Onitama
Onitama is a strategic board game for two created in 2014 by Japanese game designer Shimpei Sato and launched by Arcane Wonders. In Germany, the game was launched by Pegasus Games in 2017. It is thematically based on the different fighting styles of Japanese martial arts.[1][2]
Manufacturer(s) | Arcane Wonders Pegasus Games |
---|---|
Publication date | 2014 |
Genre(s) | Strategic board game |
Players | 2 |
Playing time | Approximately 15 minutes |
The game had a digital release in 2018.[3]
Equipment
The game is played on a 5x5 board. Each player receives five pieces, one master piece placed in the middle back row, known as the Shrine, and four pupils placed on each side of the master. 16 movement cards are provided to dictate the movement of the pieces during the game. Five of the 16 movement cards are utilized per game.[4]
Gameplay
Goal of the game is to capture the opponent's master piece, known as Way of the Stone, or move your master piece into your opponent's Shrine, known as the Way of the Stream. Players shuffle the 16 movement cards and then give two movement cards to each player and one movement card is placed on the side of the board for a total of 5 movement cards in play.
Each piece can be captured and captures other pieces the same way which is based on the movement provided by the movement cards. After one player moves he or she must replace the movement card at the side with the used movement card, allowing both players rotating access to all 5 movement cards in play.[5]
Expansion Packs
Two expansion packs were also released "Sensei's Path" which includes 16 unique, new, cards that can be used as a standalone set of move cards instead of those found in the base game. The other expansion pack is "The Way of the Wind" which introduces a new neutral piece that can be moved by both players! The wind spirit is an impassable object, neither students nor masters may move into a space occupied by it. Also, if the wind spirit lands on a student pawn, it does not capture it, instead, it swaps places with the student!
References
- Curiat, Andrea (2018-12-22). "5 giochi da tavolo da trovare sotto l'albero". Wired (in Italian). Retrieved 9 January 2019.
- Krause, Daniel (2017-04-22). "Onitama von Pegasus Spiele erscheint im Mai". brettspiel-news.de (in German). Retrieved 9 January 2019.
- Sholtz, Matthew (2018-02-28). "The strategy board game 'Onitama' gets an Asmodee Digital release". Android Police. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
- Igiari (2017-09-28). "Aidez-nous pour Onitama Sensei's Path". Tric Trac (in French). Retrieved 9 January 2019.
- "Onitama Review – Move Over Chess!". Just Push Start. 15 March 2018. Retrieved 9 January 2019.