Shadows in Kyoto is a two-player abstract game based with the background of Hanamikoji in which players take control of the Oniwaban, a group of undercover spies, secretly protecting the Shogun, or an intelligence agency of the Meiji Government, funding with the advanced technology of the Western Industrial Revolution.
As the commanders, the players must secretly gather key intelligence from the opponent while protecting their own interests. Through movements, conflicts, and tactics, players have three different paths to victory:
1). Capture 2 enemy agents who possess real intelligence.
2). Let your opponent captures 3 agents of your own who possess fake intelligence.
3). Succeed in the escape of 1 agent of your own who possesses real intelligence.
- Compact and elegant for two players
- Solid solo replayability potential
- Two-player focus may limit group play
- Strategic duel with hidden information
- Two-player confrontation with a heritage of strategic two-player designs
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Hidden point tracking with numbers underneath pieces — Hidden points create strategic ambiguity akin to Stratego-like dynamics.
- Two-player abstract-ish confrontation — Compact box with engaging head-to-head calculation.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- the majority of these I got for free as review copies
- I'm interested in all of these games but most of them I haven't played yet
- I absolutely love when I dream
- this is the party version right here