Kamisado is a game of pure skill and strategy with no dice, cards or other chance element — it's just you against your opponent!
The aim in each round is to be the first to get an octagonal "dragon tower" to the opposite side of the board; towers move in straight lines, either forwards or diagonally forwards. The twist is that you must move the tower of the color matching the space on which the opponent moved on her previous turn. As the game progresses, you'll find that the routes you want to use are blocked by enemy towers — and sometimes your own! If you can't move, your opponent moves again immediately, moving the tower matching the color of the space occupied by the stymied tower.
As the game unfolds, your towers will be promoted to "Sumos" and have the ability to push your opponent's pieces backwards, earning you extra turns. The situations continue to become more complex and challenging, until one player accumulates the required winning total and can be declared a "Kamisado Grand Master" — until the next game!
- Beautiful artwork
- Clever and unique mechanics
- The board is always moving so you really have to plan ahead
- The board is always moving
- balancing favor with people against connection to nature
- rural Japan during the Edo period
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — Using a combination of asymmetrical Powers, area control, set collection and pattern building and light card drafting.
- asymmetrical powers — Using a combination of asymmetrical Powers, area control, set collection and pattern building and light card drafting.
- Card Drafting — Using a combination of asymmetrical Powers, area control, set collection and pattern building and light card drafting.
- Pattern Building — Using a combination of asymmetrical Powers, area control, set collection and pattern building and light card drafting.
- Set Collection — Using a combination of asymmetrical Powers, area control, set collection and pattern building and light card drafting.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- People's Choice top 10.
- This is now my all-time favorite game.
- This is the perfect Adventure series for short attention spans.
- This is the game I own that I most want to play but won't until five other Campaign games are at least good but not yet finished.
- This month's top touted game is Scarface 1920.
- I like more pretend Bloodshed than actual Bloodshed myself.
- This game was the perfect thematic gangster board game we needed.
References (from this video)
- very fun, very tactical, very quick
- teaches quickly; portable variants exist
- abstract may be niche for some players
- color-matching, strategic blocking
- abstract dragon-tower race on an 8x8 grid
- highly abstract tactical play
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- color-based movement — pieces move forward to color-mmatched completion
- line-of-sight / dragon teeth scoring — tooth pieces modify movement and scoring drastically
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- two could be as bad as one it's the loneliest number since the number one
- two is the loneliest number
- Flamme Rouge is like a Lance Armstrong simulator without the Assassin cheating in Warhammer underworlds
- Remember to like share and subscribe
- I'll be Rob AKA just the Rogue
References (from this video)
- tight, elegant play
- quick rounds with deep decisions
- less accessible to absolute newcomers
- the visuals may feel plain to some players
- strategic rook-like movement with a unique push mechanic
- Japanese themed abstract duel
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- abstract_strategy — move pieces forward to land on opponent's color, influencing next move
- color-driven_move — landing on a color compels the opponent to move a specific piece next
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Nar is a Viking themed whole thing, but the whole timing, the sequencing when you get to fire off those banners, when you're actually making that, it's one of those games that is a small footprint, but I think it builds really well.
- With the expansion, I think it's fantastic. And they integrated some of that stuff in the new version, Sakura Slam.
- I love Clask so much.