Japan, 1605 – Hidetada Tokugawa has succeeded his father as the new Shogun, ruling from the great city of Edo (a.k.a. Yedo), the city known in present times as Tokyo. This marks the beginning of the golden age of the Tokugawa Shogunate and the so-called Edo Period that will last until 1868. Naturally, the most powerful families in Edo immediately try to curry favor with the new Shogun – and this is the opportunity our clan has been looking for, our chance at power and glory. Our clan will prove ourselves to be indispensable to the new Shogun. We will work from the shadows to acquire information about our rival clans. We will kidnap those who might oppose our ascent and assassinate those who prove a threat. We will use cunning to prevent our adversaries from doing the same to us. We will find glory and honor in the eyes of this new Shogun – or failing that we will end his rule by any means necessary.
In the strategy game Yedo, players assume the roles of Clan Elders in the city of Edo during the early years of the Tokugawa Shogunate. The object of the game is to amass Prestige Points, mainly by completing missions. To do so, players must gather the necessary assets and – most importantly – outfox their opponents and prevent them from completing their missions.
There are several ways to reach your goal. Will you try to complete as many missions as possible and hope that your efforts catch the Shogun's eye? Or will you choose a more subtle way of gaining power by trying to influence the Shogun during a private audience? You can also put your rivals to shame by buying lots of luxury goods from the European merchants. It's all up to you – but be careful to make the right choices, for in Yedo, eternal glory and painful disgrace are two sides of the same coin...
- nostalgic and approachable
- family-friendly mystery
- older design may feel dated
- mystery deduction
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Hidden movement — investigate to deduce killer, location, and weapon
- Hidden movement / deduction — investigate to deduce killer, location, and weapon
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- the production is incredible
- this is a long one there's a few games of my collection
- I'm keeping this one forever
- it's a great family game
- it's basically a social deduction game and it's really clever
References (from this video)
- Innovative, emotionally resonant premise
- Cooperative storytelling
- Hard to be fully convinced without playing
- Thematic heaviness may not suit all groups
- narrative-driven investigative storytelling
- time-travelish hypothesis where you attempt to prevent a death
- cooperative, one-shot scenarios with emotional storytelling
- Exit the Game
- Dixit: Journey
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Cooperative Game — collaborate to alter outcomes by making meaningful decisions
- cooperative puzzle solving — collaborate to alter outcomes by making meaningful decisions
- Narrative choice — moments that determine life/death outcomes
- Scenario / Mission / Campaign Game — each box focuses on a single death across different timelines
- scenario-based gameplay — each box focuses on a single death across different timelines
- story-driven decisions — moments that determine life/death outcomes
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Sushi Roll deserves to be one of the most successful family board games on the market
- One Key is the perfect simplification that still retains the fun to try and communicate through imagery and argue over what you're convinced you can see
- Bosque is a gorgeous looking game
- it's the perfect setup for a party game just that right amount of arm flapping and frustration at your teammates
- the Catacombs of Horror ... continue to surpass my expectations in how they can continue to bring creativity to puzzles
- Dragon's Breath is one of the best kids games I've ever played
- Paris is a one-of-a-kind dexterity game with a handcrafted hardwood board
- Undo ... is a cooperative one-shot experience
- Home Brewers ... I love it because it does a great job of capturing its theme