Rising Sun is Eric Lang’s spiritual successor to Blood Rage. Published by CMON it has been one of the most talked about games of 2018. Set in feudal Japan, with a heavy dose of mysticism and mythology, Rising Sun is an area control game that is not won through combat alone. Forging alliances, teamwork and deception all play a part over the course of a single year which will decide which of the five factions will dominate the land. The player with the most victory points is the winner. The board is a beautiful artistic representation of Japan, highly stylised yet easy to understand. Tokens and cards all follow suit with a distinct look. Rising Sun comes with five asymmetrical factions with their own set of unique miniatures in three different forms. The Daimyo is the most powerful unit in your faction and is harder for other players to disrupt. The Shinto units are able to move off the map and go pray to one of four random Kami gods at the top of the board. At certain points during the year, if you have more Shinto praying for a particular god than another player, you gain a special ability. Finally the Bushi are your main warriors to battle other players or hold a region. Over the course of the in-game year, moving through spring, summer and autumn, players make can decisions to ally with other players for mutual benefit or betray them entirely. Factions can be upgraded with new special abilities or gain access to a horde of awesome Monsters. Combat is determined with a blind bidding mechanic, where gained coins through the season are spent on claiming particular bonus abilities prior to the main battle even takes place. All coins are placed in secret and then revealed. For example, the player that spends the most gold on capturing an enemy unit will be able to take another faction unit hostage from the battle, which could lead to power shifting into their favour. Honour is also an important aspect. If a faction has a higher honour rating than another, they will break all ties should a draw take place. Factions move up and down the honour track over the course of the game. Of course, some deceitful monsters also get more powerful if you have lower honour than your enemy… Rising Sun can be expanded with Kami Unbound, Monster Pack and Dynasty Invasion. These add a variety of new rules, miniatures and boost the player count to seven. Player Count: 3-5 Time: 90-120 Minutes Age: 14+