Sekigahara: The Unification of Japan

2011

Dive into Sekigahara, a game of strategic warfare set in 1600 Japan. Utilize loyalty, motivation, and cunning tactics to unify the nation under your rule.

180
minutes

2 - 2
player(s)

14+

Medium

About the game

‘Sekigahara: The Unification of Japan’ is a fascinating and deeply strategic board game that transports players back to the thrilling era of feudal Japan. The game is set during the pivotal Sekigahara War in 1600, a conflict that marked the beginning of the Tokugawa shogunate’s 250-year reign. The game allows players to step into the shoes of the war’s two primary leaders, Ishida Mitsunari and Tokugawa Ieyasu, and command their forces in a bid to unify Japan under a single rule.

The game’s core mechanics are centered around the concepts of loyalty and deception. Sekigahara is unique in the way it incorporates these elements. Unlike traditional war games where the strength and capabilities of your troops are known and constant, in Sekigahara, the loyalties of your armies are fluid and can change based on the draw of a card. This injects a thrilling element of unpredictability and tension into the game, as players must constantly adapt their strategies based on their forces’ fluctuating loyalties.

Game components Unboxing the fun!

Sekigahara: The Unification of Japan is a rich and strategic board game that allows players to reenact the historical battle of Sekigahara. In this game, two players take on the roles of the historical figures, Ishida Mitsunari and Tokugawa Ieyasu, leading their respective sides into battle. Each game piece and component is crucial for gameplay, providing various opportunities for strategy, decision-making, and immersion in the historical context of the game.

1. Game Board: The game board illustrates the map of Japan during the era of Sekigahara. It features major cities, roads, and provinces. The board is used to move the armies, engage in battles, and strategize the unification of Japan.

2. Blocks: There are 77 wooden blocks that represent different types of units such as samurai, cavalry, gunners, and leaders. The blocks are divided into two colors – black for the Ishida faction and yellow for the Tokugawa faction. The block’s strength and loyalty are indicated by stickers on one side. These blocks are used to form armies, fight battles, and control territories.

3. Cards: There are 110 cards in the game. These are used to control units, recruit troops, and provide special actions. Each card depicts a clan symbol which corresponds to the stickers on the blocks. Players must play a card that matches the symbol of a block to move or fight with it.

4. Resource Chips: These are 8 gold-colored chips that represent the resources a player has. They are used to recruit units and are gained through controlling resource-rich territories.

5. Loyalty Challenge Coins: These 8 coins are used in the loyalty challenge, a mechanic where a player can attempt to sway an opponent’s units to their side.

6. Turn Marker: This component is used to keep track of the current game round. The game lasts for 7 rounds.

7. Allegiance Tokens: Scattered around the map are 17 castles that can be controlled by players. The allegiance of these castles is marked using these tokens.

8. Victory Point (VP) Markers: These are used to track the victory points a player earns through the game. The player with the most victory points at the end of the game wins.

The game’s mechanics and components interact intricately to provide a deep, strategic experience. Players must manage their hand of cards carefully, move their blocks intelligently on the board, and consider the loyalty of their units. Every decision can tip the balance of power, making ‘Sekigahara: The Unification of Japan’ a thrilling and tactically challenging game.

Game setup Lay it out, line it up, let’s go

Sekigahara: The Unification of Japan is an exciting board game that lets you relive the historical battle for the unification of Japan. Follow these steps to set up the game:

Step 1: Player Roles

First, determine the player roles. The game is designed for two players, with one playing as Ishida Mitsunari, representing the Western Army, and the other playing as Tokugawa Ieyasu, representing the Eastern Army. You can decide the roles either by mutual agreement or by a simple coin toss.

Step 2: Board Placement

Place the game board in the center of the play area. Make sure the board is oriented correctly, with the east side on the right and the west side on the left. The board is divided into provinces, with each province containing several areas. The board also has a turn track and a battle track, which are important for gameplay.

Step 3: Initial Resources

Each player starts with a number of resources. The Tokugawa player starts with 10 loyalty challenge blocks, 5 resource cards, and 2 hidden army blocks. The Ishida player starts with 12 loyalty challenge blocks, 6 resource cards, and 2 hidden army blocks. The players should place their loyalty challenge blocks and hidden army blocks in the designated spaces on their side of the board, and hold their resource cards in their hand.

Step 4: Initial Block Placement

Each player places their initial army blocks on the board. The Tokugawa player places blocks in Edo and Mikawa, while the Ishida player places blocks in Osaka and Kyoto. The blocks should be placed with the crest side up, which indicates that they are loyal to their player.

Step 5: Random Elements

There are several random elements in the game. First, shuffle the resource cards and deal each player their starting hand, as indicated in Step 3. Then, mix all the remaining loyalty challenge blocks in the bag. At the start of each turn, players will draw blocks from the bag, which adds a random element to the game.

Step 6: Starting the Game

After the setup is complete, the game can begin. The Ishida player goes first, followed by the Tokugawa player. The players alternate turns until the game ends, either when one player captures the enemy’s capital, or when the turn track reaches the end.

Game flow Round and round we go

Sekigahara: The Unification of Japan is a strategic board game that revolves around the historical battle of Sekigahara. The aim of the game is to gather and deploy forces to control key locations on the board, representing the unification of Japan.

The game proceeds in a series of rounds, each consisting of multiple phases. Here’s a detailed breakdown of the structure:

1. Week Card Phase

At the beginning of each round, players draw a Week card. This card determines the number of cards each player will draw from their respective decks, any special events, and which player will take the first turn in the Movement Phase.

2. Recruitment Phase

During this phase, players deploy their blocks into the game. Players can only recruit blocks in a castle they control or a location containing one of their leaders. The number of blocks that can be recruited is determined by the Week card drawn at the beginning of the round.

3. Movement Phase

Players move their blocks on the board during this phase. The player who has the turn advantage, determined by the Week card, moves first. Players can move their blocks up to two spaces along connected roads, but the movement is restricted by certain rules, and some types of terrain can hinder movement.

4. Battle Phase

If, after all movements have been made, there are opposing blocks in the same location, a battle takes place. The battle is resolved by players revealing cards from their hands that match the mon (crests) on their blocks in the battle. The player with the highest total force, calculated by adding the strength of the revealed cards and the blocks, wins the battle.

5. Loyalty Challenge Phase

In this phase, a player can challenge the loyalty of a leader in a location where they have a block but no friendly leader. The challenge is resolved by players secretly bidding cards from their hands, and the player with the highest bid wins the challenge.

6. Draw Phase

At the end of the round, players draw cards up to their hand limit, as determined by the Week card drawn at the beginning of the round.

The game continues in this manner, with players attempting to control key locations and defeat their opponent’s forces. After seven rounds, the game ends and the player controlling the most key locations wins.

Players'turn One turn to rule them all

In Sekigahara: The Unification of Japan, a player’s turn is divided into four phases: the Week Card Phase, the Movement Phase, the Battle Phase, and the Recruitment Phase. The player must complete each phase in order before moving on to the next.

1. Week Card Phase:

During this phase, the player draws a card from the Week Card Deck. These cards determine the player’s options for movement, combat, and recruitment for the round.
These cards contain various symbols that match those on the loyalty blocks. A player can only move and fight with blocks that match the symbols on their drawn card. This introduces an element of unpredictability and strategic planning to the game.

2. Movement Phase:

In the Movement Phase, the player can move their units across the board. The number of units a player can move is determined by the number on the drawn Week Card.
Players can choose to move units together as a group or individually to different locations. This introduces a strategic element as players must decide whether to concentrate their forces or spread them out.

3. Battle Phase:

If a player’s units are in the same location as opposing units, a battle ensues. Battles are resolved by comparing the strength of the involved units, which is determined by the cards in the player’s hand and the symbols on their blocks.
A strategic choice here is whether to commit many cards to a battle to ensure victory, potentially leaving yourself vulnerable in future turns, or to conserve cards for future battles.

4. Recruitment Phase:

In the Recruitment Phase, players can add new units to their forces. The number of units they can add is determined by the number on the drawn Week Card.
Players can choose to add units to existing groups or create new ones. This introduces a strategic element as players must decide where to reinforce their forces.

Each player’s turn in Sekigahara: The Unification of Japan offers a variety of strategic decisions and potential actions, making every turn dynamic and engaging. Through careful planning and strategic use of their units and cards, players can gain the advantage and achieve victory.

End of the game All good games must come to an end

In the board game Sekigahara: The Unification of Japan, the game ends after the 7th week (round) of gameplay. At this point, the final scoring takes place to determine who wins the game. This game does not have a fixed ending, rather the game ends as described or when one of the following victory conditions is met:

Player captures opponent’s leader: The game ends immediately if a player’s leader is captured during a battle. The player whose leader is not captured wins.
Player controls key locations: A player can win by controlling certain key locations on the board. If at any point a player controls Kyoto and Osaka, the game ends and that player is declared the winner.

Before final scoring, players must make sure they have resolved all battles and ensured that all units are in their correct locations. The following steps must be taken:

Resolve all battles: Any battles which are in progress must be completed. All battle cards should be discarded and the winner of the battle should take control of the location.
Move all units: All units should be in their correct location according to the movement rules. Any units that are not in a valid location should be removed from the board.
Check control of locations: Players should confirm which locations they control. A player controls a location if they have one or more of their units present and no units of the other player.

Once these actions have been taken, players can proceed with the final scoring. The player with the most points, which are gained through control of key locations, wins the game. If both players have the same number of points, the player who controls Kyoto wins. If neither player controls Kyoto, the player who controls the most castles wins.

Scoring Did you outsmart your rivals?

Sekigahara: The Unification of Japan is a strategic board game where the objective is to score points through controlling key areas on the map, eliminating enemy leaders, and maintaining your own leader’s survival. Here’s a breakdown of the scoring system:

1. Control of Key Areas:

Each key area that a player controls at the end of the game is worth 1 point.
A player controls a key area if they have more units in that area than any other player.

2. Elimination of Enemy Leaders:

Each enemy leader that a player eliminates during the game is worth 2 points.
Points are awarded immediately upon elimination.
A player eliminates an enemy leader by winning a battle in which that leader is present.

3. Survival of Your Leader:

If a player’s leader survives until the end of the game, that player is awarded 5 points.
A player’s leader is considered to have survived if they were not eliminated during the game.

At the end of the game, players tally up their points from these three categories. The player with the most points is the winner. In the case of a tie, the following tie-breaking rules apply:

The player who has eliminated more enemy leaders wins.
If there is still a tie, the player who controls more key areas wins.
If there is still a tie after this, the player whose leader survived wins.
If there is still a tie after all of these tie-breakers, the game is considered a draw.

Particular Cases and Exceptions Wait… is that legal?

Sekigahara: The Unification of Japan is a strategic board game that focuses on the historical war of Sekigahara. It is a game that requires a deep understanding of its rules, as there are some special rules and exceptions that players need to be aware of. Here are some of the key unique rules and clarifications:

Initial Forces: The game starts with pieces already on the board. These pieces are not drawn from the pool of blocks in the draw bag, but are placed directly on the board from outside the game. They can only enter the draw bag if they are killed in battle.

Fortified Locations: Castles and fortified cities offer a defensive advantage. If a battle is initiated in a location with a castle or fortified city, the defender may choose to battle inside the building. If they do so, only the attacker’s firearms (Teppo) can contribute to the battle, all others are nullified.

Block Loyalty: Unique to Sekigahara is the concept of loyalty. Each block’s loyalty is not fixed and can change depending on the cards the player has. If a player doesn’t have a matching card for a block in their army during a battle, that block does not contribute its strength to the fight.

Card Loyalty: Similarly, the loyalty of a card isn’t fixed either. If a player uses a card to move an army, and that card has a loyalty symbol that matches a block in the moved army, that block becomes disloyal and is removed from the game.

Week 7 Exception: In the final week of the game (week 7), the special rule of ‘No New Loyalties’ is implemented. Players cannot draw cards from the deck anymore and must rely on the cards they already have in their hand.

During this week, a player can initiate a battle even if they do not have a card that matches the loyalty of their blocks. This is the only time in the game when this is allowed.
Also in this week, a player does not need to discard a card at the end of their turn. This means a player can keep all their cards for the final battles of the game.

Victory Conditions: The game ends immediately if a player is able to capture the opponent’s leader. However, if neither leader is captured by the end of week 7, the game is decided by victory points. Victory points are gained by controlling key locations on the map and for each enemy block eliminated from the game.

Draws: In the rare event of a draw in victory points at the end of the game, the player who initiated the final battle of the game is the winner.

Tips and tricks Play smarter, not harder!

Sekigahara: The Unification of Japan is a strategic board game that involves careful planning and execution. Understanding the rules, the gameplay, and the strategies needed to win can significantly enhance your gaming experience. Below are some insights that could be helpful to both beginners and advanced players.

Advanced Strategies:

Master the Art of Deception: Sekigahara is a game full of bluffing. Deploy your forces in a way that confuses your opponent. Make them think you’re focusing on one area while you’re actually planning a strike elsewhere.
Manage Your Resources Wisely: It’s crucial to manage your resources well. Don’t waste cards deploying troops you don’t intend to use or on battles that won’t significantly impact the game.
Control Key Locations: Establishing control over key locations like resource production areas could give you a significant advantage. It allows you to gain more resources and restricts your opponent’s options.

Beginner Tips:

Learn the Rules: Before playing, ensure you understand the game rules, particularly about troop deployment and movement, and how battles are resolved.
Start Slowly: Don’t rush to attack. Spend the first few turns building your forces and laying out a strategy.
Use Your Cards Wisely: Cards are a crucial resource in Sekigahara. Make sure you use them wisely, and remember, you don’t need to win every battle to win the war.

Common Mistakes to Avoid:

Spreading Forces Too Thin: Avoid spreading your forces too thin. Concentrate your troops to deliver powerful blows and defend crucial points.
Ignoring Your Opponent’s Moves: Always pay attention to your opponent’s moves. Neglecting this could lead to you being caught off guard and losing key locations.
Wasting Cards: Avoid wasting cards on unnecessary battles or movements. Every card counts, so use them strategically.

Optimizing Gameplay:

Plan Ahead: Always have a long-term strategy in mind. This will guide your moves and help you use your resources efficiently.
Adapt to the Game: The game’s circumstances can change quickly, so be ready to adapt your strategy if needed.
Practice: The more you play, the better you’ll understand the game mechanics and develop effective strategies.