The Basics:
- For ages 10 and up (publisher suggests 14+)
- For two players
- Approximatly five minutes to complete
Geek Skills:
- Active Listening & Communication
- Counting & Math
- Logical & Critical Decision Making
- Reading
- Strategy & Tactics
- Risk vs. Reward
- Hand/Resource Management
Learning Curve:
- Child – Easy
- Adult – Easy
Theme & Narrative:
- Face your opponent and maneuver yourself for a killer blow, one card at a time, until you are ready to strike!
Endorsements:
- Child Geek approved!
- Parent Geek approved!
- Gamer Geek approved!
Overview
The life of a Samurai was one of stark contrast. One aspect of their life was the arts and a ridge code of honor focused on enriching and deepening one’s life. The other aspect was the sword, a brutal weapon designed to cut people down, take life, and cause suffering. The Samurai walked this path of duality, a living symbol of honor and horror. In this game, you must move purposefully and strike fast before your opponent takes your life. But strike with purpose and principle. Failure to do so will result in wasted effort and, perhaps, life.
Pocket Samurai, published by Questing Gentlemen, is comprised of 29 cards. The cards are as thick and as durable as your standard playing card. Illustrations by Vruzzt are colorful and stylized, giving the cards and game a unique look. It’s worth noting that the game comes with card sleeves, allowing players to protect the game’s cards to a higher degree. This is brilliant as this is a high-speed game you’ll want to play a lot.
Preparing the Warrior Spirit
To set up the game, complete the following steps:
First, give each player a Strike card. The Strike card is placed in front of the owning player, face-up.
Second, shuffle the remaining cards and place them off to one side and within easy reach of both players. This is the draw deck for the duration of the game.
That’s it for the game setup. Draw swords and battle!
Drawing Your Blade
Pocket Samurai is played in two phases. Each phase is summarized here.
Phase One: Enter the Dojo (Draft the Cards)
One player draws the top 10 cards from the draw deck and places them in a row, face-up. Then, each player takes turns taking one card from any remaining in the row, placing it face-up next to their Strike card. Players draw one card at a time until only two remain in the row.
When only two cards remain in the row, discard them and draw another 10 cards, placing them in a row. Players now take turns in reverse order, selecting one card at a time, adding the chosen card to those already in front of the owning players.
The Dojo phase is complete when only two cards remain in the row. Onward to the sword fight!
Phase Two: Bushido (Use Your Cards)
Each player now puts the cards they collected in their hand, including the player’s Strike card.
Simultaneously, each player selects one card from their hand and places it face-down in front of them. When both players have placed their cards, reveal both simultaneously and resolve.
If neither player played their Strike cards, the two cards revealed are resolved. Resolving a flipped card could result in one or both players exhausting (discarding) their played card. Unless otherwise defeated or instructed to remove the card, it stays in place.
After resolving, both players select and play another card. This continues until one or both players play their Strike card.
Strike cards trigger a count determining if the player striking (the aggressor) can successfully hit their opponent. This is done by counting the number of Sword icons on the aggressor’s cards versus the defender’s Helm icons. If there are more Swords than Helms, the player successfully hits. Count the icons and pay attention to the effects of the current cards in play. Additional Swords and Helms might be possible!
If the player who played the Strike card did not win, the Strike card is returned to the player’s hand, and the game continues.
A Single Cut, and Then…
The game can technically end after the first player successfully lands a strike. But that would be very boring. Instead, collect the cards and deal again! Continue until one player has won the majority of three games.
To learn more about Pocket Samauri, visit the game’s web page.
Final Word
This little game was easy to teach and fun for the Child Geeks, but they needed some help resolving the cards when played. This is due to the many different ways the cards can interact with each other. It’s not tricky, but some cards can be difficult for younger gamers to distinguish. Timing is never in question (you resolve the cards you just flipped), but how to resolve them confused a few of our Child Geeks. It only took a game or two until they fully understood and no longer needed help. One Child Geek said, “I liked this game and played it at the dinner table and the restaurant while waiting. I couldn’t play with my phone, but this was fun.” Another Child Geek said, “The game is really fast! If you didn’t win, you don’t need to worry about it because another game can start right away!” When the last sword was swung, the Child Geeks took a vote, and everyone agreed that Pocket Samauri was a cut above the rest.
The Parent Geeks also enjoyed the game, finding it fast, intuitive, and surprisingly strategic. One Parent Geek said, “This game originally appeared to be super simple. Draw a card and play it later. But that isn’t the case. When you draft your cards, you need to think about how you’ll use them with other cards you’ll collect or how to use the card to counter your opponent’s cards. I enjoyed it.” Another Parent Geek said, “This game is all about setting up for a killer blow. Timing is everything, but so too is preparation. This game is fast, and I love it, but I also think you want to take your time picking out a card. What you pick and when you play makes all the difference between winning the game and losing your head.” When the matches were over, the Parent Geeks took a vote, and all agreed to bow with deep respect to Pocket Samauri.
The Gamer Geeks thought the game’s theme sounded pretty good and were happy to try it. They were very pleased they did, as they quickly discovered – to their delight – that Pocket Samauri was a game that required quick strategic and tactical thinking. According to one of our gaming elitists, “This is a clever little boxed game. It implements drafting and strategic cards playing beautifully, quickly, and wonderfully cutthroat. I enjoyed every moment and have no doubt I’ll continue to do so.” Another uber gamer stated, “A great pocket game. Perfect for the pub, tap room, eating out, eating in, or whenever you have five minutes and someone to play with.” When all the Gamer Geeks exited the Dojo, they took a vote and unanimously decided that Pocket Samurai was a killer game.
Pocket Samauri is a lot of game in a little box. And by “a lot,” I mean what is happening at the table and inside the players’ minds, simultaneously taking only minutes to conclude. First, the drafting element of the game is to the point and easy to resolve. Pick a card, but before you do so, look at what you have and – sometimes more importantly – what your opponent has. Do this twice, building up your strengths and shoring up any weaknesses. Clever card drafters will identify where their opponent’s weak spots might lay early and work to exploit them.
After building your hand, you must play it wisely. Select the card you think will be hard to beat based on what you remember and what has already been played. Do you go big and hope for the best, or slowly work to maneuver for the killer blow? Either way, timing upon timing is key, as you must position yourself and swing before your opponent does the same. Best of all, you never know when your opponent will take a swipe, but that is all part of the fun and drama of the game.
Oh, boy, did I enjoy it! The game’s speed is heavily enriched by the simple yet deeply meaningful card selection and playing. The result is a game that I played once and liked. I played twice and loved it. It now lives in my satchel, so I can play it with anyone anytime. Do try this spectacular little game, which has been approved and enjoyed by all our players. I’m sure you’ll find it will leave a mark!
This game was given to Father Geek as a review copy. Father Geek was not paid, bribed, wined, dined, or threatened in vain hopes of influencing this review. Such is the statuesque and legendary integrity of Father Geek.
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