Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)This was the game that first led me to suspect that Reinier Knizia (designer of Samurai and other games) is a genius. I had already played Carcassonne and Settlers of Catan and Ticket to Ride, and I was looking for something else. I chose Samurai almost by chance. After a few plays I was impressed. After a few more plays I thought "this game is amazing"! And now I have 12 Knizia games. In the games of Reinier Knizia, we can see a great mind at work.
Samurai is not a complicated game. It has about the same level of complexity as Settlers or Ticket to Ride. But it has a spark of magic that those more famous games lack in my opinion. The magic of Samurai is in how beautifully and perfectly all the pieces fit together. At the beginning of the game players have lots of options. Every turn, players select and place a tile on the board. Things start of get a little crowded after a while, and players are realizing the consequences of their early tactical choices. By the end players are playing in certain last spaces, hopefully spaces they have planned for in advance.
You can't play too forcefully, or you will spend too much of your resources on one place. The battle is being simultaneously fought all over the board. Players can't afford to leave any area uncontested.
Samurai is beautiful and original to look at. The board itself is a die-cut irregular shape in the form of a map of Japan. The pieces that are contested (rice paddies, buddas and high-helmets) are a lovely black shiny acrylic. The board and bits are VERY satisfying to play with. The artwork is very well rendered by Franz Volwinkel.
This game scales particularly well. With four players, the entire board is used and all bits. With fewer playes only portions of the board are used and fewer bits. With 2 players, or 3 or 4, the game feels exactly the same. It plays quickly and smoothly, in about 45 minutes. My kids like it, and pretty much everyone else that I've introduced it to.
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Reiner Knizia SamuraiThe Samurai - for centuries, the name has represented unfailing courage, imperturbable loyalty and internal harmony. Today the name is no less respected and stories of the Samurai myths and legends have become more and more popular. In Japan, there were three SAMURAI forces: Peasants, clergy and nobility. The way to power in old Japan led through the peasants, the clergy, and the nobility. To become a SAMURAI, one had to be supported by one of these forces and have strong connections to the other two.Samurai is the latest game from award-winning author Reiner Knizia. The three forces are represented by rice fields, Buddhas and high helmets. They are presented in molded plexiglass, finely polished and noble black. The board comes in four pieces, representing the four major Japanese islands. To win, players must skillfully position their forces to gain the majority surrounding the cities and villages to capture figures.
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