by Marc M, 21 March 2024 ~ #UnboxingDay
Battle of Sekigahara is a new two-player strategy game from designer Stephen L. King Jr., published by The Historical Game Company LLC. and printed by Blue Panther Games LLC. Battle of Sekigahara takes you back to Japan in 1600, representing the battle for control of feudal Japan between the Eastern Army of Tokugawa Ieyasu and Ishida Mitsunari’s Western Army.
click images to enlarge
The Game Box
Battle of Sekigahara comes in a relatively compact package: a 1-inch-thick box complete with just a few pages of instructions, a half-sheet of counters, a small game map, two decks of game cards and a six-sided die.
On the box cover, an excerpt from a six-panel folding screen painting of the armies engaged in the Battle of Sekigahara sets the mood for the game. The back of the boxes gives a preview of the components.
The Manual
The box bills this strategy game as easy to learn and play, and, upon opening the box, the four-page color manual underscores this. The font is easy to read, and the images are clear and easy to interpret.
In fact, the manual contains only about three pages of actual instructions, with the last page functioning primarily as a terrain effects chart along with a listing of credits and suggestions for further reading on this historical battle.
The Game Counters
The roughly half sheet of 5/7-inch counters is printed on thick cardboard with semi-glossy, textured front and back surfaces.
The 63 unit counters represent cavalry, samurai infantry and units armed with matchlock guns, as well as bowmen and spearmen. Eastern Army units are white on black with Western Army units black on white. There are also a handful of counters representing allies of the Western Army and units that one side or the other might control, depending on gameplay. In addition, there are a few administrative counters.
The Game Cards
This is a card-driven game, with movement and combat playing out depending on the cards each side draws from their individual decks of cards. The cards tell the combatants how many units can move and attack each turn, as well as special actions that occur. The 20 cards (10 per side) have colorful illustrations that fit the time period and theme and are the same size and weight as typical playing cards.
The Game Map
And finally, the game map is actually a game mat. It’s pliable and, like the counters, has a nice texture. It’s also got a small footprint – just under 11 inches high by 17 inches wide. About 13 inches of that width is play area, with the remaining area reserved for the turn track and spaces for eliminated counters.
Terrain illustrations are simple but effective representations of the area around the town of Sekigahara. The illustration style works well with the topic. The small size of the map is a very nice feature for someone who doesn’t have readily available table space to stitch together a couple of 2-foot by 3-foot boards.
The Setup
The map indicates starting areas. The icons for different units are a bit small (for my eyes anyway), so take a close look to distinguish between the spearman and the units bearing the matchlocks. After a few minutes of setup, you’re ready to recreate the Battle Sekigahara. Playtime is billed as around 90 minutes, so this is potentially a game you could learn, set up and play in an evening.
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