The Imjin War: The Samurai Invasion of Korea 1594-97 (avail mid 2025)

Description

Players command armies of various Japanese or Korean units during three of the most significant land battles of the Korean invasion at the end of the 16th Century (the Battle of Haengju, the Battle of the Imjin River, and the Battle of Chungju). The primary combat unit is the kumi (a Japanese tactical unit of at least 100 samurai warriors or ashigaru) and the Korean equivalent (the Choson) all within the larger organization of armies that players organize and maneuver to fight enemy formations. However, the activation of units are limited to the capabilities of each army’s leader, and thus the game system is a realistic simulation of how samurai-era armies were fielded and wielded on the battlefield.

Players must decide how to deploy their units, how to array defensive stances, and choose which weapon types will be the vanguard, flanks, reserves, etc. Moreover, the game system is regulated by a deck of Activation Cards that ensures that the battles are not simply an I-Go/You-Go order Instead, players draw cards to activate specific leaders and armies without knowing the intentions of the enemy (and this simulates the reality of formation maneuver during the samurai era. Players do not simply move whomever they choose, whenever they decide; it is the command ability of leaders and the tempo of the battle that governs the action. This game system was specifically designed to recreate the manner of operational warfare during the Imjin War.

DESIGN = Complete
DEVELOPMENT = Complete
FINAL PLAYTEST = Complete
COMPONENTS ART = Pending
MAPS GRAPHICS = Pending
RULES LAYOUT = Pending
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