Katana: Samurai Action Card Game

Fit

Teach 2.3

Teaching signal

Replay 4.0

High replayability

Interaction 3.7

Highly interactive

Scaling 4.0

Scales well

Strategy 4.5

Deep strategy

Control 3.5

More strategic control

Table feel

Moderate level of direct confrontation and strategic depth, with frequent interaction and limited emphasis on cooperation.

Replay value

The Katana: Samurai Action Card Game has a high replayability score due to its high variability gameboard, availability of expansions, deep strategic depth, and good scalability. The game offers fresh experiences each time it is played, with multiple paths to victory and variable setups. The expansions add new content and gameplay elements, enhancing the overall gameplay experience. Players have ample room to improve their strategy over time, discovering new tactics and strategies. The game adapts well to different player counts without compromising its appeal or balance. While it may not be the easiest game to learn, it offers a good balance between easiness and depth, making it accessible to a wide range of players.

Luck profile

The final luck score for Katana: Samurai Action Card Game is 7, indicating a moderate influence of luck. The game has a balanced mix of luck and strategy, with random elements having a notable but not exclusive impact on the game outcome. Players have substantial ability to mitigate randomness through strategic decisions and planning. While luck does play a role, the game outcome is primarily determined by player strategy and decisions.

Overview

Katana is a two-player only game with battles that last 15–35 minutes. The game is suitable for ages 8 and up. Gameplay is handled through cards. You are samurai on a quest to become supreme military commander of Japan. To do this, you must defeat the other player by eliminating their 4 armor and 4 health tokens. Use cards to inflict damage and defend. When taking a turn, you may attack by playing an offensive card. To defend, play a card with a defensive value and subtract it from the attack value to determine if the hit landed. After taking an action, you may play an action card face down. This is your defensive stance during your opponent's turn. When you opponent takes an action, you may reveal your stance card. However, if your opponent chooses to attack, your stance will break and any benefit to be gained from it will be lost. Divine beings and forces of nature called kami provide crucial support in battle. Every kami possesses two abilities: an active one that requires playing a purify card and a passive ability that is "always on." Not only do kami provide game-changing special powers, they can be called upon to sacrifice themselves in kamikaze attacks that inflict massive damage (crab bosses beware). Each time you activate a kami power, though, you must draw a shrine card. A mixture of good and bad events, shrine cards are yet another element of risk to think about when considering use of kami powers. -description from designer

Mechanism

1

Campaign / Battle Card Driven

Family

2

Crowdfunding: Kickstarter Players: Two Player Only Games

Media