One reviewer called this game the best RPG game he's ever played... well then he hasn't played any RPGs or he would know that this is just Risk with a few twists added in. There's nothing even remotely RPG-ish about this game. It's a Milton-Bradley Gamemaster Series game formerly known as Shogun. It was the third release in a string of games produced in the late 70s to mid 80s. Amidst titles like Axis & Allies (A&A), Supremacy (AKA Super Messy), and Fortress America. Fortress America being the worst of the bunch and A&A being the best of them. Shogun is a good game, a bit easier to learn than A&A but quite a bit harder than Risk to learn. Takes anywhere from 1 to 3 hours to play, depending on the number of players, and your skill level. As you play more often, the quicker the games will go, but never less than at least one hour per game. This game is playable with 2 to 5 players, though much better when played with at least 3 (just like Risk).

The one thing I like about this game is that you never know who's gonna go first. Renamed "Samurai Swords" because of the vehicle used to determine the order of play each round. Each player at the start of the game draws a samurai sword. They are numbered 1-5 which tells a player when his turn comes. This is done very round so no ONE person ever always goes first, which is pretty kewl. The other kewl thing is that the game is managed by 12-sided dice rather than the old standard 6-siders.

I agree with the previous reviewer in that this is a good 5-Star game, but IT IS NOT an RPG, not by any stretch of the imagination. It is a complicated, strategy driven game of Japanese Feudalism, it does not lend itself to being portable, and is therefore not suitable for camping or traveling. It is however very good for having a few friends over, a few beers, and few hours of fun. If your friends are good and fast, like mine, you can probably get in 2 or maybe even 3 full games of Samurai Swords in one afternoon (or evening) of gaming.

If you like samurais, war, politics, and RPGs than this is a game for you. Me I like all of those so when I got the game Fortress America and saw a picture of this game on the side I stopped at nothing to get this game and if you've just seen or heard of this game you would love it because you know I did.

i give this game a 5 of 5 because it is a great game for kids who understand history and are mature enough to not pout when losing because you have to really think for this game it is a fact that at somepoint in the game you are going to lose some amount for some period of time but if you want a game that friends can spennd alot of time playing toogether then you want to buy this game and if you can get a copy of it original name you sould pay $100 or less for it because it is a collectors item