Shogun (game)
Encyclopedia
Shogun was a board wargame
first released in 1986 by game maker Milton Bradley
as part of their Gamemaster
series. It was renamed to Samurai Swords in its first re-release to disambiguate it from other games with the same name (in particular, James Clavell's Shogun
, a wargame with a similar theme, released in 1983), and renamed again to Ikusa in its 2011 re-release under Hasbro
's Avalon Hill
banner. Set in feudal Japan
, two to five players take control of a fictional warlord and pit their armies against one another in hopes of winning the title Shogun.
In 1988, Shogun won the Origins Award
s for Best Pre-20th Century Boardgame of 1987 and Best Graphic Presentation of a Boardgame of 1987 .
Each player controls a number of daimyo
, or generals, who command an army. Other forces on the board represent militia and garrisons. Players also have the option of hiring ronin
(mercenaries). There is also a ninja
, principally used as an assassin against enemy daimyo. Units include samurai
swordsmen and bowmen, and ashigaru
spearmen and gunners. Income, called koku
, is derived from control of territories. Players attempt to destroy their rivals in battle and seize their territories. Some interesting features include the orchestration of armies in battle, the emphasis on generals (who gain levels, much like roleplaying game characters), and the unpredictable element of ronin placement.
The game uses six twelve-sided dice
. The trays for units are designed to resemble Japan
ese fortresses, and each player receives a small katana
(to display the order in which players take their turns).
Board wargame
A board wargame is a wargame with a set playing surface or board, as opposed to being played on a computer, or in a more free-form playing area as in miniatures games. The hobby around this type of game got its start in 1954 with the publication of Tactics, and saw its greatest popularity in the...
first released in 1986 by game maker Milton Bradley
Milton Bradley Company
The Milton Bradley Company is an American game company established by Milton Bradley in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1860. In 1920, it absorbed the game production of McLoughlin Brothers, formerly the largest game manufacturer in the United States, and in 1987, it purchased Selchow and Righter,...
as part of their Gamemaster
Gamemaster (board game series)
The Gamemaster Series of board games consists of five war simulation games created by the game company Milton Bradley, beginning in 1984 with the introduction of the popular Axis & Allies board game...
series. It was renamed to Samurai Swords in its first re-release to disambiguate it from other games with the same name (in particular, James Clavell's Shogun
James Clavell's Shogun
James Clavell's Shōgun is an interactive fiction computer game written by Dave Lebling and released by Infocom in 1989. Like most of Infocom's games, it was released for several popular computer platforms of the time, such as the Apple II and PC. As the title indicates, the game is based on the...
, a wargame with a similar theme, released in 1983), and renamed again to Ikusa in its 2011 re-release under Hasbro
Hasbro
Hasbro is a multinational toy and boardgame company from the United States of America. It is one of the largest toy makers in the world. The corporate headquarters is located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States...
's Avalon Hill
Avalon Hill
Avalon Hill was a game company that specialized in wargames and strategic board games. Its logo contained its initials "AH", and it was often referred to by this abbreviation. It also published the occasional miniature wargaming rules, role-playing game, and had a popular line of sports simulations...
banner. Set in feudal Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, two to five players take control of a fictional warlord and pit their armies against one another in hopes of winning the title Shogun.
In 1988, Shogun won the Origins Award
Origins Award
The Origins Awards are American awards for outstanding work in the game industry. They are presented by the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design at the Origins Game Fair on an annual basis for the previous year, so the 1979 awards were given at the 1980 Origins.The Origins Award is commonly...
s for Best Pre-20th Century Boardgame of 1987 and Best Graphic Presentation of a Boardgame of 1987 .
Each player controls a number of daimyo
Daimyo
is a generic term referring to the powerful territorial lords in pre-modern Japan who ruled most of the country from their vast, hereditary land holdings...
, or generals, who command an army. Other forces on the board represent militia and garrisons. Players also have the option of hiring ronin
Ronin
A or rounin was a Bushi with no lord or master during the feudal period of Japan. A samurai became masterless from the death or fall of his master, or after the loss of his master's favor or privilege....
(mercenaries). There is also a ninja
Ninja
A or was a covert agent or mercenary of feudal Japan specializing in unorthodox arts of war. The functions of the ninja included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and assassination, as well as open combat in certain situations...
, principally used as an assassin against enemy daimyo. Units include samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
swordsmen and bowmen, and ashigaru
Ashigaru
The Japanese ashigaru were foot-soldiers of medieval Japan. The first known reference to ashigaru was in the 1300s, but it was during the Ashikaga Shogunate-Muromachi period that the use of ashigaru became prevalent by various warring factions.-Origins:Attempts were made in Japan by the Emperor...
spearmen and gunners. Income, called koku
Koku
The is a Japanese unit of volume, equal to ten cubic shaku. In this definition, 3.5937 koku equal one cubic metre, i.e. 1 koku is approximately 278.3 litres. The koku was originally defined as a quantity of rice, historically defined as enough rice to feed one person for one year...
, is derived from control of territories. Players attempt to destroy their rivals in battle and seize their territories. Some interesting features include the orchestration of armies in battle, the emphasis on generals (who gain levels, much like roleplaying game characters), and the unpredictable element of ronin placement.
The game uses six twelve-sided dice
Dice
A die is a small throwable object with multiple resting positions, used for generating random numbers...
. The trays for units are designed to resemble Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese fortresses, and each player receives a small katana
Katana
A Japanese sword, or , is one of the traditional bladed weapons of Japan. There are several types of Japanese swords, according to size, field of application and method of manufacture.-Description:...
(to display the order in which players take their turns).