Itihasa · Kurukshetra
How to Play
Command legendary Warriors, march your Sena, unleash legendary Astras and win the war of Kurukshetra. Learn everything in five easy scrolls.
The game in one breath
Two sides, Pandavas and Kauravas. Fight a series of famous duels. In each duel you add up Life Points from your Warrior, your Sena and your weapons. The bigger total wins the Event and takes the enemy's army. Most points after the last duel wins the war.
01 · The idea
2 armies.
24 duels. 1 war.
Every Event card is a real duel from Maharshi Veda Vyasa's Mahabharata. Win a duel by fielding the higher total Life Points (LP). Win the war by collecting the most Victory Points (VP) across every duel you play.
What you're actually doing
Each turn, both sides deploy the Warrior named on the Event card, back them with Sena (army), and can call on Astras (legendary weapons) and Shastras (physical weapons) to push their Life Points higher than the opponent's. The gap between the two totals becomes Battle Points. Spoils the winner claims from the battlefield.
It plays in 25 to 30 minutes as a single Quick Battle, or strings all three Modes into a 60+ minute Grand Campaign.
02 · Game components
Know your cards
Tap any card to flip it open. Five decks build the whole war.
Event Cards
24 CARDSThe Duel of the Round, Who Fights Whom.
- Real duel from Veda Vyasa's Mahabharata.
- Names the two warriors who must fight.
- Gives LP to one warrior.
- Kaurava player draws first Event.
Warrior Cards
24 CARDS12 Pandava Heroes and 12 Kaurava Champions.
- Deploy only the warrior named on the Event card.
- LP value is printed at the top-right.
- Shastra icons show which weapon suits them: match it for +5 LP.
- In a 4-player game, split the warriors evenly with your teammate.
Sena Cards
60 CARDSYour Army, Foot Soldiers to Elephants.
- 5 types: Padathi 1, Dhanurdhar 2, Rakshasa 3, Rathaa 4, Gajadala 5 LP.
- Deploy at least 3 Sena every battle, never more than 15 LP total.
- Sena go down first, before Astras and Shastras.
- Short on Sena? Trade 1 Astra for Sena of equal LP from the discard pile.
Astra Cards
24 ASTRASLegendary Weapons, 18 Destructive + 6 Brahmadanda.
- Each Event is a real duel from Veda Vyasa's Mahabharata.
- Use an Astra your warrior can't wield and get caught: -1 LP.
- Brahmadanda neutralises any one enemy Astra.
- Unused at game end: +1 LP each, +2 LP if it names your warrior.
Shastra Cards
24 SHASTRASPhysical Arms, Bow, Sword, Spear, Mace, Elephant.
- Match the icon on your Warrior card for a +5 LP bonus.
- Revealed in Attack-2 along with Astras.
- Shastras score no points at the end of the game.
- 12 types × 2 copies.
Play Mat, Mudra & Score Sheet
Your Battlefield, Decision & Scoring Tools
- The Play Mat holds zones for Warrior, Sena, Astra, Shastra and Event: one side for Pandavas, one for Kauravas.
- Flip the Mudra and call "Simhasana" or "Dharmachakra". The winner picks their side.
- The Score Sheet tracks Attack-1, Attack-2, BP, the winner and VP.
Quick reference
Keep this nearby
After the last Event, both sides tally more than just Victory Points.
Life Points, the strength value printed on every card.
The gap between the two final totals. The winner claims Sena worth this much LP.
Victory Points, 1 VP for every Event you win. Most VP wins the war.
The neutralising Astra. Cancels any one opposing Astra when deployed.
03 · Game moves
Set up the battlefield
Six quick moves and the war is ready. Tap a step to see it.
Flip the Mudra
One player flips the Mudra, the other calls "Simhasana" or "Dharmachakra". The winner chooses Pandavas or Kauravas.
Pick a Mode
Choose Mode 1, 2 or 3 and take only the Events, Warriors and Astras listed for it. Numbers are printed at the bottom-right of every card.
Share the Warriors
2 players: each commands 6 Warriors. 4 players: teams of 2, each player commands 3 Warriors of their side.
Split the Sena
Each player starts with 30 Sena (2-player) or 15 Sena (4-player): Padathi x10/5, Dhanurdhar x8/4, Rakshasa x6/3, Rathaa x4/2, Gajadala x2/1. This is your pool for the whole Mode.
Deal the Weapons
Shuffle the Astras and Shastras separately and split each pile equally among all players. Exclude Astras 13-18, then add 4 Brahmadanda for 16 Astras total.
Ready the Deck & Sheet
Shuffle the Mode's Event cards face-down into the Event slot and keep the Score Sheet handy for LP, BP, Winner and VP.
04 · Modes of play
So many ways to play
Play any one Mode as a Quick Battle or chain all three into a Grand Campaign.
Royals & Commanders
Kings and Commanders trade blows. Perfect for a first game with kids.
- Events 1–8
- Pandava Warriors 1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 11
- Kaurava Warriors 1, 3, 5, 6, 10, 11
- Astras 1–12 + 4 Brahmadanda
Young Generals & Masters
Young Princes meet Grizzled Masters. Sharper trades, tighter scores.
- Events 9–16
- Pandava Warriors 1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10
- Kaurava Warriors 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 12
- Astras 1–12 + 4 Brahmadanda
Legends & Destinies
The Duels Destiny Wrote. Biggest Astras, Biggest Swings.
- Events 3, 15, 17–24
- Pandava Warriors 3, 5, 6, 8, 9–12
- Kaurava Warriors 1–4, 7, 8, 10, 12
- Astras 1–12 + 4 Brahmadanda
2+ HOURSAdvancedGrand Campaign. All 24 Events
- Shuffle all 24 Event cards into one deck.
- Every other rule stays exactly the same.
- Events are not played in number order.
- Ideal for team play and long campaign nights.
05 · Setting up
Eight steps to the first duel
Place the Play Mat
Flat surface. Each side gets zones for Warrior, Sena, Astra, Shastra and Event.
Flip the Mudra
One player flips, the other calls "Dharmachakra" or "Simhasana". The winner chooses Pandava or Kaurava.
Choose the Mode
Pick Mode 1, 2 or 3. Use only the Warriors, Astras and Events listed for that Mode.
Distribute Warrior Cards
2-Player: each player controls 6 Warriors. 4-Player (2v2): each player controls 3 Warriors.
Distribute Sena Cards
30 Sena per player in a 2-player game, or 15 in a 4-player game, split across Padathi, Dhanurdhar, Rakshasas, Rathaa and Gajadala.
Distribute Weapons
Shuffle Astras and split equally among all players. Shuffle Shastras and split equally too.
Prepare the Event Deck
Shuffle the chosen Mode's Events and place them face-down in the Event slot.
Prepare the Score Sheet
Keep it ready to track Attack totals, BP, the Event winner and VP.
06 · How a duel unfolds
Every event, phase by phase
Tap a phase to see exactly what happens.
Phase 1
Toss the Mudra
Toss the Mudra to decide who chooses Pandava or Kaurava for this session.
Phase 2
Event Draw
The Kaurava player always draws the first Event card and places it in the Event slot to reveal the active battle.
Phase 3
Initial Setup
Each side places the Warrior named on the Event. Each side deploys Sena: at least 3 cards, total Sena LP no more than 15.
Phase 4
Raising Phase
Both sides may deploy 1 or 2 weapons (Astra and/or Shastra). Never more than 2 per warrior. Once both sides finish placing weapons, move to Showdown.
Phase 5
Showdown
- Attack-1: reveal Warrior LP + Sena LP + Event bonus (if any). Record each side's total.
- Attack-2: reveal or withdraw all weapons together. You can't reveal just one of two. Add the Shastra bonus (+5 LP) if it matches the Warrior's icon.
- Final Total = Attack-1 + Attack-2. Higher total wins the Event.
- BP = the difference between totals. The winner collects Sena worth that many LP, taking the highest-LP units first.
- The winner of the Event gains 1 VP.
07 · Winning the war
Final war score
After the last Event, both sides tally more than just Victory Points.
Final score =
Total VP + (Leftover Sena × 1) + (Unused Astras × 1 or 2)
Every leftover Sena card is worth 1 LP, whatever type it is. Every unused Astra is worth 1 LP, or 2 LP if it names one of your own warriors. Shastras don't count at the end. Whoever's final score is higher wins the Kurukshetra War.
Win the war
After the last Event, both sides add everything up. Slide the counters to see how scoring works.
Final War Score
Total VP + (Remaining Sena × 1) + (Unused Astras × 1 or 2). Shastras score nothing.
Early termination
If every player on a team runs out of Sena, Astra and Shastra, the game ends immediately, even with Events left.
The team with the higher score at that moment wins.
If only one teammate is out of resources, the other keeps playing as normal.You are ready to play
Deploy warriors wisely. Use your Sena carefully. Time your Astras and Shastras for maximum impact. Track BP and VP every round. Win the war of Kurukshetra!
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