Along with new sculpts for Takashi Hiro and Hagane (More on their special cards to follow in the next blog update) there are new decks for each faction and a brand new product for Risen Sun, the Cycle Deck. As well as this the Special abilities deck has been reprinted and covers all Special attacks and defences in Bushido: Risen Sun. All are available for purchase in the online store.
One of the things fans have been asking for a long time is how we would advance the Bushido world and its background storyline. With the new edition we have put more effort into this. One of our many solutions will be available very soon. We call them Cycle Decks. Each year we will release a deck of special cards which are themed to tell the ongoing story of the Jwar Isles. There will be a few cards for each faction and plenty of Ronin cards. Rather than just game effects, these will be something that represents events in our narrative. Now we can’t start a story without setting up where our world is right now so this is our first Cycle Deck for The Year of the Risen Sun! The Risen Sun Cycle Deck has two cards for each faction and ten Ronin Cards. This means if you only play one faction you are getting 12 new cards. The cards are a mix of Events, Enhancements (Including Equipment) and Themes.
As you can see, although they are designed to tell you a small piece of the story, we didn’t skimp on the power level of the cards. Each card has a piece of flavour text which informs a bit of Jwarese lore but it's also a really useful Special Card. The flavour text will allow us to set our scene at the end of New Dawn and the start of Risen Sun, let you know how the world of Bushido is right now, before any of our planned narrative happens. Let's look at some of my favourites, first up Savage Wave. One of the things Wave players have been most eager for since Themes were first introduced to Bushido is a Theme list for Oni-Sho. Rage emanating from the home of the Oni permeates their race and the new Theme card Wrath of the Red Sun is all about unleashing that rage.
The idea here is to use smaller attacks or, ideally Combo Attacks, to build up counters and then use them on your Oni to one-shot enemy characters. As mentioned above, The Risen Sun Cycle is all about setting up the world so we can begin our story and this shows what the Oni are all about.
Ikiryo of the Cult of Yurei is trying to create all seven Orphans to summon the Sin Kami.
Whatever her nefarious reasons, the Temple are relieved that her chosen target for the next
abomination escaped. Ikyrio however is almost killing herself to gain the power she needs.
So it looks like Aiko’s escape has prevented the final Orphan being created. The other six are abroad in the night, unleashing their Sins onto unfortunate victims.
The Minimoto are still being defined in Bushido, we will be releasing more models this year to give Bear players the options they need. For their Cycle card, I wanted to cement the thematics of the faction and make sure people know what the bears are all about.
One of the Bear characteristics is that they are unstoppable. This card allows a model to continue to attack and damage it's enemy even when it dies!
After the great tsunami hit the Jwar Isles, several factions have made changes to adapt to the new situation.
Unsurprisingly the Sea Witches of the Jung are growing in influence after the huge display of power from the sea itself. When Ryujin comes who knows what power they will wield? At the more prosaic level, the villagers of the Ro-Kan mountains have had to turn to fishing over farming for a while as their fields were washed away. Fisherman villagers have Scout so that's what the card gives them!
I think this weapon speaks for itself. Hida was taught the Takashi sword fighting style before the Iaijutsu Technique (Which gives Critical Attack) was codified. He learned the older way using Powerful Attack which is still seen on some Dragon samurai. Along with the +2 on this blade, the wielder will have a huge +5 on the damage roll, enough to secure damage to even an armoured Minimoto. The question is why has Hida sent his own sword to be used by someone else? Who will you choose to give the Daimyo’s favour to?
In the Ito clan, Itsunagi is now established as the favoured servant of Orochi, the fact that he is not one of the priesthood has left some in dismay while others seek to prove themselves to their god.
All friendly Shisai models gaining Ki makes Shisai lists with The Blessed much more efficient. You could gain 12 Ki with this! Remember you can channel with most Shisai too so this Ki will go where you want it.
The Ronin cards all have interesting options, can you make the Pacifism card work? Celebration of Life will halt the unliving, making them unable to support each other or make scenario actions. Prayer Scroll offers hope against a new threat, but who is it needed against?
Note the Rice cost. How can we give them a free card? Well the Cycle Decks represent a certain period in time, so you have to choose one and that is the only cycle you can use. This only matters when we release another Cycle Deck of course, but when we do, if you want your free event you can’t use the next Cycle's cards. Each card has a Risen Sun symbol on them so they are easily identified. Each Cycle's deck will have a new symbol. From a design standpoint the reason the decks are not compatible is simple: We can make
more interesting or powerful cards without worrying about power creep, every choice you make restricts your options. If we simply print more and more cards, first newer players would find it very difficult to learn with so many specials available. Second the overall power level of the game would increase since even if all the new cards are balanced there are more options and combos to take advantage of. This way we keep the factions balanced and add some great flavour and options to the game. Let us know what you think of our first Cycle Deck, setting the scene for our new journey in the Jwar Isles. Which card is your favourite? How much of the Lore did you already know? Get ready for the Year of the Risen Sun!
