Sumidagawa Red Town

About this board game

Sumidagawa Red Town is a go-out style card-shedding game for 2–5 players, played in about 30 minutes. You lead a gang and send its members into battles over territory while trying to get rid of your cards.

Every location determines how cards must be played, creating a shifting challenge from one territory to the next. You also cannot play the same number of cards as the previous player, so reading the current play and finding a different response is essential.

If your hand is not working in your favor, you can call in a Hitman. Taking a Hitman card may help you deal with an awkward hand, but it may also force you to exchange hands with another player. The game adds another way to recover through its hand-exchange rule: exchange all the cards in your hand, and you take one wild card each time.

• Players: 2–5
• Play time: Approximately 30 minutes
• Deck: 52 cards, including three 3s, four 4s, five 5s, and continuing through ten 10s
• Key tension: You cannot play cards in the same way as someone else

If you cannot play all your cards, you lose one executive, adding consequences to an unsuccessful attempt. Balancing hand management, territory-specific play, Hitman risks, and wild-card opportunities gives Sumidagawa Red Town its distinctive tactical edge.