“‘Fast and Furious!’ You are a famous clan leader—take command and conquer, defeat your rivals in duels. ‘Heart pounding Action.’” The Kickstarter reads when you first arrive at its webpage. The opening models a cliché blockbuster movie trailer: “Will it be you who will conquer,” a Japanese drum-roll is heard, “or will you just be DECAPITATED,” is said while a samurai figurine is holding another samurai figurine’s head.
Now, I’m not only interested because the game coupled with some Doritos seems like a great Monday night, but also because the creator is a U of G alumnus. Richard Janutka graduated as part of the class of 2000. He then later became a high-school physics and statistics teacher in New Zealand. Janutka recently opened his gaming studio, Big Forest Creativity Lab. He has also launched a Kickstarter campaign for his first of many game ideas: Duelling Samurai.
The game transports players to Feudal Japan, where they will take control of historically accurate samurai generals that fought, conquered, and died during the Edo-era of Japan. When these generals meet in battle, the game zooms-in-on the duelling samurai. Hence the name “duelling samurai.”
There are also 146 game cards that bring forth interesting dynamics. Spying, assassination, ninja attacks, navy battles, snipers, festivals, ceremonies, religious conversion, ronin, pirates, bandits, bribery, hostages – the list goes on. All of these elements add flavour and realism into the game, not to mention the natural disasters, such as volcanoes, tsunamis, and earthquakes, which give the game an air of unpredictability. It seems one cannot avoid the wrath of God even in a board game.
The game is meant to emulate the epic quality that made medieval Japan a rich time period. An epic game needs an epic board. The game is played on a 1.1-metre board, and requires two-to-four players. The board – to add even more to the realism of the game – brings the mountainous areas of Japan alive, which ensures that conquering remains strategic. This also translates into difficulty. Thankfully, a YouTube reviewer said that the game is simple enough for beginners, yet has the complexity to give players depth and strategy.
The Kickstarter is currently sitting at $9,700 of the $27,000 goal with 22 days left. Students looking to support a fellow gryphon, and ensure a copy of the game, can do so at the Kickstarter page.
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The Ontarion publishes independent, student-produced news, opinion, and commentary for University of Guelph students so that they can make informed decisions in their lives. To do this, The Ontarion provides learning opportunities and training in journalism, media production, leadership, board governance, and other aspects of nonprofit news.
The Ontarion is the University of Guelph’s independent student newspaper. It began in 1951 as part of the Ontario Agricultural College and then began to represent the entire University of Guelph once it amalgamated in 1964. The Ontarion incorporated in May 1970 as The Ontarion, Inc., a not-for-profit corporation registered with the province of Ontario.