Ninja Slap

I was first introduced to Ninja Slap at the DiGRA conference by the brilliant and extraordinarily playful inventors of Johann Sebastian Joust. It’s a bit slap-happy in a sometimes hand-stinging way, but I can assure you, it is well worth the minor agony.

The rules, via Ultimate Ninja Combat

1. Players form a circle, each standing at arm’s width away from each other.

2. On the count of “3… 2… 1… NINJA!” all players jump into ninja poses. Choose your pose wisely!

3. Randomly choose a ninja to begin.

4. On their turn, each player is allowed to make one swift ninja attack. KAPOW! This can involve your whole body. HAYA! Eliminate others by striking their hand – the wrist is not included. You must stiffly hold the position you end your move in.

5. The next player is allowed to move once you have have finished your attack.

6. If you are attacked by another player, you may dodge, but you can’t move your feet.

7. When only two players remain, they begin the final duel. The final two ninjas stop fighting, bow, and stand back-to-back. On the count of “3… 2… 1… NINJA!” they jump into poses. The ninja with the boldest pose goes first and play resumes normally. The game ends when only one ninja remains.

And, finally, my favorite rule of the Ninja Code:

1. Be ridiculous. The “winner” is not necessarily the most celebrated player; playing with style is more important.

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Tagged as: martial arts games