Kevin Smith and I cooked up this game on Saturday afternoon, April 17, 1999. We combined a set of Risk armies with a Samurai Swords gameboard and territory cards. We play-tested it the next Sunday at Chris Balster's house with him and Chris Judd. We like the feudal Japanese ambience that the Samurai Swords gameboard provides, but you can play with just a Risk game if you don't have Samurai Swords.

The object of the game is simple: conquer the gameboard until one player owns more territories than all the others combined. The cool part is that the players do not put any armies on the board unless they move or are attacked. Nobody knows who owns what territories at the beginning of the game. In most war boardgames "everybody has CNN" and can see what their opponents have on the board. In Japanese Risk, you don't even know where your opponents are until you stumble into the traps they have set for you...

Here's how to play:

Setting Up: Open the gameboard and have each player pick a set of Risk armies. Do not use the Samurai Swords army pieces, unless you have no Risk armies available. Deal out the territory cards into five equal piles (there are 68 territories in Samurai Swords and 42 in Risk). Give one set to each player, and put the remaining sets of cards and any leftover cards aside. These are the "neutral" territories. Neutral cards should not be looked at by anyone. These territories belong to no one in the beginning of the game, but they can be captured and then used as normal by the players. Players must write down any neutral territories they own as they capture them, since you can't look through the cards. It is helpful to write down what territories you own and what territories other players own as you see them during game play.

Turn Rounds: The game is divided into "turn rounds". Turn rounds consist of determining turn orders, placing armies, and taking each player's turn.

1) Determining Turn Order: Players "draw swords" using the numbered plastic samurai swords to determine turn order. Players can also use dice to determine turn order. A new turn order is determined in each new turn round.

2) Placing Armies: Each player counts the number of territories they have and gets that number of armies. Players distribute their new armies by placing them on top of the face-down card of the desired territory. This keeps the location of your armies and your territories secret until you need to put them on the gameboard. You do not have to have any armies on your territories to claim the territories. This allows you to hide and concentrate your forces where you want them. To place armies on a captured neutral territory, write its name on paper and place the armies next to it.

3) Player Turns: Players take turns moving their armies in the turn order determined above. Each army gets two "moves". A move is used to go from one territory to an adjacent territory or to cross over a "sea zone" (lines on the board connecting territories overseas). Your armies can keep moving until they use up their two moves each. Your turn is over when you are out of moves or do not wish to make any more moves. Players may make "non-combat" moves among their own territories anytime during their turns. Armies cannot move diagonally across corners. It's best not to spread your armies too thin, unless you are the last player in the turn order.

Armies are placed on the gameboard from the territory cards as needed to move or defend in battle. You can have armies on a territory card and on the same territory on the board at the same time. Armies must be on the gameboard to actually move or fight in battle. Players cannot return armies from the board back onto the territory cards or move armies from card to card off the board.

To attack a territory, simply move your armies into it. You can combine your armies from surrounding territories onto a territory you are invading. Other players then check to see who owns the invaded territory if it has no armies already on it. The owner can put armies from the territory card onto the territory on the gameboard as needed to defend it. The defender does not have to put all of their armies from the territory card onto the board, they may be placed as needed between battle rounds if desired. If the owner has no armies on the territory card or already on the gameboard, he/she must hand over the territory card without a battle. If the invaded territory is a neutral (no player owns it yet), it is given two armies and another player must roll for its defense. Neutral territories do not earn new armies or attack anyone. If attacking across a sea zone, the defender gets one free dice roll once for each army they have on the invaded territory. Any hits scored are then applied against the attacking armies before the battle begins.

The attacker cannot bring reinforcements into a battle or attack the same territory twice on one turn. This prevents players from invading a territory with just one army to see who owns it or how well it is defended. You can never retreat- this is Japanese Risk, and samurai prefer death to dishonor. This "sets the trap" when you unknowingly invade a stronger territory.

To fight the battle, each player rolls one six-sided dice for each army unit they have on the territory. Attackers score a "hit" with a roll of three or less. Defenders score a hit with a roll of four or less. Each player removes one army unit for each hit scored by their opponent. This is a "battle round". Continue rolling battle rounds until one side is wiped out. If the attacker wins the battle, the defender gives him/her the territory card. If the defender wins or both sides are wiped out, the defender keeps the territory. If the territory was a previously captured neutral, the attacker writes the name on paper and the defender scratches it off.

After all players have had their turns, a new turn round begins. Players determine a new turn order, get more armies, and take their turns again. The game continues until somebody is bigger than everyone else put together (they are the "Shogun").

Castles: Each castle costs the income from five territories to buy. Castles are bought at the same time as armies. They must be placed on the board (you can't hide a castle), not on cards. Castles double the number of hits that your defending armies can take in battle. If you had four armies defending a territory with a castle, it would take eight hits to defeat them. Hits are applied to one army at a time, they are not "spread out" to more than one army at a time. Armies hit once are "healed" in the next turn round and cannot leave the castle's territory until then. Castles cannot be used to attack with. If the territory is captured, the new owner gets the castle.

Ninjas: These are special forces that you can place anywhere on the board wherever and whenever you need them. Ninjas can attack anybody, anywhere, at anytime (even on other player's turns). They attack and defend with the same dice rolls as normal army units, but they cannot claim land. Ninjas cannot be removed from the board after they have been placed on it. They cost three armies (three territories' income) to buy. They are purchased at the same time as regular armies and set aside until needed. Players should use one color of Risk pieces to represent ninjas for all players (we prefer black).