Japan Board Games: Tokaido Duo and Namiji released

A journey through Japan in board games: After the success of the family game Tokaido, two independent follow-up games in the world of Tokaido, Namiji and Tokaido Duo, have now been released by Pegasus Spiele.

Just like in Tokaido, the players embark on a journey through old Japan with the two novelties Tokaido Duo and Namiji. This time, however, they don't end up on the legendary and eponymous Tokaido trade route, instead they travel the southern coast of Japan on a boat in Namiji. Tokaido Duo, on the other hand, is set on the Japanese island of Shikoku, where two players have to prove themselves on three different routes. All three titles in the series come from the author Antoine Bauza and are aimed at family gamers aged ten and over as well as fans of quiet, tactical games.

Japan theme on game boards

A scenic boat ride and magnificent sea creatures. This and much more awaits up to five people at Namiji. With each turn they move their boats along a sea route and similar to Tokaido it is always the turn of the person whose boat is furthest behind. On the journey, however, new experiences await them: for example, they can fish for various sea creatures, make offerings to the sea spirits and enjoy the view at panorama stations.

In addition, all players meet at the harbors in between to rest, strengthen themselves or equip themselves better. All these actions give points at the end of the game, when all boats have entered the destination port. The player who collects the most impressions or points on the trip wins. The suggested retail price for the family game is 39,99 euros.

Tokaido Duo also takes up elements of its predecessor, but is tailored for two people. The players, each with three characters, move across the island of Shikoku, the smallest of Japan's four main islands. The characters are an artist, a trader and a pilgrim.

In order to move them, the starting player(s) rolls three dice at the beginning of a round, each of which symbolizes one of the characters and also moves it. The pilgrims walk around the island and visit the temples and gardens, among other things. The traders fetch goods from the mountain towns to then sell them in the coastal towns. The artists paint various paintings, which they give away to the population on their way.

Each of the three characters can bring about the end of the game in their own way. Whoever has been able to coordinate the movements and actions of the characters as well as possible will win the game. The recommended retail price for the 2-player game is 24,99 euros.

Last updated on 8.03.2023/XNUMX/XNUMX / Affiliate Links / Images from the Amazon Product Advertising API. * = Affiliate links. Images from Amazon PA API