Rumble Nation

Rumble Nation puts players in the role of warlords during the Sengoku era, fighting for control over 11 castles across Japan.

Gameplay Overview

The game is divided into two distinct phases: the Deployment Phase (Phase I) and the War Phase (Phase II).

Phase I: Deployment Phase

Players take turns in clockwise order until all soldier meeples have been placed on the map. On your turn, you must choose one of the following two actions:

1. Deploy Soldiers

• Rolling: Roll all 3 dice. You may reroll all dice once per turn.
• Grouping: Divide the dice into one group of 2 dice and one single die.
  • Location: The sum of the 2-dice group (2–12) determines the area where soldiers are placed.
  • Quantity: The value of the single die determines the number of soldiers: 1–2 = 1 soldier; 3–4 = 2 soldiers; 5–6 = 3 soldiers.
• Placement: You must place all allocated soldiers in the designated area. You can place them in empty areas or those already containing your own or opponents' troops.

2. Use a Tactic Card

• Instead of rolling, you may use one Tactic Card from the available display.
• Each card can be used only once per game.
• Restriction: As soon as any player has placed all their soldiers, Tactic Cards (and Daimyo cards) can no longer be used by anyone.

Finishing Deployment

Once you have placed all your soldiers, you take the available Sword Chip with the highest value. These chips serve as the primary tie-breaker for the rest of the game.

Phase II: War Phase

Battles are resolved sequentially, starting from castle area 2 and ending at area 12.

Resolving Battles and Ties

• Power Calculation: A player’s total power in an area is the sum of their soldier meeples and any white reinforcement meeples present.
• Tie-Breaking: If two or more players have the same power, the player holding the higher Sword Chip wins the battle.
• Castle Tokens: The winner takes the Large Castle Token. In 3–4 player games, the runner-up takes a Small Castle Token (worth half the value of the large token, rounded down).

Reinforcement Rules

Winning a castle allows a warlord to expand their influence into neighboring territories:

• Eligibility: Only the winner of the Large Castle Token sends out reinforcements.
• Target Areas: Reinforcements (white meeples) must be placed in adjacent areas that still contain a Large Castle Token and where the winner already has at least one of their own soldiers.
• Amount: In 2-player games, place 1 reinforcement per valid adjacent area. In 3–4 player games, place 2 reinforcements.
• Resource Management: If white reinforcement meeples run out, they are taken from areas where the war has already been resolved (areas without Large Castle Tokens).

Advanced Rules: Daimyo Cards and Meeples

In the advanced game, players use 16 soldiers and one specialized Daimyo meeple.

• Daimyo Meeple: During the Deployment Phase, it is treated as 1 unit. In the War Phase, it is a powerful unit equivalent to 2 soldiers.
• Daimyo Cards: Each player receives a unique card that can be activated once per game instead of a regular turn.

Special Daimyo Abilities

These unique abilities allow for powerful tactical maneuvers:

• Uesugi Kenshin: Move up to 3 of your soldiers from the Daimyo's current area to adjacent areas connected by land.
• Oda Nobunaga: Move the Daimyo to an adjacent area, optionally taking 1 soldier along.
• Takeda Shingen: Move up to 3 soldiers belonging to a single opponent from your Daimyo's area to adjacent areas.
• Mōri Motonari: Place up to 3 soldiers from your stock into areas adjacent to your Daimyo.
• Chōsokabe Motochika: Move up to 3 of your units (soldiers or Daimyo) from the Daimyo's area to adjacent areas connected by sea.
• Ōtomo Sōrin: Replace one opponent's soldier in up to two areas adjacent to your Daimyo with soldiers from your own stock.

Final Scoring

The game ends once all 11 castle areas have been resolved.

• Players sum the values of all Large and Small Castle Tokens they have collected.
• The player with the highest total score wins.
• Tie-Breaker: If scores are tied, the player with the higher Sword Chip is declared the winner.