dojo_cate/RULES.md

# Il Labirinto del Dojo — Rules (draft v0.8)

Working language: English. The final gift edition will be produced separately in Italian.

Items marked **[VARIANT]** are unresolved and will be decided by simulation (see
[Rule variants under test](#rule-variants-under-test)).

## Goal

Start as a White belt, climb to Brown, reach the Central Dojo and pass the Final Exam.
The first player to wear the Black Belt wins.

## Components

- Board: 16×16 grid with walls, rooms and tunnels; 4 corner Safe Rooms; the Central Dojo (4×4, centre).
- Up to 8 pawns.
- One progress track per player.
- 2 six-sided dice (d6).
- Nebbia del Dojo deck (22 cards).
- Legend card for square effects.

## The progress track

Each player has a position from **0 to 17**. Your belt is the segment you are in:

| Position | Belt |
|---|---|
| 0–2 | White |
| 3–5 | Yellow |
| 6–8 | Orange |
| 9–11 | Green |
| 12–14 | Blue |
| 15–17 | Brown |

- One **stripe** = 1 step on the track. One **belt** = 3 steps.
- Position never goes below 0 or above 17.
- A player below 15 is not Brown, whatever their previous belt was.

## Setup

- 3–4 players: one pawn per corner Safe Room.
- 5–8 players: two pawns per corner Safe Room. Players sharing a corner are never consecutive in turn order.
- Everyone starts on track position 0.
  *Variant to test with 6+ players: start on 3 (Yellow).*
- Choose the first player at random; play proceeds clockwise.

## Turn

1. Roll **2d6**.
2. Move **exactly** that many steps:
   - orthogonal steps only;
   - never through a wall;
   - never re-entering a square already visited during this move.

   If no move of the full count exists, move as far as possible. (The board is designed
   without dead ends, so this should never happen; it is a safeguard.)
3. **Entering a square occupied by an opponent starts a Kumite** (you are the attacker).
   This includes the last step of the move. Leaving a square never starts a Kumite.
   - If you win, the defender is sent to Start and you continue with your remaining steps.
     You may fight several opponents in a single move (chain).
   - If you lose, you are sent to Start and your turn ends.
4. **Every Fatica square you step onto costs 1 stripe**, the last step included, before any
   Kumite on that square. Stopping on it costs nothing more.
5. When movement ends, resolve the effect of the square you stopped on.

## Safe areas

**Corner Safe Rooms** (3×3, two exits on different sides):

- No Kumite takes place inside.
- No square effects (all squares are Tatami).
- Any number of pawns may share a square.
- Pawns inside cannot be targeted by cards or square effects.
- Any player may enter any Safe Room.
- "Sent to Start" always means your own corner Safe Room. You place your pawn on any square
  of the room you choose, both at setup and when sent back.

**Central Dojo**: no pawn ever remains inside (see Final Exam).

## Kumite

**No Kumite in the first round.** Until every player has had a turn, opponents are treated
like meditating pawns (see [Meditazione](#meditazione)): you pass through them, a move that
would end on one takes an extra step, their Tunnel exit cannot be used, and Sfida has no
target. Irimi still works: it is not a Kumite.

1. Both players roll **1d6**.
2. The higher belt adds **+1 per belt of difference, maximum +2**.
3. After both dice are rolled, the attacker may play one Tecnica card, then the defender may
   play one. Each decides seeing both dice; the defender also sees the attacker's card.
   A Tecnica can only be played in this window (Uke included: you commit before the result).
4. Higher total wins.
5. **Senshu rule**: on a tie, the attacker wins.

### Consequences

| Result | Winner | Loser |
|---|---|---|
| Equal belts | +3 | −3, sent to Start |
| Lower belt wins (upset) | +3 | −3, sent to Start |
| Higher belt wins | nothing | sent to Start |

## Squares

| Code | Name | Effect when you stop on it |
|---|---|---|
| `.` | Tatami | Nothing. |
| `A` | Allenamento | +1 stripe. |
| `F` | Fatica | −1 stripe for **every** Fatica you step onto while walking, whether you stop there or not (see [Turn](#turn)); nothing more when you stop. Being moved onto it without walking (Tunnel, Passo Falso, Irimi, Uke retreat, Start) costs nothing. |
| `?` | Nebbia del Dojo | Draw a card. The square stays active. Reshuffle the discard pile when the deck is empty. |
| `T` | Tunnel | You **may** teleport to the paired Tunnel. Movement is already over; the exit square has no effect. If the exit is occupied, a Kumite starts (you are the attacker). An exit holding a meditating pawn cannot be used. |
| `P` | Passo Falso | Return to the square where this move started. Kumite already fought during the move stand. |
| `K` | Sfida | You **must** fight a Kumite against an opponent of your choice outside a safe area (you are the attacker). If there is none, nothing happens. |

## Meditazione

A meditating pawn cannot be fought or targeted. Other pawns pass through it freely.
If your move ends exactly on its square, take one extra step following the normal movement
rules (it may start a Kumite); the effect of the square you finally stop on applies.
If no legal extra step exists, stay.

The same extra step applies whenever your move would end on any square (outside Safe Rooms)
holding a pawn you cannot fight — for example a defender who lost but was saved by Uke.

## Nebbia del Dojo deck

Nebbia cards are chances, not gifts: **every card must be resolved**, even when it turns out
badly for you. If a card needs a target and there is none, nothing happens.

**Tecnica cards are secret:**

- When you draw a Tecnica, do not show it: keep it face down in front of you.
- Everyone can see *that* you hold one, not *which* one.
- You hold **at most one**. When you draw a second, keep one and discard the other
  **face down**, so nobody learns which one you kept.
- A Tecnica is revealed only when played; it then goes to the discard pile.

All other cards are shown and resolved immediately.

| Type | Card | Effect | Qty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tecnica | Kiai | +2 to your Kumite total. *(+1 to be tested)* | 3 |
| Tecnica | Uke (Parata) | If you lose, you are not sent to Start (the track change still applies). A losing defender stays on its square; a losing attacker returns to the square it came from, and its turn ends with no square effect. | 2 |
| Tecnica | Kaeshi (Contrattacco) | Reroll your die. | 2 |
| Movement | Tsugi-ashi | Roll 2d6 and make another full move. That move has its own starting square (for Passo Falso). | 2 |
| Movement | Tunnel Segreto | Teleport to a Tunnel of your choice (occupied exit: Kumite, you are the attacker). You cannot choose one holding a meditating pawn. | 1 |
| Movement | Irimi (Scambio) | Swap places with an opponent of your choice outside a safe area. No Kumite, no square effects. | 2 |
| Interaction | Sfida | Fight a Kumite against an opponent of your choice outside a safe area. You are the attacker. | 2 |
| Event | Il Sensei Osserva | The player(s) lowest on the track gain +2. | 1 |
| Event | Il Peso della Cintura | The player(s) highest on the track lose 1. | 1 |
| Event | Allenamento Intensivo | +1 stripe. | 2 |
| Event | Colpo Proibito | −1 stripe. | 1 |
| Event | Passo Falso | Return to the square where this move started. | 2 |
| Event | Meditazione | Your next turn is skipped. Until the end of that skipped turn you cannot be fought or targeted. | 1 |

## Central Dojo and Final Exam

- Only a Brown player (position 15+) may enter. For everyone else the Dojo is a wall.
- Entering costs one step and needs no exact count: reach a square adjacent to an entrance
  with at least 1 step left and step in. Movement ends immediately.
- You may enter in the same move in which you became Brown by winning a Kumite.
- Your belt changes at once the other way too: if a Fatica walked during the move takes you
  below 15, the Dojo is closed for the rest of that move.
- The Final Exam starts at once. The **opponent highest on the track** defends
  (tie: the challenger chooses among them). The defender's pawn does not move.
  Meditating players cannot defend; if nobody can, you return to the square you entered
  from and there is no Exam this turn.
- The exam is a Kumite with the challenger as attacker; Senshu and Tecnica cards apply.
- **The defender fights as a Black belt**, whatever their own belt: the Brown challenger is
  one belt lower, so the defender adds +1.
  - **Challenger wins**: they wear the Black Belt and win the game.
  - **Challenger loses**: −3 and sent to Start. The defender gains nothing.
  - If the challenger plays Uke and loses, they return to the square they entered from instead of Start.

## Rule variants under test

Parameters to validate by simulation: Kiai +2 vs +1; starting on 3 with 6+ players;
square mix; game length at 3/4/6/8 players; a catch-up rule (Allenamento gives +2 instead
of +1 to a player two or more belts behind the leader).

Tested and set aside (simulator switches only): Exam ties to the defender; best-of-3 Exam.
Earlier rules kept as simulator switches: Fatica costing only when you stop on it; Kumite
allowed in the first round.

## FAQ

**Which effects can I refuse?**
Only the Tunnel square ("you may teleport"). Everything else — squares and Nebbia cards —
must be resolved, including Sfida, Irimi and Tunnel Segreto.

**I was moved without walking (Passo Falso, Irimi, Uke retreat). Does that start a Kumite
or trigger the square I land on?**
No to both (a Fatica costs a stripe only when you walk onto it). Only arriving through a
Tunnel or Tunnel Segreto starts a Kumite on an occupied square, and even then the exit square
has no effect.

**I became Brown by winning a Kumite in the middle of my move. Can I enter the Dojo with
the steps I have left?**
Yes. Your belt changes immediately, so the Dojo opens for the rest of that move.

**I am on 15 and my route into the Dojo crosses a Fatica. Can I take it?**
No: the Fatica drops you to 14 before you reach the entrance, and the Dojo closes. Take a
route without Fatica, or gain a stripe first.

**My move would end on a pawn I cannot fight. What now?**
Take one extra step (see [Meditazione](#meditazione)). If none is possible, stay.

**I am boxed in and cannot move the full count.**
Move as far as possible. This should never happen on a well-designed board.

**My Uke saved me as the attacker. Do I get the effect of the square I return to?**
No. Losing a Kumite always ends your turn.

**I drew Tsugi-ashi and then hit Passo Falso on the extra move. Where do I go back to?**
To the square where the extra move started, not where your turn started.

**Can opponents know which Tecnica I hold?**
No. They only know whether you hold one. See [Nebbia del Dojo deck](#nebbia-del-dojo-deck).