Hanamikoji

Short games get a lot more play time in my house and this is a very short game. Great little two-player romp.Basically we always go just one or two rounds, which means 4 or 8 moves each, total. It would be over very quickly except that you have to sit there and feel angst about which move is best. There's a lot of tension about which move to do and what your opponent has.Fun stuff!It has the short and fun feeling of "love letter" with the tension of "lost cities" and the thinking of "tides of time." Maybe a bit more thinky than these other games. Those are all great games, so it's normal for this one to be great too.There's some japanese writing on the cards that would be nice if it was in English, but we pretty much just look at the colors anyway.

This game is awesome. It can be really hard to find good two person games but this one is a keeper. The artwork is beautiful. It is a little confusing at first, but once you get the hang of it it's very easy to play. What I love is that it "grows" with you the more you play. At first it seemed relatively straight forward and easy but we can keep deepening our strategies the more we play. It isn't a super involved, long, complex game where you have to set aside a huge chunk of time to complete it. Game play is short so you can have as many rounds as you want. Plus that allows you to try new strategies without getting too emotionally invested if they don't pay off. It also isn't so complex that you can't focus on anything else. My fiance and I can have conversation and enjoy each other's company while we are playing the game. I think my biggest complaint would be the instructions. They aren't as clear as they could be, so our first time playing it was a little bewildering. But after a few practice rounds, with a lot of head scratching, we finally figured it out and love it.

Be sure to check that all 21 item cards; my order was missing 1 tea pot item card for Geisha 4. This breaks the game as you are supposed to set aside 1 card each round in order to make card counting less predictable.The game itself is easy to understand and quick to play. I don’t see a high amount of replay value in it since each round proceeds the same as the one before it, meaning gameplay will be identical each time.The final issue I have with the game is that the insert for the box is clearly an addition and doesn’t even fit properly. The geishas cannot lay flat in the box but must be kept diagonal.

I cannot praise this game enough. Bought this because of Sam Healey's suggestion on the Dice Tower and have fell in love with it. By far, one of the most strategic little card games in my collection. The artwork, though a turn off at first (because of the theme) is absolutely gorgeous and works very well with the game. Do not let the theme keep you from playing this game! Sleeved with Dragon Shield Pro Matte sleeves (standard size) this game looks beautiful and plays silky smooth. For only having 4 actions to think about, this game has a ton of strategic depth. Very fun 2 player card game!

Amazing. Awesome. Wonderful. This is reactions from both myself and two young boys, ages 15 and 12! It is our absolutely favorite game to bring with when heading out to a restaurant, vacation, or to a friends house! It is so simple and easy to teach but the decision making and strategy are so deep and wonderful, we find every game intriguing and wanting to play again and again.

A devilishly simple, short two player game that punches above its weight. You must perform each of four different actions with cards from your hand only once in the order of your choosing, while building suits that can give you victory points. Hidden cards and “I pick, You choose” actions require you to make decisions based on imperfect information while you try to discern your opponent’s strategy. One or two play-throughs are enough to let most players get the hang of it. Strategies can be deep; decisions anguishing. Games are short; between 15 and 25 minutes, depending on how long players plan their moves.I’d have given this a perfect 5 stars were it not for the somewhat flimsy cards and ho-hum cardboard tokens. Some minor improvements in production values could have enhanced the table presence to a level that matches the elegance of the game and its artwork.

To start off the designs on the cards and the geisha cards are beautiful. One of the prettiest cards games I have. I'm a anime person, so the design of the cards really grabbed my attention. The card themselves are thick and high quality. Now for the game play itself. It's a fun game, and pretty quick as well. It's a light strategy game. You only have a couple of turns to defeat your opponent. You are doing something different on every turn, that does take maybe two or so rounds until you don't have to check the manual again and figure out what this move does. That being said it's not a confusing game by any means. I'm a casual board game player, and so are my friends. So this is a game almost anyone can understand and get into.

The instructions seemed a little complex, initially. However, after a single round of game play, it's very easy to pick up. And while the moves themselves are very simple, there is a lot of strategy to work out. My roommates and I can play this for a few hours; we compare it to playing older card games like Rummy or Hearts since it's all about giving and taking from the other player.The art is stunning. I'm pretty sure that's the bulk of what I paid for with this game.

I love this game, simply awesome. It was in perfect condition.

Such a great 1on1 game! People can pickup quick and the mind games are infinite.

Simple but effective game

Kinda fun to bring in a bit of Japanese culture for an evening. A bit pricy though.