Tabletop Spotlight: Shadows in Kyoto

What happens when you combine Stratego and Capture the Flag, but also there are fake flags and also secret movement skills and tons of depth in strategy? You get Shadows in Kyoto.

Shadows in Kyoto is a strategy and bluffing game with hand management and variable player power mechanics.  The game appears very similar to the classic game, Stratego, but Shadows in Kyoto is so much more.

Each player has 6 agents with a hidden value and whether or not that piece has “information” or “fake information”. The victory conditions for both players are 3 fold:

1. Have an agent with real information make it to the other side of the board
2. Capture 2 of your opponent’s agents that both have rel information
3. Have the opponent capture 3 of your agents that have false information

What’s so interesting about Shadows in Kyoto is that because of the third victory condition, you can’t simply charge in and capture every agent.  Players will have to use bluffing and deduction to root out where their opponent’s real information is hidden.

Shadows in Kyoto also comes with location and skill cards which are also how players can perform movement with their agents. Rather than allowing free movement, players are required to play a location or skill card to move their agents on the board.

There are also player boards that can be optionally used as the advanced rules. They offer variable player powers which grant special abilities to that team.

Shadows in Kyoto was a Japan exclusive game for a while published by EmperorS4, but through a successful Kickstarter by Deep Water Games, it was able to recently be released internationally.

via Deep Water Games & EmperorS4

Shadows in Kyoto – $24.95 – Available Now

Shadows in Kyoto is in the same universe and the bestselling game Hanamikoji. With beautiful artwork featuring the same fictional history, with easy to learn rules, a 2-player game with lots of variants. From the story, mechanism, art and all the details is focused in bringing players new and exciting game play experience. By utilizing the various leader charismas, your agents can unexpectedly break the opponent’s blockade, you can also strategize and set traps, attack when unexpected.

Each player has different experience with gaming, we designed 3 difficultly levels, even first time strategy game players can enjoy this game, and develop a passion for strategy game as well.

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• 2 Players
• 15 – 30 Minutes
• Ages 10+

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Author: Matt Sall

Matt has loved games of all kinds his whole life: board, video, war, roleplaying, and card. He's worked as a writer for BoLS since 2017.