''Shogun'' is a board wargame set in feudal Japan, first released in

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 **Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal enter ...

by game maker

Milton Bradley Milton Bradley (November 8, 1836 – May 30, 1911) was an American business magnate, game pioneer and publisher, credited by many with launching the board game industry, with his eponymous enterprise, which was purchased by Hasbro in 1984, and ...

Publication history

''Shogun'', designed by Michael Gray, was first released in 1986 by

as part of their

Gamemaster A gamemaster (GM; also known as game master, game manager, game moderator, referee, or storyteller) is a person who acts as an organizer, officiant for regarding rules, arbitrator, and moderator for a multiplayer role-playing game. They are m ...

series. It was renamed to ''Samurai Swords'' in its first re-release (1995) to disambiguate it from other games with the same name (in particular, ''

James Clavell's Shogun James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

'', a wargame with a similar theme, released in 1983), and renamed again to ''Ikusa'' in its 2011 re-release under

Hasbro Hasbro, Inc. (; a syllabic abbreviation of its original name, Hassenfeld Brothers) is an American multinational conglomerate holding company incorporated and headquartered in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Hasbro owns the trademarks and products of K ...

Avalon Hill Avalon Hill Games Inc. is a game company that publishes wargames and strategic board games. It has also published miniature wargaming rules, role-playing games and sports simulations. It is a subsidiary of Hasbro, and operates under the company ...

banner.

Gameplay

Set in feudal Japan, two to five players take control of a fictional warlord and pit their armies against one another in hopes of winning the title Shogun. Each player controls a number of

daimyō were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and nominal ...

, or generals, who command an army. Other forces on the board represent militia and garrisons. Players have the option of hiring ronin (mercenaries). There is a

ninja A or was a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan. The functions of a ninja included reconnaissance, espionage, infiltration, deception, ambush, bodyguarding and their fighting skills in martial arts, including ninjutsu.Kawakami, pp. 2 ...

, principally used as an assassin against enemy daimyō. Units include

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

swordsmen and bowmen, and

ashigaru were infantry employed by the samurai class of feudal Japan. The first known reference to ''ashigaru'' was in the 14th century, but it was during the Ashikaga shogunate (Muromachi period) that the use of ''ashigaru'' became prevalent by various ...

spearmen and gunners. Income, called koku, is derived from control of territories. Players attempt to destroy their rivals in battle and seize their territories. Some interesting features include the orchestration of armies in battle, the emphasis on generals (who gain levels, much like

roleplaying game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal ac ...

characters), and the unpredictable element of ronin placement. The game uses six twelve-sided dice. The trays for units are designed to resemble Japanese fortresses, and each player receives a small

katana A is a Japanese sword characterized by a curved, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands. Developed later than the '' tachi'', it was used by samurai in feudal Japan and worn with the edge f ...

(to display the order in which players take their turns).

Reception

''Shogun'' was awarded the

Origins Award The Origins Awards are American awards for outstanding work in the game industry. They are presented by the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design at the Origins Game Fair on an annual basis for the previous year, so (for example) the 1979 a ...

for "Best Pre-20th Century Boardgame of 1987" and "Best Graphic Presentation of a Boardgame of 1987". David M. Ewalt of Forbes commented on the 2011 release of Ikusa: "The game formerly known as Samurai Swords (and before that as Shogun) gets another makeover. Still the same strategy classic where players compete to rule feudal Japan, but the box, board and pieces have been updated. Not cheap, but the redesign looks great and the game’s as fun as ever." In a review of the game as ''Ikusa'' in '' Black Gate'', Scott Taylor said "Truly, it's a fantastic game, and that's the reason it's been around so long and still maintains viability. As for the newest version, I'd say it carries much the same properties as its predecessors, with beautifully updated art by Steve Argyle and Gonzalo Flores. A single knock on this version is the change from hard plastic play pieces to soft plastic, some of the bases becoming warped in packaging. Still, I'd give ''Ikusa'' four stars out of five and highly recommend picking it up for anyone who loves strategic warfare games."

Reviews

*''Backstab'' #4 *''

Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine ''Asimov's Science Fiction'' is an American science fiction magazine which publishes science fiction and fantasy named after science fiction author Isaac Asimov. It is currently published by Penny Publications. From January 2017, the publicatio ...

'' v12 n8 (1988 08) *Best Games of 1988 in '' Games'' #94https://archive.org/details/games-94-1988-novembers/page/n61/mode/2up

References

External links

*
Rules of ShogunWizards of the Coast/Avalon Hill ''Ikusa'' product page
{{Gamemaster Board games about history Board games introduced in 1986 Board wargames set in the Middle Ages Japan in non-Japanese culture Milton Bradley Company games Origins Award winners Sengoku period in fiction