Shogun or Samurai Swords, which ever you prefer

Sticking to the theme of board games that I started with my recent short article on Twilight Imperium, I thought I would give my second most favorite board game a moment in the spot light as it certainly deserves it. Shogun, a game designed and released in the mid 80's, during what many might consider the golden age of big box board games, was my clear and undisputed favorite board game until the release of Twilight Imperium. A fairly simple game of strategic warfare with some tactical elements, a bit of diplomacy and management based on medieval Japan during the period of civil war in which Japanese Daimyos fought over the right to rule Japan. The design itself probably wouldn't stand out to most today in comparison to some of the great war games designed since then, in fact by most accounts the big board games of the 80's are classic for nostalgia sake rather then the fact that they were well designed games in themselves, but if there is one game that I think stood out and is still very playable and attractive today it would be Shogun.

The Classic 1985 release from Milton Bradly

A lot can be said about a game that is not just well designed, but nicely represented through the use of high quality art and pieces.

Shogun used a unique system, at the time, of having off board army formations represented by flags on the board, each player had three of these armies and created his army formation from several types of unique units like archers, gunners and samurai. Each unit had its own specialty and draw back, which meant that in order to be successful in combat you needed to have good positioning and good timing, as well as a bit of luck with the dice. The map itself was also very well balanced and the starting positions were randomized in much the same way as games like RISK which meant each game would have its own unique positioning and placement. Other interesting designs like the use of 'Ronin' warriors which would be purchased and placed face down on a territory card and revealed only when they were activated in combat gave players an opportunity to make unexpected surprise attacks giving the game a lot of very highly anticipated moments. The game played very well with 3, 4, or 5 players and because each player represented his own faction sort of speak, there was a lot of diplomatic maneuvering involved in securing temporary alliance, non aggression packs but at its heart it was a war game and each round boiled down to a fight.

One of my absolute favorite aspects of Shogun is that it was a very easy game to teach as its mechanics were incredibly simple and the strategic aspects of that mechanic were very apparent, despite actually being a very deep game. It was one of those, easy to learn, difficult to master type games. In fact I was originally introduced to the game when I was only 12 years old by my older brother and I had great success (although I never actually won) with players five years older then me. It's beautifully illustrated with lots of great, attractive pieces, speaking of it now I feel a sudden urge to play it. Fortunately unlike many big box games of the mid 80's that vanished into obscurity, this one was actually re-released in the mid 90's under the title Samurai Swords and although out of print now is still fairly easy to get from online resellers like eBay for a reasonable price (Usually around 50-70 dollars).

Fortunatly when it was released in 1995 the only thing that was changed was the title, in fact they didn't even bother changing the title in the rulebook which reads Shogun even in this version.

If you ever get the chance, this is an absolute must have for anyone who considers himself a board gamer, especially if you have interest in war games. Put this one high on your list, as it is on mine.

The Year Of Twilight

Above all other types of gaming, I hold a special place for board gaming, for many reasons but most notably for its nostalgic beginnings and my personal memories of my humble youth. Perhaps more so because I feel that board gaming is the granddaddy of role-playing games, which probably explains my attachment to it and when you think about it for a moment in most board games you do in fact take on the role of someone, whether it be the leader of a great civilization in games like the History of the World, or a railroad tycoon in games like Ticket to Ride. Beyond that however most game designers cut their teeth making board games and you can trace any good computer game designer, or role-playing writer to some obscure board game of their invention. This is because board gaming is really the granddaddy of every kind of gaming and I can with 100% assuredy link any PC game on today’s market to some board game of the past. You don’t really think Sid Meiers civilization was some kind of original thought for a computer game do you, heck no, Sid Meier borrowed his idea from Francis Tresham who designed Civilization the board game in 1981, ten years before the release of civilization the PC game and so is the history of many PC games out there.

Not Sid Meiers Civilization

On the top of my board gaming favorites which include gems like Shogun and Civilization, something I intend to write future articles on, there was a game that came along a bit later then the 80’s classics which sort of created the foundation of much of the PC industries idea’s for games in those late 80’s early 90’s. During an era when PC gaming had already begun its own golden age and probably started having a reverse effect on board gaming, influencing board game design rather then the other way around. A brilliant designer reached for the sky to create the ultimate sci-fi board gamers wet dream called Twilight Imperium. The designer was Christian T. Petersen, a man who created a game so good that he was able to create one of the most interesting and successful board game publishing companies around today on its success. Released originally in 1997, Christian T. Peterson took an idea that was neither all that original nor was he particularly careful to avoid borrowing material from various science fiction sources, including PC games and created the first version of Twilight Imperium, a game about space faring races out to dominate the known galaxy. Combining elements of a variety of other game systems the game was as much about Political maneuvering and Economic trading as warfare but it had a familiar spark and used just the right amount of all the great aspects of board gaming to make it an instant classic.

The Original 1st edition

That first version certainly had plenty of problems but he got the attention of enough gamers to allow the newly formed Fantasy Flight Games to create a number of expansions and by 2000 a second eddition which actually show cased Christian T. Petersen’s design talents far more then the original. Finaly in 2006 he came out what is lovingly refered to as TI3, the third and by far and wide accepted as the best version of Twilight Imperium and it is this game that has captured my attention to such a degree that not a day goes by that I don't give some thought to strategy, tactics and excitable anticipation for that next time my gaming group meets.

The Third and often refered to as the best version of the game

What makes Twilight Imperium such a great must have and must play board game for science fiction fans? I have on many occasions attempted to describe in words the excitement of playing Twilight Imperium and it is not an easy thing because while it is a very balanced and well designed game, in truth good game design is really the start of what makes Twilight such a great game.

At TI3's core is a deeply tactical and strategic board game which forces players to think differently each time they play as a result of the games random starting conditions. Each time you play you play in a different galaxy with different races which create the resulting unknown, add to that six players with their own style and thought process and what you have is a board game filled with so much unexpected and unpredictable events that you must always think, plan and decide. The pace and flow of the game is also very different compared to most in its genre as it involves everyone constantly, rather then your typical one person plays while everyone waits for him to finish flow of most board games of this type, Twilight’s unique strategy card and activation systems keep everyone always involved and it can be as exciting to wait to see what someone else does as it is to make your own move.

Even on a big table the game can feel crowded, imagine if you will that with the Shattered Empire Expansion you can have 8 players compared to this 5 player game.

To boot, the game is beautifully illustrated with hardy pieces and plenty of extra’s that allow you to change up the game using things like rules variants, strategy card variants and other such options giving the game a really ‘epic feel’ of possibilities. The game got a big boost in 2007 with the release of the Shattered Empire, hopefully the first of several expansions, which added a lot more of what made TI3 already such a great game.

There are a few drawbacks to the game, certainly one of my chief complaints has always been that the game simply takes too long, averaging 6 hours minimum, but extending sometimes to 8, 10 even 12 hours in one case. This however is really not a design flaw so much as the necessary commitment to play the game and most players will tell you that although they are mentally exhausted at the end of the game, win or loose it was worth the commitment and my gaming group time and time again has committed to these extended gaming sessions ofTwilight Imperium and it would seem we can never get enough.

I give this game my highest recommendation with a strict warning that if you are going to play be prepared to settle in for a long, tense and extremely thought provoking evening.