Only July 26th Wizards of the Coast’s Avalon Hill division is releasing Ikusa (MSRP $80.00), a new edition (with upgraded components) of Mike Gray’s Shogun, which was retitled Samurai Swords in 1986 due to avoid confusion with James Clavell's Shogun.  The rules of the game, which was the last game in the original Milton Bradley Gamemaster series, have not been changed, but the box and the game board design have been radically improved.  The goal in this Risk-like game of conquest for 2-5 players (ages 12 and up), which is set in the Land of the Rising Sun, is to control as many provinces as possible.  The first player to control 35 of the 68 provinces wins, though in the cutthroat two-man version of the game, the winning player has to control 50 provinces. 

 

The great thing about Ikusa is that it has enough complexity to make it really interesting and worth playing numerous times, but it is not so complicated that it is tedious to learn.  Players have to use their resources well to build fortifications and hire warriors, and then they have to pick the right targets to attack.  Each player gets three Daimyo (army leaders), and by successfully winning battles and conquering provinces a Daimyo becomes more powerful and thus more useful, but Daimyos can also be taken out by ninja assassination as well as in battles in which an army is completely wiped out. If a player loses all three Daimyos, he or she is out of the game.  With gameplay that encourages secrecy--players can build up their forces in provinces without revealing their location—Ikusa is filled with surprises.

 

The giant Ikusa gamebox (18.2” x12.2” x 3”) includes a rulebook, game board, a deck of Province cards, 436 durable plastic play pieces, 12 six-sided dice, 5 reference screens and army cards, 5 planning trays, 5 turn order markers, 12 battle markers, and 1 flag-label sheet.