points wins the game.

Setting up a new game

To play a new game, set aside an equal number of Crane and Lotus house cards. Begin with rank one and two cards for a four-player game and add additional cards for larger games, in order.

If there is an odd number of players, include the Ronin card.

For example, if you have seven players, you would have a rank one, two and three for each house, along with a Ronin.

Shuffle the ninja deck and add the star-shaped tokens to the token bag.

Finally, each player should place a standee (which references turn order) in front of their play area.

The player standees are knocked down if a player is eliminated.

How do you play the Night of the Ninja board game?

Once you have determined how many house cards you need, deal them face down to each player. Players may look at their cards but do not reveal them to other players.

Then, do a ninja draft. Each player receives three ninja role cards and chooses one. They pass the two remaining ninja cards to the player on their left. Each player chooses another ninja card, then discards the last card face down in the middle of the table.

During the night, ninjas are revealed in phases.

The order is as follows:

1. Spy
2. Mystic
3. Trickster
4. Blind Assassin
5. Shinobi

During each phase, players may play a ninja card that corresponds to the phase. To play a ninja card, play it face up on the table.

The number on each card correlates to when it is resolved. For example, a one would go first and a six would go last.

Spy and Mystic cards are played early. These players often gain valuable information.

Tricksters shake up the game with unique abilities. The last two roles may eliminate players, assuming they survive long enough to do so.

Remember, players may choose not to reveal a ninja card. However, if they miss their phase, it is too late and it can’t be played later in the round.

However, there are a handful of cards that may be played out of sequence. The Mirror Monk and Martyr are reactionary.

Making it to the end of the round

After the night ends, it’s time for a house reveal. The team with the highest rank surviving player wins the round. The highest rank is one, followed by two, then three, etc.

Ties are broken by the next highest surviving member of the house.

When a house wins, each member of the winning house draws a token from the bag, even if they were eliminated.

Keep tokens face down, but you may look at them.

Strategy tips for Night of the Ninja

Remember, if you are a high-rank player (rank one is the highest), you want to try to lay low and not be eliminated. If you are a low-rank, it’s not very important for you to survive.

Therefore, you can generally try to take attention off of your high-ranking player, if you can find out who they are before the other team.

Getting eliminated in Night of the Ninjas

If you are eliminated from the game, do not reveal your house card. Knock over your standee to indicate that you are out of the game.

Unlike most other social deduction games, though, you can continue to talk throughout the game. You simply can’t keep playing cards or reveal any cards.

In fact, talking is encouraged.

What is the Ronin in the Night of the Ninja board game?

Ronins are played in games if there is an uneven number of players.

Their single objective is to survive the round and add confusion among players.

If a Ronin survives, they also receive an honor token at the end of the game.

How many people can play Night of the Ninja?

The game plays between 4-11 players and is recommended for ages 12 and up.

It plays fairly quickly. In fact, it only takes about 15-30 minutes to play.

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My review of the Night of the Ninja board game

I enjoy that this social deduction game is played on a more individual level. If you want to win, you can’t simply be carried by your team.

Also, if you’re on a team with players who are frankly bad at the game, it’s not really a big deal. You can always get a new team next turn.

It’s simple enough for novice gamers to be a part of the game and enjoy it. There’s also still enough strategy involved that experienced players will have a great time as well.

I think most social deduction enthusiasts will really enjoy playing this one.

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What’s less great about this game

Even though I like the fact that your house card changes each round, after a few rounds, it can get confusing. I found myself mixing up information between games on who is who.

I know, I’m not the most insightful spy on the planet. It’s definitely a challenge, though.

After a single round, it’s exciting to strategize and use your memory and deduction skills. After a few more rounds, your brain might be tired of keeping track.

Night of the Ninja is a game designed by Justin Gary and published by Brotherwise Games.

The game currently sells for about $16 on Amazon. It currently has a 4.7 star rating.

Have you tried Night of the Ninja? What social deduction board games are your favorite? Let me know in the comments below.