Maijin

I’m so glad they reprinted this game again. To me, Shogun was the strongest of the Milton Bradley Gamemaster series as far as a big multiplayer strategic experience goes.
The limited real estate and confined space of feudal Japan necessitates diplomacy and with four plus players this game can be a real blast. Its appeal is inversely proportional to the number of players though: the two player game, while still fun, loses the great interactive, truce/backstabbing aspect of the 4 plus player game. Also, the bidding part takes a hit too.
One great thing about this version of the game is not only did it see another name change, there has been some really strong production and cosmetic upgrades. One gripe I have about these changes are the removal of the plastic katana that denoted turn order in the original. The game uses card chits instead which, albeit more functional, don’t lend themselves well to impromptu dueling or eye poking.
The other gripe is some of the art, while well-done, is a little too comic book style. I would have preferred a classic Japanese style approach, to go with the game’s setting. All the other changes they’ve made are great.
The old Styrofoam trays have been replaced with durable plastic castles with deep trays. These are superb and look really ****** cool.
The board is gorgeous and has a vanilla tone to it.
The cards are of top quality “woven” stock. All the card in the game is heavy.
The figure colors are much less flashier, replaced with muted earth tones.
There is a nifty box for you to hold the ninja, 12 sided dice, castles, fortifications and Ronin in.
As far as the rest of the game, it is unchanged. The fantastic scuplts for the miniatures are retained from the original. The rules are the same, though written with more clarity and detail.
While this review has mostly focused on the changes to this version of the game I will touch briefly on this games mechanics and appeal.
The historical aspect is limited. While it is represented in unit types and the map of Japan, it is missing from the gameplay. You start in random provinces. Famous players during the period (late 1500s Japan, like Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyesu) are represented only in name. Don’t let this dissuade you from playing this fine game. If feudal japan and its gory, war filled, yet highly cultured past appeal to you, this games captures the feeling well.
The game has mechanics not seen in other broad strokes of similar bent. Bidding is involved, army experience, espionage and assassination. Ronin can surprise attack in a truly inspired mechanic.
Check out the rules and if it sounds fun, well it is. A great, beautiful strategy game with heart. And sessions seldom last over 4 hours!

Dungeonquest is a cruel, albeit fun dungeon crawl. You need to have the right frame of mind though.
You have to be able to laugh when, after making it to the treasure room, on your way out of the dungeon, you get turned around, fall into a pit, have your torch go out get bitten by a vampire and then ultimately die, beheaded by a vicious trap. Hilarious , no?
Most of the things that happen to you are completely random. You roll attribute tests to avoid some pitfalls, while others just happen to you because you draw the wrong card. The only decisions you make are where you want to go, which results in a random encounter and room, and when you want to try and leave this deathtrap of a dungeon. I love it. It has great replay value due to the variety of components and the randomness. No game plays the same, except for you getting mauled.
It’s fun to play solo over and over (games take less than an hour) and when you win, you get a real feeling of accomplishment.
The combat bogs down a bit in a multiplayer game but goes fast in a solo game, which is how this game shines.
Fantasy Flight included baggies to hold all the components (even the board) which are gorgeous. The board is thick, the room tiles are thick and varied in art, the character cards are cool, the minis are fantastic and the card art is great, phenomenal production all around.
Plus, the characters come with components allowing them to be used in Descent (1st ed.), Runebound and Runewars.
An exciting, shallow, gorgeous, cruel game. It’s good fun multiplayer and peerless solo. Those who hate randomness or games lacking strategy should avoid it.

I’ve have played hundreds of games and Twilight Imperium 3rd. Ed. is still my favorite.
It has everything: politics, war, territorial control, economics, spaceships, alien turtles etc.
It is a long game. Between 8 and 12 hours is what my group’s sessions usually last. The strategy is fun, the miniatures are great and it is all about the journey. Anything can happen in this game. You need to invest emotionally in the experience and not the end game though or you could become frustrating as there is plenty of backstabbing and ways for others to ruin your well-laid plans.
The gameplay isn’t too complicated but there are a lot of rules. Make sure everyone has read through them at least once.
This game is a space opera. And it will appeal to sci-fi fans, but don’t pick it up unless you don’t mind an 8 plus hour game with a lot of rules and the fact that even with the best of luck, an iron-clad strategy, and a huge navy of warships, you may face utter and grim ruin.