Age of War Is Now Available

“The Way of strategy is the Way of nature. When you appreciate the power of nature, knowing the rhythm of any situation, you will be able to hit the enemy naturally and strike naturally.”
   –Miyamoto Musashi

Gather your loyal armies and rise to become the supreme ruler of Japan in Age of War, a fast-paced dice game of feudal conflicts for two to six players, now available at your local retailer and online through our webstore!

Besiege the Castles of Japan

Created by world-renowned game designer Reiner Knizia, Age of War invites you to become a daimyo in a period of warring states. To establish your dominion over Japan, you must wage war against rival daimyos, conquering castles and uniting the region’s clans under your banner. At the end of the game, whichever player has garnered the most support from the Japanese clans becomes the next ruler of Japan!

On every turn in Age of War, you must muster your loyal soldiers and march against a castle. At the beginning of the game, the fourteen castles stand independent, but as the game progresses, daimyos quickly seize these castles and the support of the clans.

Each castle has a number of lines on it, called battle lines. To successfully conquer the castle, you must use your soldiers to fill each of these battle lines.

Your attack on a castle begins when you roll seven custom dice to see what soldiers answer your call to war. You may gather infantry, archers, cavalry, and daimyos loyal to your cause. Using the results on your dice, you must fill one of the besieged castle’s battle lines. If you successfully complete a battle line, you place the dice you used on the castle and reroll your remaining dice to press the attack forward.

If you fail to complete a battle line on a roll, however, your attack is brutally thrown back. You must remove a die from your dice pool to represent your casualties, and reroll the remaining dice to regroup and continue your assault on the castle.

Completing all of a castle’s battle lines allows you to conquer the castle and add it to your play area. The castle’s point value also counts towards your total number of points. But just because you’ve conquered a castle doesn’t mean it’s safe. Every player can attack his opponents’ castles as well as unclaimed castles. Besieging one of your opponent’s castles works the same way as besieging an unclaimed castles, but you must also complete the red battle line in the upper left corner of the castle card.

The Power of the Clans

Castles may provide physical strongholds, but Japan’s true solidarity comes from its clans. If you wish to become the supreme daimyo, you’ll need to unite the clans under your rule. The clans vary widely in size and prestige – the Shimazu clan has only one castle, while the mighty Oda clan holds four castles. Completely uniting a clan is the only way to keep your castles safe from the depredations of other daimyos. When you conquer the last castle belonging to a clan, you may turn that clan’s castle cards facedown, meaning that no other player can attempt to besiege them.

The clans provide more benefits than just security for the daimyo they serve, however. A united clan is worth more points than a clan spread and separated. For example, the Mori clan has two castles: Takahashi and Gassantoda. Apart, these castles are each worth two points. But if you conquer both of these castles, the Mori clan is worth five points! Conquering entire clans is crucial, because when the last unconquered castle is captured, the game ends and the player with the most points claims victory.

Rise to Victory

To become the ruler of all Japan, you’ll need a keen tactical mind and an unbreakable will. Muster your loyal armies, prepare for battle by downloading the rules from the Age of War support page, and pick up your copy of Age of War at your retailer today!

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