Edo — what we now know today as Tokyo, Japan — was a thriving city with an estimated population of one million, half townspeople and half samurai. With a huge shopping culture, Edo's main district, Nihonbashi, was lined with shops, selling kimonos, rice, and so much more.
Nihonbashi is the focus of IKI: A Game of EDO Artisans, which brings you on a journey through the famed street of old Tokyo. Hear the voices of Nihonbashi Bridge's great fish market. Meet the professionals, who carry out 700-800 different jobs. Enter the interactivity of the shoppers and vendors. Become one with the townspeople.
One of the main professions in the world of Edo is the artisan. Each of the Edo artisans uses their own skill of trade to support the townspeople's lives. In this game, not only are there artisans, but street vendors, sellers at the shops, and professions unique to this time and age. Meet the puppet masters, putting on a show. Meet the ear cleaners that people would line up for.
The goal of this game is to become the annual Edoite, best personifying what is known as "IKI", an ancient philosophy believed to be the ideal way of living among people in Edo. Knowing the subtleties of human nature, being refined and attractive — these are all elements of a true IKI master.
- Heard lots about it
- Economic competition
- Feudal Japan market
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Economic competition — Artisans set them up in the market and acquire prestige in feudal Japan
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- We love trick taking games
- This game is so much freaking fun
- I adore GMT games, they are becoming one of my favorite game publishers
- If you remember Vast Crystal Caverns is in my top five games of all time
- We bloody love it
- We can't stop playing
- It's a blimp game not a train game
- That's just work
- I don't think I want to play it
- I'll get it eventually
References (from this video)
- Dynamic and well-implemented rondelle with evolving spots and pre-planning options
- Multiple viable strategies supported by helpers, buildings, and fish/pipes/scarcity mechanics
- Strong initiative and interaction; timing and order often drive the engine
- High production quality: visually appealing board, chunky wooden meeples, and clear symbols
- Good scalability and a solid two-player variant with suitable blockers
- Fire token randomness can frustrate some players and feel markets-of-fortune-like
- Thirteen rounds can feel lengthy; some players may prefer a shorter playtime (around 10 rounds)
- Complex for newcomers; analysis-paralysis risk with many moving parts and options
- artisans, guilds, and city-building focused on resource management and growth
- Edo-period Japan; artisan guilds, market spaces, and seasonal activity
- procedural progression through 13 monthly rounds with an end-of-year culmination
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Building cards and end-game scoring — Build structures with ongoing and end-game scoring effects; buildings can scale with resources and color-matching strategies
- Character retirement and income persistence — Retiring a character moves it to your board for ongoing income but removes its bottom ability from play
- Fire track and firefighting — A fire mechanic where tokens trigger fires in zones; players must raise firefighting value to mitigate losses
- Resource management and currency conversion — Manage rice, wood, coins, sandals, and other tokens; exchange or spend to acquire actions, items, and buildings
- Rondelle movement — Circular action-selection engine with initiative order determined by marching around a dial and interacting with buildings and helpers
- Set collection and season bonuses — Collect season-themed tokens (fish, pipes, pouches) to unlock set bonuses and end-game points
- Two-player blockers — In two-player mode, certain rondelle spots are blocked to simulate opposition and shape move options
- Worker helpers and interaction — Helpers can be owned by you, your opponent, or be neutral; hiring and advancing them drives bonuses and income
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- I am a big fan of rondelle games
- This is a very well put together game
- Production of the game is fantastic; I love the way the board looks
- Loads of good Euro stuff going on here
- There are plenty of paths to Victory here
- The initiative is such a strong part in this game
- The meeples themselves look amazing, nice chunky wooden pieces
- The board looks lovely too
- There are plenty of paths to victory and plenty of synergies between strategies