Shogyoumujou társasjáték

Angol leírás

A doujinshi (self-published) simulation of the Battle of Dannoura in 1185 (the sea battle that brought the Genpei War in Japan to a close), Shogyoumujou (諸行無常) is a Buddhist concept translated as “the impermanence of all things”. This is the main theme of the “Heike Monogatari”, a gunkimono (war tale) that gives a highly romanticized account of the war and the times that surrounded it. The book details the rise and fall of the Taira warrior house, the losing side at Dannoura. It drives home the point that “all that flourishes must fall” and that in a world of impermanence even the mighty are eventually reduced to “dust before the wind”. It’s a very fitting title, as the battle effectively ended the Taira's reign as a political and military powerhouse.

It has several sub-titles that change according to the game component-the full name is Shogyoumujou: Genpei Arasoi- Setouchi No Koubou-Genpei Saigo No Kassen-Dannoura No Tatakai (諸行無常: 源平の争い-瀬戸内の攻防-源平最後の合戦-壇ノ浦の戦い). This mouthful of a name translates as “Impermanence Of All Things: Genpei Strife-Offense And Defense Of The Seto Inland Sea-End of the Genpei War-Battle of Dannoura.

The game features the naval forces of the Taira and Minamoto warrior houses and their assorted allies. In a strange design decision, the historical situation is somewhat reversed-the Minamoto are severely outnumbered but have stronger units than their Taira foes (the Minamoto substantially outnumbered the Taira but the crews of the Taira ships were far more experienced at sea warfare as the clan first came to power by demonstrating their prowess at fighting pirates). Perhaps this was done to reflect the Minamoto’s lack of seaborne experience (the reduced numbers) but to show their large advantage in tactics (the increased strength)-their commander, Minamoto no Yoshitsune, purportedly ordered his archers to fire upon the rowers of the boats rather than the enemy soldiers (a violation of the unwritten rules of warfare of the day, something that Yoshitsune was notorious for throughout his career). While the game is relatively simple, it has lots of chrome rules that add historical flavor such as the effects of the changing tide on movement and combat, possession of the Imperial Regalia and the Child Emperor Antoku (both initially held by the Taira), defections, the role of leaders, and giving the Taira a couple of unique ship types. Historically, the Minamoto literally used the ‘turning of the tide’ to rout the Taira and were aided by key defections during the battle as well as Yoshitsune’s less than ‘honorable’ tactics. The Taira leader, Munemori, was fished out of the ocean (where he had been thrown by an ally disgusted at his reluctance to commit suicide to avoid capture and dishonor) and eventually executed. However, the Taira denied the Minamoto a complete victory when the matriarch of the clan and her attendants jumped into the ocean with the child Emperor and the Imperial Regalia. While the Minamoto managed to recover two of the three artifacts, the child Emperor died and the sword Kusanagi was lost forever. This was a major disappointment to the Minamoto’s alleged supporter, Retired Emperor Go-Shirakawa. The game’s victory conditions reflect all this, factoring both the Emperor/Regalia and enemy losses into the mix. It’s a fast (10 turns, a couple of hours) and fun play with a manageable amount of units and good balance.