Overview
At a glance
Is this game right for my group?
ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.
Harder to teach
High replayability
Highly interactive
Scales well
Deep strategy
How it plays
How does it play?
A fantasy Miniatures game based on Legend of the Five Rings, which combines a use of a card deck with a d10 based rolling system.
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Read the full game description
A fantasy Miniatures game based on Legend of the Five Rings, which combines a use of a card deck with a d10 based rolling system. It is based on a fantasy setting heavily influenced by feudal Japan with Samurai of various clans fighting to support their lord's quest to become Emperor. There are also shugenja (mages), Dragons, Naga, and hordes of evil demons (Oni). You get a certain number of points to build an army, and armies must typically have units that are either from the same clan or unaligned. You can be units from other clans, but they cost a premium (usually 20% above list price). Typically, personalities lead units, which is some number of basic troops (usually samurai). A good personality can cost as much as 30 or 40 basic troops, but most cost around 10 times more. Leaders, and occasionally units, have skills. Skills are used to modify initiatives, absorb damage, boost morale, and the like. Many personalities (and some units) also have skills that are unique to that personality / unit. In addition to the units, each player also has a customized deck of thirty cards. These cards let the player make special moves, pass morale tests, and do other acts of courage. Each player builds their own deck (just like in a collectable card game) and typically draws a card a turn, although one player gets to draw two. Since a game lasts about 6-10 turns, a player should expect to see 1/3 rd to 1/2 of their deck (you start with three cards) in a battle. After setting up, a turn looks like the following: Determine Initiatives, Do Special Action/Orders, Move, Cavalry Move Again, Shoot, Fight, Reserve Movement. (Detail from the review by Bankler: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/68739/clan-war-review)