Age of War*

Age of War is a fast-paced dice game centered on conquest and strategy, set in feudal Japan. The game is designed for quick play and involves capturing castles, managing resources, and strategic planning.

Core Gameplay

• Objective: Players aim to conquer castles to score victory points, with the highest score at the end winning.
• Castle Cards: The game features 14 castle cards, each associated with a Japanese clan. Castles have varying symbols needed for conquest, divided into battle lines.
• Clan Diversity: Some clans have multiple castles, while others have only one, affecting strategic choices.

Mechanics

• Dice Rolling: Players use seven dice with symbols representing different medieval Japanese army units like archery, cavalry, daimyo, and infantry.
• Conquest: On their turn, a player rolls the dice and matches symbols to conquer a castle's battle line.
• Turn Progression: Successful conquest allows for additional rolls to continue attacking; failure leads to the loss of a die and re-rolling.
• Capture and Control: Players can capture castles from others, though an additional daimyo line must be conquered. Securing all castles of a clan grants immunity from theft and bonus points.

Endgame and Scoring

• Game End Trigger: The game concludes when all castle cards have been claimed.
• Scoring: Players count their victory points from captured castles, with bonuses for uniting all castles of a clan under their control.

Conclusion

Age of War is a compact and engaging game that combines elements of luck (through dice rolling) and strategy (in selecting castles and managing dice rolls). It appeals to players who enjoy quick tactical decision-making and a historical theme. The challenge of balancing risk and reward, coupled with the competitive aspect of conquering and retaining castles, makes for an exciting and accessible game experience.