Shadows of mysterious warriors fill the mountain passes.
I’m not sure where I heard about this little game, but I’m always on the lookout for good, relatively fast 2 player games and this one perfectly fits the bill—and the price is excellent too! Despite the low price there’s a great game of hidden placement, special abilities and fun combos in the box.
The ronin and bandit players secretly place their forces on a map behind a screen each turn, the placements are simultaneously revealed, and a number of ronin and village area special abilities are executed. Each round the bandits slowly whittle down the ronins’ strength in an attempt to take the village in 8 rounds. It’s far more evocative of the theme than Samurai Spirit and easier to learn, though getting to know the abilities can take a few plays. The only problem is a certain amount of randomness (you are, after all, secretly placing your forces), but the short play time makes up for that. An excellent game for the price!
