In Bitoku, the players take on the roles of Bitoku spirits of the forest in their path towards transcendence, with the goal of elevating themselves and becoming the next great spirit of the forest. To do so, they will have the help of the yōkai, the kodamas and the different pilgrims that accompany them on their path. This is a hand-management, engine-building game with multiple paths to victory.
Players will have yōkai represented by the cards that make up their hand, which must be placed in the right places at the right times in order to obtain the maximum benefit from the abilities they offer. Furthermore, during the game players can earn more yōkai cards for their deck, thereby increasing their playing options and achieving a higher score. Each player also has three yōkai guardians (in the form of dice) that they can send to the large regions of the forest on the main board in order to obtain all kinds of new options that they can play during the game. These options can be structures they build in certain areas of the forest, soul crystals that generate resources when certain actions are carried out, and many others as well. The players also have the chance to help the mitamas, lost souls in search of redemption by using the chinkon fireflies.
There is truly a wide range of actions to carry out, and this is without taking into account the personal domain where the players can lay out another layer of additional strategy while managing the pilgrims. Pilgrims are followers of the player who embark upon journeys of contemplation and reflection who then share the experiences and learning they can along the spirit path with the Bitoku.
—description from the publisher
- Wife crazy for Euro games and heavy games
- Challenging when you get going
- Tons of replay value
- Best with two plus
- Quite tough to get into
- Spirits competing to take over forest
- Japanese forest spirits
- Heavy Euro
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Point Salad — Every chip gives points in different ways
- worker placement — Take fields others need
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Does your wife ever tell you what to do all the time especially what board games to play
- My wife loves games where she beats your ass
- This was the game we took to the hospital when my son was born
- I'm afraid for the calendar its days are numbered
- What does a sprinter eat before a race? Nothing, they fast
References (from this video)
- Stunning artwork
- Very heavy and thematic
- Very complex, steep learning curve
- Heavy euro with big agency/deck interactions
- Spiritual forest world with yokai-inspired motifs
- Mythic, grand strategy
- Castles of Burgundy
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- deck-building / tableau building — Acquire and combo cards to trigger points and effects.
- Worker placement with dice and card interactions — Dice and cards drive actions, set collection, and engine-building.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- this is work replacement at its finest it's simplest it is satisfying and it is a euro
- it's a town full of dragons
- by far the heaviest
- the best Euro game there is I'll tell you what the best is number five Great Western Trail
- Earth is also a card drafting but you're getting a lot of cards
- Eclipse is a space game... this is its Euro cousin
- Juniper Imperial it's a hybrid game
References (from this video)
- innovative bidding mechanic
- fresh take on trick-taking
- thematic hook may be thin for some players
- availability/production footprint not fully clear
- cryptocurrency-based bidding
- Tokyo Game Market / Japan
- abstract/economy-focused with bidding twist
- Zylotar
- Magic Trick
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Dynamic bidding via bid cards — Players bid using cards; bids evolve as tricks are won, altering future decisions
- Trick-taking — Core trick-taking play with strategic bidding-based constraints
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Game night isn't just about the rules. It's about how it feels to play.
- No AI art was a big thing.
- Indie game markets are a middle sweet spot for me.
- I saw 102 movies in the theater last year.
- Cheap and stubborn is really what it is.