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How to Play

Onitama

2-2 players 15-20 min 7.3 Board Game Geek Rating

In this two-player abstract strategy game, opponents maneuver five pawns each across a 5x5 grid using movement cards. Players alternate selecting from two available cards to move pieces, then exchange their used card with a shared fifth card. Victory comes by either capturing the enemy's central master pawn or guiding your master to the opponent's starting temple position.

Published 2014

Onitama

Get Ready

Setup the game with these step-by-step instructions before diving into your turn.

1
Arrange the board
Place the game board in the center of the playing area
2
Position the pawns
Create a row of pawns on each player's side of the board, with the onmyo (master) pawn placed in the center position
3
Determine first player
Decide which player will take the first turn
4
Shuffle spirit cards
Shuffle all 15 spirit cards together
5
Distribute player cards
Deal 2 cards face-up to each player, placed on their side of the board
6
Place the neutral card
Draw one additional card and place it beside the board, facing the first player and positioned to their right
7
Store unused cards
Return the remaining 10 cards to the box as they will not be used this game

On Your Turn

What you can do during your turn.

1
Select a spirit card
Choose one of your two available cards to use for movement
2
Move a pawn
Move any one of your pawns according to the movement pattern shown on the selected card
3
Capture opponent's pawn
If your pawn moves to a space occupied by an opponent's pawn, remove that opponent's pawn from the game
4
Respect movement restrictions
You cannot move a pawn off the board or onto a space occupied by your own pawn
5
Discard used card
Place the card you just played to your left side, rotated 180 degrees so it faces your opponent
6
Draw new card
Take the card from your right side to add to your hand for future turns
7
Pass turn
The other player now takes their turn
8
Handle blocked situations
If you cannot legally use either card, skip your movement but still discard one card to the left and draw the card from the right

Winning

How to claim victory.

1
Capture the master
Win immediately by capturing your opponent's onmyo (master) pawn
2
Reach the temple
Win immediately by moving your onmyo pawn to your opponent's starting temple position (the center space on their back row)

watch & Learn

Let the pros teach you with these top videos.

Onitama - Speluitleg & Review - (NL)

Onitama - Speluitleg & Review - (NL)

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Onitama ¿Cómo se juega? - Tutorial Punto de Partida

Onitama ¿Cómo se juega? - Tutorial Punto de Partida

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FULL rules

Looking for the full details? Grab the complete rulebook as a downloadable PDF.

PDF RULEBOOK

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