# Small Samurai Empires: Rise of Tokugawa ## General Info - **Year Published**: 2023 - **BGG Rating**: 7.8 - **BGG Rank**: — - **Players**: 1-5 (Best with: 3) - **Duration**: 45-90 min - **Weight**: 3.33 / 5 - **Designers**: Milan Tasevski - **Artists**: Milan Tasevski - **Publishers**: Archona Games, Boardgames Invasion, CrowD Games, Joy Town Games - **Categories**: Abstract Strategy, Expansion for Base-game, Medieval - **Mechanics**: Action Queue, Area Majority / Influence, Programmed Movement ## Verdict The definitive expansion for those looking to scale the tension of Small Samurai Empires with more players and tactical depth.Adds robust solo modeNew elite unitsSupports 5 playersMuch deeper strategyRequires base gameMay need translationRECOMMENDED ## Description If you thought Small Samurai Empires was already intense, get ready for total chaos with the Rise of Tokugawa expansion! The tension of political and military maneuvering hits a new peak as the powerful Tokugawa house begins to dictate the rules of the game. But don't think this makes life easier for the other daimyos; on the contrary, the rise of a new power only forces everyone else to prepare for an all-out war. This expansion isn't just some extra seasoning; it brings heavy structural changes. You can now accommodate a fifth player at the table, which completely shifts the dynamics of influence and area control. Additionally, for solo enthusiasts, a dedicated solo mode has been implemented, ensuring you can hone your tactics without needing a group. On the battlefield, strategy gains new layers of depth. You won't just be moving pieces; you'll be training your samurai to become true war machines. With the introduction of training grounds, archers, elite units, and generals, the game evolves from simple positioning to complex military resource management and siege preparation. The included playmat helps organize this new theater of war, making the experience even more immersive. Get your action queue ready and plan every move with precision, because amidst Tokugawa's rise, the line between glory and defeat is as thin as a katana blade. It's time to use your programmed movement to surround enemies and ensure your house is the only one standing amidst the ashes of your rivals. It's pure strategy with a heavy dose of military adrenaline! ## How to Play Game Objective In Small Samurai Empires: Rise of Tokugawa, players take on the role of Daimyos as the Tokugawa house rises in power, preparing for an all-out war between the houses. The objective is to train your Samurai to be invincible warriors, using unique tactics, recruiting Archer Armies, Elite Samurai Armies, and the General to gain an advantage on the battlefield. Players must prepare for glorious sieges and battles, seeking glory and honor. At the end of the game, the house with the most Victory Points will become the Emperor of Japan. Setup New Region Setup: Add the New Region Board to the north side of the board. Add the New Region Influence Board, then place one cube of each player on the starting spaces of the Influence Tracks. Shuffle all 15 new Fate Cards from this expansion with the base game's Fate Card deck, then deal 3 to each player. Take the 7 Bushido and 7 Food tokens. Randomly seed these tokens onto each map space that has the resource symbol. Place the other resource tokens near the board to form a supply. 5th Player Setup: The 5th player receives the Tokugawa house components: 16 Armies, 3 Castles, the Tokugawa Order Tokens, 2 Bushido tokens, and 2 Food tokens. When playing with 5 players, you must use the New Region components. Initial Army Placement: Each player places 2 Samurai Armies from their supply into each Province Capital, so that each player will start with 10 Samurai Armies on the board. Score Markers: Each player places their Score Marker on the "0" space on the Score Track. Turn Order: Determine the first player and place their Turn Marker on the 1st space on the Turn Order Board. Then, clockwise, place all players' markers on the next spaces. Dojo Boards: Choose your Dojo Board and place all Samurai Meeples on the Barracks space. Archer Armies: Place the 3 Archer Armies on the Untrained Archer spaces. General: Place the General on the Untrained General space. Seed Tokens: Take the Seed Tokens and randomly place them on the Resource Provinces on the map. It is important to ensure that each Region has at least 1 Bushido Province and 1 Food Resource Province. Solo Mode Setup Prepare the Score Track and the Influence Board. Place the Mori and Takeda markers on the first and second spaces on the Turn Order Track (it doesn't matter which house is in which space, as long as they occupy the first two spaces). Place the player's marker on the third space on the Order Track. Separate the Rival Location Cards by Regions. Draw 2 Location Cards from each of the Regions, then shuffle them into a face-down pile for each Rival house. This creates two face-down piles of 8 cards. Set the rest aside. Take 1 Fate Card for each of the Regions, and place them near the Influence Board. There should now be 4 Fate Cards near the board. Shuffle the rest of the Fate Cards and place them face down. Place 2 of your Samurai Armies in each of the Province Capitals and take 2 Food and 2 Bushido for yourself. The two Rival houses start with 0 resources and 0 Armies on the board. The Rivals (Mori House and Takeda House) play with yellow and blue colors. Remove all movement tokens from their Order Tokens (3 for each). Shuffle the rest of the Order Tokens (8) and place them face down. Take the blue and yellow Samurai Armies and Castles and place them near the map board. Place the Solo Mode Action Board on one side of the map. During the game, your house, the Mori house, and the Takeda house will use the spaces on this board to place Order Tokens and play actions, instead of using the spaces printed on the map board. Game Flow The game is divided into 3 Eras. Each Era consists of 2 Rounds, where each Round is played in 2 Phases: the Planning Phase and the Resolution Phase. Brief Overview of an Era In each Era, in the first Round, you and the Rivals place 3 Order Tokens each. In the second Round, you and the Rivals place 2 Order Tokens each. At the beginning of the first Era, you must be last in the Turn Order. After the first Era, the player with the lowest score will be first during the next Era. The player with the next lowest score will be second, and so on. Planning Phase (Solo Mode) The Mori and Takeda houses play their Order Tokens a little differently than the player. To determine which Region they would place an Order Token in, they use the back of the Location Cards, while the front of the Location Cards will determine which provinces in that Region they will recruit their Armies. Rival House Turn Actions in Round 1: Draw a Location Card, take an Order Token (face down) randomly and place it on the lowest available space of the Region (the Region of the Location Card). Then, flip the card and recruit an Army for each of the Provinces matching the Location Card. If the Rival has any number of Armies present in all corresponding Provinces, the Rival performs the Neutral Action near their token. Important Notes: If the Rival has an Army in only one of the matching Provinces, they still recruit an Army in the empty Provinces. If the Rival cannot place an Order Token in a given Region (i.e., the Region is all filled), draw Location Cards until there is a free space for an Order Token in another Region. The Location Cards that are used are placed at the bottom of the deck. When a total of 9 Order Tokens (3 for each) have been placed on the Solo Mode Action Board, you can proceed to the Resolution Phase. Turn Actions for Rivals in Round 2: The Rival draws a Location Card, then places an Order Token on the highest available space in the Region corresponding to the card. Then, flip the card and recruit an Army for each of the Provinces matching the Location Card. If the Rival has any number of Armies present in all corresponding Provinces, then the Rival performs the Neutral Action near their token. Important Notes: When a total of 6 Order Tokens (2 for each house) have been placed on the Solo Mode Action Board, you can proceed to the Resolution Phase. Each Rival house will try not to place Order Tokens over their own Order Tokens, so their priority is empty space > enemy token > own token. The Rival does not pay any resources to place a token over another enemy. You have to pay 1 to cover the first enemy token, and 2 to cover the second. But, only one of your tokens and one of each Rival's tokens can be covered during this Era. Resolution Phase (Solo Mode) Round 1: Resolve Order Tokens from bottom to top (South to North). After all tokens have been resolved, you can start the 2nd Round of the Era. Round 2: Resolve Order Tokens from top to bottom (North to South). After all tokens have been resolved, the Era ends. End of Era After the Era ends, resolve the following steps: Full Harvest: Gain Food and Bushido for yourself and the Rivals. Gain Influence: Count and sum Influence. Count and Sum Points: Count and sum points (from Regions and Sanctuaries). Remove Tokens and Location Cards: Remove Tokens and Location Cards. Remove Rival Armies: Remove all but one of each Rival's Armies in each Province on the map. Rearrange Turn Track: Rearrange the Turn Track. Draw New Fate Cards: Draw new Fate Cards. Before Era 1: 4 Fate Cards (1 per Region). After Era 1: 2 Fate Cards (randomly). After Era 2: 2 Fate Cards (randomly). After Era 3: 1 Fate Card (randomly). Add Location Cards: Add Location Cards (if applicable). For every even number of a new Fate Card (per Region), add 1 new Location Card to the deck where Rivals draw cards. This means that every time you add the 2nd, 4th, or 6th Fate Card, near the Influence Board, you need to add 1 Location Card from the corresponding Region. Actions and How to Play Training Samurai (Planning Phase) During the Planning Phase, after you place your Order Token, you can train exactly one Army and advance it to an Archer Army, Elite Samurai Army, or General. You can only train 1 Army each time you place a Token during the Planning Phase. Archer Army: To train an Archer Army, pay 1 Bushido and move 1 Samurai Army from the Camp to the Archery Range. Elite Samurai Army: To train an Elite Samurai Army, pay 1 Food and move 1 Samurai Army from the Camp to the Arsenal. General: To train a General, pay 1 Bushido and 1 Food and move a Samurai Army from the Archery Range to the General's Quarters, or move an Elite Samurai Army from the Arsenal to the General's Quarters. The General is not considered an Army for all intents and purposes. Recruiting Trained Armies (Resolution Phase) Every time you resolve a Recruit action from your Order Tokens, during the Resolution Phase, you can choose to recruit any of the Trained Armies or the General, instead of recruiting a regular Samurai Army. You can recruit more than 1 Archer Army and/or Elite Samurai with the same Recruit action (within the action's limit). If you do, resolve each of their abilities separately. Recruitment: Archer and Elite Samurai Armies, as well as the General, must be recruited in a Province Capital or a Province where you have a Castle (unless it is a Besieged Castle) - in the same way regular Samurai Armies are recruited. When you recruit an Archer Army/General, return a Samurai Army from the Archery Range/General's Quarters to the Camp, then place the Archer/General meeple on the map board. If you choose to recruit an Elite Samurai, remove the Samurai meeple from the Arsenal space and place it on the board. Trained Army Abilities Archer Army: Has the same Power as the Samurai Army (1) in a Province without an opponent's Castle. When an Archer Army is located in a Province containing an opponent's Castle, it has 2 Power and that Castle is considered Besieged by the Archer Army. When placed in an opponent's Castle, it gives +1 Victory Point to the attacker. You can have more than one Archer Army besieging the same Castle, and each of these Archer Armies will give you 1 Victory Point at the end of the Era. ## FAQ ### Can I play Rise of Tokugawa solo? Yes! This expansion includes a dedicated solo mode so you can practice your tactics. ### Do I need the original Small Samurai Empires game? Absolutely. This is an expansion and cannot be played without the base game. ### How many players can play with this expansion? With the expansion, you can host up to 5 players at the table. ### Is the game hard to learn? It maintains the base game's weight (3.3/5), so if you know the original, you'll feel at home, just with new challenges. ### Does it come with everything needed to play? Yes, it includes a playmat and new components like units and training grounds. ### Should I worry about the language? Yes, having a translated spreadsheet or cards is recommended to keep the game flowing smoothly. ## Price Comparison ### Best International Offers - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 15.68 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=5145081&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 23.42 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=6410415&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 24.18 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=6781426&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 25.29 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=5220851&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - See all on BoardGamePrices: https://boardgameprices.com/item/show/44628/small-samurai-empires-rise-of-tokugawa?utm_source=boardgamesbot.com