Dojo Kun: The Beautiful Fight
From tiny hilltop villages to bustling coastal towns, rumors of the secretive martial arts tournament known as Dojo Kun have been passed down for generations. Whispers of the prestige and honor a victory in the fabled tournament can bring to a Dojo make even the most humble Sensei anxious for the opportunity to compete. You have walked the path as a student, a fighter, and now master. Your skill as a Sensei has paid off, and a mysterious letter with an invitation to enter Dojo Kun has arrived on your doorstep. Have you acquired the knowledge necessary to lead your Athletes to victory, or is there still a long way to go on your path? Winning tournaments will earn prestige for your Dojo, and the Dojo with the most prestige wins the game!
In Dojo Kun, you lead a martial arts Dojo skilled in one of four different Disciplines: Earth, Fire, Wind, or Water. Over the course of two seasons, you acquire equipment for the gym, recruit and train new Athletes, and direct them in combat during tournaments at the end of each season. Providing your students with the skills they need to compete is the difference between bringing honor or shame to your Dojo. At the end of season one, Athletes will compete in the Silver Lotus tournament. Season two concludes with the Golden Lotus tournament.
Each season of Dojo Kun starts with three Training rounds leading up to a Tournament round. In the Training rounds, Athletes will develop their skills by completing different activities, while Senseis improve the conditions of the Dojo to help accelerate the learning process.
Athletes can visit the Mystic Temple to earn Ki, which is useful for unlocking special moves in combat. They can earn honor for their Dojo by helping out the village, which grants Prestige Points and Ki. By studying under Master Bear, athletes can learn Secret Techniques that will help them in the tournaments. A visit to Master Crane will allow athletes to retrain their Disciplines, gaining knowledge in different areas of combat.
While their Athletes are training, it is the job of the Sensei to increase the chances of a victory in the tournaments for the Dojo. Acquiring new Training Equipment can give athletes an edge as they prepare for matches. A Sensei may also admit a new student Athlete to the Dojo, giving them a piece of clay they can mold into a deadly weapon. As your reputation as a Sensei grows, you’ll need to expand your Dojo to keep up with the demand. Adding an expansion makes more room for Athletes and Training Equipment. Finally, you can take a personal interest in your Athlete and accelerate their training. When you spend one-on-one time with an Athlete, they can be redeployed from the Dojo to the village, giving them an extra action for the round.
As the training rounds come to an end, it’s time to put the Athletes’ skills to the test. The Silver and Gold Lotus tournaments give Athletes the chance to win prestige and honor for their Dojo. Eight different fighters will take to the mat in single-elimination bouts. Each player chooses two Athletes to represent their Dojo in the tournament, with the remaining spaces being filled with fighters from the mysterious Void Dojo.
Over the course of three different rounds, Athletes will roll colored dice equal to their Experience levels in the four Disciplines. For each result of Jump, Hold, Block, and Hit, Athletes move up their counter in that category on the Combat board. Athletes can also earn Ki and unlock special moves during the match. Unleashing the Great Submission or the One Hundred Fists can earn a surprise victory for a player. Once all of the die results and special moves have been applied, players reduce their opponent’s number of Holds by the number of Jumps they earned, then reduce their own Blocks by the number of Holds their opponent has left, and finally reduces their opponent’s Hits by the number of Blocks they have left. The Athlete with the most Hits remaining after those steps wins the match. If it ends in a draw, they will have to fight again, but receive a Wound token reducing their Experience in one Discipline by one.
Even if players don’t have an Athlete in the current match, they can make predictions on the outcome, earning Prestige Points for correct guesses.
At the end of the tournament, players earn Prestige Points based on how their Athletes placed. The more matches they win, the more Prestige they’ll earn for their Dojo.
After the Gold Lotus Tournament, the game ends. The winner is the player who has earned the most Prestige through tournaments and predictions, expanding their Dojo and getting new Training Equipment, and learning Special Moves. They will walk away from Dojo Kun victorious, secure in the knowledge that their reputation as a Master Sensei will travel far and wide. Students will travel great distances to learn their techniques, and the legend of their skills will be remembered for generations.
Dojo Kun will be available in your FLGS on September 29.
Learn more about Dojo Kun here.
