
- BGG rank
- BGG #6,713
- BGG rating
- 6.6
Submarine
- 1–6 players
- 60–180 min
- Complexity 3.2/5
- 1976

2019
Rules assistance for Goryō
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 2 players

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Goryō is a board game released in 2019 for 2 players, 20–30 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Andrea Candiani and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Grid Movement, and Action Queue.
Goryō is an asymmetrical game of investigation and deduction for two players, set in the mystical feudal Japan. One player will play the role of the Samurai guarding the Imperial Palace, charged with hunting down a dreadful spirit of vengeance, the Goryō, played by the other player. The Goryō appears in the palace in the form of a cat, bound to a specific type of object. To get a revenge and win the game, the Goryō player must smash 5 objects in the palace’s rooms, without being defeated by the Samurai. To win, the Samurai must instead exorcise the spirit for good by finding out what type of object the Goryō is bound to, or by catching the spirit’s essence three times. Each round, both players alternate in asymmetrical turns: the Goryō plans the route to break a new object and mislead her opponent, placing movement cubes on a secret dry-erase board. Then the Samurai use their available actions to chase the Goryō along her path, moving the Samurai pawns on the map and using a special board to organize the catch. However exorcising a spirit isn’t a simple task at all...
Goryō supports 2 players according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for Goryō is 20–30 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Goryō for ages 10 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Goryō has a complexity rating of 2.1 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Goryō belongs to these categories: Deduction. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Grid Movement, and Action Queue. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Goryō are: Andrea Candiani. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Goryō as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.