- BGG rank
- BGG #15,249
- BGG rating
- 6.7
Hafid's Grand Bazaar
- 2–6 players
- 30–90 min
- Complexity 2.0/5
- 2017
- BGG rank
- BGG #26,915
- BGG rating
- 5.6
Seven Card Samurai
2010
Rules assistance for Seven Card Samurai
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–8 players
- 30 min
- 9+
- Complexity 1.3/5
Rules assistant for Seven Card Samurai
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Seven Card Samurai is a board game released in 2010 for 2–8 players, 30 minutes per game, and ages 9 and up. It was designed by Mike Richie and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Set Collection, and Campaign / Battle Card Driven.
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- 2017
About the game
Description from BoardgameNews.com: In Seven Card Samurai, 2-8 players try to protect the rice in their villages from bandits and ninjas while simultaneously building a strong collection of samurai. Each turn, a player draws two cards, then plays two – raiding an opponent’s rice supply with a bandit, placing samurai and ronin in your village to provide protection, using a ninja to attack another player’s hand or enable your bandit to bypass samurai, calling on a shogun to use its special powers. When a player collects seven samurai in only one or two colors – whether on the table or combined with the cards in hand – the round ends, with that player scoring 7-20 points depending on the color distribution of his samurai. Each player also scores one point for each rice marker he holds, and the player with the most points after five rounds wins.
Designers
Publishers
- Mindtwister USA
Questions and answers
Seven Card Samurai supports 2–8 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 Seven Card Samurai is 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 Seven Card Samurai for ages 9 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.
Seven Card Samurai has a complexity rating of 1.3 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.
Seven Card Samurai belongs to these categories: Card Game, Fighting, and Horror. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Set Collection, and Campaign / Battle Card Driven. 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 Seven Card Samurai are: Mike Richie. 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 Seven Card Samurai 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.