Shogun no Katana
Shogun no Katana Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Overview
In this game, you will be in the shoes of a master swordsmith in feudal Japan. You must manage your workers and materials well and, above all, master your forge in the most efficient way.
Theme and Game Terms
For this rulebook, we decided to keep some terms in Japanese and to translate some others. The reasons for our choices are in the historical handbook, where you will also find some details about the theme, as written in the footnotes.
Components
- 1 Main gameboard, which shows part of the Japanese Countryside with villages and castles
- 1 Family Member token
- 1 wooden Round marker
- 1 First player card
- 4 Score tiles
- 64 Daimyō cards
- 5 Shōgun's Favor cards
- 28 Market cards
- 22 Honor cards
- 4 Shame/Dishonor cards (a Shame side and a Dishonor side)
- 9 Palace Room tiles, 2 of which are "Passive Rooms"
- 56 Sashimono tiles, 14 per type, with 4 types, to identify the region where the Swords were commissioned
- 4 Starting Sashimono tiles
- 32 Coins worth 5
- 70 Coins worth 1
- 50 Sword tiles, which show the Swords to be forged: each shows Victory Points, Coins gained as payment, the Composition of required Resources (in the order they must be added), and the Strength used to determine the final score of some Honor cards
- 136 Base Resources, as follows: 40 Wood, 40 Steel, 32 Stingray Leather, 24 Lacquer
- 88 Decorated Resources, as follows: 24 Wood, 24 Steel, 20 Stingray Leather, 16 Lacquer
- 13 Solo cards
4 sets of player pieces, each including:
- 1 Washitsu board, to keep track of your game progress — showing the SHŌGUN NO KATANA area, the Sashimono area, the Project for the Shōgun area, spaces for your 3 Family Members, the Composition area, Blocked Worker spaces, and Available Worker spaces
- 1 Score marker
- 1 Forge board, where the Swords will be crafted
- 1 SHŌGUN NO KATANA tile (the Shōgun's Sword tile)
- 7 Workers, to perform actions during the game
- 3 Family Members, who will be sent to the Shōgun's Palace to obtain Benefits during the game
- 2 Monks, to perform advanced actions during the game
- 4 Decorators, to decorate the swords
The 4 sets of player pieces come in 4 colors.
Game Setup
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Place the main gameboard in the center of the table.
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Give each player 1 Forge board, 1 Washitsu board, 1 SHŌGUN NO KATANA tile, 1 Score marker, and all the miniatures of their chosen color. The Washitsu Boards must show the side with the number "3" in the lower right corner (the other side is used for the "+1 player" mode — see "+1 Player" Mode).
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Give each player 2 Wood and 1 Steel. Place your Resources on the matching areas of your Forge board.
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Place the following elements on your Washitsu board: a. 4 Workers in the Available Worker spaces. b. 3 other Workers in the Blocked Worker spaces. c. 3 Family Members in their designated area. d. The SHŌGUN NO KATANA in its designated area.
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Place the following elements on the main gameboard: a. Your Score marker on the "0" space of the Score Track. b. 4 Decorators at the Academy. c. 2 Monks at the Temple. d. The Round marker on the "1" space of the Game Round Track.
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Shuffle the 9 Palace Room tiles face down, then randomly draw 5 of them and place them on the designated spaces of the main gameboard. Return the 4 unused tiles to the box. For your first game, we recommend you use the ones shown in the picture.
IMPORTANT: There can be only 1 Passive Room in the game (see "The Shōgun's Palace"). If you draw the second one when the first is already in play, set it aside and draw a different one.
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Shuffle the Sword tiles face down and place the stack near the main gameboard. Turn over tiles and place them face up on the main gameboard until enough of the Sword tile spaces are filled, according to the number of players.
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Shuffle the Daimyō cards, divide them into 4 16-card decks, and place them face up in the 4 spaces near the Houses on the main gameboard.
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Shuffle the Market deck and place it face up on one of the 3 Market spaces. Take the top 2 cards and place them on the other 2 spaces so that 3 cards are visible (the one on top of the deck and the other 2).
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Randomly draw as many Shōgun's Favor cards as the number of players and place them face up near the main gameboard together with the Shame/Dishonor cards, the Resources, Coins, and Sashimono tiles.
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Shuffle the Honor cards and reveal a number of them equal to the number of players (so, 4 in a four-player game). Place them face up near the gameboard and leave the others in a deck nearby.
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Randomly determine the first player, who receives the First Player card and the Starting Sashimono with no Coins. The other players receive Starting Sashimonos in increasing order (1, 2, 3 Coins), going clockwise.
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Reveal a number of Sword tiles from the stack equal to the number of players. Starting with the last player (who has the Starting Sashimono with the highest number of Coins) and going counterclockwise, each player chooses and takes 1 Sword. The first player will have to take the only one remaining.
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Place your chosen Sword on your Forge board, in the leftmost space of the row corresponding to the first Resource shown on the tile (see "Movement Rules for Swords on Your Forge Board").
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Take the number of Coins shown on your Sword tile plus the number of Coins shown on your Starting Sashimono for your starting funds.
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Place your Starting Sashimono on your Sword's Coin icon to cover it, as shown in the picture. (It won't be used from now on.)
THE FIRST ROUND BEGINS.
EXAMPLE 1: The turn order in the first round is John, Paul, George, Ringo. Ringo (Starting Sashimono worth 3 Coins) is the first to choose a Sword tile, then it's George's turn (Starting Sashimono worth 2 Coins), then Paul's (Starting Sashimono worth 1 Coin), and in the end John (Starting Sashimono worth 0 Coins) takes the only one remaining. They all receive Coins as shown in the picture.
Playing the Game
The game is played over a series of 4 rounds. Each round is divided into two phases, which must be played in order:
- Individual Player Turns
- Restore
1: Individual Player Turns
Starting with the first player and going clockwise, players take turns placing Workers and/or Monks as described in the Game Areas and Possible Actions section. The players take turns placing one Worker or Monk at a time until all players have placed all of theirs or passed.
IMPORTANT: You can only use the Workers still on the Available Worker spaces of your Washitsu board.
IMPORTANT: The spaces where you can place your Workers or Monks on the main gameboard are those with no number or with a number lower than or equal to the number of players.
Game Areas and Possible Actions
In the following paragraphs, we'll describe the effect of playing a Worker in each area and then the additional effects activated by the Monks. The additional effect of a Monk is indicated by a symbol near each game area.
The Temple
In this area, you can find 2 Monks of your color. On your turn, you may use one of them to take an action instead of a Worker. But to do so, you must make an offering to the Temple by paying the number of Coins written to the right of the current round number (return the Coins to the supply).
Monks follow these rules:
- A Monk must be placed exactly like a Worker. In addition to the chosen action, it will also activate a special effect.
- You may choose not to use all your Monks (or Workers).
- You may choose in which order you want to use Monks among your Workers.
- If you use a Monk, you can still use Available Workers on your next turn. In fact, your 2 Monks are 2 additional actions you can take each round.
IMPORTANT: You must pay the Monk's cost immediately when you take it from the Temple. You cannot use a Monk to obtain Coins and then use them to pay the cost.
EXAMPLE 2: At the beginning of the game, John, Paul, and George each used a Worker. Ringo has 8 Coins, so he spends 5 to use a Monk and places it on the Market. On his next turn, since he doesn't have another 5 Coins, he will use one of his 4 Available Workers.
The role of the Monks in the game is our free interpretation of historical reality, as described on page 3 of the Historical Handbook.
Four Houses (Han) of the Daimyō
Here live the 4 Daimyōs who want to buy your precious Swords. Letting all the regions know your art is a good way to obtain extra points at the end of the game. The Daimyōs will pay you in advance when they commission a Sword, so you can earn Coins with this action.
WORKER:
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Take a Sword tile of your choice from the main gameboard and place it on your Forge board (see "Movement Rules for Swords on Your Forge Board").
IMPORTANT: You cannot choose a Sword that you cannot legally place on your Forge board.
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Place your Worker in the space beneath the Sword tile you took.
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Receive the amount of Coins shown on the chosen Sword tile.
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Take a Sashimono which corresponds to the House you took the Sword from and place it on the Sword's Coin icon.
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Take the top Daimyō card from the deck near that House and place it face up near your Washitsu board so everybody can see it.
MONK:
Follow all the steps above as for a Worker, then take another Sashimono of your choice (the same or different than the previous one) and place it directly in the Sashimono area of your Washitsu board.
EXAMPLE 3: For his first action, John takes the Sword shown in the picture. He places one of his Available Workers in the space beneath it and takes 4 Coins, the Sashimono, and the card shown.
Advanced payment was not usual, actually, as explained on page 2 of the Historical Handbook.
The Market
This is where you can buy Resources to forge the Swords and where you can find the least common cards.
WORKER:
- Place your Worker on a Market space not occupied by other Workers or Monks. The available spaces are those with no number or with a number lower than or equal to the number of players.
- Buy the Resources you wish from the supply: The cost of each Resource is shown in the Market area. Return the spent Coins to the supply.
- Place the Resources in the designated spaces of your Forge board.
- Choose one of the 3 revealed Market cards and place it face up near your Washitsu board so everybody can see it. Then replace it from the deck.
MONK:
Follow all the steps above as for a Worker, then repeat step 4 (take a second card, after having replaced the first one).
EXAMPLE 4: Ringo placed his Monk at the Market. First, he spends 3 Coins to buy 1 Wood (cost: 1 Coin) and 1 Steel (cost: 2 Coins) and places them on his Forge board, then he takes the card shown in the picture, revealing the next one from the deck. Since he used a Monk, he can choose a second card from the 3 available (including the one from the top of the deck he just revealed).
You can find a few words about markets on page 3 of the Historical Handbook.
Your Forge Board
This is the beating heart of the game. The Swords will move on your Forge board and you must manage them well in order to move the highest possible number of them with each action, trying to avoid collisions!
WORKER:
- Place the Worker near the left or top side of your Forge board so that it clearly indicates a single row or column. There's no limit to the number of Workers (or Monks) you can place on the same row or column.
- You may then move each of the Swords that are in the selected row or column once.
PLEASE NOTE: The Swords must already be there when you place the Worker.
MONK:
You can move 1 additional Sword, which can be one already activated by the Monk's placement or another Sword. You may perform the extra movement at any moment, even between two other "normal" moves.
PLEASE NOTE: You can use the extra movement to move a Sword into the selected row or column that originally wasn't there, and then move it again because now it's activated like the others.
See the "Movement Rules for Swords on Your Forge Board" section and examples below.
You can find historical details about the forges of that era on page 3 of the Historical Handbook.
The Academy
Your blade can be sharp and well balanced, but beauty is also important. At the Academy, you will learn how to Decorate Swords with precious ornaments and finishings to increase their value. Of course, the customer will pay you extra Coins for each decoration! But pay attention! All the tireless craftsmen in the Academy are always at work creating unique masterpieces, so the other players' Decorators will also be able to create a decoration.
WORKER:
- Place your Worker on an Academy space not occupied by other Workers or Monks. The available spaces are those with no number or with a number lower than or equal to the number of players.
- Advance one of your Decorators of your choice one step to the right. The position of each Decorator determines how many Coins you will receive when you decorate a Sword with the corresponding Resource.
- You may now decorate Resources you have already placed on your Swords: carve Wood, engrave Steel, adorn Stingray Leather, or paint Lacquer. To do so, follow these rules: a. With a single action, you may activate each Decorator once. This means that you can decorate no more than one Resource of each kind in total per action. b. Only the Resources you have already placed on Swords on your Forge board can be decorated. c. You can never decorate two or more of the same Resources on the same Sword (each Resource represents a part of the Sword: once you have decorated it, it doesn't make sense to decorate it again). d. It's possible to decorate different Resources on the same Sword, if you respect the previous limits.
- EACH OF THE OTHER PLAYERS may also activate one of their Decorators of their choice to decorate one single Resource on a Sword, following the rules above (i.e., on a Sword on their Forge, where there isn't a Decorated Resource of the same kind, etc.).
- All players receive the total number of Coins corresponding to the decorations they performed.
IMPORTANT: Even the players who already passed this round can decorate a Resource on a Sword on their Forge if the Academy is activated by another player.
MONK:
Perform Step 2 one additional time. It's possible to advance the same Decorator twice or two different Decorators once each.
EXAMPLE 5a: Paul places a Monk at the Academy, advances his Decorator two steps on the Wood row, and then decorates Lacquer on one Sword, Wood and Steel on another Sword, and Stingray Leather on a third one. He obtains 7 Coins in total.
EXAMPLE 5b: Even though it is Paul's turn, John can also decorate one Resource. On his only Sword, there are a Base Lacquer, a Decorated Wood, a Decorated Steel, and a Base Steel. He can only choose Lacquer, because there is already a Decorated Steel and he cannot Decorate a second one. He obtains 1 Coin.
EXAMPLE 5c: At the same time, Ringo can also decorate a Resource. His Sword has all the Base Resource types, so he can decorate whichever one he likes. He chooses Stingray Leather and obtains 3 Coins.
EXAMPLE 5d: George could decorate a Resource, too, but the only Resource he has on a Sword is Steel and there is already a Decorated Steel on the same Sword, so he cannot decorate anything.
This place didn't exist, actually. You can find historical details on the real art of sword decorations in that era on page 2 of the Historical Handbook in the "The Swords" and "Decorators" chapters.
Komainu
This place of reflection is ideal for planning your future actions and finding ideas to obtain good results, even economic ones.
WORKER:
- Place a Worker in the only space (only if it is empty).
- Obtain 4 Coins from the supply.
- During the Restore Phase, you will take the First Player card and play first in the next Round.
MONK:
You may use any one of the special effects for Monks in any of the other areas.
EXAMPLE 7: George places a Monk in the Komainu space. He immediately gains 4 Coins, then he can decide which special effect to use. He chooses the one for his Forge, so he moves a Sword.
You can find historical details about the temples of that era on page 3 of the Historical Handbook.
The Shōgun's Palace
Your Family Members at the Shōgun's Palace can petition him for useful benefits during the game. But in order to preserve the political balance, he will also grant something to your opponents.
WORKER:
- Place your Worker on a Palace space not occupied by other Workers or Monks. The available spaces are those with no number or with a number lower than or equal to the number of players.
- Add one of your Family Members to a Palace Room where you don't already have a Family Member. If all three of your Family Members are already at the Palace, skip this step.
- If you want to, redistribute all of your Family Members in the Palace, respecting the limit of only one per Room.
- Immediately obtain all of the benefits shown on each Room where you have a Family Member, except for the Passive Room, which is activated while performing other actions — see "Effects of the Palace Rooms."
- EACH OF THE OTHER PLAYERS may choose only one of their Family Members at the Palace and immediately obtain the benefit shown on their Room. They cannot choose a Family Member who is in the Passive Room.
MONK:
You may obtain the benefit of a Room with one of your Family Members one additional time.
IMPORTANT: Even the players who already passed this round can obtain a benefit if the Palace is activated by another player.
IMPORTANT: Taking benefits from the Shōgun is not mandatory. Every time you activate the Palace, you may choose which benefits to obtain and in which order.
The benefits are described on the last page of this rulebook (see "Effects of the Palace Rooms").
The position of their Family Members in the Palace Rooms determines the effect they obtain.
EXAMPLE 6: It's the third round. George places a Monk at the Palace. He obtains 2 Coins and immediately spends 1 to buy a Stingray Leather. He also uses the Monk's effect to move two Swords instead of one. In the meantime, John chooses to buy a Lacquer at the cost of 2 Coins, Paul moves a Sword, and Ringo advances one of his Decorators at the Academy.
You can find historical details on the role of Family Members at the palace on page 2 of the Historical Handbook.
Pass
If it is your turn and you can't or don't want to take any other actions, you must pass. If you do, take one of the available Honor cards of your choice and place it face up near your Washitsu board so everybody can see it. Until the end of the round, you cannot perform any actions or deliver Swords, but you may still obtain the benefits of the Academy or the Palace if they are activated by the other players.
PLEASE NOTE: If one of your opponents activates the Academy or the Palace after you have passed, you could receive Coins but you would not then be able to pay to use a Monk. Similarly, you could complete a Sword but not deliver it to unlock a new Worker and use that Worker this round (see "Deliver Swords").
Movement Rules for Swords on Your Forge Board
Your Forge Board is made up of four rows, each tied to a specific Resource. From top to bottom, they are Lacquer, Wood, Steel, and Stingray Leather. Each row has 5 spaces.
When you take a Sword tile, you must place it on your Forge in the leftmost space of the row tied to the first Resource shown on the Sword tile itself.
Sword tiles can be moved on your Forge board following these rules:
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GOLDEN RULE: A Sword moves one space each time a Resource is added to it. There are no exceptions: It's never possible to move a Sword without placing a Resource on it, and it's never possible to place a Resource on a Sword without moving it.
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A Worker activates all of the Swords that are in the row or column where it was placed one time each.
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Resources must always be placed on the Swords in the order they appear on the Sword tile.
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When you place a Resource on a Sword that matches the row the Sword is in, the Sword moves one space to the right.
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When you place a Resource on a Sword that matches the row above or below it, the Sword moves one space in that direction (so, up or down).
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Each space can have only one Sword at a time.
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A Sword can never move into a space occupied by another Sword.
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When you activate more than one Sword at the same time, you can decide which order to move them, so it is possible to move a Sword which occupies the destination space of another one to empty that space and let the other Sword arrive.
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SPECIAL CASE: Sometimes it can happen that two Swords that are in adjacent rows must swap their positions. This movement is allowed if both of those Swords are activated legally at the same time.
PLEASE NOTE: It's possible to swap 2 Swords by placing a Monk in the Palace and by taking the benefit of the "Move Sword" Room twice.
EXAMPLE 8a: Paul has the three Swords shown in the picture. They must be moved as indicated (each movement corresponds to the placement of a Resource on the Sword).
EXAMPLE 8b: (For these examples, we'll call each Sword by the color of the Sashimono placed on it): Paul places his Worker on the first column, so he activates all three Swords. Each one moves one space to the right (at the cost of 1 Lacquer, 1 Steel, and 1 Leather, respectively).
EXAMPLE 8c: If Paul were to activate all of his Swords now, at least one would be blocked because the red and the blue Swords must both move to the same space. Luckily, John decides to go to the Palace, so Paul can activate his Family Member to place a Wood on his blue Sword and move it one space up.
EXAMPLE 8d: Now Paul places a Worker on the second column, so he activates all three Swords again. First he places a second Wood on the blue Sword, moving it to the right, so that the red Sword can move down. The white Sword moves one space up.
EXAMPLE 8e: Then Paul places a Monk on the second row. In addition to the Swords that are in that row, he can also activate the white Sword because of the Monk's special effect. It swaps positions with the red Sword. The blue Sword moves again to the right.
EXAMPLE 8f: Paul places his second Monk on the second column, so he can activate all the Swords again. The blue Sword is now ready to be delivered.
EXAMPLE 9: John's Swords are in this position. So, if he decides to activate them with a Worker, one of them would be blocked because the red Sword and the blue Sword must go to the same space. He decides to activate them with a Monk so he can perform an extra movement: First he swaps the blue Sword and the green Sword, then he moves the blue Sword again one step on the right. Now, the red Sword can move down.
EXAMPLE 10: George's Swords are in this position. George places a Monk on the second row and uses the extra movement first to move the blue Sword up so that it's in the second row with the other two. Then, he can move all three Swords.
Deliver Swords
When a Sword is complete—i.e., when it has all of the required Resources on it—you can deliver it by following these rules:
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Add up the total value of the Sword as follows: a. The points written on the Sword tile itself plus the Points given by Market card n. 3, if you play it (see the last page of the Historical Handbook). b. 1 Point if there is a Decorated Wood on the Sword. c. 2 Points if there is a Decorated Steel on the Sword. d. 3 Points if there is a Decorated Stingray Leather on the Sword. e. 4 Points if there is a Decorated Lacquer on the Sword. f. The points written near the current round's number on the Game Round Track.
Advance your score marker accordingly.
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Take the benefits shown at the end of the row and the column the Sword is in, including the permanent benefit of any cards you have placed beneath your Forge board for that row and column (see "How to Play the Cards") and those given by Market card n. 5, if you play it (see the last page of the Historical Handbook).
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Take the Sashimono currently on the Sword tile and place it in the Sashimono area on your Washitsu board, as follows: a. If there are no Sashimonos of that kind, place it in the first empty space from the left. b. If there is at least one other Sashimono of that kind, place the new one on top of it. c. If it's your Starting Sashimono, return it to the box and take another one of your choice, then place it on your Washitsu board as explained above.
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Place the Sword in the first empty Sword space on your Washitsu board (from left to right in the top row and then in the bottom row). If there is a Blocked Worker on that space, immediately move it to an Available Worker space. You can use it from now until the end of the game.
IMPORTANT: Don't remove any Resources from the Sword. You will need them during the final scoring at the end of the game.
IMPORTANT: Although it's very difficult, it is possible to deliver more than eight Swords. Place the extra ones near your Washitsu board.
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When you complete a Sword, you prove that you have the skills to properly work the materials that went into that Sword at the level of quality required for a SHŌGUN NO KATANA. To represent this, you may choose from 0 to 2 Resources that appear on the completed Sword and add the same number and kind of Resources from the supply to your "Project for the Shōgun" space. These Resources can be of the same kind if there are at least 2 of that Resource on the Sword you just completed.
IMPORTANT: You must add all the Resources in their Base version, even if they are Decorated on the Delivered Sword.
PLEASE NOTE: There's no limit to the number of Resources you can put in your Project space, but you will be able to use no more than 7. You will have to discard the excess Resources and pay a penalty (see "Modify the Project for the Shōgun").
IMPORTANT: You are not forced to deliver a Sword immediately after completing it. You can leave it where it is and wait to Decorate it and/or deliver it in a later Round to score more Points. However, you don't earn the benefits described in step 2 until you deliver it.
IMPORTANT: Delivering a Sword is NOT an action and you can do it at any time during the round (even during an opponent's turn), but only if you haven't passed yet that round.
PLEASE NOTE: You can deliver a Sword, if it's complete, while you are moving other Swords to free up the space it is in and move another Sword there.
EXAMPLE 11: John has completed a Sword and wants to deliver it. First he scores the 6 points shown on the tile, then those for the Decorated Resources (4 for Lacquer, 1 for Wood, 2 for Steel), and then 4 points because it's the third round. He advances his Score marker 17 spaces, then he gains the benefits shown on the row and column the Sword is in: 1 Steel and 1 Coin. Now he removes the Sword from his Forge and places it in the first empty space of his Washitsu board, unlocking a Worker, and places the Sashimono in the area dedicated to them. Finally, he places 2 Steel in his Project for the Shōgun space.
How to Play the Cards
You can obtain cards by placing Workers or Monks in one of the four Daimyō Houses or at the Market. You must keep them visible near your Washitsu board. There's no limit to the number of cards you can have.
Each card shows a permanent benefit and an immediate effect. A card's layout shows, in order: the Permanent Benefit, the Cost to Buy the Permanent Benefit, the Game Area Icon, and the Immediate Effect.
Activate the Immediate Effect of a Card
Each card shows an immediate effect that you can use one time only. Many cards show the icon for a game area, and can be played only when you perform an action in that area. Others can be played at any time (you can find a list with all the details on the last page of the Historical Handbook).
When you use the immediate effect of a card, you must either pay to activate its permanent benefit or discard it.
Activate the Permanent Benefit of a Card
Before or after you use the immediate effect of a card, you must decide whether you will discard it or pay the cost for its permanent benefit. If you decide to pay, slide the card beneath your Forge board at the end of a row or a column of your choice so that the benefit remains visible. From now on, each time you deliver a Sword in that row or column, you will obtain that benefit in addition to the one printed on your Forge board.
PLEASE NOTE: If you are Delivering a Sword, you are not forced to place the permanent benefit at the end of the row or column that Sword was in, even if it's often useful to do so.
Details and Clarifications about the Cards
In this section, we will call a "Moment" any action a player is taking, during their turn or not, i.e.:
- An action on your turn
- Delivering one or more Swords during your or an opponent's turn (multiple deliveries are possible in the same Moment)
- Activating the immediate effect of a card during your or an opponent's turn
A Moment ends when you cannot do anything else.
YOU CANNOT:
- Place more than one benefit on a row or column, unless you activate the immediate effect of Market card n. 4.
- Use Coins obtained from a permanent benefit to pay for the benefit itself.
- Activate the immediate effect of a card and keep it to buy the permanent benefit during a later Moment.
- Buy the permanent benefit of a card without activating the immediate effect of that card and saving it for a later Moment.
- Interrupt the activation of a row or column and then resume it later, even during the same Moment (see Example 14).
YOU CAN:
- Activate the immediate effect of a card and then discard it, giving up the permanent benefit.
- Purchase the permanent benefit of a card without activating the immediate effect, giving it up.
- Activate the immediate effect of a card and then purchase its permanent benefit in the same Moment.
- Purchase the permanent benefit of a card and then activate its immediate effect in the same Moment.
- Apply the immediate effect of a card to its permanent benefit (already purchased) in the same Moment (see example 13).
- Activate as many immediate effects on as many cards as you want before deciding how many permanent benefits to purchase in the same Moment.
- Use Coins earned from those cards' immediate effects to purchase permanent benefits.
- Use Coins earned from the benefit of a row to pay the cost of a benefit on the column (or vice versa) and then obtain those benefits during the same Moment (see examples 13 and 14).
EXAMPLE 12a: John goes to the Palace. During John's turn, George decides to use the card shown to rearrange his Family Members. After activating its immediate effect, George must decide whether to purchase the permanent benefit or discard it because he doesn't have anything else to do in this Moment. He can use 1 of the 2 Coins he just obtained by activating the Palace Room to pay the costs.
EXAMPLE 12b: Continuing the situation described in example 12a, if George had one or more complete Swords, he could decide to deliver any or all of them at this time, so the Moment would not be over and he could decide to purchase the benefit during or after the deliveries.
EXAMPLE 13: Paul has completed a Sword and wants to Deliver it. He plays Market card n. 5, which allows him to take the benefit of the row or column the Sword is in twice, and Market card n. 3 which doubles the points shown on a Sword tile. Before the Delivery, he decides to purchase the permanent benefit of Market card n. 5 and places it at the end of the row as shown in the picture. To do so, he spends the only 3 Coins he has.
PLEASE NOTE: To use the permanent benefit of each card (2 Coins), Paul had to have the 3 Coins needed before placing it under his board. It's not possible to use Coins obtained from a permanent benefit to pay for that benefit itself.
EXAMPLE 14: Ringo decides to deliver this Sword and uses Market card n. 3 to score 5 extra points. He has only 1 Coin, so he decides to use the permanent benefit printed on the second column of his Forge board to receive 2 Coins. Now, if he wants to, he could spend all 3 of his Coins to place Market card n. 3 at the end of any row or column. If he decides to place it at the end of the top row, he would immediately obtain 2 Coins in addition to the Lacquer printed on his Forge. On the other hand, if he decides to place it at the end of the second column, he would be able to obtain the 2 extra coins in future, but not now, because that column has already been activated in this Moment and he cannot interrupt the activation of a column by purchasing the benefit and then resume it. Alternatively, Ringo could decide to discard the card and keep the 3 Coins.
The Sword for the Shōgun
The peak of each Master Swordsmith's art can be nothing less than creating their own SHŌGUN NO KATANA (The Shōgun's Sword). But to do so, you must be skilled enough in working all of the different types of Resources. Each time you deliver a Sword, you may place on your Project for the Shōgun from 0 to 2 Resources from those used for that Sword. You will use them to create your own unique "recipe" for your SHŌGUN NO KATANA.
EXAMPLE 15: Ringo has already delivered the Swords shown in the picture and added 1 Lacquer and 1 Stingray Leather to his Project from the first one and 2 Steel from the second. When he delivers the third Sword, he decides to add only 1 Wood because he's afraid he won't have enough actions to complete a 7-Resource Sword, and he wants to add 1 Stingray Leather when he delivers the next Sword.
Putting Your SHŌGUN NO KATANA in Play
When you think your Project is ready and satisfies you, you can put your SHŌGUN NO KATANA into play, as follows:
- To put your SHŌGUN NO KATANA into play, you must have at least 1 Resource of each type in your Project for the Shōgun space.
- Place those Resources in your Composition area any way you wish, as long as it's possible to move the Sword through your Forge legally without jumping a row (i.e., you cannot place two Resources adjacent to each other on your Composition if they aren't adjacent on your Forge board). You'll have to move this Sword through your Forge by following the Composition you have created.
- The Sword must be put into play in the first space of the row corresponding to its first Resource, as usual. From now on, you cannot add any Resources to your Project or change the Composition of the Sword.
IMPORTANT: Putting your SHŌGUN NO KATANA into play isn't an action: You can do it at any moment during a round (even during an opponent's turn) before you pass.
PLEASE NOTE: When you put your SHŌGUN NO KATANA into play, you don't receive any Coins in advance because it's a present you have decided to give him on your own accord without asking for any payment. However, when you deliver it, you will receive the benefits for the row and column it is in, as normal, as a sign of the Shōgun's gratitude.
EXAMPLE 16: Ringo has 1 Lacquer, 1 Wood, 2 Steel, and 2 Stingray Leather on his Project. He places them in his Composition in the order shown in the picture. The Sword will move accordingly.
Modify the Project for the Shōgun
SHŌGUN NO KATANA is a complex game, not easy to master. It can happen, especially in your first games, that you realize it's time to put the SHŌGUN NO KATANA in play before it's too late but you forgot to put the Resources you need on your Project when you delivered your Swords. Or you could realize, instead, that you placed too many Resources on it. In either case, follow these rules:
- If you forgot to put Resources on your Project in the Moment when you delivered your previous Swords, you can retrace them and place them on the Project, taking from 0 to 2 from each Sword you delivered.
- If you put too many Resources on your Project and you think you won't be able to complete the Sword before the end of the game, you can discard the excess Resources from your Project before designing your Composition. You must keep at least 1 Resource of each type.
- In either case, you immediately lose 1 point for each Resource you added or removed from your Project.
In either case, you cannot receive the full points for the Shōgun's Favor (see "The End of the Game"). To remember this, take a Shame/Dishonor card and place it in your game area with the Shame side up.
PLEASE NOTE: You won't suffer any direct penalty if you don't complete your SHŌGUN NO KATANA before the end of the game, but you won't receive the benefits and the points given for the round of play. Furthermore, you cannot obtain the Favor of the Shōgun (see "The End of the Game").
Moving Your SHŌGUN NO KATANA
The SHŌGUN NO KATANA must be moved following the normal rules, like any other Sword.
Its value is calculated as for other Swords. There are no points written on the Sword tile: It is worth the total sum of the values of the Resources placed on it (shown at the Market and the Academy). Since there are no points written on the Sword tile, you cannot use Market card n. 3 to double them.
After the delivery, return it to its space on your Washitsu board (not in the spaces for the other Swords). The Resources on it must remain there.
EXAMPLE 17: Ringo delivered his SHŌGUN NO KATANA composed of 1 Lacquer, 1 Wood, 2 Steel, and 2 Stingray Leather. Its base value is 15. In addition, he scores 8 points for Decorated Lacquer, Stingray Leather, and Wood plus 6 because he delivered it in the fourth round. His total score is 29.
If Favor card I is in play, the first player to Deliver the SHŌGUN NO KATANA takes it and immediately scores 6 points.
IMPORTANT: If more than one player Delivers the SHŌGUN NO KATANA during the same individual player's turn, the Swords must be considered Delivered at the same time, so the Favor card must be discarded back to the box and the tied players share the 6 points, rounded down. If 1 or more players have a Shame card, they obtain half the points they would normally (see "The End of the Game").
2. Restore
After all players have passed, the Individual Player Turns Phase ends. If it's round 4, the game also ends. Otherwise, the Restore Phase begins:
- Move the Round marker to the next space (up).
- If the Komainu space is empty, the First Player card goes to the player on the left of the one who has it. Otherwise, it goes to the owner of the miniature on the Komainu space.
- Return all the Monks to the Temple and the Workers to the Available spaces on the Washitsu boards.
- Draw new Swords and place them in the empty spaces near the Daimyō Houses.
- Reveal as many Honor cards as the number of players and place them near the main gameboard.
Each set of Sashimono tiles on your Washitsu board gives points as follows:
a. 1 kind: 1 point b. 2 kinds: 3 points c. 3 kinds: 6 points d. 4 kinds: 10 points
EXAMPLE 18: George has the Sashimonos shown in the picture (one set of 4 kinds and two sets of 2 kinds). He scores 16 points (10 + 3 + 3).
The End of the Game
The game ends at the end of round 4. Add the following points to your score:
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Score 1 point for every 5 Coins you have. For this purpose, consider each unused Resource (not placed on a Sword) you have as the number of Coins shown at the Market (for example, 1 Lacquer and 1 Coin are worth 1 point).
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If your SHŌGUN NO KATANA is still on your Forge board, deliver it and score the points given by the Resources that are on it, including those given by decorations, if any. Don't take any benefits for the row and column it is in and don't score the points given by the round in which it was completed. Furthermore, take a Shame/Dishonor card and place it in your game area with the Dishonor side up to remember that you can't receive any Shōgun's Favor (below).
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Score the points given by your Honor cards as described on the last page of the Historical Handbook.
IMPORTANT: Each Honor card gives at most 12 points.
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Score the points given by the Shōgun's Favor cards in play (drawn at the beginning of the game), as follows: a. The player who completed the SHŌGUN NO KATANA with the greatest number of Resources scores 6 points and takes Shōgun's Favor card II. In case of a tie, the card is discarded back to the box and the tied players share the 6 points, rounded down. b. The player who completed the SHŌGUN NO KATANA worth the most points (see the scoring table on the last page of this rulebook but don't consider the points given by the round) scores 6 points and takes Shōgun's Favor card III. In case of tie, the card is discarded back to the box and the tied players share the 6 points, rounded down. c. The player who Delivered the SHŌGUN NO KATANA in the leftmost column scores 6 points and takes Shōgun's Favor card IV. In case of tie, the card is discarded back to the box and the tied players share the 6 points, rounded down. d. The player who Delivered the SHŌGUN NO KATANA in the rightmost column scores 6 points and takes Shōgun's Favor card V. In case of tie, the card is discarded back to the box and the tied players share the 6 points, rounded down.
PLEASE NOTE: To obtain cards IV and V, you don't need to Deliver your SHŌGUN NO KATANA in the first or last column on your Forge Board, you need to Deliver it in a column that is further to the left or right of the columns where your opponents Delivered theirs from.
e. If you own Shōgun's Favor card I, you don't score these points in this phase because you already scored them during the game.
IMPORTANT: If there is a Shame card in your game area, you gain only half of the points you would normally score for any Shōgun's Favor, rounded down. Nonetheless, you can still take Shōgun's Favor cards if you have the right to take them.
IMPORTANT: If there is a Dishonor card in your game area, your SHŌGUN NO KATANA is not taken into consideration when assigning any Shōgun's Favor card nor points.
The player with the highest score is the winner! In case of tie, the one with the Shōgun's Favor card with the highest number wins (in order: V, IV, III, II, I). In case of a further tie, they share the victory.
"+1 Player" Mode
SHŌGUN NO KATANA was released at a time when meeting other people to play board games was harder than in the past. For this reason, we worked very hard to develop this game mode, which allows you to add one additional "Ghost" player to the game. This means you can play Shōgun no Katana solo, but also simply add some spice to 2- or 3-player games!
To help you enjoy an excellent gaming experience, we have created 5 different Ghost players, of increasing difficulty. Furthermore, we'll show you the Story Mode, to present you with a journey along a path made of 14 steps, which will challenge you in different ways. We hope you enjoy playing these game modes as much as we enjoyed creating them!
Setup
Setup the game normally for the human players. Add 1 Ghost player by following these steps:
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There are 5 different Ghost players. Each of them is characterized by a different position of the Workers on the Washitsu board. The strength level of each Ghost is indicated by the number in the bottom right corner of the Washitsu board's front or back: Ghost player n. 1 is the easiest to play against, and n. 5 is the hardest. All of the Washitsu boards have Ghost n. 3 on the front and a different number on the back. Choose the Ghost you want to play against and set up its Washitsu board as follows: a. Place a Worker on each Blocked Worker space; b. Place the remaining Workers in the Available Worker spaces; c. Place the Family Members in their usual spaces; d. Place the SHŌGUN NO KATANA in its usual space.
PLEASE NOTE: This means that the Ghost player can start the game with 3, 4, or 5 Available Workers.
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The Ghost player doesn't have a Forge board and doesn't receive any starting Resources.
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The Ghost player plays last in the first round and doesn't receive a starting Sword nor Coins.
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You don't need to place the Ghost's Monks or Decorators on the board.
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Take the Solo cards and create the Ghost's Action deck as follows, then shuffle it:
- 4 Daimyō cards
- 2 Shōgun's Palace cards
- 2 Market cards
- 1 Academy card
- 1 Komainu card
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Keep the remaining cards separate, they will be used later: a. 1 Shōgun's Palace card b. 1 Market card c. 1 Academy card
(In these rules the names of the cards in the Ghost deck are written in green to distinguish them from the other cards with similar names.)
IMPORTANT: Put as many Favor cards in play as the number of human players, without considering the Ghost.
Round of Play
Player's turn
Nothing changes for the human players. Always follow the normal rules when it's your turn.
Ghost's turn
If the Ghost player has at least 1 Available Worker, draw the first card of the Ghost Action deck and place the Worker in the corresponding space on the board, then apply these rules:
HOUSES OF THE DAIMYŌS:
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The Ghost player chooses the Sword tile with the highest number (in the bottom right corner) and immediately scores the points written on the tile + the points for the current round.
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Place the chosen Sword and the Sashimono on the Ghost's Washitsu board as normal.
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Place the first Resource shown on the chosen Sword in the first available space on the Ghost's Shōgun no Katana.
IMPORTANT: If a Blocked Worker becomes Available with this action, remove the Daimyō card from the game, otherwise, leave it in the Ghost deck's discard pile.
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Discard the Daimyō card related to the chosen Sword from the main gameboard.
EXAMPLE 19: During the first Round, the Ghost chooses this Sword and immediately scores 6 points (6 written on the Sword + 0 for the Round). It places the Sword and the Sashimono on its Washitsu board and places a Steel in the first space of its Shōgun no Katana.
SHŌGUN'S PALACE:
- The Ghost player places 1 of its Family Members in the Palace Room with the least number of Family Members considering both its own and the players' (in case of a tie, on the leftmost one). As usual, it cannot have more than 1 Family Member per Room. Skip this step if all of the Ghost's Family Members are already on the board.
- If possible, the Ghost rearranges its Family Members to avoid the presence of empty Rooms (i.e., Rooms without any Family Member of any player).
- The Ghost immediately scores 1 point for each Room with at least 1 Family Member at the Palace, considering both its own and the players'.
- Human players then choose one of their Family Members at the Palace and activate the corresponding Room as in the normal rules. The Ghost never activates any Room's effect.
MARKET:
- The Ghost player takes the Market card with the highest number (in the bottom right corner). The Ghost player will never play this card, but it could be used to determine the end game score.
- The Ghost immediately scores as many points as the number of miniatures currently at the market, considering its own and the players', including the one it just placed.
ACADEMY:
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The Ghost Decorates the first non-Decorated Resource on its SHŌGUN NO KATANA.
IMPORTANT: Unlike in the normal rules, there can be more than one Decorated Resource of the same kind on the Ghost's SHŌGUN NO KATANA.
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The Ghost immediately scores as many points as the number of Coins indicated by the most advanced of the Players' Decorators.
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Human players may immediately activate one of their Decorators as in the normal rules.
IMPORTANT: If a human player activates the Academy, the Ghost DOESN'T Decorate any Resources on its SHŌGUN NO KATANA.
EXAMPLE 20: In this situation, the Ghost scores 3 points because the yellow Decorator is in the last column, which awards 3 Coins.
KOMAINU:
- The Ghost immediately scores 4 points. It will play first in the next round.
OCCUPIED SPACE:
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If all of the spaces in the selected area are occupied, the Ghost immediately scores the points for that area as if it was available.
PLEASE NOTE: In the unlikely event that the Ghost player chooses the HOUSES OF THE DAIMYŌS and there are no available Swords, it scores 0 points.
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If the area was in the Shōgun's Palace or the Academy, the effect for the human players are not applied.
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The Ghost immediately draws another card and places its Worker as described in the previous steps. If the new area is also occupied, repeat the procedure described above.
PLEASE NOTE: Place your Workers and Monks carefully: if the empty spaces in the various game areas run out quickly, the Ghost could score many points, thanks to this rule.
PASS:
- When it's the Ghost turn but the Ghost has no more Available Workers, the Ghost's round is over and it takes the Honor card closest to the deck.
2. Restore
Apply the normal rules for the Restore phase, with the following addition:
- If a Ghost's Worker is in the Komainu space, the Ghost will play first in the next round and the human players maintain the order they had in the last round. Otherwise, determine the order among the human players as normal and the Ghost plays last.
- Shuffle the 3 Solo cards set aside at the beginning of the game, insert one of them into the Ghost deck without looking at it, and shuffle it together with its discard pile.
End of the Game
In this phase, the Ghost scores points as follows:
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All the points indicated by its score marker.
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The points obtained by adding up all the Coins shown on the Swords on the Ghost's Washitsu board, divided by 5 (rounded down).
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The value of its SHŌGUN NO KATANA, calculated as normal, according to the Resources on it.
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Points given by the Sashimonos it has collected.
IMPORTANT: The Ghost player is not taken into consideration when assigning any Favor card. If there is more than 1 human player, assign the Favor cards normally between them. If you are playing alone, you can obtain the Favor card simply by delivering your SHŌGUN NO KATANA before the end of the game.
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Points given by the Honor cards, as follows: a. If the card has the Human Player icon, calculate how many points each player would score with the card and give the highest amount to the Ghost.
EXAMPLE 21: At the end of the game, Paul has 38 Coins and John has 28. Paul would score 9 points with this card and John 7, so the Ghost scores 9 points. b. Otherwise, apply it to the Ghost following the normal rules.
PLEASE NOTE: The Ghost has no Monks in play, so it must consider only its Workers on the main gameboard when scoring this card.
Story Mode
We at Placentia Games are convinced that to produce a great game, you need excellent rules but also an evocative setting. For this reason, we offer you the possibility to play Shōgun no Katana in "Story Mode" against the Ghost player of your choice. You will find yourself walking a path through the charms of Feudal Japan, passing from a period of peace to one under the breath of the winds of war. In each scenario, you will have to play under new and original conditions, with rules and constraints that will force you to explore strategies and tactics you've never tried before.
General Rules
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You must play the chapters of the Story in order, from 1 to 14. You can choose which Ghost to play against for each chapter, based on your feelings and the indicated difficulty level.
PLEASE NOTE: We recommend that you play some games against the Ghosts before attempting the Story Mode so you can make an informed decision when you choose which Ghost to play against.
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To obtain a victory in a chapter, you must satisfy all the chapter's requirements, if any, and score more points than the Ghost. Otherwise you'll suffer a defeat.
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Each time you obtain a victory, you gain Story Points, as follows: a. Easy chapter: 1 Point b. Medium chapter: 2 Points c. Hard chapter: 3 Points d. Victory against Ghost n. 1: +4 Points e. Victory against Ghost n. 2: +5 Points f. Victory against Ghost n. 3: +6 Points g. Victory against Ghost n. 4: +7 Points h. Victory against Ghost n. 5: +8 Points
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Victory in a chapter grants you access to the next chapter.
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Even though the chapters must be played in order as part of the same Story, each chapter is independent from the others. So, every chapter starts from zero: You cannot keep anything from the previous chapters.
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In case of defeat, you can choose either to try that chapter again or to proceed to the next one. If you try that chapter again, you can choose a different Ghost. a. The first time you suffer defeat in a chapter, you lose 1 Story Point whether you replay it or not. b. Each defeat in the same chapter after the first makes you lose 2 more Story Points. c. If you decide to move on to the next chapter without a victory, you don't gain or lose further Story Points for the chapter that defeated you. Will you try again, in order to obtain more Points but with the risk of losing Points, or will you give up and skip the chapter? Your choice!
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At the end of the Story, count up your total result to see your final evaluation (see "Your Name in History")!
Part One: The Most Renowned School in Japan
Chapter 1: The Beginning
After years of hard work and apprenticeship, your forging school has finally been noticed by the most powerful Daimyōs in the Empire. The most important thing is not to displease anyone, delivering your precious swords on time. Furthermore, it is essential to gift one of your swords to the Shōgun himself, to introduce him to your art.
DIFFICULTY: EASY
SPECIAL RULES: None.
CHAPTER REQUEST: At the end of the game, you must not have any Swords on your Forge. Also, your SHŌGUN NO KATANA must be Delivered before the end of the last Round.
Chapter 2: A Period of Peace
The bloodiest battles between the Daimyōs have passed, and for some years now life has been peaceful. The noble lords of Japan now use their wealth to acquire more and more prestige for their families. For blacksmiths, it is important to educate their decorators in the best possible way, so they are always ready to satisfy the most sumptuous requests of the Daimyō.
DIFFICULTY: MEDIUM
SPECIAL RULES: This Palace Room must be in play.
CHAPTER REQUEST: At the end of the game, all of your Decorators must have reached the last column on the right.
Chapter 3: Gion Matsuri
The celebrations for the Gion Matsuri, a festival observed throughout the Empire, are at the door. All of the Daimyōs and the Shōgun himself want to show off swords of unparalleled beauty. Your school is reputed to be very adept at producing real masterpieces. Prove that you are up to the task.
DIFFICULTY: EASY
SPECIAL RULES: None.
CHAPTER REQUEST: At the end of the game, there must be at least 2 Decorated Resources on each of the Swords you have Delivered and on your SHŌGUN NO KATANA.
Chapter 4: Fame and Glory
Your skill is now recognized by many, and your services are in demand by all of the most important Daimyōs in the Empire. Each of them wants your masterpieces in their personal collection. You cannot disappoint them!
DIFFICULTY: MEDIUM
SPECIAL RULES: None.
CHAPTER REQUEST: You must score at least 22 points from Sashimono sets. Points given by Honor cards are not taken into consideration for this request (but they are counted normally when you add up your total score).
Chapter 5: Masamune Visits
Word has spread that your Forging school is among the best in Japan. Your wonderful swords are displayed in the estates of the most powerful Daimyōs of the Empire. You've heard that the legendary Master Forger Masamune himself is interested in visiting your Forge. Get ready to welcome him and show him how efficient and well-structured your school is.
DIFFICULTY: EASY
SPECIAL RULES: None.
CHAPTER REQUEST: At the end of the game, you must have at least 7 cards placed under your Forge as permanent benefits.
Chapter 6: The Shōgun's Request
The Shōgun was impressed by your skill and believes that he has finally found someone to entrust with the making of a sword that truly satisfies his desires in every detail: you!
DIFFICULTY: HARD
SPECIAL RULES: None.
CHAPTER REQUEST: You must deliver your SHŌGUN NO KATANA with this composition: Lacquer, Lacquer, Wood, Steel, Stingray Leather, Steel, Wood (in this order, as shown in the picture).
Part Two: Feudal Wars
Chapter 7: Tides of War
The political situation is becoming increasingly unstable. The specter of war looms on the horizon. Even the monks gather in their temples and prepare to fight and defend their possessions. In the meantime, you must hire new workers to maintain the good name of your school as long as the peace lasts, even if it involves additional expenses.
DIFFICULTY: MEDIUM
SPECIAL RULES: Leave all of the Monks in the box along with all copies of Market card n. 7. Start the game with all 7 of your Workers available. The Ghost uses its Workers as normal. At the end of each Round, you must pay the number of Coins written on the Temple. If you don't have enough Coins, you must pay the difference in points (you can go under 0).
CHAPTER REQUEST: None.
Chapter 8: The Enemy at the Door
Negotiations are heading towards failure, war is getting closer, and the demand for swords has risen. You have to work tirelessly to satisfy it!
DIFFICULTY: HARD
SPECIAL RULES: None.
CHAPTER REQUEST: You must Deliver at least 8 Swords. The SHŌGUN NO KATANA is not counted towards this request (but you can Deliver it as normal, anyway).
Chapter 9: War Drums
The Jindaiko, the great war drum, is ready to resound again, to motivate and incite the Samurai troops. In this time of extreme tension, the Shōgun has introduced new taxes so he can reform his army and win the war. Everyone is called to contribute, often for large sums.
DIFFICULTY: HARD
SPECIAL RULES: None.
CHAPTER REQUEST: At the end of the game, you must have at least 60 Coins.
Chapter 10: Blades in Battle
The war has begun. Strong and sturdy swords are required of the Master Forgers!
DIFFICULTY: MEDIUM
SPECIAL RULES: None.
CHAPTER REQUEST: You must Deliver Swords with a total value of at least 13.
Chapter 11: The Moment of Crisis
The war is at its peak, and the fortunes of the armies hang in the balance more than ever. Never before has it been so essential to have weapons available, at any cost. Even your Decorators have been called into battle, and at this time the aesthetic of beauty fades into the background when compared to the quality of sharpened steel.
DIFFICULTY: HARD
SPECIAL RULES: You cannot Decorate any Resources: leave this Palace Room in the box along with all copies of Market card n. 2 and 6, all copies of Daimyō card C, and all Honor cards related to Decorations or the Academy. Compose the Ghost deck as normal, but each time the Ghost draws an Academy card, ignore it and draw the next one.
When you take a new Sword from the Daimyō Houses, you immediately gain a number of additional Coins equal to the number of the current Round (i.e., 1 in the first Round, 4 in the fourth Round).
CHAPTER REQUEST: None.
Chapter 12: Rubble
The war is over, leaving behind rubble and destruction. Not even the Shōgun's Palace was spared from the fury of battle. Your family has been summoned to contribute to its reconstruction.
DIFFICULTY: EASY
SPECIAL RULES: Put only 3 Palace Rooms into play and place only 2 Family Members on the Ghost's Washitsu board and on your own. You may place both your Family Members in the same Room.
PLEASE NOTE: If you activate a Room with 2 Family Members using a Monk, you receive the additional effect of the Room only once.
PLEASE NOTE: If you activate a Room with 2 Family Members during the Ghost's turn, you receive the effect of the Room only once.
CHAPTER REQUEST: None.
Chapter 13: The Difficulty of Reconstruction
The war left behind a poorer and more desperate world. However, the Japanese people have not lost hope and immediately set to work to rebuild a future of peace and serenity. However, the reconstruction will be long and difficult, and resources are scarce.
DIFFICULTY: HARD
SPECIAL RULES: At the beginning of the game, place the 5 Palace Room tiles shown in the picture in the Palace.
Each time you go to the Market, place 1 Coin on one of the Resources you bought this turn. From now on, that Resource costs 1 Coin more.
When the Ghost goes to the Market, place 1 Coin on the Resource with the fewest Coins. In case of a tie, place it on the one with the highest cost.
CHAPTER REQUEST: None.
Epilogue: Return to Peace
Chapter 14: Well-Deserved Rest
The war is definitely behind us. Now is the time to get back to work, thinking about the future with optimism. On a hot sunny day, you find yourself thinking about your entire career and the results you have achieved. Maybe you can treat yourself to a little relaxation.
DIFFICULTY: HARD
SPECIAL RULES: None.
CHAPTER REQUEST: At the end of the game, you must have at least 7 unused Daimyō or Market cards in your playing area. Use them as a fan and refresh yourself with a solemn and smug look. You have completed the Story. Congratulations!
Your Name in History
At the end of the Story, compare your total Story Points to the chart below, to see how your name will be remembered by history:
- 30 Points or less – Fumeiyo 不名誉 (DISHONOR)
- From 31 to 40 Points – Kaji Minara 鍛冶見習い (ASSISTANT)
- From 41 to 50 Points – Kaji Kenshusei 鍛冶研修生 (APPRENTICE)
- From 51 to 60 Points – Kaji 鍛冶 (MASTER FORGER)
- From 61 to 65 Points – Meiyo 名誉 (PRESTIGE)
- From 66 to 69 Points – Yushu 優秀 (EXCELLENCE)
- 70 Points or more – 政宗 (EQUAL TO MASAMUNE)
Actions Summary
This reference sheet summarizes the actions available in each game area.
Forge
- Choose a row or a column.
- You can move 1 or more Swords that began the action in the chosen row or column (1 Resource = 1 movement).
- If you used a MONK: You may move 1 additional Sword of your choice, including your SHŌGUN NO KATANA, at any time during this action (it can be one you already moved or that you will move later in this action).
Market
- Buy as many Resources as you wish at the indicated costs.
- Take a card.
- If you used a MONK: Take another card.
GHOST: Takes the Market card with the highest number and scores as many points as the number of miniatures currently at the market.
Academy
- Advance 1 Decorator.
- If you used a MONK: Advance 1 Decorator (the same one or another).
- Decorate at most 1 Resource per type.
- Earn Coins according to the Resources just decorated.
- Each other player decorates at most 1 Resource and takes Coins accordingly.
GHOST: Decorates the first non-decorated Resource on its SHŌGUN NO KATANA and scores as many points as the number of Coins indicated by the most advanced of the Players' Decorators.
Daimyō Houses
- Take the Sword.
- Take the Coins.
- Take the Sashimono.
- Take the card.
- If you used a MONK: Take another Sashimono of your choice and place it directly on your Sashimono area.
GHOST: Chooses the Sword tile with the highest number and immediately scores the points written on the tile + the points for the current round.
Komainu
- Obtain 4 Coins.
- In the next round, you will play first.
- If you used a MONK: Apply the special effect of playing a Monk in the area of your choice.
GHOST: Scores 4 points.
Shōgun's Palace
- If you have less than 3 Family Members here, add 1 (1 per Room at most).
- If you want, rearrange your Family Members (1 per Room at most).
- You may obtain the effects of all the Rooms where you have a Family Member.
- Each other player may obtain the effect of 1 Room of their choice where they have a Family Member.
- If you used a MONK: Obtain the effect of 1 Room of your choice where you have one of your Family Members a second time.
GHOST: Add and/or rearrange its Family Members to have the least possible number of empty Rooms, then scores 1 point for each Room with at least 1 Family Member at the Palace.
Effects of the Palace Rooms
Each Palace Room tile shows one of the following effects:
- Advance one of your Decorators one step to the right.
- Pay the indicated Coins to take what is shown on the Room tile.
- Move a Sword. (PLEASE NOTE: If you activate this with a MONK, you can use it to swap 2 adjacent Swords.)
- PASSIVE: When you purchase the Permanent Benefit of a card, you may activate your Family Member in this Room to pay 1 Coin less (the Wood Benefit becomes free).
- Take what is shown on the Room tile.
- PASSIVE: When you buy Resources at the market, you may activate your Family Member on this Room to immediately use one of the purchased Resources to move a Sword in your Forge.
Deliver a Sword
- Add up the value and advance your Score marker. Activate the immediate effect of Market card n. 3.
- Take the benefits of the row and column the Sword is in, including those shown on any cards placed under your Forge board. Activate the immediate effect of Market card n. 5.
- Place the Sword on the first empty space of your Washitsu board. If there is a Blocked Worker there, move it to an Available Worker space.
- Take the Sashimono from the Sword and place it in your Sashimono area.
- If your Project for the Shōgun isn't complete, place from 0 to 2 Resources on it, matching those on the Sword you delivered.
Sword Score
- Base score, calculated as follows:
- NORMAL SWORD: The points written on the Sword tile itself, plus the Points given by Market card n. 3, if you play it.
- SHŌGUN NO KATANA: The total sum of the values of the Resources placed on it.
- 1 Point if there is a Decorated Wood on the Sword.
- 2 Points if there is a Decorated Steel on the Sword.
- 3 Points if there is a Decorated Stingray Leather on the Sword.
- 4 Points if there is a Decorated Lacquer on the Sword.
- Points given by the current round.
Credits
SHŌGUN NO KATANA
Authors: Federico Randazzo, P.S. Martensen Illustrations: Giorgia Lanza Artwork: Paolo Vallerga - Scribabs Miniature sculpting: Alan D'Amico for Orconero Miniatures English rules: Mario Sacchi & William Niebling
Published in 2021 by Post Scriptum S.a.s. di Mario Sacchi & C. Placentia Games is a brand of Post Scriptum S.a.s. di Mario Sacchi & C.
Special Thanks
The base idea of the game came from a dream, from which I took the forge board mechanics, then I developed the game rules while commuting on the Piacenza-Parma train. From this moment on, the game had the luck to be played by wonderful people who helped it to grow with as much enthusiasm as my own.
So I really want to thank the original Placentia Games team (Franco Arcelloni, Stefano Groppi, Sandro Zurla) and the Post Scriptum team (Mario Sacchi, Matteo Panara, Marco Garavaglia) who believed in this project and made it real.
Then I thank the weekly gaming group who, together with the gaming club "Orizzonte degli Eventi" from Piacenza, helped me to improve the game, one playtest after the other. A special mention for two great friends and gamers, Fabio Capelli and Michele Zacconi, who play-tested the first version of the game for many months. Thanks to their precious advice, Shōgun no Katana could become what it is today.
Heartfelt thanks to all the backers who believed in this project and supported the crowdfunding campaign. I hope you will enjoy playing the game as much as I have.
Thank you for the moral support to my sister Manuela and my wife Luna, my Muse.
— Federico Randazzo
Post Scriptum first of all thanks all the backers who made this game possible. We really wanted to publish a high-quality product in every aspect and it wouldn't have been possible without you. Thank you.
In second place, we thank the Placentia Games founders, Franco Arcelloni, Sandro Zurla and Stefano Groppi, who introduced us to Federico and his fantastic game.
Then we thank all the playtesters who gave us so much precious feedback both at fairs (especially during Modena Play) and privately. Among all, Nadia Galletti, Renata Costagliola, Daniele Barbaglia, Danilo Festa and the gaming club Slowgame.
Thank you, for real. We hope you'll like Shōgun no Katana as much as we do.
— Mario, Marco and Matteo