Chang Cheng

About this board game

Chang Cheng is a board game for 2–4 players, with games lasting about 60 minutes. Released in 2007, it challenges players to build sections of the Great Wall while competing for the emperor’s recognition.

Each player takes the role of one of four imperial officers. By placing pieces along the wall, players seek to protect China’s northern provinces and increase their reputation. The most important provinces offer positive points, but the Mongol threat brings dangerous negative values into the contest.

On one side of the wall are Chinese provinces, each with its own point value. On the other side are Mongol provinces, whose negative values are assigned randomly. The provinces on opposite sides do not directly correspond, creating a clever placement challenge: establish a majority on the Chinese side while avoiding a majority where it could cost you points.

• Players: 2–4
• Play time: about 60 minutes
• Core challenge: use clever placement to pursue positive points and avoid negative ones
• Special tiles: help yourself or interfere with other players

Players also have cards, presented as tiles, that provide special privileges. These effects can support your own plans or disrupt an opponent’s progress, adding another layer to each placement decision.

Chang Cheng includes optional cards that introduce additional ways to score points. With its competing majorities, shifting risks, and race for imperial reputation, the game turns the construction of the Great Wall into a contest of timing and tactical positioning.