sekigahara rulebook

7/27/2019 Sekigahara Rulebook

1/20

SEKIGAHARA Rules o Play

2013 GM Games, LLC

GMT Games, LLC

P.O. Box 1308 Hanford, CA 932321308 www.GMTGames.com


2/20


2013 GM Games, LLC

2. Vic Cii2.1 In stan t VI Ctory

Te okugawa player wins instantly i IshidaMitsunari (shown on the right) is killed or

oyotomi Hideyori (the gold-colored diskshown in 3.4) is captured. Te Ishida player

wins instantly i okugawa Iesayu (the blackLeader block shown in 3.) is killed. I bothsides win instant victory in the same battle,the Ishida player wins.

2.2 VI Ctory PoInts

Victory points are counted i the end o week 7 is reached withno instant winner. Players score two points or each castle and onepoint or each Resource Location. Te higher total wins the game

A tie in victory points is broken in avor o the Ishida player.

3. Ge Piece3.1 Colors

okugawa pieces are black, Ishida pieces are gold. Blocks on theboard should be aligned so that only the owner can see each blockidentity.

3.2 BloCks

Each block represents roughly 5,000 warriors. Each block corre-sponds to a single daimyo (leader), whose mon (symbol) appears onthe block. Te historical name o that daimyo can be ound on thecards that have corresponding symbols. Te strength o the block

is the number (4) o mon printed on it.

Some blocks also have attached gun or cavalry ability, indicated bya gun or cavalry symbol.

1. IciSekigaharais a -player game depicting the campaign in the year600 that ounded the okugawa Shogunate. One player assumesthe role o okugawa Ieyasu, the most powerul daimyo in Japan.

Te other becomes Ishida Mitsunari, champion o a warlord's childheir. Each leader assembled a coalition o daimyo and ought a7-week contest or control o Japan. Te war was decided at acrossroads called Sekigahara, where disloyalty and deections turnedthe tide o battle rom Ishida to okugawa.

A complete game oSekigaharaincludes:

x34 inch map

and / sheets o stickers 96 rectangular blocks (48 gold and 48 black) 0 small cubes, 0 o each color gold disks square block decks o cards (one or each coalition) draw bags reerence cards (identical) this rulebook

I you have any questions or comments about the game or itscomponents, you may address these to GM Games ([email protected]), or you can post a message to the Sekigahara discus-

sion board on ConsimWorld.com or BoardGameGeek.com.

Ishida Mitsunari

Applying the Stickers

Apply the gold-colored Ishida Mitsunari labels to thegold-colored blocks; and apply the black okugawa Ieyasustickers to the black blocks. All blocks and disks receiveonly one sticker except the square urn rack block whichreceives a black and a gold sticker. Tere are no stickers orthe small cubes.

taBlE oF ContEnts

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Victory Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3 Game Pieces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4 Locations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

5 Initial Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

6 Weekly Cycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

7 Movement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

8 Combat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

9 Special Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Historical Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Design Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Cavalrysymbol

Gunsymbol

3-mon block(rom the Uesugi clan)

-mon block(rom the Maeda clan)

Sample Ishida block Sample okugawa block

Setupsymbol


3/20


2013 GM Games, LLC

3

Some blocks represent a daimyo (leader). Tese are marked with anobori (banner). Most nobori have a single dot, but the protago-nists o the campaign, Ishida Mitsunari and okugawa Ieyasu, aremarked with nobori o three dots.

3.3 Cards

Cards represent the allegiance o each players armies. Te greaterthe number o cards in a players hand, the greater the support ohis troops. Cards are used to bid or Initiative (6.3), to move (7.),

Force March (7.3.3), and deploy units or battle (8..).

Each side has a deck, and will use only that deck or the durationo the game. When the game begins, shue both decks and placethem ace down to orm two draw piles.

All discards and card plays are public (played ace up) at thetime they are played. Discard piles cannot be examined by eitherplayer.

When a card draw pile is expended and the player must draw a newcard, shue the discard pile to make a new draw pile.

3.4 othEr ComPonEnts

Disks are units that can be destroyed like a block, but cannotmove or ght. Tere are two disks in the game, each attached toa castle.

Turn Marker: A at square with the okugawa mon on one sideand the Ishida mon on the other is used to mark the turn, the moveand the player who moves rst this week.

Cubes: Black and gold cubes are used to represent control o theresource areas on the board. Cubes are also used to track Impactdelivered during a combat, on the Impact rack.

Board: Te board represents central Honshu, the largest island oJapan, where the majority o the ghting took place. Te boardcontains the map and the locations in play, the Impact rack, the

urn rack, and the Recruitment Boxes.

Tis daimyo's blocks maydeploy into battle

Swords indicate a Special

Attack ability

Daimyo's name

Initiative bid number

Leader blockUkita daimyo

Leader blockokugawa Ieyasu

Single dotNobori

Front side Back side

Location Indicates the

Toyotomi Hideyori

disk starts here

Castle Capital and

also a Resource

Location

HighwaySecondaryRoad

Two gold Ishida blocks

randomly drawn are

placed here

Recruitment

Location

Six gold Ishida blocks

with the square setup

symbol start here

oyotomi Hideyori(see 9.)

Sanada Masayuki(see 9.)

Tree dotNobori

Setup Information


4/20


2013 GM Games, LLC

4

4. lci4.1 loCatIons In GEnEral

A location is a place on the map (typically a city) connected by roadsto other locations. It is represented by a circle, and may include acastle. Any number o blocks may occupy a location. Blocks on themap begin and end every turn in a location.

4.2 rEsourCE loCatIons

Resource Locations are wealth-producing zones, popular trade routes,and other important regions. ogether they loosely represent the inra-structure o the nation.

Resource Locations are red (regular locations are white). Te lastplayer to move a block onto or through a Resource Location con-trols that location. Use a cube to indicate control. Until a ResourceLocation is rst claimed, it is owned by neither player. ResourceLocations provide one victory point at the end o the game (.)and bonus recruitments during the Reinorcement Step (6.).

4.3 CastlEs

Castles are attached to locations on the board. Each castle has anatural alignment with Ishida or okugawa, indicated by its colorCastles are controlled by a player i he has blocks at that locationand his opponent doesn't. I neither player has blocks present, thecastle reverts to its natural alignment. During a siege, the castle iscontrolled by one player and the location attached to it is controlledby the other. Whoever controls the most castles during the Rein-orcement Step receives one additional card (6.). Castles providetwo victory points at the end o the game (.).

4.4 rECruItmEnt BoxEs

Each player has a Recruitment Box. At the beginning o each weeknew blocks are placed in these boxes. During the week, players mayMuster (7.) these orces onto the board. Te Ishida player also hasa Mri box, rom which Mri units can enter Osaka (see 9.3).

4.5 CaPItals

wo Locations, Kyoto and Edo, are capitals. Tey begin the game

aliated with Ishida and okugawa, respectively, and are ramed incorresponding color. Capitals are Resource Locations and providea Leadership Movement Bonus (7.3.4).

The diagram above shows the starting setup. Randomly drawn blocks are depicted with a question mark.


5/20


2013 GM Games, LLC

5

5. Iii sep5.1 ProCEdurE

Set the turn counter to Week .

Shue the two decks separately.

Each player draws 5 cards rom his deck. (Tis small startinghand represents the limited organizational capacity o each army in

the early stages.) Separate the blocks with setup symbols in the lower right corner,

and put the remaining blocks into two draw bags (one or eachcolor).

Place blocks on the map as described in rule 5.. All blocks areplaced so that only the owner o the block can see its identity.Exception: Te 5 blocks in the Mri Box which remain ace up.

5.2 PlaCE BloCks

5.2.1 Blocks with Specific Locations

Place the blocks which have a setup symbol in the lower right corner

on the map in the Locations that have the matching symbol. Oneblock appears on the board or every symbol printed on the map.Note that 5 Ishida blocks have symbols matching the Mri box,

where these blocks begin the game.

5.2.2 Randomly Placed Blocks

Ater placing the designated blocks, put all the rest into two drawbags, one or each player. Ten ll the locations that are indicatedor random blocks. Tese locations are designated on the board

with a +, +, or +3 symbol. Te number indicates the number oblocks that should be drawn at random rom a bag and placed there.Beore drawing these blocks rom the bag, the player must speciyor which location on the board they are being drawn.

5.2.3 Reinforcement Blocks

Add the rst wave o reinorcements. Each side draws our blocks atrandom rom their bags and places them in their Recruitment Box.

6. Wee CceTe game is played in seven weeks, each o which contains two turns(A and B). Each week o the game includes the ollowing steps, in theorder listed below.

6.1 turn sEquEnCE outlInEA. Reinforcement Step (6.2)

B. Turn Order Step (6.3)

C. Turns A and B (6.4)

6.2 rEInForCEmEnt stEP

Each player receives new cards and blocks, as ollows:

Each player discards hal (round down) o their hand.Example:i you have 7 cards you would discard 3.

Each player draws 5 cards. Te player who controls the mostcastles draws a 6th card.

Each player draws at random rom their bag a number o blockas written on the Recruitment rack on the board. (wo blocksin weeks , 3, and 4; one block in weeks 5, 6, and 7.) Te player

who controls more Resource Locations draws an additional block(In the case o a tie or most Resource Locations, both playersdraw an extra block.)

Place the blocks drawn in the players Reinorcement Box.

Skip the Reinorcement step on the rst week o the game, as bothplayers already have their starting cards and blocks.

6.3 turn ordEr stEP

Each player bids or turn order by placing a card rom their handace down on the table, and they are simultaneously revealed. Teplayer whose card has the higher number in its bottom corner isthe winner.

Te winning player chooses who will move rst or both turns in

the present week. Place the urn Marker on the urn rack, on theA space with the color o the rst player ace up.

Both players must discard the card they played.

6.4 turns a and B

Each Weekly Cycle consists o two turnsA and B. Each turnconsists o the First Player conducting Movement and Combat, ollowed by the Second Player conducting Movement and Combat.

When urn "A" ends, move the urn Marker to B and play theB turn. Te player who was rst in the A turn is also rst in the

B turn.Ater the B turn, advance the urn Marker to the next week andbegin the Weekly Cycle again. Ater 7 weeks the game is over.

Turn A:

a. First player Movement Phase

b. First player Combat Phase

c. Second player Movement Phase

d. Second player Combat Phase

Turn B:

e. First player Movement Phase. First player Combat Phase

g. Second player Movement Phase

h. Second player Combat Phase

Advance the urn Marker to the next week space. I already onWeek 7, the game is over.


6/20


2013 GM Games, LLC

6

7. te mvee Pe7.1 In GEnEral

During the Movement Phase a player may move none, some, orall o the stacks o blocks they control on the board. A stack is allo the blocks in a single location. Te number o stacks that can bemoved is determined by the number o cards spent or movement.

Mustering and Overruns can also occur in the Movement Phase.BUYING MOVEMEN WIH CARDS: At the beginning othe Movement Phase, the active player discards either zero, oneor two cards rom his hand to permit the ollowing degrees omovement:

0 cardsNo Movement: No stacks may move.Any number ocards may be discarded rom the hand and replenished.

0 cardsMinimal Movement:One stack may moveor the playermay conduct a Mustering action (7.).

1 cardLimited Movement: Tree stacks may move. In lieu oone o the moves the player may conduct a Mustering action.

2 cardsTotal Movement: Every riendly stack may move andone Mustering action may be conducted.

Te player then proceeds to make the moves allowed by that deci-sion, moving stacks in any desired order.

7.2 mustErInG

Mustering is the act o placing blocks currently in the RecruitmentBox onto the map. A player may Muster at most once per turn. Un-der Minimal or Limited Movement, Mustering can occur insteado one permitted stack move (i.e., one stack movement must beoregone in order to execute the Mustering). Under otal Move-

ment, Mustering can occur in addition to all stack movement.Movement Restriction: Mustered blocks may not move in thesame turn they are placed.

Where Blocks Arrive: Blocks can be Mustered only to Recruit-ment locations. Recruitment locations are locations labeled withthe mon (symbol) o a riendly daimyo. Recruitment locations arecolor coded, black or gold.

Two Options: A player has two options on how to Muster asdescribed below:

A. Te player may bring any (or all) blocks belonging to the samedaimyo rom the Recruitment Box to a Recruitment location that

has the matching daimyo mon. Tese blocks must be displayed toyour opponent to prove that they match.

B. Alternatively, a player may Muster to any riendly RecruitmentLocation a single block o any daimyo. In this case, the block neednot be displayed.

Mustering Into Combat: Blocks can be Mustered into a com-bat situation only i the combat was initiated by blocks on theboardan attack cannot come rom the Recruitment Box, but itcan be supported rom there.

7.3 moVEmEnt

7.3.1 Movement in General

Te source o a move is a single location. From that location, anyor all o one players blocks (that did not Muster that turn) maybe moved, up to the limits as set orth below. Blocks move alongroads rom one location to another. Blocks which begin the phasetogether need not travel on the same roads, nor nish their move

together. Some blocks may be moved rom a Location while othersare let behind. A stack may drop of blocks as it moves. Movemenmust ollow these restrictions:

No block may be part o more than one move per turn.

A stack must complete its movement beore another stack maymove.

A stack may not pick up additional blocks as it moves.

No road segment may be traversed by more than one stack, omore than once, per Movement Phase.

7.3.2 Movement and Enemy Units

Moving blocks must stop when they encounter enemy units unlessenemy units can be Overrun (7.4).

7.3.3 Movement Distance

Te Base Movement Rate is one location per move. Tis can beincreased by one location (+) or each o three cases below. I althree cases apply, a stack o -4 blocks (see 7.3.5) can move ourlocations. Tat is the maximum a stack could ever move. Te threesituations that can increase a stack's movement rate are:

Highways: Blocks that make their entire move on a highway maymove + location.

Leadership:Blocks that begin the move in the presence o leader-

ship (7.3.4) may move + location. Force marching. Blocks that orce march may move + location

Te active player may initiate a orce march by discarding onecard rom their hand. A orce march applies to a group o blockthat begin, nish, and move together. Only one orce march canbe in efect or any given block at a time.

EXAMPLE: A stack that has Leadership, ollows a Highway or itentire move, and does a Force March, can move three extra locations.

7.3.4 Leadership

Leadership present at the origin o a move increases the BaseMovement Rate o a stack by one location. Leadership can be a

leader, a castle, or a capital (or any combination o the three). I aplayer uses a leader or the increased movement, the leader blockmust be declared to the opponent. (It is not necessary that any othe blocks in the stack match the mon o the Leader block.) I acastle is used, it must be aligned (matching color) and controlledby the active player. I a capital is used, it must be a capital (Edo orKyoto) marked with the matching color. + is the maximumeveni a stack has more than one source o Leadership.


7/20


2013 GM Games, LLC

7

7.3.5 Movement and Force Sizes

Large orces move more slowly than small ones. For every multipleo our blocks beyond the rst our, a stack's movement capacity isreduced by one. Tus, movement capacity is decreased () at the5th, 9th, 3th, and 7th block (see chart below).

o each blocks movement capacity, apply a size penalty accordingto the largest group in which it travelled during its move.

7.3.6 Movement Chart

Te ollowing chart summarizes movement and movement modi-ers:

Base move: location

All Highway: +

Leadership Present: +

Force March: +

4 blocks: 0

5-8 blocks:

9 blocks:

36 blocks: 3

7+ blocks: 4 (cannot move)

7.4 oVErruns

7.4.1 Overruns in General

Overruns occur when a large orce overwhelms a small orce. AnOverrun can occur during Movement or ater a retreat. Overrunscan also be caused by retreating blocks (see battles), Musteringblocks, or bringing units rom the M-ori Box (9.3). In order to

Overrun an enemy orce, the Overrunning player must have atleast our times as manyblockspresent as the enemy. Te strengtho each block has no efect.

7.4.2 Overrun Procedure

Overruns are resolved immediately. (Tis applies regardless owhether combat has been declared.) Overrun units are destroyedand the victorious player sufers no casualties. I an Overrun occursduring a move, the moving blocks may continue their move. Forcesalready committed to battle in a location ofer their strength to anyOverruns against their oes.

EXAMPLE: Te deender has one block in a location. Te Active Player

moves one stack consisting o two blocks into that location. He then movesanother stack with two blocks into that location. At that moment theOverrun occurs, the deending block is eliminated and the active stackmay continue to move. Te rst stack contributed to the Overrun, buthas already moved and may not move again.

7.4.3 Overruns and Castles

Enemy units who control a castle cannot be Overrun. Furthermore,orces within a castle automatically lend their strength to any Over-runs occurring against a besieging orce outside.

EXAMPLE OF MOVEMEN

Te Ishida player (gold blocks) plays two cards during his MovemenPhase to allow all his stacks to move. Tis allows him one Muster actionwhich he does rst. He can muster one block o any designation to any

riendly recruitment location, or he can muster all blocks that match a

mon to the recruitment location marked with that mon. He cannot doboth. Te blocks mustered may not take part in movement this turns andare not shown in the example.

His other moves are depicted in the diagram above. For this exampleno cards will be played or Force Marching.

A.First he activates the location marked A in the diagram. Since thispace contains a riendly controlled castle, it qualies or the LeadershipBonus o +1 to movement. He sends all ve blocks down the Highway

path. It can move two spaces (1 or the base move, 1 or the Highway1 or Leadership and 1 or 5-8 blocks). Note that i one block is letbehind the stack could move three spaces and reach Kuwana.

B.

Next he moves stack B. Since stack A has used the highway betweenKyoto and Minakuchi he cannot use that road. (No road segment maybe used twice in a single Movement Phase). Te move has to end inKyoto or the stack has to use a diferent route. He decides to end themove in Kyoto.

C.Te single leaderless block at C can move only one space.

D.Te stack at D can move two spacesa base o one plus one or theLeader block.

E. Stack E has the Leadership Bonus but cannot use the HighwayBonus since its entire move is not along the Highway. It can movetwo spaces.


8/20


2013 GM Games, LLC

8

8. Cb8.1 GEnEral rulE

Combat occurs ater all movement. Combat must be declared inevery location on the board where opposing pieces appear together.

Tese declarations are made one at a time by the phasing player, withcombat resolved immediately ollowing each declaration. Combat

will be a battle or a siege, the latter i either o the orces is insidea castle. Ater combat is resolved in a location, a new location isselected, until all such locations are resolved.

8.2 BattlEs

8.2.1 Battle Procedure

Combat is resolved as a battle i neither orce is inside a castle.Deployments (8..) produce Impact (8.3). Te side with the higherImpact is winning the battle. All blocks involved in a battle remainconcealed until deployed. Ater the battle is concluded, revealedblocks again become concealed.

Te Active Player (the attacker) starts the battle by making the rstdeployment. Next the deender can respond (see Initiative 8.5).

When the battle stops, the side which has delivered the mostImpact will be the winner. A tie in Impact avors the deender.

8.2.2 Cards and Deployment

Cards are used to deploy blocks into battle. Each card can deployone block. Te card used to deploy a block must have the samemon as the block. Cards and blocks with diferent mon cannot beplayed together. Exception: Cards o all daimyo designations maybe matched to the sole Ishida block and the sole Ii block. As a re-minder, these blocks botheature a card-shapedrectangle in the lowerright corner.

No card may be played,nor block deployed, twicein the same battle.

8.2.3 Deployment Procedure

Te active player plays a card ace up, and selects a block romamong his undeployed orces whose mon matches the card. Teblock is indicated by placing it ace up next to the main stack oblocks. Te card is placed ace up on the active players side o theboard. Te player counts the Impact o the deployment and adds

it to their total Impact on the Impact rack.

8.2.4 Initial Deployment of a Leader Block

A leader block deploys without playing a card i no deploymentshave yet been made with a cardby that side in the present combat.Leaders who deploy without a card are immune rom LoyaltyChallenge (see 8.6).

Note: You can keep deploying leaders without a card until you deployyour rst block with a card.

8.3 ImPaCt

8.3.1 Impact in General

Efectiveness in combat is measured in Impact. Impact is recordedon the Impact rack using small cubes. Each side tracks their cu-mulative Impact separately.

8.3.2 Base Impact

Te base Impact o a deployment is the number o mon on theblock. Tis can be rom one to our.

8.3.3 Impact Bonus

Add one point o Impact or each block o the same daimyo alreadydeployed (on the same side) in the present battle.

EXAMPLE: A player would score our Impact i he deployed a 2-monokugawa block into a battle in which he had previously deployed twoother okugawa blocks (the number o mon on the previously deployedblocks has no efect).

8.4 sPECIa l attaCks

8.4.1 Cavalry and Gun Impact

Cards with a sword in the corner enable a Special Attack. Whenused to deploy a block with a cavalry or gun symbol, an attack othat type is launched. In a cavalry or gun attack, add two points oImpact or the cavalry or gun, and another two points o Impactor each block eaturing that type o attack already deployed on thesame side in the present battle. I a cavalry or gun block is deployed

without a Special Attack card, do not count cavalry or gun pointstowards its Impact

8.4.2 Double Cards

Double cards eature two identical monin each corner. Double cards allow thedeployment o one or two blocks, botho which must match the mon o thecard. Te blocks are deployed one aterthe other. (Te second block can thusgain a + Impact Bonus or matchingthe daimyo o the rst.) Neither o theblocks so deployed can initiate a Special

Attack. A double card used to deploy ablock that can match to any card (Ishidaand Ii blocks) loses its ability to deploy a second block.

8.5 InItIatIVE

Initiative rests with whichever side is losing the battle (has the lowerImpact score). Tat player has the opportunity to deploy blockone ater the other in order to take the lead. Once he does takethe lead, initiative reverts to the other player. Since ties avor thedeender, the deender can take the lead by matching the attacker'sImpact. Initiative is passed back and orth between the players untione player, who holds the initiative at the time, declares that he

will deploy no more blocks. When that happens initiative shitspermanently to the other player, who may deploy as many more

Ishida block Ii block


9/20


2013 GM Games, LLC

9

blocks as he wishes and is able. When that player also declares heis nished, the battle ends.

Once a player declares he is nished deploying, he cannot resumedeployments later in the battle. He may still play Loyalty Challengecards (8.6) against the other players deployments.

8.6 loyalty ChallEn GE Car ds

8.6.1 Procedure

Loyalty Challenge cards are marked witha nobori (banner). Tey are played outo turn, immediately ater a deploymentby the opposing player, to challenge theloyalty o the block thus deployed. I thedeploying player can show rom theirhand another card capable o deploy-ing the block just deployed, the blockremains loyal. Te card shown to reutea Loyalty Challenge returns to the hando the player that showed it. (Te LoyaltyChallenge card remains played.) I thedeploying player cannot produce such a card, the block turns sides,aligning instead with the player who played the Loyalty Challenge.Move the block to the challengers side o the battle. Count Impactor the block on the challengers Impact table. When the battleends, they revert to the ormer owner.

8.6.2 Loyalty and Special Attacks

Blocks which switch sides do not execute a Special Attack (8.4) atthe moment o their betrayal (even i indicated on the deployingcard) but can later contribute to Special Attacks or the side to

which they gave their loyalty.

8.6.3 Loyalty and Double Cards

A Loyalty Challenge card may be used to challenge the use o adouble card. Only one additional card must be displayed to reutethe challenge, even i two blocks deployed. I the challenge is suc-cessul, both blocks deect to the challenging side. Te Impact bonus(+ Impact or matching the mon o the rst block) enjoyed by thesecond such block is still counted.

8.7 lossEs

8.7.1 How to Determine Losses

Ater a battle both sides take losses according to the Impact de-livered against them. Both sides lose one block or every 7 Impactdelivered by their opponent (always round Impact down). Te losingside in a battle loses one additional block.

EXAMPLE: A player wins the battle and had 5 Impact deliveredagainst himhe would lose no blocks. His opponent, who lost the battle,had 9 Impact delivered against himhe would lose two blocks.

NOE: Retreating orces are not overrun prior to making their retreat,but an overrun can occur ater the retreat (8.5.5).

8.7.2 Selecting Losses

Te attacker sufers damage rst, then the deender. Players selectwhich o their own blocks to lose. First must be selected any blockwhich deected to his opponent, then any other blocks whichdeployed, then any blocks which did not. Te identity o the lostblocks is revealed.

8.7.3 Effects of Losses

Blocks lost in combat are removed rom the map and never returnto play. Keep deeated blocks on the side o the board, visible toboth players.

8.8 rEtrEats

8.8.1 Retreats in General

Te loser must retreat their remaining orce to a single adjacenlocation contiguous by road to the site o the battle (or castle[8.8.4]). Tere is no limit to the size o a orce which can movetogether in retreat.

8.8.2 When the Attacker RetreatsTe attacker must retreat to a location rom which some o theiorces entered the battle (potentially a castle, but not an Of MapBox) or i that is impossible to any other location. Te attacker cannever retreat to the Recruitment Box or the M-ori Box (9.3).

8.8.3 When the Defender Retreats

Te deender retreats, i possible, to a location containing no enemyunits, and rom which the enemy did not enter the combat locationI there is no such location, the deender may retreat to any otheradjacent location contiguous by roadincluding a location rom

which the attacker entered the battle and/or a location containing

enemy blocks (8.8.5).

8.8.4 Retreats into a Castle

A castle can harbor retreating units, i the battle took place in alocation with a castle. A castle is a valid retreat destination only orthat side which controlled the castle prior to combat. I a castle is a

valid retreat destination, the retreating player may leave up to twoblocks in it. I there are more blocks remaining, these must retreatelsewhere, as a group.

8.8.5 Retreats into Combat

It is possible or a retreat to cause another battle (or Overrun). I

so, execute that battle immediately and resolve its consequencesTe retreating blocks are the attacker or this new battle. I theretreating orce enters an existing battle, the retreating blocks areadded to the orces in conict. It is possible or a retreating orceto join a besieged orce inside a castle and exceed, until the nextime combat is declared, the stacking limit o the castle (see 8.9.6)

Tis would in efect change the siege into a battle.


10/20


2013 GM Games, LLC

0

8.9 sIEGE ComBat

8.9.1 Sieges In General

When combat occurs in a location with a castle, it is possible thatone side will choose to remain inside the castle. I so, the combatbecomes a siege. For a orce to remain inside the castle, it must ownthe castle, and it must be two blocks or ewer. (Disks do not counttoward this limit.) Te side that owns the castle is the side that had

unit(s) in the location rst (beore combat broke out).

8.9.2 Declaring Blocks Inside or Outside

Blocks can be inside or outside o the castle. Te number o blocksthat can t inside a castle is limited to two. When combat is des-ignated, and not beore, the side that owns the castle may choose

whether to be inside or outside o the castle. I outsidea battleoccurs; i insidea siege. A orce consisting o more than two blocksmust alwayschoose to be outside. No blocks can remain inside isome blocks are let outside. A orce may elect to ght outside thecastle even i in a previous phase it elected to remain inside.

I the active player owns the castle and chooses to remain inside,

then no battle or Siege Combat occurs in this location this phase.

8.9.3 Disks

Disks are always considered inside the castle, regardless o thedisposition o the blocks. Disks do not count against the two blockcastle limit. Disks are units that can be destroyed like a block, butcannot move or ght. Only the results o a siege can afect the disk,never a battle.

8.9.4 Siege Combat Procedure

Te attacking player holds the Initiative throughout the siege andthere is no limit on the number o blocks the attacking player may

deploy. Te deending player plays no cards during a siege nordoes he deploy any blocks. Follow this procedure or each SiegeCombat:

A. Te attacker deploys (8..3) as many blocks as he wishes.

B. When the attacker is nished, damage is inicted on the de-ending orce. No damage is inicted on the attacking orce ina siege. One deending block or disk is lost or every 7 pointso Impact (the attacker may deliver less than 7 points o Impactin a siege, but the deender will not be harmed.)

C. Te deender chooses which block(s) or disk to lose. Te identityo those is made public.

D. I all blocks and disks inside the castle are destroyed, the castlealls and now belongs to the attacking orce.

E. I all the deender's blocks and disk are not removed, then bothsides' blocks co-exist in the location. When this happens, theside that owns the castle is considered besieged (8.9.6). Te side

that does not own the castle must declare combat at that loca-tion during every Combat Phase the co-existence continues.

F. Te deending player then draws one card or every block (bunot disc) lost (8.0).

8.9.5 Siege Combat Restrictions

Siege Combat has the ollowing restrictions:

No gun or cavalry Special Attacks may be counted.

Loyalty Challenge cards cannot be played by either side.

8.9.6 Besieged Blocks

Besieged blocks may not be moved out o the location containing

the castle. Blocks that are part o a besieging orce may reely moveaway rom the site o the siege during their Movement Phase.

I other blocks enter the location containing riendly besiegedblocks then all blocks are counted in the battle. Any battle thaoccurs in any location automatically includes all blocks in thatlocation, regardless o the presence o a castle.

8.10 Card rEPlEnIshmEnt

Card replenishment occurs immediately ater a battle, siege or Over-run is resolved (ater losses and retreats but beore any ollow-onbattles generated by those retreats). Ater each battle or siege both

sides discard all cards they played during the combat and draw backan equal number rom their draw pile. Both sides also draw ater abattle, an additional card or every two blocks lost (round ractiondown). Ater a siege, the deending player draws one card or everyblock lost. A card is not drawn or losing a disk.


11/20


2013 GM Games, LLC

EXAMPLE OF COMBA

In this example seven Ishida blocks attack six okugawa blocks. At thispoint neither player knows the identity o the others blocksblocksare only revealed when deployed.

Since Ishida is the attacker he must deploy the rst block. His rstdeployment is the M-ori Leader block, which can be deployed withoutthe need to play a card (rule 8.2.4). Te single mon on the block giveshim an Impact o 1.

Since Ishida now leads in Impact the initiative changes to okugawawho may deploy a block. He plays his Maeda cavalry block with a

Maeda Special Attack card (indicated with Swords on the card) giv-ing him an Impact o 3 (1 or the mon and +2 or the cavalry).

Initiative now changes to Ishida. Te total Impact count is currently

1 to 3 which the players should record on the Impact rack.

Ishida plays a double Ukita card that allows two o his Ukita blocksto deploy. Te rst block earns 2 Impact and the second block earns 3impact (2 or the mons and +1 or a previous Ukita block deployed).

Ishidas total Impact is now 6.

okogawa counters by deploying a 3-mon okugawa block with aokugawa card. His Impact is now 6 which ties Ishidas Impact. Sincedeenders win ties, 6 is enough to put him in the lead. Te initiativenow changes to Ishida.

Ishida deploys an Uesugi block with an Uesugi card or 1 Impact.Te gun on the block cannot be used since the card has no Swords

(which indicate a Special Attack).

okugawa plays a 1-mon okugawa block with a okugawa card.He earns an additional point or the previous okugawa blockdeployed. Te Impact score is now 7 to 8.

Ishida now deploys his M-ori gun block with a M-ori Special At-tack card. Te Impact o this card is 6 (1 or the mon, +2 or gun,+2 or the previous gun block, and +1 or the previous M-ori blockdeployed). Te score is now 13 to 8.

okugawa deploys a 3-mon okugawa block with a okugawacard. Te Impact is 5 (3 or the mon and +2 or previous okugawablocks deployed). Te current score is 13 to 13 in okugawas avor

(ties avor the deender).Ishida has two blocks and two cards remaining but the mons donot match so they cannot be used. Ishida declares that he is nishedwith deployments.

okugawa similarly declines to deploy, because he has no more legaldeployments. Since neither player can deploy any more blocks thebattle is over with a okugawa victory. Each side loses one block

or Impact and the losing side (Ishida) loses another block or thedeeat. Ishida must retreat rom the location.


12/20


2013 GM Games, LLC

9. speci re9.1 toyotomI hIdEyorI

oyotomi Hideyori was the son o oyotomi Hideyoshi,the warlord whose death led to the Sekigahara cam-

paign. He was 7 years old when the war took place.

Te oyotomi Hideyori disk is placed at Osaka

castle. I it is destroyed, the regent is captured and the game endsin a okugawa victory. As such, it is the last unit lost in any siegeo Osaka castle.

9.2 sanada masayukI

Sanada Masayuki deended Ueda castle with tenac-ity and creativity, delaying a orce o 38,000 underokugawa Hidetada (Ieyasus son). As a result o the

prolonged siege, the younger okugawa missed the cli-mactic battle o Sekigahara by several days.

A disk (labeled with the Sanada mon) is placed in the circle next

to Ueda castle beore the game begins. It represents the cunningo Sanada Masayuki. Any loss inicted on Ueda castle in a siegemay destroy this chip instead o a block.

9.3 morI tErumoto

M-ori erumoto was the most poweruldaimyo o Ishidas coalition. Ishida earedbeing overshadowed and let M-ori in Osakawith a high title but no active role. Some

M-ori orces remained in Osaka with theirleader, others traveled into battle with hisson. Tose that traveled elt their dignity in-

sulted by Ishidas treatment o their daimyo.M-ori orces declined to participate in the cli-mactic battle that ended in their coalitionsdeeat. Had M-orierumoto been made theactive commander o coalition orces, hewould have threatened Ishidas primacyseverely, but the ighting orce deployedwould have been ar more potent.

M-ori erumoto (the M-ori leader) andour M-ori blocksall marked with a trianglebegin the gameace-up in the M-ori Box. Te Ishida player can bring these blocksinto the game by sacricing cards. For each card sacriced (dis-carded) during any Ishida Movement Phase, one M-ori block is

moved rom the M-ori box to Osaka. Te last block brought on isalways the M-ori leader.

No blocks are ever added to the M-ori Box, only removed.

Tese blocks cannot move on the same turn they arrive in Osaka.

I Osaka is attacked by okugawa orces, at the moment combatis declared, all blocks in the M-ori Box appear in Osaka and jointhe battle.

CrEdIts

Game Design and Development: Matt Calkins

Playtesting: Matt Amitrano, Jason Arvey, Karl Deckard,Jonas Fang, Karl Kreder, Lyman Moquin, Jef Paul, JamesPei, Jonathan Witt

Art Director: Rodger B. MacGowanPackage Design: Rodger B. MacGowan

Map and Block Art: Mark Mahafey

Rules Layout: Neil Randall and Mark Simonitch

Proofreading: Neil Randall, Kevin Duke, om Granvoldand Richard Walter

Production Coordination: ony Curtis

Producers: ony Curtis, Rodger MacGowan, Andy Lewis,Gene Billingsley and Mark Simonitch

9.4 II naomasa rEd dEVIls

Ii Naomasa and his warriors, known asthe Red Devils, were some o okugawas

ercest deenders. Tey were rst to storm theeld at Sekigahara, though the honor wasdesignated or Fukushima Masanori.

Te Ii clan has a single block, with our

mon. It is the only 4-mon block in thegame. It begins the game with Fukushimas orces in Kiyosu. Tereare no Ii cards. Te Ii block deploys in battle with any card (excepta Loyalty Challenge).

9.5 IshIda mItsunarI

Te okugawa player wins instantly i theIshida Mitsunari block is eliminated (.).In combat, this block may be deployed withany Ishida card (8..) except a LoyaltyChallenge card.

x4


13/20


2013 GM Games, LLC

3

Appearing like dew,

vanishing like dew

such is my lie.

Even Naniwas splendor

is a dream within a dream.

Death poem o oyotomi Hideyoshi

Te story o Sekigahara begins with the death o oyotomi Hideyo-

shi. In perhaps the greatest career in Japanese history, he had risenthrough a eudal system rom the bottom o society to its very peak.Born a soldiers son, he made himsel taik-o, supreme warlord andruler o all Japan.

In 598, at the age o 6, he was overtaken by illness. His heir wasa boy o 5 years, hastily declared an adult and anointed the newtaik-o. Beore oyotomi died he gathered the most powerul menin Japan into two committees, balancing the power o each againstall others. Oaths were sworn to uphold the boys claim, and to leaveundisturbed the balance o power upon which he depended. Withthese bare means, the best that could be constructed on short notice,did oyotomi hope to secure the youths passage to maturity.

In act it took only two years or the tensions in this system to breakinto open war. By the summer o 600, two armies were rallied andhurled towards each other, and the victorious okugawa Ieyasubecame Japans new master.

It had taken decades o warare or oyotomi and his predecessorOda Nobunaga to subjugate Japans belligerent edoms. Teirprize was usurped in a campaign that lasted only seven weeks.

okugawas shogunate would rule Japan in peace or 5 genera-tions, 68 years.

en years beore the battle o Sekigahara, Japans present and uturelords stood together on a hilltop along the eastern coast. oyo-tomi Hideyoshi, at the zenith o his power and abilities, met with

okugawa Ieyasu, who had become his lieutenant. Once comradeunder Oda Nobunaga, then enemies in battle, they were now alliesunited in victory over the H-oj-o clan. Here on the hilltop, oyotomofered to okugawa a ateul proposition. In exchange or the 5central provinces that okugawas amily had known or genera-tions, he ofered 8 provinces eastward in Kanto, urther rom the

capital, uncultivated, and surrounded by unamiliar enemies. It waa daunting proposition, but Ieyasu accepted on the spot.

Te day okugawa arrived in his new capital o Edo is still cel-ebrated in that city, modern okyo. In 590 it was a backwater, ahaggard castle rising rom a swamp. But Ieyasu was more than a

warlord, he was an administrator o genius. From this damp villagein the Kanto he built an economic empire in the course o a singledecade. en years later, his annual income (.5 million koku, man-

years o rice) was more than double that o any other daimyo.

oyotomi had meant to consign okugawa to years o ruitlesdiculties, while alienating him rom the politics o the capital in

Kyoto. Instead, by giving Ieyasu a large and ertile e he allowedthe emergence o a natural successor, a rst among equals, in theranks o leading daimyo. Ater Hideyoshi died, eyes shited to oneman; behind the system o ealty, Japan had a dominant power

waiting to emerge.

* * *

oyotomi Hideyoshi was one o the most remarkable men in thehistory o Japan. He rose through the ranks in the service o thegreatest warrior o his day, Oda Nobunaga. Ugly and low-born, he

was called monkey by his detractors. But his talent was extraordi

hiic ne


14/20


2013 GM Games, LLC

4

nary. He came to be Odas most trusted retainer, pairing a series obrilliant military successes with careul reassurances o completeloyalty. One story still told today recalls oyotomi warming Odas

sandals by keeping them against his chest. oyotomi was alwayscareul to ask Odas direction in military matters, regardless howunnecessary. And Oda delighted in oyotomis prowess. Once,seeing oyotomis magnicent army, he remarked His monkeyace has not changed, but who would dare call him monkey now?

Astonishing, indeed, is the way mens positions alter.

oyotomi was a man o ne taste, but he could also explode intorage at a slight. His elegant death poem, above, is one o the bestin the tradition. But bold indeed was the man who invited himto tea in a cherry garden only to strip every blossom of the trees.Ready to kill or such an insult, oyotomi burst into the buildingand saw a single cup o water in which was balanced one utterly

perect blossom. Fury turned to gratication.

Rage like this could have geopolitical consequences. Ater ght-ing a campaign in Korea, oyotomi received a Chinese emissaryexpecting to be named emperor o all lands. When instead he wasacknowledged ruler o only Japan, he exploded and launched asecond war. It was also this anger, or perhaps a general deteriora-tion o aculties, that inspired the killing o his own amily. Whenhis preerred heir reached the age o two, Hideyoshi ordered thedeath o his previous (adopted) heir, plus 9 o his amily members.By so doing he let his dynasty in the hands o a single -year-oldboy, completely vulnerable to disease or intrigues.

It was oyotomis love o tea that launched his riendship with Ishi-da Mitsunari. Mitsunari became Inspector-General in Hideyoshisarmy, but he was not a military man; he was a tea master. Hideyoshiknew rom personal reection that someone tasteul enough toperorm a superlative tea ceremony had talents that could be turnedto other tasks. o him, rank and birth meant nothing; only talentmattered. In Ishida he ound talent, and he promoted it. Ishida didindeed have other abilities. He became a skillul administrator, andin time, a relentless intriguer.

Ishida is the man who would later lead an army to deend theoyotomi heir. In the Korean campaign, Ishida made riends and

enemies that would shape alliances at Sekigahara. He once attendeda tea ceremony with daimyo

-Otani Yoshitsugu.

-Otani, who was

ill, let a drop o pus in the cup beore passing it onwards. Otherparticipants were revolted as the cup reached their hands and they

were obliged to drink. o spare the man his agony, Ishida claimedthe cup out o order, drank everything in it, and apologized to all orbeing so thirsty.

-Otani was astonished and grateul, and years later

would ght at Ishidas side at Sekigahara. Te opposite outcome

obtained when Ishida visited Kuroda Yoshitaka in Korea. Kurodawas engaged in a game o go, and made Ishida wait. IncensedIshida reported to oyotomi that Kuroda cared more or go than

war. Kuroda was stung and never orgave the slight; in 600 hewould be Ishidas enemy.

oyotomi was a man o such talent and character that he couldinspire loyalty through bold gesture. Many times in his career heconverted a deadly rival into a vassal through an act o disarmingcourage or honesty. When asking his enemy Date Masamune tosubmit, he revealed to Masamune the tactics he would employ

were they to ght, all while standing deenseless, having placedhis sword in his enemys hands. Date was amazed, and surrendered

his lands.

Bolder still, oyotomi once travelled deep into Uesugi territoryundeended, to meet in person with his enemy Uesugi Kagekatsu

Astonished by his courage, the Uesugi chose to become allies ratherthan enemies.

What other men would have ought or, oyotomi was given onaccount o the strength o his character. o describe the heroicimpression oyotomi made on his peers, historian Walter Deningmakes apt reerence to a story about Hercules:

O, Iole, how did you know that Hercules was a god? Because,

answered Iole, I was content the moment my eyes ell upon himWhen I beheld Teseus I desired that I might see him ofer battleor at least guide his horses in the chariot-race. But Hercules didnot wait or a contest; he conquered whether he stood, walked, orsat, or whatever thing he did.

Having once trapped the rival M-ori clan in a siege, news cameto oyotomi that his lord and mentor, Oda Nobunaga, had beenmurdered by one o his own supporters. oyotomi wanted to rushto the scene, but a departure would leave him vulnerable to attack

oyotomi presented himsel to the M-ori and explained the situa-tion. His courage spoke volumes, as did his indiference. Againstso bold a commander, the M-ori preerred to decline combat as hi

troops let the scene.Tat moment was the greatest turning point in his career. Returningto the site o treachery, he ound and deeated the disloyal orcesHe had avenged the betrayal, and his recent successes made himthe preeminent warrior in Japan. It was he around whom the Odapower structure now consolidatedeven Odas son was happy toollow oyotomi. He had completed his rise; he was taik-o.

okugawa Ieyasu, though o noble birth, rose rom broken circum-stances. He was separated rom his mother at age , kidnapped aage 6, and taken as a hostage at age 9. Perhaps as a result o these


15/20


2013 GM Games, LLC

5

events, emotion played little part in his character. He made hisdecisions on rational grounds, regardless the emotional toll. Whenthey were implicated in a treasonous plot, he ordered the death ohis own wie and rst-born son.

Like oyotomi he ound it necessary to diminish himsel beore therulers o the day in order not to rouse their suspicions. He took greatpains not to reveal his talents or his ambitions, but some noticed all

the same. An old enemy, akeda Shingen, noted Ieyasu cherishesgreat hopes or the uture... He wont eat anything out o season.Unlike oyotomi, who made a virtue o his vulnerability, Ieyasu didindeed act with the overcaution o one who cherishes great hopes.

When he travelled out o his edom he made elaborate escapeplans should treachery occur.

Beneath the deprecation and caution was an extraordinary mind.His generalship was superlative. Once when ghting the akedahe ound himsel threatened with disaster. Having lost a battle, heretreated with only a ew troops to a nearby castle, his enemies inpursuit. On arrival, he ordered the gates ung wide, bright torchesburnt outside the entrance, and a loud drum banged throughout

the night. When the akeda orces arrived, they surmised Ieyasuwas planning an attackrather than a desperate deenseanddeclined to give battle.

okugawa served most o his lie under the leadership o his twogreat predecessors, Oda Nobunaga and oyotomi Hideyoshi. Only

when these warlords died, having unied the nation but ailed toprovide an heir, did okugawa reap the ruits o their labors. An oldstory explains it thus: Oda Nobunaga makes rice cakes, oyotomiHideyoshi cooks them, and okugawa Ieyasu eats them.

How much o okugawas success, then, was owing to good ortune?Certainly he benetted rom circumstance. Several o his rivals died

at convenient moments: not merely Oda Nobunaga and oyotomiHideyoshi but also akeda Shingen and Maeda oshiie. But i hispath was ortunate, was there another who could have walked it?

okugawa needed generalship and diplomacy to expand his edom;uncommon sel control, in order not to come into conict with hislords; and extraordinary management ability, that he could develophis Kanto domain into the engine o war and commerce that it be-came. okugawa played his hand so careully, and showed such skillin its execution, that it would be unair not to award the majorityo the credit or his accomplishments to his own eforts.

* * *

Ater oyotomis death, Japan emerged in stages rom the rigid sta-sis he had willed or it. Japanese troops were still in Korea, ghtingand losing the second o two successive wars. For a time, oyotomisdeath was concealed by the state. Once the troops returned and thetruth emerged, it was okugawa who ofered the rst test to thenew regimes stability. He assigned a ew o his amily to politicalmarriages, something orbidden by the system oyotomi had giventhem. Fractures ormed in the committees and sides were taken.

Ten the actions o oyotomi loyalist Ishida Mitsunari broughtthe simmer to a boil.

First Ishida attempted to sow suspicion between the most powerudaimyo, suggesting to okugawa that Maeda oshiie would kilhim when given the chance. Soon ater there was an attempt on

okugawas lie. Te attempt ailed, Ishida was implicated, and agroup o okugawa supporters conspired to kill Ishida in returnCornered, Ishida ed to the mercy o his greatest enemy, okugawahimsel. Astonishingly, okugawa let him ree and escorted him tosaety. Te reasons or this action have been much guessed at overthe years, and several theories have been entertained. First, that

okugawa was nave and thought Ishida a riend. Tis is highlyunlikely. Second, that he was prone to orgive. One o his avoritesayings was Lao sus Requite malice with kindness. He haddodged assassination once beore, and had returned the capturedkiller to his master, saying that anyone bold enough to creep intohis bedroom and perorate his bedding with a sword was undoubt-edly a valuable man. Tird, and most likely, however, okugawa

protected Ishida because he saw in the latter an instigator capableo unbalancing oyotomis careul system. Political disequilibrium

would give okugawa his best chance to rule, and yet he could nobe seen to create it himsel, lest others ally against him. As one ad-

visor put it, it was through men like Ishida that soon Ieyasu mighcome to rule all o Japan.

Ishidas close escape did not stop his campaign o intrigues. Insteadhe crated a more ambitious plot to ignite war against okugawa

with the help o daimyo Uesugi Kagekatsu. Te Uesugi lived inthe north o Japan, near to okugawas e, so disobedience bythe ormer would be the latters to correct. Ishida arranged withUesugi that a disturbance would be created, and as Ieyasu went to

address it, an army o his enemies would be organized behind himokugawa would be surrounded and outnumbered.

Te plot was launched in 600, when Uesugi set about buildinga new castle and engaging in conspicuous ortication. okugawaasked that he come to the capital to explain his actions, and receivedin reply an insulting rebuf. Citied samurai collect tea implements

wrote Uesugi, while country samurai collect weapons. Te gauntlewas thrown, and okugawa had no choice but to respond.


16/20


2013 GM Games, LLC

6

okugawa gathered a orce and departed Osaka castle. He headedeast and north on the -okaid-o, one o Japans two highways. Hemoved slowly, taking orty days to reach Edo, and listening all thetime to reports rom riends in Osaka. What he heard was the rapidunraveling o oyotomis political equilibrium. A nation o war-riors, Japan demanded conict and command. oyotomis system,o peace and divided power, was in act a vacuum, and that vacuum

would now be lled. Almost instinctively, the nation resolved to

ght. Tere would be a war, and whether in oyotomis name orokugawas, Japan would have clear leadership.

It was a war born o a trap, and it sprang like a trap, catching eventhe protagonists by surprise with the rapidity o events. What Ishidahad hoped would be an anti-okugawa action quickly became acrucible or determining Japans entire structure o governance.

Would Japan be led by its strongest daimyo, okugawa Ieyasu,or by a caretaker saeguarding the oyotomi succession? wocauses opposed each other, and two armies ormed to championthem. okugawas became known as the army o the East, IshidaMitsunaris the army o the West.

okugawa launched a renzied campaign o correspondence, invit-ing daimyo to join him in the upcoming war. He wrote 80 letters,to 08 lords throughout Japan. He asked or their allegiance, and99 o them ofered it. It is an irony that it would all to Ieyasu, un-emotional and incapable o small talk, to win a war through letter-

writing. In his messages he said he would depart Edo on Octoberst, but when that date arrived he could not yet move because he

was still uncertain who was with him. He remained until the 7th,when he decided urgency was more essential than certainty.

Ishida Mitsunari gathered the western orces rom his position inthe capital region. He and his supporters were able to personallyaddress most o the daimyo they wished to recruit. M-ori erumoto,

one o Japans most powerul men, was narrowly persuaded to jointhe western army. Another leading warlord, Kobayakawa Hideaki,

was on his way to join okugawa orces when he was waylaid andtalked into a change o allegiance.

As the war began, Ishidas strategy was twoold. First, he soughtto consolidate the castles in the capital region under his control. Anumber o sieges were launched, which when successul resultedin solid control o the area. Te sieges were slow, however. It tookeleven days to capture Fushimi castle in Kyoto. anabe castle tookeven longer on account o the presence o a amous poet and his

valuable libraryplus the indiference o the sieging troops, whooten orgot to load their cannon with shot. Te latter operation

took so long that the units involved were not available to ght atSekigahara.

Ishidas second priority was to secure the western end o Japanstwo highways. He made an alliance with Oda Hidenobu, grandsono the warlord Oda Nobunaga, who controlled Giu castle. All theroads west o Giu, on both highways, were controlled by westernorces.

At the same time, Ishida had to negotiate with M-ori erumoto, thestrongest daimyo o his action. M-oris income was second only to

the okugawa in all Japan, and his stature was such that he owedloyalty not to Ishida but to the oyotomi. As such he took actionsindependently, uncoordinated with Ishidas designs. He moved toOsaka castle with 30,000 men and declared himsel the guardiano the oyotomi amily, heedless o Ishidas need or those troopsin the eld. Ishida might have coaxed M-ori into the conict, hadhe been willing to sacrice some o his own stature. Te ailure othese leaders to coordinate was to have enormous consequences in

the Sekigahara campaign.

Ishida gathered his army at Ogaki castle, just west o Giu. Hav-ing consolidated the capital region o Japan, he knew now that

okugawa would have to come to him.

As okugawa moved to Edo in the early days o the conict, histrategy was still extremely uid. He intended at rst to pursue thenorthern campaign against the Uesugi, and moved his headquarternorth o Edo, to Oyama, in preparation. Ten he changed his mindand returned to Edo. He resolved upon a new strategy. Rather thanght small battles around Japan, he would orce a single decisivebattle that would resolve all other conicts in one blow.

Fighting Uesugi was let to Date Masamune and other local daimyoAnother okugawa ally, Maeda oshinaga, might have been in-cluded in the campaign had he not been engaged already againstregional enemies. okugawa turned all o his orces to the west.

Te westward battle plan had three stages. First, a orce would bedeployed to take Giu castle and establish a orward base o opera-tions. Second, two armies would march rom Edo to that gatheringpoint, one along each highway. Finally, the large army so assembled

would march westward or a climactic conrontation.

Te assault o Giu would enable okugawa control o the twinhighways o central Japan, the -okaid-o and the Nakasend-o, whichhe would then use to rapidly deploy his orces westwards. okugawasent an army o 6,000 rom Edo along the -okaid-o, under daimyoFukushima Masanori. Fearing that orce might be insucienthe sent another 8,000 to ollow them. All reached Giu, wherethe plan almost ractured because the two commanders could notresolve the honor o leading the attack. Te night beore they wereto begin the assault, they nearly ought a duel beore a solution

was agreed: each would lead a separate attack on opposite sideo the structure.

At the same time, the campaign against Uesugi Kagekatsu pro-ceeded. Eventually, Date and the okugawa allies were able toovercome the Uesugi, in a battle that occurred ater Sekigaharabut beore word had reached the north.

With the highways under his control, okugawa Ieyasu moved todeploy the rest o his army. In contrast to his slow departure romOsaka, he returned with alacrity in order to surprise his enemiesHe sent 38,000 men under his son Hidetada along the Nakasend-oand took 33,000 with himsel along the -okaid-o, meaning to uniythe orces at Giu castle.

During the march okugawa continued to receive letters pledgingallegiances, in some cases rom daimyo who, unsatised with their


17/20


2013 GM Games, LLC

7

rst decision, were choosing sides or the second time. He notedthe uidity o loyalty, worried or the reliability o his men, andresolved to test the allegiance o his enemies.

okugawas -okaid-o orce completed the march successully andarrived at Giu castle on October 9. Te Nakasend-o orce wasdelayed. Weather was partly to blame, but more importantly, Hi-detada took up a siege at castle Ueda against the instructions o his

ather. Te siege drew on under the cunning deense o local daimyoSanada Masayuki, until Hidetada eventually abandoned it. By thenhe was hopelessly late, and when the battle o Sekigahara broke outhe and his 38,000 men were still 00 kilometers away.

When they rst spied the eastern army, Ishidas western orceswere camped at Ogaki castle, west o Giu. okugawa set his camp5 kilometers to their northeast. Ishidas western orce numbered8,000, okugawas eastern army 89,000. Tough o roughly equalsize, the two orces were in very diferent psychological states.

Te western army was closer to home and more rested. Supplylines were cleaner, reinorcements closer. Tey camped not ar rom

Ishidas home castle at Sawayama. But the early arrival o easterntroops had unnerved them. Clearly, their plan to distract okugawain the north had ailed. Further, the eastern army was larger thanexpectedIshida had underestimated the degree o support there

would be or okugawa. Finally, since this territory was home tothe western orces, Ishida had more to lose by ghting here. Hehad to be concerned about deending Osaka, Kyoto, and Sawayamarom invasion. While okugawa might be at liberty to give or reusebattle, Ishida elt his options narrowing.

okugawa put his proximity and condence to immediate useby attempting to arrange deections among the western orces. IiNaomasa and Honda adakatsu, some o okugawas most loyal

leaders, were dispatched to speak with the retainers o several west-ern daimyo. o Kobayakawa Hideaki they ofered a domain o twoprovinces, i he were to switch sides and ght or okugawa. Teprice was agreed, and the seeds o treachery planted.

Te betrayal o Kobayakawa had its roots in an old grudge againstIshida. Te ormer, ater leading Japanese orces in Korea in whatsome considered a reckless manner, was stripped o much o histerritory by oyotomi. He suspected truth in the rumor that Ishidahad recommended the action. Tough the land was later returned,Kobayakawas resentment persisted.

Ater reaching proximity with the enemy, eastern leadership con-sidered several strategic options. Ii Naomasa proposed an attackon Ogaki castle, creating at once that denitive battle or whichthe army had been gathered. Honda adakatsu preerred a marchto Osaka, which i unopposed would end the war just as decisively.

okugawas nal decision was to mask Ogaki castle with a smalldetachment o troops while marching west towards Sawayama andthen Osaka. I successul, the western orces would be cut of romthe ground they sought to deend.

he western army was also unsure o strategy. Notiied thatokugawa planned to bypass his position, Ishida scrambled or aproactive plan. A night attack was proposed, only to be rejected

because Ishida elt it suitable only or a weak or desperate armyInstead, he settled on a night march, to select and occupy groundor a battle in the morning. For the site o that battle, he chose the

crossroads o Sekigahara.

Drenching rain pelted the western troops as in darkness they de-parted their camp. Tey marched westward to a ork in the roadofering diferent routes to Kyoto and Sawayama. o deend botha stand would have to be made at Sekigahara. Hills ringed the roadand between them there would be room or battle. Ishidas men tookthe high ground all around the site and waited or dawn.

okugawas night was nearly as restless. At :00, despite the stormhe mounted his horse to reconnoiter the ground ahead. When he

was satised with the approach, he woke the army and brought themon behind him to the site o battle. He arranged his men along the

road, the hills having been occupied, with a substantial orce to therear to prevent encirclement and acilitate escape. Both command-ers, in act, were careul to ensure an escape route Ishida stationedhimsel at the back near the road that led to Sawayama.

Both sides pressed or combat despite having substantial temporaryweaknesses. Ishida had twice tried to summon the 30,000 M-ortroops at Osaka castle, and they had not yet come. Te siege o

anabe castle had just nished, and another 5,000 troops wereon their way to join the main orce. okugawas son Hidetada waslate with 38,000 men a ew days march to the northeast on theNakasend-o. Still, each elt they had more to ear rom delay thanaction. Ishida worried about the integrity o his coalition and knew

that to retreat urther would be to sacrice his home o Sawayamaokugawa held the advantage o surprise against an enemy withmore local resources.

Each army was made up mostly o ground troops, armed withspears and swords. Each had some cavalry and some arquebusiers

Te arquebus had been revolutionizing Japanese warare in thehal-century since its introduction, in the process making archeryobsolete.

Te morning o October , 600 was muddy rom a night o rainand hazy with mist. Te army o the East launched the battle when


18/20


2013 GM Games, LLC

8

Ii Naomasas troops, called the Red Devils or the earsome redlacquered armor they wore, charged the eld. Fukushima Masanori,

who had been promised the honor o rst attack, plunged orwardimmediately as well, assaulting the strong central position o thestalwart loyalist Ukita Hideie.

Ishida ordered a counterattack, and to his dismay ound that someo his units reused to move. Te Shimazu merely held their posi-

tions, not ghting until they were attacked. On the ank, KikkawaHiroie reused a signal to attack, and the 5,000 M-ori troops be-hind him were satised to wait. Repeated orders were also sent toKobayakawa Hideaki demanding an attack, but he stood on thesouthern hillside as battle raged in the valley.

okugawa, too, was asking Kobayakawa to move. Finally, shotswere red in his direction, in demand o a decision. With thatsignal, Kobayakawa engaged, charging down the hillside to attackhis ormer allies. Te southern end o Ishidas line was enveloped.

All across the eld, western orces were being beaten back, despitethe valor o a ew loyalists.

Te eastern army began the consolidation o its victory. okugawaIeyasu erected a court on the battleeld in which to receive com-manders and the heads o his enemies. o loyal riends like Fu-kushima, Ii and Honda, he declared his everlasting gratitude. Hepraised the turncoat Kobayakawa and allowed him to lead an attacko Sawayama castle (now largely a ormality). He reserved his great-est scorn or those who had reused battle, specically the M-ori.

Ishida escaped into the mountains, to be caught a ew days laterand executed. Ukita, a young daimyo who had ought tenaciously,

was orgiven his involvement but orced to live in exile and abstainrom politics. oyotomi Hideyori was entrusted to okugawas care,and survived another 5 years beore being killed or disloyalty.

Te M-ori were stripped o most o their land and wealth, leavingthem bitter and vengeul or centuries to come. Teir childrenslept with eet pointed east, in insult to the victors o Sekigahara.It became a tradition, in Chosho where the M-ori lived, to openeach new year with a ceremonial exchange in which prominentleaders would ask o the daimyo Has the time come to begin thesubjugation o the [okugawa]? to which he would reply No, thetime had not yet come. (More than 50 years later the time nallyhad come, and the rebellion that overturned the shogunate was ledin part by Chosho.)

Te Sekigahara campaign was ought rapidly. In seven weeks ohostilities, the ate o Japan was settled. Te whole episode, including

okugawas march northwards and letter-writing campaign, tookjust over three months. In that time, every daimyo had to seleca side, raise troops, deploy and ght. Little wonder, then, that thecampaign was so unpredictable, loyalty so uid, plans and objectivesso oten revised. It was an improvised war.

In this brie and unstructured engagement, loyalty was as importanas troop strength. Victory went not to the largest army, but to that

which best supported its commander.

okugawa returned victorious to Osaka castle exactly 00 days aterhe had let to punish the Uesugi. His dynasty would last 68 yearsIt is remarkable that equilibrium so durable could have arisen roman episode so unstructured and chaotic. But it was not by chanceater he subdued his enemies, okugawa took every measure tosubdue the nation.

Ater Sekigahara, okugawa spent the last 5 years o his lielaying the oundations or the okugawa shogunate. (Te titleoshogun, inaccessible to oyotomi or reasons o low birth, wasaccorded to okugawa.) He transerred the title to his son years

beore he died in order to ensure a good succession. He inventeda new social hierarchy and lived to oversee it. o every station insociety he gave responsibilities and obligations. o the samurai, hegave the duty o martial ceremony, in lieu o martial acts. He sethe nation busy complying with new objectives, and thus weanedthem rom violent impulse.

okugawa did what oyotomi could not: domesticate a nation owarriors. Under oyotomi, or sake o war, conquest o Japan waollowed by invasion o Korea. okugawa instead made warriors intogovernors and citizens. okugawa rule was known as the bakuu

which means government rom a tent, or governance by soldiersIn the strict class hierarchy o the okugawa period, samurai aban-

doned bloodshed and became members o the governing class.In this transormation we see the magnitude o okugawas ac-complishment. Just as he had throughout his lie controlled hisown emotions, now he controlled those o a nation. A great ad-ministrator, he created the institutions that turned an entire peoplerom war to peace, ending an era o chaos and launching an era otranquility. Te Buddha said One who conquers himsel is greaterthan another who conquers a thousand times a thousand on thebattleeld. okugawa Ieyasu did not himsel subdue the variousterritories o Japan, as did his predecessors. He was ortunate to in-herit the ruits o their struggles or unication. But only okugawaconquered the people, because o the three great warlords, only he

had rst conquered himsel.

Japanesearquebuses


19/20


2013 GM Games, LLC

9

deig neSekigaharais an unusual game. Te peculiarities o the design are theproduct o two priorities: that it depict the conict in its mechanismsrather than merely in its particularities, and that it adheres to certaindesign objectives that I consider important.

I preer a game that rewards skillul play and diminishes the efect

o chance. One o my earliest and easiest decisions was to excludedice rom the design. A die roll generates a two-sided surprise: bothparties are unable to predict the result o a die roll, and thus cannotplan or it. I preer one-sided uncertainty (hidden units and cards)to encourage planning and blung.

For playability, I wanted the game to nish in -3 hours. Tis natu-rally set a limit on the amount o complexity I could introduce intothe rules. Fortunately, as I will explain below, I prioritized realismover complexity, and ound I could accommodate quite a lot o theormer despite a cap on the latter.

Tere exist in wargaming a series o game types: card-driven, block,

counter. For each o these categories the seasoned gamer will im-mediately recall a series o games, some classics and some best or-gotten, which t the mold. Tere have even developed conventions

within conventions, such that we can expect a card-driven wargameto ofer a tradeof between action points and events, and a blockgame to eature step-losses and lots o dice. What this conventional-ity gains in amiliarity it loses in realism. Can the same mechanismaccurately convey diferent conicts centuries apart? Some wouldsay it can, so long as you adjust the incidental elements in the game:unit values, events, map, chrome rules to add color. I began withthe assumption that this would not suce. Rather than convey thespirit o the conict through incidentals, I attempted to convey itthrough the design mechanisms themselves.

One could also debate what constitutes the spirit o the conict,and what it means to be accurate in design. Wargames usuallyachieve accuracy through weight. We orgive a game complexityi it provides greater realism. But what kind o realism is best? Itmay seem realistic to list precisely the ghting value o every unit,or draw rom a deck o historical events, but the commanders inthe war were never privy to such knowledge. Make the game tooaccurate in these regards and you degrade the accuracy o the ex-perience. Fidelity must be declared to realism o details or realismo experience; this design has avored the latter.

I sought to convey the experience o being a commander in the war

o Sekigahara through the mechanisms o the game. Since the warwas characterized by uncertaintythe og o war so close leaderscould choke on itso should be the mechanisms (hidden blocksand cards). Since the war was won and lost over loyalty, a majormechanism (the cards) was introduced to depict loyalty. Mecha-nisms were determined not by wargaming convention, but by thepeculiarities o the Sekigahara conict.

Te war o Sekigahara was unusual in several ways. First, the extremeimportance o loyalty and personal legitimacy. Second, the haste anduncertainty under which it was organized and prosecuted. Tird,

the absolute centrality o people, and thus the importance o theirpersonalities and their saety. Finally, the way honor and the pursuio honor dominated behavior throughout the conict.

No actor was more important in determining the outcome o thewar than loyalty. Neither commander could be certain o his sup-porters, nor entirely condent in numerical superiority. Battles were

won instead by loyalty and legitimacy. Some troops ought heroically

(like Ii and Ukita), some were passive (M-ori), some treacherou(Kobayakawa). Te nal battle, indeed the entire war, was decidedby deections and disloyalty. o model loyalty I introduced thedeck o cards, representing the support o the troops. Te biggerthe hand size, the more legitimacy. Te possibility was introducedo a unit brought to battle and then reusing to take part (a typicaoccurrence in this war). In order to model treachery, I added LoyaltyChallenge cards, which have the additional benet o making eachbattle a tactical exercise o bluf and deceit. okugawa has one moreo these cards than Ishida, and the diference may be telling.

Sekigahara was an improvised war. It was a civil war based on peopleand not geography, in which over 00 daimyo separately made al-

legiance decisions. Fighting lasted just seven weeks, with anotherseven o preparation. Te struggle began and nished with orcesscattered across Japan, ghting local enemies and capturing locatargets. Despite this chaos, Sekigahara was a strategic conict. Itemerged out o a well-planned trap, and ended in a well-plannedstrategic attack. Chaos swept around the eet o our protagonistsbut it did not overwhelm them. I have modeled this uncertainty

with a semi-randomized unit setup that orces each player to openthe game with improvisation, even as other actors (compoundingspecial attacks, card carryovers across turns, bonuses or castle andsupply control) urgently encourage them to orm a strategy. o de-pict the tension between opportunism and centralization the boardis littered with easy targets but players begin with precious little

organizational capacity (just 5 cards). A ew actors are known toeach player; the rest is a blur o uncertainty. Blocks are hidden, cardare secret and rapidly recycled, reinorcements drawn at randomExtreme as this may seem, i I have erred it is on the side o over-certainty. No mechanism in the game can reproduce the dismayo the western army on the arrival o okugawa at Giu castle, asooner, and with ar more troops, than expected. I happily sacriceperceived detail to recapture the authentic eeling o improvisationand uncertainty elt by the leaders in this war.

Tere are three gures whose death or capture would have trans-ormed the conict. okugawa and Ishida, o course, and also

oyotomi Hideyori. Personality drove the war in a more subtle way

as well. okugawas stronger personality allowed better coordinationo his daimyo. Ishidas conspiratorial talents helped him set theinitial trap with Uesugi Kagekatsu, but his tense relationship withM-ori erumoto may have cost him the war. Given the importanceo people and personality, it was essential that players representprotagonists and not causes. (Tus the game ends on protagonistdeath or capture.) Te Ishida-M-ori relationship, in which personainterest took precedence over loyalty to their cause, required anadditional mechanism to depict the tradeof Ishida aced betweenstrength and primacy.


20/20

SEKIGAHARA Rules o Play0

Honor was the most nonintuitive o the themes that dened theconict. Honor drove daimyo to besiege castles that were o littlestrategic importance. Honor caused breakdowns in coordinationamongst allies. Honor is why orii Mototadas doomed deense oFushimi Castle is still celebrated in the present day. Honor nearlydisrupted the assault on Giu castle, when two okugawa daimyoproposed to ght each other (or the right o rst attack) beore theyaced the enemy. Honor led one earlier okugawa enemy to burn

incense in his helmet beore a battle so that his head would makea better trophy. (okugawa was so impressed he recommended thepractice to his own ollowers.) How to model a actor that couldcreateeven celebratemartial ailure in the name o a highercause? I settled on two mechanisms, both regarding the dispersiono cards. First, bonus cards are allocated according to losses in battle,not victory, with extra cards given to those dying in deense o acastle. Second, the owner o more castles draws an additional cardat the beginning o each week.

Te units that ought in the war were characterized above all bytheir clan. A secondary characteristic was the use o guns or horses.Cavalry did not travel aster than ground units because they were

accompanied by non-mounted retainers. Te secondary purposeo the special units in the game was to reward central organiza-tion. Armies that took time to organize became more powerul, asdepicted by the compounding special attack bonuses.

Many clans ought in the war and or game purposes I had to selectjust a ew. In Ishidas case it was simpleM-ori, Ukita, Uesugi, andKobayakawa were the strongest and most important daimyo inthe western coalition. okugawa had a wider range o mid-sizedsupporters, and I chose them based on regional representation andcentrality to the plot. Other worthy names were consolidated undermy selections: Fukushima was supported by Ikeda erumasa, Dateby Mogami Yoshiaki. Maeda is included or geographical balance

and because it was one o Japans strongest houses, though its impactin the Sekigahara campaign was primarily regional.

Japan was dotted in castles and I include only a ew o them in thegame. Giu, Ueda, and Osaka are essential to tell the story; the oth-ers were selected representationally, generally in places where siegesoccurred. Resource areas are meant to depict control o territoryand so I have scattered them across the map. I have also tried toconvey the importance o the -okaid-o and Nakasend-o highwaysIn a campaign characterized by dispersed orces and targets, the useo good roads to centralize and coordinate was essential. Not every

little road could be included on the map, o course, and becausethere are always more, I have written the retreat rules to preventeasy encirclements.

Te ability to build riskier or saer armies and to groom your hando cards in order to motivate them is one o my avorite elements othe design. Te most powerul army in the game is one o uniormtypemany blocks rom the same clan, or many special attacks othe same variety. Tis is also the most dicult army to eld, as ittakes careul card preparation and a well-timed attack. Te doubleattack cards are essential or this purpose, and are more valuable thanthey rst appear. I also enjoy the tension in sequential deploymentso blocks during a battle. Some are at risk o deection (those or

which no more cards are available) and some are not. Players canbe cautious or reckless in their battleeld decisions. Tere is a thrilin deploying a potential deector successully and an even greaterone when you turn an enemy unit to your side.

Elegance was always a priority. One reason or the unusual blockshape is that they can be stacked and thus every army viewed aonce, without ipping or rearranging the pieces. Where the char-acteristics o the conict did not dictate complexity, I made everyefort to reduce it in the game. In the words o Einstein, a gameshould be as simple as possible, and no simpler.

Matt Calkins

All authors proceeds rom the rst edition were donated to recovery

rom the Japan earthquake and tsunami o March 0.

GMT Games, LLC

P.O. Box 1308, Hanford, CA 93232-1308

www.GMTGames.com

sekigahara rulebook

Documents