Liz Burton
United States
Bethesda
Maryland
These aren't the droids you're looking for. Move along.
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Stumbled across this in a (not-so-friendly) local board game store today and had to pick it up--I didn't even know this game existed! I hear people clamoring for reviews, so I thought I'd offer my two cents.
For this review, I'm going to presume you're familiar with the original Reiner Knizia classic, Samurai.
Overview and Components:
Samurai: The Card Game is very similar to Samurai in many respects. It uses the same area control/area enclosure mechanic with tile-laying/card-laying to assert influence over the three types of figures.
In Samurai, the three figures were Buddhas, high helmets, and rice paddies. Technically, Samurai: The Card Game uses the same "figures", but more simply conceptualized. Squares are rice paddies, Triangles are high helmets, and Circles are Buddhas.
There are 16 of each figure. Only 10 of each are used in a 2-player game.
Instead of having a screen hiding 5 tiles, each player holds a hand of 5 cards at a time. The cards are pretty much the same as the original game, minus the Ronin, tile-swapping tile, figure-swapping tile, and the ships. Each player (red, blue, green, or yellow) receives the following cards:
1 Samurai (3 each)
2 Samurai (2 each)
3 Samurai
2 Circle
3 Circle
4 Circle
2 Square
3 Square
4 Square
2 Triangle
3 Triangle
4 Triangle
Along with decks of cards for each player, there is a deck of village cards. The village cards show what figures each player will be attempting to capture. Here are the village cards you get:
1 Circle (5 each)
1 Square (5 each)
1 Triangle (5 each)
1 Circle + 1 Square (9 each)
1 Circle + 1 Triangle (9 each)
1 Square + 1 Triangle (9 each)
1 Circle + 1 Square + 1 Triangle (2 each)
So you're predominately competing for villages containing two of the three figures.
The play proceeds similarly to the original Samurai game: Each player places one card (instead of a tile) on his turn.
The key difference between this game and the original Samurai game is the way the play area (no board) is set up.
Beginning the game:
Each player shuffles his deck and draws a hand of 5 cards.
The village deck is shuffled and placed FACE UP next to the play area.
The top village card is placed into the play area.
Playing the Game:
A player may play one card on his turn. He must place it next to a village. THIS MAY CAUSE AN ADDITIONAL VILLAGE CARD TO BE PLACED ON THE BOARD.
Here's how new villages get placed into the play area. I'm going to quote from the rules:
"When a player plays a card adjacent to a village card that already has a card from another player at a neighboring side of the same village card, then he must place the top village card from the deck on the space between these two cards, provided the space is still empty. He places no village card when the two cards are of the same color (i.e., both belonging to him)."
This is the bread and butter of the entire game, so let me try to clarify: Imagine a tic-tac-toe board. The middle space is your village. All other spaces are empty.
The Blue player plays a card into the top middle space.
Next, the Red player plays a card into the right-side middle space.
The board would look something like this ("X" spots are vacant):
X-1 BLUE X-3
X-4 Village RED
X-7 X-8 X-9
NOW, since the Blue and Red player are adjacent to the same village, and are on neighboring sides, Red will place a new village at X-3, making the board look like this:
X-1 BLUE Village
X-4 Village RED
X-7 X-8 X-9
BUT note: If the Blue player plays a card into the left-side middle space, no new village is placed on the board, because Blue is only adjacent to himself.
X-1 BLUE Village
BLUE Village RED
X-7 X-8 X-9
I think that's as clear as I can make it without pics. I'm in the middle of moving, so I don't have my camera's USB cable to upload to my computer! 
The game continues on in that vein: Adding villages frequently and competing for influence over the figures on the village card. As in Samurai, a village is scored when area around it is entirely filled up: In this case, when all four sides of the village is 'surrounded' by cards. The village card is then scored and flipped over to signify that it has been scored.
In the case of a tie, the figure is NOT tied-out and excluded from the game. Instead, no figure is awarded, and the reserve pile of figures remains untouched.
No secret scoring information in this game: All figures won by a player stay in front of that player the entire time.
Game Over:
1 - All figures of one shape have been handed out
2 - All cards have been played
3 - All villages have been placed on the table
If any of these conditions occur, play until the end of that round, then the game is over.
Scoring:
Just like in the original Samurai. Go Knizia!
Overall Impression:
I liked this game.
There are many things I miss from the original, apart from the board (great visual): Tactical decision provided by the Ronin, tile-swapping tile, and figure-swapping tile, the influence of the ships, and the way you knew all the figures could be awarded by the end of the game (and where they were located at the beginning of the game!).
Still, this game has its advantages: No "hidden information" when you're trying to remember how many Buddhas your opponents have taken, the "modular board" that will change each time you play, and the new tactical decision in card placement--playing a card there might mean a new village, but playing a card there means I get to take that figure, yet playing a card there forces my opponent to play a new village with a circle in it. Phew! Also, it's small enough to take on trips or to a restaurant, which is often a plus.
At this point, I think I still prefer the original Samurai game, but I appreciate the way they got it to work as a card game. In fact, I'm very impressed. I think I'll get a lot of mileage out of this. 
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Stephen Sanders
United States
Henderson
Texas
25% Scottish, 25% Dutch, 18% English, 15% Irish, 9% German, 5% French, 3% "Black Dutch" (?) = 100% American!
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It looks like the original is to be preferred - I would rather have the challenge of keeping track of what your opponent is doing. Hard to see this any more fun than the original game, but I might have to try it first.
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Liz Burton
United States
Bethesda
Maryland
These aren't the droids you're looking for. Move along.
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Actually, I'm not a big fan of the hidden information in the original (which only comes into play in the 3-4 player game; with 2 player, you always keep the figures out in front of the screen).
While I also think the original is the overall better game, this one seems to have a lot to offer. 
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Larry Cross
United States
Dallas
Texas
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caltexn wrote: It looks like the original is to be preferred - I would rather have the challenge of keeping track of what your opponent is doing. Hard to see this any more fun than the original game, but I might have to try it first.
I agree...the hidden information makes this game rock.
Larry
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Tomello Visello
United States
Reston
Virginia
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manutd03 wrote: The board would look something like this ("X" spots are vacant):
X-1 BLUE X-3
X-4 Village RED
X-7 X-8 X-9
X Blu X
X Vlg Red
X X X
manutd03 wrote: NOW, since the Blue and Red player are adjacent to the same village, and are on neighboring sides, Red will place a new village at X-3, making the board look like this:
X-1 BLUE Village
X-4 Village RED
X-7 X-8 X-9
X Blu Vlg
X Vlg Red
X X X
manutd03 wrote: BUT note: If the Blue player plays a card into the left-side middle space, no new village is placed on the board, because Blue is only adjacent to himself.
X-1 BLUE Village
BLUE Village RED
X-7 X-8 X-9
X Blu Vlg
Blu Vlg Red
X X X
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Liz Burton
United States
Bethesda
Maryland
These aren't the droids you're looking for. Move along.
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Thanks, TVis--that really helps explain it visually!
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Jeff Goris
Australia
Croydon
NSW
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larrypcross wrote: caltexn wrote: It looks like the original is to be preferred - I would rather have the challenge of keeping track of what your opponent is doing. Hard to see this any more fun than the original game, but I might have to try it first. I agree...the hidden information makes this game rock. Larry
Hidden victory point type information does not always work. It works really well when all players play in the "spirit of the game" in that they might have a general idea who's been collecting what at best. It doesn't work so well, in my opinion, when one player has a great memory and makes the effort to remember who has taken which victory tokens and the remaining players do not.
I prefer to play the game quickly and make minimal effort to track what each player is acquiring, as I feel was intended.
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tk fslocalking
China
Foshan
Guangdong
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thank you, Liz Burton! After reading your introduction, I would prefer this game !! I will buy it next week .
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These aren't the droids you're looking for. Move along.
