Best "Conquer Feudal Japan" Game?

What is the best "warring states" game?


1. Senji

2. Samurai & Katana

3. Samurai Swords (a.k.a. the old Shogun)

4. Shogun (a.k.a. Wallenstein)

5. Something I missed?


#1 seems to borrow some from #2, which itself looks like a decent game. The venerable #3 is a classic, a great game but somewhat lacking in the politics department. #4 is only on this list because of its subject matter. I know it basically sucks.

So what is the best and why?

Of those I've only played Samurai Swords - it's a solid game plus it has plastic swords and a ninja!

Ran looked pretty sweet to me, but the scope may be too small for what you're asking for.

Feudal Japan is one of my favorite historical settings, and one of the rare settings that is suitable for multi-player warfare. But the map of Japan itself is like one long bottleneck.

NeonPeon wrote:

Of those I've only played Samurai Swords - it's a solid game plus it has plastic swords and a ninja!

Ran looked pretty sweet to me, but the scope may be too small for what you're asking for.

Yes I should be more specific - I'm looking for something strategic in scope and multiplayer...I think GMT and MMP both have something in the works but I'm not familiar with those...

Ran is actually the GMT game, but there could be something else in the works that I don't know of.

A MOST DANGEROUS TIME IN JAPAN is coming out soon from MMP. Supposed to be pretty cool and plays up to 4, I think.

Of the others, I've only played SHOGUN but I really like it. Not really a "war game", though.

I've only played Shogun/Samurai Swords and I love it. There's enough meat to be a wargame. The politics is between the players. Each of the pieces feel different. Plus there's the Ninja.

I'm cautiously optimistic about The Art of War, the long-awaited boardgame version of Legend of the Five Rings. Rokugan is feudal Japan with the serial numbers filed off, magic added in, and then plonked down in place of mainland China. It isn't a historical setting, but it is rich with flavor, more developed than even Tolkien's Middle Earth ever was.

I think a most dangerous time from MMP is looking really cool. I don't have it on preorder, but if I keep seeing things I like and satisfied customers post-initial wave enthusiasm, I'll probably pick it up.

A Most Dangerous Time should be out shortly.

Happy to answer any questions people might have about it.

It is primary a 2 player game but I have added variants for 3 and 4 player play - but they are not complete rules - more a kit to give it a try. I couldn't get enough testing to make flesh it fully out.

You probably have a few weeks left to order it on prepub - the price will jump after that as I went way over budget on the game.