The Rising Sun Board Game from CMON, Guillotine Games and Studio McVey has now hit Kickstarter like a sledgehammer and is already smashing its way through all manner of stretch goals as it powers on to be another storming project. With a cool $1,393+775423,710 at the time of writing...this one is looking epic.

A game of Rising Sun sees you playing as one of five different clans in this three to five player game, vying for dominance over the region by whatever means are called for. Using Diplomacy as a baseline for this game you will be negotiating, fighting and scheming your way to victory and dominance over the land.

Something that is key to the game, at least in my opinion, is that each of the clans not only has distinctive looking miniatures which carry over their themes but also they have slightly different abilities too allowing for a sense of asymmetry on the tabletop - always fun for repeat gaming experiences.

During the first phase of each turn, you will have to do some planning...

"They can Recruit new units on their Strongholds, Marshal their forces across the map, Train to upgrade their clan with Season cards, Harvest to reap the rewards of the provinces they dominate, or even Betray their ally to bring opposing forces to their side."

Fascinatingly they have really drawn on the idea of allies and support in this game. You will sit down and discuss who is going to work together as they can be strong when engaged in at the right time. Betraying your 'friends' is also quite a big part of the game, a negative one. Bringing dishonour to your clan can end with you losing out on key decisions...but you might even be able to call on the deadly Oni if you're craven enough.

You will then be engaging in battles and more across the provinces where the outcome of your battles is decided by the victor alone. However, the War Advantages at play here might mean that you can bluff your way into a hard-fought victory, sacrifice your forces to gain the upper hand, or simply make someone spend all of their gold on a fleeting endeavour.

A full gameplay preview is included at the top of the page for someone wanting to watch a slice of the game being played out. This does seem like it's taken a lot of what makes games like Diplomacy, Chaos In The Old World and others of that ilk, and boiled it down into an easy to play format which is ripe for intrigue and tactical thinking.

Did I mention that you get some seriously good looking miniatures in this game? As you've seen a lot of the miniatures are simply stunning thanks again to the artwork and sculpting of Adrian Smith and Studio McVey. I mean, look at this River Dragon!

Well, now you've heard a little bit about the game and seen the models I guess the next step is to work out how to pledge right?

Pledging For The Game

Thankfully they have made pledging for this game insanely easy. You have one pledge level...

There you go. You get the core box and the Kickstarter Exclusive Phoenix model plus everything that is unlocked via the appropriate stretch goals. Right now this includes new monsters, alternative sculpts for the different clans, new upgraded markers and much more.

Will you be pledging on this one?