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Due to release 26th July, Ikusa is a modest reworking of the Milton Bradley classic Shogun.

The original edition was released in the mid 80s and quickly became established as an “Ameritrash” classic in the mould of Allis & Allies, supporting two to five players in a flavourful strategic battle to become the overlord of Japan in the 16th century.

Also known as Samurai Swords, the game has been OOP for many years and a re-release is very welcome.

There’s no use my writing a big review of it since others have already done that job.

http://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/3372/shogun-samurai-swords-ikusa-the-return-of-a-class

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shogun_%281986_board_game%29

http://www.gameslore.com/acatalog/PR_Ikusa_Board_Game.html

£50 may seem a lot for a boxed game but you will get hours and hours of fun out of this baby. I’ve hung on to my first edition like grim death although I haven’t had the chance to play it for years.

Cool! I enjoyed Shogun a lot when I was a kid

I played Shogun as a teenager, and bought a copy when it was re-released as Samurai Swords... I don't think I've actually played it since.

Ha, I still have a copy of this along with Axis and Allies and Fortress america in my Mum and Dads loft!

Doesn't looklike they have changed a thing about it (other than the name).

Awesome!

Now, where's CASTLE RISK?!?

This is my favorite board game of all times! I am so excited to get the new set!!!

Axis & Allies was the game that got me into tabletop gaming. It was the seed that got things going, then Samurai Swords & Fortress America. This is great news!! Of course, I already have two copies of this game, but it will be neat to see what they add or change in appearance.

Ameritrash? Well if they have to put down games made here in the States to sell their game, let's hope it fails. Who needs their re-hash-trash game anyway? I remember playing this game when I was in high-school and thought it was crap then. Why would I want it now?

Cool your jets. Ameritrash is a term coined by lovers and haters of classic over-produced board games like Shogun, Broadsides and Boarding Parties, Fortress America, and others. These aren't always the deepest games, and most of them come from the US, as opposed to "euro"-style games like Settlers of Catan. Getting worked up about the term is like getting mad because someone says a model has "mould lines." Who wants a moldy model anyhow etc...

I think the 'Ameritrash' term is also used in this context because some of the best examples are very open-ended and/or broken... As compared to the 'Eurogame' ethos, which is for very tight game designs with principles like: Many games have 'timers' mechanisms so they don't run to the point of tedium, minimal random elements, etc.

Another big 'thing' is that eurogames often fee like the theme was tacked on after the rules were designed, while a lot of classic American games (like the aforementioned Fortress America) are all about theme.

There's exceptions to all of these points, however... And games from both design philosophies can be good. And there's designers in America doing 'Eurogames' these days.

My favorite of the genre is Conquest of the Empire..

Monopoly is a classic example of 'bad old board game design:

1. It's open-ended: Monopoly has a habit of rarely being played truly to completion, as it ends up with a dominant player that has to bleed one or two other players dry (of cash) to truly 'win'. Many just call call the game at various points because...

2. Players can be eliminated. Bad luck or poor decisions can result in a player being eliminated. There's no reentry or anything to do, so if you're eliminated, you generally end up going home, drinking heavily, and/or playing x-box while everyone else plays the game. This can reinforce the desire to call the game early if enough people are having more fun not playing the game than playing the game...

3. It's very random, with randomness having a bigger input than player choice.

4. Turns are nearly single player, so no real 'reactions' or similar. Avoided a bit once players are at a point where they're unable to buy properties and may need to start selling off assets...

A lot of 'Eurogames' try toa void these perceived faults.

A lot of Eurogames have very little player interaction, it depends on the design.

Bohnanza is 90% player interaction.
Citadels is maybe 20% player interaction.
Agricola has almost no player interaction at all.

There are various Eurogames I have played which feel like four guys sitting at a table playing four games of solitaire and seeing who can get out first.

Player elimination is a frequent theme in conflict based games though it can be avoided depending on design. Conflict tends to maximise player interaction.

True. Good point.

Those points bring up a few memories of playing Catan. My brothers actually worked to mess each other up to win. They came up with pretty creative ways to hurt each other.

think I paid almost 50gbp for my MB version that I got in excellent condition on ebay a few years back - glad to see it back it's a great game!