- Publisher(s) : Hobby Japan
- Designer(s) : Yogi Shinichi
- Artist(s) : Toru Kageyama, Yogi Shinichi
- Players : 2–4
- Playing time : 30 mn
- Weight BGG : 1.82
What's this?
Players take on the role of warlords (daimyos) seeking to expand their influence and dominate the land by taking control of 11 castles scattered across the map.
How do you play?
The game takes place in two main phases :
1. Deployment Phase
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On their turn, a player rolls 3 dice (with the possibility of rerolling once).
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He must then create a group of 2 dice and a single die :
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The sum of the 2 dice determines the castle where he can deploy his armies .
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The remaining die indicates how many armies are placed.
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Armies can be placed on an empty zone, allied or already occupied by an opponent.
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Instead of deploying, a player can use a Tactics card which offers powerful effects: moving troops, weakening an opponent, repositioning forces, etc.
Players continue this way until all their armies are placed. The first player to finish takes a sword token, which will be used to break a tie in the event of a tie.
2. War Phase
Once deployment is complete, battles are resolved castle by castle , in ascending order of value.
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The player with the majority in an area wins the large castle token (value 2 to 12 points).
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In a 3 or 4 player game, the second player gets a small castle token (half the points).
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The winner also gains reinforcements , which he immediately places in neighboring areas where he is already present, thus strengthening his future positions.
At the end of solving all 11 castles, each player adds up their points. The lord with the highest total becomes the ruler of Japan!
Is it good?
“Rumble Nation” stands out for the simplicity of its rules and the speed of its games, which makes it accessible to both families and casual players.
The game relies on dice, and therefore involves some randomness. However, different ways of managing rolls require players to make real tactical choices.
Despite its simplicity, the game offers an interesting strategic depth : the timing in the use of tactical cards (common to all), the decision to rush or not to finish first to place his units in order to obtain the katana of greatest value (and thus win the ties), but also the mechanics of resolving the majorities with its cascading reinforcement effects , clever and ingenious.
The criticisms that could be made of it concern of course the random element of the dice, and for some players, a side that is perhaps a little too light on the strategic level.
In summary, “Rumble Nation” is a tactical game of majority and conquest that manages to remain simple and fast, while offering a dynamic alternative to classics like Risk .
Many thanks to the Espritjeu online store for allowing me to test this game by sending a copy. To discover their catalog, I invite you to visit their website:
Rumble Nation Review
Positives
- Simple and quick rules to explain
- Short games, ideal for families or casual players
- Original and clever cascade reinforcement mechanics
Negatives
- A sometimes frustrating element of chance (dice)
- May seem too light for fans of big strategy games
