A Double Edged Drafting Game
Designer: Muneyuki Yokouchi
Artist:
Publisher: Ninja Star Games
Year Published: Kickstarter 2024
No. of Players: 3-5 players
Ages: 10+
Playing Time: 30-45 minutes
Main mechanic / Theme: Drafting, Hand Management, Set Collection
Build your ultimate team of Ninjas to claim victory by standing in the light or hiding in the shadows.
Overview
Recruit ninjas into your group, build your power turn over turn, and survive long enough to solidify gains above your opponents or be slain and lose your ground. While many cards will reward you with benefits, be careful who you recruit, because you’re just as likely to be slain by your opponents as your own pride.
Gameplay and mechanics
Drafting is the backbone mechanic of the game and so a mixture of tactical selection and attentive card counting leads to the most success. Every turn, you look at a hand of cards, take one, add it to your tableau, and pass it on. You recruit ninjas onto your team, trying to gain points, but be careful in your selection, because your choices may end in being slain. It is in your best interest to strategically hide/reveal the cards in your tableaus, notice what cards are drafted, and observe the cards in your opponent’s tableaus. It’s a lot of information to keep in your head. A full four player game really strained my memory without taking physical notes. However, once you’ve played a few times, you’ll naturally begin to remember how many copies of each card are in the deck. Speaking of deck, there are 2 decks to play with, the blue deck that is targeted at beginners and has simpler mechanics, and the red deck that contains cards that have higher risk and more reward. I call this game an anti point salad because while there are cards that help compose your point gain, there are many that easily cause you to be slain and lose all progress in the round. Playing the red deck, it isn’t uncommon to even lose points some rounds.
Theme, Artwork and Illustration, Graphic Design and Layout
The visuals of Pride of Nina are very immersive, with graphics, frames, and icons that all follow the strong visual style of the art. My biggest criticism is the size of the text, which my visually impaired group members had major trouble reading. There is a lot of vertical space that I think could be better utilized and some text frame shape adjustments that would allow the font to increase a little more.
Inclusivity Statement
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With that in mind, I think the flavor of this game is culturally rich, taking nods from traditional Japanese art as well as popular modern media like anime. The designer showcases his Japanese culture masterfully in the chosen color palets, stylization of characters, and textural background patterns. I especially love the caligraphic brush strokes in the graphic design.
What Worked
This digs deeply into the drafting mechanic, which I love. There’s high replayability between both decks. One is not inherently better than the other, and the blue deck is not simply a tutorial deck. During the writing of this review, the red deck is still being tweaked, which I think is a good thing as I believe the blue deck is better balanced. The cards removed at the beginning of setup keep things fresh by tweaking certain strategies, though I think they would be better hidden than revealed. I like the short play time and can see it filling a niche as a quick filler game with surprising meatiness.
Final Thoughts
Pride of Ninja is a drafting game that will require you to think both tactically and strategically. You acquire points much like Point Salad, but with the added spice of accidentally picking cards that get you or your opponents slain. Paying attention to the actions of other players and counting cards reminds me of Love Letter. The double edged nature of Pride of Ninja’s cards may turn off players who dislike the possibility of inadvertently sabotaging themselves. If you have a good memory and are willing to take risks with your draft, you’ll relish the thrill of predicting the cards returning to you turn after turn. A very good game that is short, sweet, and rewarding. I'd definitely suggest it at my table.
Find more info on BoardGameGeek.com / Kickstarter