Chosŏn

About this board game

Chosŏn is a political strategy card game for 2–4 players, played in about 15 minutes. Set in an uchronian politico-steampunk version of the Chosŏn dynasty, it unfolds eight rounds of family rivalry, armed conflict, and intrigue.

The game is a thematic sequel to Koryŏ, with similar gameplay. In each round, players draw a specified number of cards and simultaneously play them face down using one of four approaches:

• Play any number of characters from one family.
• Play one character from each of two different families.
• Play one character and one event card.
• Play three event cards.

Cards are revealed clockwise from the round’s start player. A played event may swap two characters or eliminate one held by another player. Players also activate the powers of families they control—those in which they have more cards than any other player. These powers can protect a family, retain event cards, double an event’s power, steal the first-player token, and more.

Each family has a value from 1 to 9, representing both the number of cards in that family and the victory points awarded to its controller at the end of the game. Players discard characters when necessary at the end of each round, then discard everything remaining in hand, making each new draw an opportunity to reshape their plans.

After the eighth round, players score the families they control, influence earned during the game, and Yi’s Legacy, gained by playing three event cards. In Chosŏn, timing, card choices, and shifting control determine who claims the highest score.