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Hagakure
2020
Rules assistance for Hagakure
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 3–5 players
- 25 min
- 10+
- Complexity 1.1/5
For 3 players
Rules assistant for Hagakure
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Hagakure is a board game released in 2020 for 3–5 players, 25 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Frank Crittin and Grégoire Largey and its main mechanics are Trick-taking.
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About the game
"Hagakure", a term meaning "in the shadow of the leaves" or "hidden in the foliage", is a practical and spiritual guide for Japanese warriors that's also known as "The Book of the Samurai". The game Hagakure is a trick-taking design for 3-5 players in which you try to score more points than any other player. The deck consists of thirty cards: villagers numbered 1-17, samurai numbered 18-27, and three "old fools" who have no numbers. (With 3-4 players, you remove cards 1-5 and 23-27 from the game.) At the start of each round, you deal 4-5 cards to each player, then place the remaining 4-5 cards in a pile called "Goze". Each player starts with five "Nobori" tokens, each of which has a special power, and a player can choose to play exactly one of these tokens after looking at their cards. These tokens let you look at another player's hand, swap your hand with the Goze, double your points, etc. The lead player plays a card from their hand, then each player follows, with the highest card played winning the trick, then leading to the next trick. If a samurai (a red card) is played, then each other player must play a samurai, if possible. Otherwise the game has no required plays. An "old fool" played on its own is worthless, but if a second or third "old fool" is played into a trick, then the player of the last such card wins the trick. Players earn 1 point for each trick won and 1 point for capturing the 16. A player who took no tricks loses 2 points. After 5-9 rounds, depending on the player count, whoever has the most points wins.
Categories
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Bureau de Juegos
- Buró
- Gen-X Games (GenX)
- Board Game Box
- Studio H
Questions and answers
Hagakure supports 3–5 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Hagakure is 25 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 Hagakure 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.
Hagakure has a complexity rating of 1.1 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a 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.
Hagakure belongs to these categories: Card Game. Its main mechanics are Trick-taking. 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 Hagakure are: Frank Crittin and Grégoire Largey. 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 Hagakure 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.