2023 · Medieval
Shogun no Katana
Players take the role of master swordsmiths in feudal Japan, running a forge to craft katanas requested by powerful daimyo and the shogun. Use worker placement to gather resources, hire artisans for decorations, and secure influence in the shogun’s palace to gain privileges. Each player manages a personal forge grid where activating a row or column adds materials and progress to multiple blades at once; position and timing affect efficiency and interference between swords. The game emphasizes resource management, engine building, and spatial planning as players balance producing many works simultaneously against the risk of them hindering each other.
- Players
- 1–4 best 3
- Playing time
- 60–180 min
- Age
- 14+
- Complexity
- 3.8 / 5
About the game
- Publishers
Expansions
See them in Ludoya
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Where to buy it
Shop prices and second-hand copies, checked every day.
On Ludoya's tables
Full stats in Ludoya- 89
- Plays logged
- 120
- Players
- 2h 35m
- Average play
- 44
- In collections
- 13
- On wishlists
8.2/10
from 19 Ludoya reviews
Rules questions
Answered from the rulebook by Ludoya's rules assistant.
Can I take a Monk and then use it to gain Coins to pay the Monk’s cost?
No — you must pay the Monk’s cost immediately when you take it from the Temple and you cannot use a Monk to obtain Coins and then use them to pay that cost (page 6).
Can I place more than one Worker or Monk on the same space, or do they block each other?
It depends: there is no limit to the number of Workers/Monks you may place on the same Forge row or column, but most area spaces (Market, Academy, Palace, Daimyo houses) cannot be used if already occupied by another Worker/Monk (and Komainu has only one space) (pages 7–9).
When does a Sword move on my Forge board and which way does it go?
The golden rule is a Sword moves one space each time a Resource is added to it; Resources must be placed in the order shown on the tile, placing a Resource that matches the Sword’s row moves it right, and placing a Resource matching the row above or below moves it up or down (page 10).
Can I deliver a completed Sword at any time, and is delivery an action?
Delivering a complete Sword is not an action and may be done at any time during the round (even during another player’s turn), but only if you have not passed that round (page 12).
If I finish a Sword but leave it on the Forge, do I still get the row/column benefits?
No — you do not receive the row and column benefits until you actually deliver the Sword; completing alone does not grant those benefits (page 12).
Can I use Coins earned from a card’s permanent benefit to pay the cost to purchase that same permanent benefit?
No — you cannot use Coins obtained from a permanent benefit to pay for that benefit itself (pages 13–14).
Free, on web, Android and iOS
Play Shogun no Katana with Ludoya
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Game facts (players, playing time, age, credits) from BoardGameGeek.