How To Play: Shogun

Overview

I’ve played enough Shogun to know that losing all your rice to rebels is not my idea of fun. If you want to avoid my mistakes (and maybe win), you’re in the right place! This guide includes an outline of the game rules and the best strategies for winning the game. Grab your katana (or some chips) and let’s see How To Play shogun without flipping the table.

What’s in the box

• 1 game board
• 5 player screens
• 5 player boards
• 1 war tower
• 310 cubes (62 per player)
• 55 province cards
• 12 war chest cards
• 5 turn order cards
• 10 revolt markers
• 20 special action tiles
• 20 building tiles
• 5 scoring markers
• 5 rice markers
• 30 gold coins
• 1 year marker
• 1 rulebook

How To Play Shogun: Rules Summary

Setup

1. Place the board in the middle of the table and let everyone stare at Japan in confusion.
2. Each player picks a color and takes matching castles, cubes, and army markers.
3. Give everyone their shiny pile of gold and a rice marker (not for sushi).
4. Shuffle province cards and deal them out to claim starting provinces. Split up your armies there.
5. Set up the year track, war tower, and event cards. Put the rice and gold supplies within reach (no hoarding).

Gameplay

1. First, everyone secretly plans their moves by placing action markers on the action board.
2. Players take turns flipping actions and carrying them out in the right order—build, tax, muster troops, and attack.
3. If you attack, throw those cubes into the war tower. Whatever falls out determines the winner. Cubes love chaos.
4. After all actions are resolved, handle events (which are always way worse for me than everyone else).
5. At the end of each round, pay rice to feed your hungry provinces or deal with rebellions.

Winning

1. The game ends after two years (rounds), because wars are exhausting.
2. Count your victory points from provinces, castles, temples, and theaters.
3. The player with the most points wins and must loudly demand to be called Shogun for at least an hour.

Special Rules & Conditions

1. If a rebellion happens, you must fight to keep your province. Cubes go back in the tower for another round of chaos.
2. Running out of rice during Winter? Your peasants revolt and you lose provinces. Not recommended.
3. Don’t forget the war tower’s tricky memory. Some cubes stay in there for later battles—like that one sock you can never find.

Follow these steps and you’ll know How To Play shogun better than my buddy Dave, who once lost half his army to angry farmers. Good luck!

Best Shogun Strategies

Mastering Province Control and Expansion in Shogun

Starting Strong

Early on, grab provinces that are close together. This keeps your forces safe and helps you defend better. Don’t spread too thin!

1. Choose nearby provinces.
2. Secure choke points.

Balancing Offense and Defense

You must grow, but always watch your borders. My friend Sam once took too many provinces and lost them all in Winter. Learn from Sam’s pain.

1. Reinforce weak spots.
2. Expand only when you are ready.

Timing Your Moves

Wait for the right moment. Strike when your neighbors are weak or distracted. With good timing, province control wins games. For more tips, check out “How To Play shogun” guides for sharper tactics.

1. Watch your rivals’ moves.
2. Attack after they spread thin.

Mastering Gold, Rice, and Troop Management in Shogun

Never Run Out of Rice

1. Always track your harvest each turn. Once I forgot and my samurai starved. No honor in that!

2. Secure provinces with high rice output early. It pays off in winter.

Collect Gold Like a Greedy Daimyo

1. Place your castles where gold is abundant. Those taxes fund your ambitions fast.

2. Balance gold spending on troops. Overhire and you go broke quick! Remember, How To Play shogun means careful planning.

Build Troops Wisely

1. Reinforce borders, not backwaters. Don’t let your opponents walk in!

2. Time troop hires for big fights, not for showing off. Trust me, my pretty army sat idle.

Shogun Combat: Fight Smarter, Not Harder!

Surprise Your Foes

Stay tricky! When my group played, sneaky attacks worked best. So, to catch rivals off guard:

1. Move troops where nobody expects.
2. Strike weak provinces, not strongholds.

Balance Risk and Reward

You want to win fights, but not at any cost. During one game, I lost big because I sent too many troops. Instead:

1. Only attack if you can win with few losses.
2. Keep a back-up army to defend.

Watch the Battlefield

Pay attention to the combat tower, because the cubes do not always behave. Follow these tips:

1. Remember which cubes went in last round.
2. Be ready for surprise outcomes.

Keep these strategies in mind. You’ll master “How To Play shogun” combat and send your rivals packing!

Master the Path of the Daimyo

Shogun turns my friends and me into scheming wannabe warlords every time. The rice runs out, armies clash, and someone always knocks over the tower by accident (that someone is me, Jamie). Remember, the real secret in How To Play shogun isn’t just ruthless fighting—it’s knowing when to backstab your mates and when to bribe them with snacks to forgive you. May your provinces be plenty, your rice bins full, and your friends only a little resentful. See you on the battlefield, hopefully not as the one stuck with a famine!

Want to know what we think of Shogun? Read our detailed review of Shogun here