# Rising Sun ## General Info - **Year Published**: 2018 - **BGG Rating**: 7.8 - **BGG Rank**: #154 - **Players**: 3-5 (Best with: 4) - **Duration**: 90-120 min - **Weight**: 3.30 / 5 - **Designers**: Eric M. Lang - **Artists**: Adrian Smith - **Publishers**: CMON Global Limited, Guillotine Games, ADC Blackfire Entertainment, Arclight Games, asmodee, Delta Vision Publishing - **Categories**: Bluffing, Fantasy, Mythology, Negotiation, Wargame - **Mechanics**: Action Drafting, Alliances, Area Majority / Influence, Area Movement, Auction: Sealed Bid, Betting and Bluffing, Closed Drafting, End Game Bonuses, Follow, Force Commitment, Negotiation, Set Collection, Simultaneous Action Selection, Take That, Variable Phase Order, Variable Player Powers, Variable Set-up ## Verdict If you're looking for a game where shifting alliances and strategic betrayal are key, Rising Sun offers a beautiful and deeply thematic experience for those who enjoy intricate political maneuvering. Stunning miniatures and evocative art design Deep strategic diplomacy and negotiation Engaging area control with unique clan powers High replayability with varied Kami and upgrades Rewarding for players who enjoy complex decisions Can be prone to kingmaking Long playtime requires dedicated group Steep learning curve for new players HIGHLY RECOMMENDED ## Description In Rising Sun, the ancient and forgotten Kami return from the underworld, displeased with the current Shōgun. At the start of the Great New Year, they gather their sacred clans with a clear mission: reclaim the lands of Nippon and restore their honorable, spiritual traditions. Each clan, however, is bound by its own proud traditions to a unique vision for this great return and must wage a powerful diplomatic war across eight provinces. Alliances must be forged and broken, betrayal is inevitable, and honor rises and falls. Political mandates must be navigated, and devastating wars must be fought, won by expert skill and cunning negotiation. Only one clan will stand victorious at the coming of winter. You, as an honorable Shōgun, lead one of these great clans. Do you possess the strength of honor, virtue, and spirit, as well as the mastery of steel necessary to deliver on this ancient promise? Rising Sun is a board game for 3 to 5 players set in legendary feudal Japan. Each player chooses a Clan and competes to lead theirs to victory by accumulating Victory Points over the course of the Seasons. Each Clan possesses a unique ability and differs in Seasonal Income, Starting Honor Rank, and Home Province. Over the course of the game, players will forge and break alliances, choose political actions, worship the gods, customize their clans, and position their figures around Japan. Honor is a palpable element in Rising Sun: having high Honor gives several advantages, while having low Honor may grant the allegiance of the darker elements of the world. Above all, Honor settles all disputes: whenever there is a tie, the tied player with the highest Honor wins. Players are encouraged to use diplomacy, negotiation, and even bribery to further their cause, but no deals are truly binding. Victory Points can be gained in several ways, from winning battles, to harvesting the right provinces, to playing to the Virtues accumulated by your Clan. The game is played over the course of 4 rounds or Seasons (Spring, Summer, Autumn), with Winter marking the end and final scoring. Each Season is divided into phases: Seasonal Setup, Tea Ceremony (for alliances), Political Phase (selecting mandates and positioning forces), War Phase, and Seasonal Cleanup. When Winter comes, peace falls over the land, and a new Emperor will rise under the power of the great Kami. ## How to Play Game Objective In Rising Sun, you lead a sacred clan in feudal Japan with the mission to reclaim Nippon's lands and restore spiritual traditions. The goal is to bring your clan to victory by accumulating the most Victory Points (VP) over the seasons. To do this, you must position your miniatures on the map, form and break alliances, perform political actions, and win battles. When Winter arrives, the player with the most points will rule the Land of the Rising Sun! Setup Clan Organization: Each player chooses a clan, places their Clan Shield in front and the Politics/War board behind (Politics side up). Initial Markers: Place a clan marker on space 1 of the Victory Point Indicator and another on the Honor Indicator, following the Initial Honor Ranking (lowest number on top). Reserve and Miniatures: Separate the miniatures (1 Daimyo with a black base, 3 Shinto with white bases, and 6 Bushi). Keep them in your Reserve. Also take the bases of your clan color, 4 Fortress markers, and the Alliance marker. Home Province: Place 1 Daimyo, 1 Bushi, and 1 Fortress in your Home Province indicated on the shield. Table Placement: Players sit in order according to the Initial Honor Ranking (from lowest to highest), clockwise. Shrines: Shuffle the 7 Shrine tiles, draw 4, and place them on the board's Shrine Spaces from left to right. Season Decks: Create 3 decks (Spring, Summer, and Autumn) with the Basic Season Cards. Choose one additional set (Knight, Arcadia, or Bule) and add the 5 cards of each season to the respective decks, totaling 12 cards per deck. Final Adjustments: Separate the War Province markers (I, II, and III) into piles, organize the War Number markers, shuffle the 10 Political Mandate tiles, and place the Monster, Coins, and Ronin markers in the supply. Game Flow The game is played over 4 rounds called Seasons (Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter). Each season (except Winter) follows this order: Season Preparation: Draw War Provinces (number of players + 2), place War Number markers, distribute Seasonal Income Coins, and Release Hostages (each returned hostage is worth 1 coin). Tea Ceremony: A moment dedicated to negotiation for forming Alliances. Political Phase: Structured according to the Political Indicator: 3 Mandate Turns → Kami Turn → 2 Mandate Turns → Kami Turn → 2 Mandate Turns → Kami Turn. War Phase: Resolve battles in marked provinces. Season Cleanup: Discard coins and Ronin, return Shinto to reserves, and reshuffle Political Mandates. Actions and How to Play Mandate Turns The active player draws 4 Political Mandates, chooses one, and returns the other 3 to the top of the deck. All players execute the action clockwise, starting with the player to the left of the chooser. The active player and their Ally perform the Bonus portion of the action. Recruit: Recruit a miniature into each Fortress. Shinto can be sent to worship in a Shrine. (Bonus: Recruit an extra miniature). Command: Move each miniature across a Frontier or Naval Route. (Bonus: Build a Fortress for 3 coins). Train: The active player goes first. Buy an available Season Card by paying its cost. (Bonus: Pay one coin less). Card Types: Improvement (green), Virtue (blue), Monster (brown), War Improvement (red), and Winter Improvement (light blue). Harvest: Gain 1 coin. (Bonus: Collect the Rewards from each province where you have the most Strength). Betray: Only the active player executes. Replace two miniatures from different players with one of yours of the same type. If you have an Alliance, it is broken and you lose Honor. Kami Turns The 4 Shrines are resolved from left to right. The player with the most Strength gains the benefit: Amaterasu: Move to the top of the Honor Indicator. Fujin: Perform up to 2 Move actions. Raijin: Recruit 1 Bushi in any province. Ryujin: Acquire a Season Card by paying its cost. Hachiman: Gain 2 Ronin markers. Susanoo: Gain VP equal to the number of Fortresses on the map. Tsukuyomi: Gain 2 coins. War Phase Battles occur in provinces with War Number markers. If there are at least 2 non‑allied players with Strength, Battle Resolution takes place: Players secretly allocate coins to War Advantages. Seppuku: The winner kills all their miniatures in the province, earning 1 VP and Honor for each. Capture Hostage: The winner captures 1 miniature (except Daimyo) and steals 1 VP from the owner. Hire Ronin: The winner adds their Ronin markers to their Strength. Imperial Poets: The winner gains VP equal to the total number of miniatures killed in the battle. Result: The player with the most Strength wins and takes the War Province marker. Losers' miniatures die (unless they are Allies of the winner). Honor and Negotiation Honor decides all tie‑breakers for Strength or coins. Gaining Honor moves your marker one space up (pushing the one above down); losing Honor moves your marker one space down (pushing the one below up). Negotiation is free and agreements need not be honored. Bribes (coins/ronin) are only allowed during the Tea Ceremony and Political Phase. End of Game and Scoring The game ends when Winter arrives. Final scoring is calculated as follows: Accumulated VP: Points earned during the game. Hostages: Return all hostages (each worth 1 coin). Winter Improvements: Add extra VP from Winter Improvement cards. War Provinces: Add points from collected War Province markers. Set Bonus: Bonus for collecting the most markers from different provinces (as indicated on the Clan Shields). Victory: The player with the most VP wins. In case of a tie, the player with the most Honor wins. If the tied players are Allies, victory is shared. Tips for Winning Honor Management: Since Honor decides all tie‑breakers (in Harvests, Shrines, and Battles), try to stay at the top of the Honor Indicator or use the Amaterasu Shrine to climb quickly. Using Alliances: Form Alliances to gain the bonuses from Political Mandates and prevent your miniatures from dying in battles where your ally wins. Ronin Strategy: Accumulate Ronin markers to secure victory in the War Advantage of Hire Ronin, dramatically boosting your Strength at the decisive moment of battle. ## FAQ ### How many players does Rising Sun support, and what's the average game duration? Rising Sun is best played with 3 to 5 players. A typical game session usually lasts between 90 and 120 minutes, so get ready for a substantial strategic experience! ### What is the complexity level of Rising Sun? It's considered a medium-heavy complexity game (BGG weight of 3.29/5). The core rules are accessible, but the strategic depth, negotiation, and tactical decisions require thoughtful planning. ### Are the components good? What can I expect from the miniatures? The components are one of its major highlights! The miniatures are stunning, highly detailed, and of excellent quality, typical of CMON games. The board and other pieces are also very well produced, enhancing immersion. ### Is Rising Sun a pure wargame, or does it have other elements? While it features combat and area control, Rising Sun is not a pure wargame. Negotiation, alliance formation (and betrayal!), honor management, and action drafting are just as crucial as battles. It's a rich blend of strategy and diplomacy. ### Who is Rising Sun best suited for? It's perfect for players who enjoy high player interaction, aren't afraid to negotiate (and be betrayed!), and appreciate a strong theme with high-quality miniatures. If you liked Blood Rage, you'll likely love Rising Sun. ### Is there a high language dependency? Language dependency is moderate. There's text on cards and mandates. Having a localized version or translated support materials helps a lot, especially for new players. ## Price Comparison ### Best Offers in Brazil - **Rejoga**: R$ 600,00 (/partner/go.php?p=rejoga&g=80&u=https%3A%2F%2Frejoga.com.br%2Fanuncio%2F3b15cd35-bf56-44dc-aa1c-6ce96c77443f%3Forigem%3Dboardgamesbot) - **Amazon**: R$ 938,97 (https://www.amazon.com.br/dp/B076PDV9KR?tag=bgbot26b-20&linkCode=as2) - See all on Compara Jogos: https://www.comparajogos.com.br/item/rising-sun ### Best International Offers - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 99.99 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=781794&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - See all on BoardGamePrices: https://boardgameprices.com/item/show/22250/rising-sun?utm_source=boardgamesbot.com