Chang Cheng

Over two thousand five hundred years ago, the emperor of the Qin dynasty made a crucial decision: to protect the rich northern provinces of China from constant barbaric invasions. To achieve this, he ordered the construction and joining of a series of fortifications, giving rise to the legendary Great Wall. To oversee this monumental undertaking, the emperor appointed his most loyal officers, promising riches and honors to the first to complete what would become one of humanity's most remarkable works.

In Chang Cheng, you take on the role of one of these four imperial officers, seeking to enhance your reputation in the emperor's eyes. Your mission is to build sections of the Great Wall to defend the Chinese provinces and compete with other players to secure the highest reputation by protecting the most important areas. But beware of the constant threat from the Mongols, who lurk near the border!

This is a game of clever placement, where players take turns adding pieces to the Great Wall. On one side of the wall are the Chinese provinces, each with its own positive point value. On the other side are the provinces of the Mongol invaders, each with a randomly assigned negative point value. The challenge is that provinces on either side do not directly correspond to each other. Your goal is to place your pieces in such a way that you achieve a majority on the Chinese side (for positive points) while avoiding having a majority on the Mongolian side (to avoid losing points). Players also have a set of cards (or tiles, actually) that grant them special privileges to help themselves or interfere with other players. The game also comes with optional cards that can introduce new scoring methods, adding more strategic layers to the experience.