Rising Sun Review

Sometime last year, a gaming acquaintence of mine referred me to the Kickstarter campaign for Rising Sun. I wasn't really sold on the idea of Kickstarter games. I'm very much a try-before-you-buy type guy. The only game I had contributed to at that point was the Sentinels of the Multiverse: OblivAeon campaign, which was a mostly known quantity since it was the final expansion of a game I loved. Still, out of polite curiosity, I checked out the Rising Sun game. I was not prepared for how unspeakable awesome their video was.

I was already taking Kendo at this point, so the idea of playing feudal Japanese clans with Samurai, Ronin, and ancient monsters was an instant hook. The artwork and minatures were truly breathtaking as well, but was that enough to go for the campaign? I held off for a really long time while I watched the stretch goals get unlocked and new features get shown. Eventually the rulebook was released and I gave it a read. My already high regard for this game was exceeded by what I found. The numerous paths to victory were very apparent, which I always like. Unlike other Area Control games, there was no way for any player to be eliminated, which would appeal to my less experienced gaming friends. And the shared action mechanic from games like Puerto Rico would make sure everyone would always be engaged (a common problem with games like Eclipse and Star Trek Ascendancy). All-in-all, there was every reason it would be a great game, and only my cautious nature holding me back. As the campaign drew to a close, I eventually caved and made a pledge, asking for all the extras except the metal coins (I had to draw the line somewhere).

As my first contribution to a Kickstarter game I'd never played before, I'd say it was a good choice. Unlike Sentinels , Rising Sun ended up getting released months ahead of schedule and was chalked full of great Kickstarter exclusive goodies. In the weeks leading up to it arriving at my door, I was always running like a kid running on Christmas morning to my mailbox to see if it arrived. And it finally did.

I wasted no time in opening things up. Like most other new games, there was a process of reorganizing the pieces to my desired arrangements as I unwrapped the cards and miniatures.

I was a little disappointed to find that some of the miniature trays didn't have covers, which meant there was a risk they would fall out and roll around in the box. I was able to mitigate that with some creative packing, but it was a little annoying.

The miniatures themselves lived up to all the hype, with some truly impressive detailing. Some of them were actually so detailed, that they became delicate. For example, the spines on the Earth dragon are very thin and wouldn't take much to break off. I accidentally pulled the hand off one of the other monsters. Fortunately, it popped back into place, but I made a note to be careful with them.

Bonsai Clan: Daimyo, Shinto, Bushi, and Stronghold

Lotus Clan: Daimyo, Shinto, Bushi, and Stronghold

Turtle Clan: Daimyo, Shinto, Bushi, and Turtle back Stronghold

Koi Clan: Daimyo, Shinto, Bushi, and Stronghold

Dragonfly Clan: Daimyo, Shinto, Bushi, and Stronghold

Monsters

Once it was all laid out, it was truly a site to behold and I felt a little overwhelmed by the sheer number of components and variation that came with the game. All the boxes took up a full cubby on my gaming shelf, and then some.

First Play Through

We had four players for our first game. I basically put out all the miniatures, offered to explain special abilities, and then let people choose whatever clan they wanted. One person took Koi because she "wanted to be red," another took Dragonfly when he found out they could fly. Another took Bonsai somewhat arbitrarily. I decided I wanted to be Turtle so I could use the turtle stronghold miniatures. This caused a minor outcry as the other players claimed I had chosen "the best one" because I had turtles, but I pointed out they had been plainly visible and I had deliberately chosen last.

We each randomly chose a Kami (god) and came up with Raijun (grants 2 free moves), Susanoo (grants a free placement of a Bushi), Fujin (grants 2 free coins), and Tsukuyomi (grants a extra purchase of an upgrade). We chose the Teapot upgrade set, because who doesn't like tea? I did of couple mock turns for everyone to get the hang of gameplay and then we began.

Dragonfly offered to ally with me right away and I accepted. Koi and Bonsai immediately partnered as well. The early rounds were a little timid as we harvested, recruited, and build strongholds. Harvesting would cause a lot of confusion in the game as players were often tempted to take the rewards from their provinces regardless of if they were allowed to. Fortuately, we all kept on top of each other. Our shinto were scattered over the various Kami. I tended to favor Susanoo for the extra moves. Unsurprisingly, Bonsai initially favored Tsukuyomi for the upgrades, and Koi favored Susanoo for the troops.

I used my turtles to my advantage to spread out more and take control of Oshu. Bonsai slowly branched out to the east and Dragonfly headed for the middle. We all bought some monsters as well. My harvest of Kyoto put me in an early lead for victory points. It felt like the first mandate phase was over very quickly and the first war phase even more so. Most players just collected their war tokens without opposition and the only fight was between me and Koi over Kyoto. Koi was a little confused about her ability and ended up forgetting to set aside extra coins to serve as Ronin. I gave her a mulligan so she could try again, but ended up winning by taking one of her forces hostage. She lost 4 units in that battle and never quite recovered from it.

By the next season, everyone had a better handle on the game. We kept the same alliances and started spreading out more. Dragonfly figured out that if he camped his shinto on Tsukuyomi, he could acquire all sorts of upgrades. Surprisingly, Bonsai didn't challenge him for it despite that Kami being worth more to her. By the time the second War Phase rolled around, Dragonfly was flush with cash from all the extra money abilities he'd acquired (though looking back at the FAQ, he should have had a little less). I held Oshu and Kyoto and also sent a small force into Edo. Koi was so paranoid at her last loss, that she pulled all her forces back to repel me. I just committed Seppuku and for a few extra points. Dragonfly and Bonsai had a couple clashes as well.

As the last season rolled around, it become clear that Dragonfly was the big contender. I broke off my alliance with him and partnered with Koi, since I didn't regard her as a serious threat. Bonsai switched her allegiance to ally with Dragonfly, which ended up further enabling him. Over the course of the next season, I put my remaining turtle fortresses in play while Dragonfly used his massive income bonuses to buy upgrades, including the infamous Godzilla inspired monster, Daikaiju, which would destroy all enemy forces and strongholds in a province it enters play. I had a few unkillable monsters in my army, but my turtles had lost their advantage. Fortunately for me, at the next war phase, Dragonfly deployed it to crush an entire Koi force at Kansai, leaving nothing by the Daimyo standing against it.

Koi lost the battle since Dragonfly outbid her on the Take Hostage feature. I managed to hold onto Kyoto, but I lost narrowly Oshu when Dragonfly used his Ronin. I did rob him some victory points by capturing his monster who would have given him a bonus (again, a later look at the FAQ would have prevented me from doing this). I also managed to defeat his forces on Hokkkaido with only my honor as a tie breaker. Bonsai defeated me on her home territory as well.

At the end of the game, Dragonfly shot to the top with 65 points from the sheer number of winter upgrades and extra point abilities. My early lead and various battles put me in second place at 51, followed by Bonsai at 43, and then Koi at 21.

Reflections

The game was just as engaging and fun as I predicted it would be. We made a mistake in our setup with the upgrades. Instead of fanning them out for all to see, we kept them in a pile and let each person look individually, which cause massive delays every time someone played the Train Mandate. Otherwise, the turns moved along very smoothly. Like I said, there was some confusion with Harvest, but we all kept each other in check, so I don't think anyone got away with cheating. 

I'd say none of us fully played to the strengths of our clans. I used my turtles to help me get an early advantage in war, but then I just "turtled" up in a couple provinces and held them for most of the game, when it would have been better to march them across the map and go for victories in different territories. Bonsai should have been worshiping at Tsukuyomi for the cheap upgrades. She was top honor the whole game and could have held that Kami against anyone else. Dragonfly mainly followed normal move routes and rarely used his fly ability. And Koi never branched far out of Edo, so she was always starved for Ronin and that left her at a disadvantage in the war phase. 

I was a little worried at the seeming overpowering ability of Daikaiju, but the fact that it can only be used once and is only effective against non-Daimyo units gives it enough restrictions in my opinion. My monsters were strong enough to hold their own against it, and Koi could have beaten it with her daimyo alone if she had enough money. That said, I imagine there's nothing more satisfying in the game that slapping down Godzilla and watching the province burn.  

The massive amount of replayablility in this game, especially with expansions and KS exclusives, cannot be overstated. We were all pretty overwhelmed at the amount of choices in Upgrade decks and since the seasons were so short, there was a lot left unused.

Extras

Like I said, this game came with a boatload of cool Kickstarter goodies and extras. As a wonderful payoff on my pledge, nearly everything came all at once in one box. 

No one had a chance to play the bonus Fox clan, or the Sun and Moon clan from the Dynasty Invasion expansion, but they're next on my list to try. Fox's ability to just show up at battles could tip the balance in hilarious ways. Moon Clan's extra powerful units would give them a distinct advantage in the early game and gives them an incentive to buy cheaper upgrades. I think the Sun clan would be the most annoying if left unchecked as they will push to keep their honor up and win ties. Last of all, who doesn't love new monsters in the Seven Unlucky Gods.

Fox Clan: Daimyo, Shinto, Bushi, Stronghold

Moon Clan: Daimyo, Shinto, Bushi, Stronghold

Sun Clan: Daimyo, Shinto, Bushi, Stronghold

Seven Unlucky Gods

The Kami Unbound expansion was particularly interesting bonus expansion. As we found out in our game, having the right Kami can make a huge difference between victory and defeat, and adding them as miniatures in the field even more so. I'm intrigued to see how they affect the game.

Kami Miniatures

Last of all is the Kickstarter exclusive Art Book by artist Adrian Smith.

The incredible artwork from the video was one of the first things that hooked me from this game and this book had everything in full color for all to see. I admit I was a little disappointed that it only contained final versions of the art. I was hoping for some concept sketches and maybe some commentary from the artist, but as a coffee table book of art, it's well worth having.

For my first blind purchase of a Kickstarter game, this was a good start. While I've seen others that don't quite live up to this one, I know that CMON has some great material. When Zombicide: The Green Horde went up, I gave to that one without hesitation. Looking forward to reviewing material from that one as well.