Onitama

Onitama is played on a 5x5 grid. Each player starts with five pieces: four students and one Sensei. The Sensei is placed in the middle of the back row, and the students are placed on either side of the Sensei. Five movement cards are drawn at random from a deck of 16 unique cards. Two cards are dealt to each player, and one card is placed face-up in the middle, next to the board.

The objective of Onitama is to either capture your opponent's Sensei piece or move your own Sensei piece to your opponent's starting Sensei space, known as the Temple Arch. The first player to achieve either of these conditions wins the game.

On your turn, you must choose one of the two movement cards in your hand. You then select one of your pieces on the board and move it according to the pattern shown on the chosen card. After moving, you place the used movement card in the middle, replacing the card that was there. You then take the card that was previously in the middle into your hand, giving you two new movement options for your next turn. This unique card exchange mechanism means that every move you make also dictates a future move your opponent can make.

Onitama is a game of direct confrontation with a clear win condition. There are no points or scores accumulated during the game. The game concludes immediately once one player successfully meets either of the two victory conditions.

The game concludes when one player successfully captures the opponent's Sensei piece, or when a player moves their own Sensei piece onto the opponent's Temple Arch space (the starting position of the opponent's Sensei). The player who achieves either of these conditions is declared the winner.