Ashigaru: 1567

The 16th century was a time of strife for Japan. Its many clans were autonomous, headstrong an dresisted unification. The emperor thus began a competition for shogun between his two greatest samurai. You and an opponent will vie for the title as you coerce one village after another, searching for the three resources vital to the creation of the fighting infantry called Ashigaru – men, food and gold. Will you be able to unite the major clans, better your opponent and become shogun? Find out by playing all three games of Ashigaru: 1567 – making wise decisions, using clever card management, and playing winning 3-Card Poker hands! (Note: This is the first in a series of low-cost games using the 3CP Game Engine™, which employs custom cards plus a user-supplied 52-card deck of standard playing cards.)

During the game, players try to win Ashigaru cards (usually to form sets) by playing 3-card poker hands from a standard deck. However, it's not as simple as it first appears. Since you get a new card every round, will you hold onto a pair of jacks, for example, hoping for a third -- making three-of-a-kind? Or break up two Aces to use one in a straight? A simple, easily memorized chart determines what Ashigaru cards you get -- and the better your winning hand, the better the cards you win.

There are three related games included, from easy to moderate complexity. All are simple to learn, fun to play and balanced, with a fairly high tension level!

* GET THE RULES AT BOARDGAMEGEEK.COM *