忍のがっこう (Shinobi no Gakkō)

About this board game

忍のがっこう (Shinobi no Gakkō) is a climbing card game for 3–5 players, with play lasting about 40 minutes. Players manage two hands of cards while adding to and removing cards from a shared central tableau.

At the start, each player divides their dealt cards as they choose between a traditional closed hand and a face-up hand on the table. Two face-up cards form the tableau’s initial column. On a turn, each player takes one action—or passes—with both hands.

To play cards, add them to either end of the column. Played cards must be higher or lower than the cards already present at that end, and a player must play at least as many cards as are currently there, though playing more is allowed. If one end contains more cards than the other, that end becomes locked, preventing cards from being added or removed there.

• Divide your cards between a closed hand and a face-up hand.
• Extend either end of the central column with higher or lower cards.
• Remove the last cards from either end as an alternative to playing.
• Use both hands each turn, or choose to pass.

The first player to play all their cards wins the round and receives points. The other players lose points according to the sets remaining in their hands, making card management important even when the finish is not yet in sight.

Across a number of rounds, players must balance clever plays with careful timing. In Shinobi no Gakkō, the changing tableau and locked ends create a compact contest of climbing, removal, and hand control. The player with the most points at the end wins.