Shogun

Shogun is based on the Wallenstein game system. The game is set in the Sengoku period (approx 1467-1573) which ends with the inception of the well-known Tokugawa Shogunate.

The game is an international edition with language-independent components and five language-dependent rule booklets.

Japan during the Sengoku or “Warring States” Period: each player assumes the role of a great Daimyo with all his troops. Each Daimyo has the same 10 possible actions to develop his kingdom and secure points. To do so he must deploy his armies with great skill. Each round, the players decide which of the actions are to be played out and in which of their provinces. If battle ensues between opposing armies, the unique Cubetower plays the leading role. The troops from both sides are thrown in together and the cubes that fall out at the bottom show who has won immediately. Owning provinces, temples, theaters, and castles means points when scores are tallied. Whichever Daimyo has the highest number of points after the second tally becomes – SHOGUN!

Re-implements:

Wallenstein

BoardGameGeek Info

Publisher: Queen Games
Published in: 2006
My Rating: 8.5
BGG Rating: 7.22
BGG Rank: 279
Players: 3-5
Ages: 12+
Duration: 2:30
Complexity: 3.3644 / 5

Acquired: February 2010
Eager to Play: Yes
Plays: 5
Last Played: March 29, 2010
Time Spent: 12:30

Shogun is an area control game wherein players gain points for provinces, buildings, and having a majority of a building type in a region. The game goes through 2 years, with 4 seasons each, 2 seasons set aside as scoring rounds. The other 6 seasons players each get 10 actions, varying from building, deploying new troops, gathering rice and money, and attacking. Players assign a province to an action, and a province can only act once per season, this causes players to carefully consider what they want to do each round, and what you think your opponents will do. The order of the 10 actions is randomized each season, and only 5 are revealed during the planing phase. Each season also has an event card with it which is revealed after players decide their turn, and this can radically change who can be attacked, how much food or taxes you can collect, and other modifiers.

The game is not a total-domination warfare game as players do have to supply their provinces with food during the scoring round or risk a farmer revolt, which could cause the province and all its buildings to be lost. So players must keep their expansionism in check. Also, farmers will revolt if you take food and/or taxes from them more than once per year, and since each province gives out a different value of food and money players have to carefully consider how to fund their war while keeping the farmers from revolting, or having enough army presence to put down a revolt.

Battles are accomplished via a cube tower in which the cubes are place in the top and some come out while others stay in. The game is pre-seeded with 7 armies from each player and 10 farmers, so battles are somewhat random, adding tension. A smaller force can defeat a larger force, and a player can end up with more armies than they started with. This allows for some level of chance and keeps the battles interesting as the outcome is never known ahead of time.

Five plays

March 29, 2010
March 27, 2010
March 27, 2010
March 26, 2010
March 24, 2010