RISING SUN WARRING STATES EXTREME MODE (2 PLAYER VARIANT)

Hi so I've been enjoying the game so far and have even played it at two players using the Civil
War variant and have enjoyed playing it. Though the reason i made this 2 player variant is
because I missed the feeling of multiple clans waging war on the map and the
negotiations/trading aspect which is missing in the 2 player variant and sometimes not even
used in normal games and that is why I created this 2 player variant with an inter-clan trading
system between the 2 clans owned by the player which will be allowed but will be regulated by
"THE SHOGUNATE" as trades and negotiations follow a FIXED FORMAT and will be taxed.
Naturally trading with a clan an OPPONENT controls is NOT PERMITTED. As this is a 2 player
variant VERSUS mode. Hopefully this 2 player variant will allow the players to experience in full
all the aspects of the game including some form of semi-negotiation strategy using the inter-clan
regulated trading system. This variant will be able to hit that sweet spot 4 player games enjoy
with 4 clans in play while also being able to utilize the betray strategy but allowing more control
and strategy to the players of the game as they will have more chances to choose mandates
since each player controls 2 clans. Also being able to play the betray mandate without fear of
losing allies in the next season since each player can reform the alliance of the 2 clans they in
the next season. Though using betray will still make a clan lose honor (for the clan that played
the betray mandate) and also lose the ally bonus between a player's 2 controlled clans for the
season where the clan chose to play betray mandate meaning there will still be a tradeoff for
using it creating a balanced yet full and fun experience for 2 players.:)

FOR PURPOSES OF THIS VARIANT THE "SHOGUNATE" THAT TAXES

TRADES/DONATIONS IS THE COMMON PILE OF COINS WHERE PLAYERS DISCARD
COINS/PAY COINS TO WHEN PURCHASING STRONGHOLDS/SEASON CARDS IT IS
BASICALLY THE COMMON COIN PILE USED IN NORMAL GAMES. FOR VISUALIZATION
PLAYERS CAN USE A STACK OF 4 UNUSED STRONGHOLDS TO REPRESENT THE
DAIMYO OF THE LAND'S TOWER AND PLACE IT BESIDE THE COMMON PILE OF COINS
AND RONIN. just for visualization purposes and will make this game variation even more fun as
you see the SHOGUNATE'S TOWER as the SHOGUNATE is also the one that distributes
seasonal income :)

Players can Visually represent the "SHOGUNATE'S TOWER" by using 4 strongholds and
stacking them together to visually represent the "THE SHOGUNATE TOWER" and placing it
beside the common pile of coins and ronins it is where the players will pay the tax by discarding
the coins on the common pile it will show the power and influence of the current SHOGUNATE
which can be the clan that was picked to be banned in the clan pick at the start of the game by
the loser of the previous game from the clans controlled by the winner of the previous game and
it would show a kind of continuity and lore and story telling aspect to the game (for example if
lotus clan and dragon fly clans were the winners clans last game and the losing player chooses
to ban lotus from the clan pick this game you can use lotus strongholds to represent the
SHOGUNATE'S TOWER this game and the SHOGUNATE can be named LOTUS
SHOGUNATE. It means _____ SHOGUNATE can be given a clan's name every new game :)
In this Variant players will be using 2 clans A primary clan and a secondary clan but both clans
will be treated as separate entity but controlled by players and any victory points and honor they
gain will be tracked. Also any resource (coin/ronins) they gain or start with are also separate
from each other so that each clan a player controls may function independently. Also war
province tokens each clan earns are separate from each other. Both clans a player controls
begin a season allied.

Political mandates that the 2 clans each player controls will still be the same and the each
player will get to choose a political mandate for the 2 clans they own who are allied so both
clans get the benefit of ally bonus on mandates. Only time this changes is if a player plays
betray and forcibly breaks the alliance of the 2 clans that player owns and therefore losing honor
for the clan that played betray in the process and losing the ally bonus synergy between that
players 2 clans. But alliances of the 2 clans a player controls can be reforged at the start of
every seasons tea ceremony.

During the harvest phase if 2 clans a player own are in a province the clan with most force gains
the province reward.

Betray mandates can be used in the game (still replacing 2 figures from 2 different clans the
opponent controls. But once a player uses this mandate the player has to break the alliance
between his 2 controlled clans and therefore loses the ally bonus from mandates. Alliances can
only be reformed on the start of every season tea ceremony.
Edit:I even toyed with the idea of an alliance reparation mechanic during a season where the
clan that broke the alliance can pay the bank 3 coin to repair reestablish the alliance anytime
during the political phase of the season but it was imbalanced so therefore REMOVED it from
this variation.

During Battle if 2 clans a player owns are the only presence in that province then the clan which
has more force wins the war province token and no battle takes place.

Each of the 2 clans a player owns/controls can participate in the battle and will have separate
war bids and naturally the clan that has the most force wins the war province token.

At the end of the game the victory points and end game bonuses for each clan a player owns
will be individually tallied and scored at first then after being tallied will be combined and that will
be the final victory points score of a player. For example ( Player 1 Primary clan: KOI clan: the
war provinces KOI earned are Edo spring = 1 vp, Kyoto summer = 2vp and Shikoku Autumn
=3vp these will be added first = 6vp then since the KOI clan has 3 different provinces they get
10 vp bonus giving them a total of 16vp. Now that players secondary clan is Moon Clan which
won Kyoto spring =1vp Nagato spring=1vp, Hokkaido summer = 2vp, Kansai Summer= 2vp and
finally Edo autumn = 3vp which first totals = 9vp then since the since the moon clan has 5
different province tokens gets 20 vp this will give the moon clan a total of = 29 vp and finally
since the player owns both clans the both koi and moons individual final score computation will
be added which will total to 45 vp that will be player 1 total victory points.

Pre-season set up

1.) Players will first pick 2 clans from a random clan selection cards. The loser from the previous
game will pick first a random clan then the winner from the previous game will pick a random
clan then this will continue till both players are able to get 2 random clans each which means 4
random clans will be in the game. 2 random clans controlled by each player.
Edit: The losing player from the previous game may ban 1 of the clans the player of the winning
game used from the previous game to add further balance.

2.) Shuffle the 8 war province tokens and the losing player from.previous game picks 1 random
province then the winner from previous game picks the next province till 6 random provinces are
chosen and placed on the war province track.

3.) Shuffle the kami cards and losing player from previous game picks a random kami and the
winning player from previous game picks the next kami continue till all players select the 4
random kami in play.

4.) Distribute the clan screens, clan figures, monster bases, seasonal incomes of each clan to
the player controling them like a normal game. Each of the two clans a player controls must
separate each clan's screen and coins and figures from each other as each clan they own are
separate entities.

5.) Seasonal card set up. Now this is a part where I have 2 options since I have not yet tested
this variant so I'm not sure which option peovides the most balance while at the same time
having almost no restrictions and still provide the full gameplay experience.

Option 1: take the core set and the losing player can pick a random set
(archway,horseman,teapot,ship,mountain,dicetower) and add it to the core set and add all the
monsters from the KS edition and the monster pack. And all the lucky gods IF there is moon or
sun clan in play.

Option 2: RECOMMENDED I will utilize a concept of the civil war variant posted here in forums
where duplicate cards from each season will be removed. Therefore providing more balance.
And limiting the card choices of players so that players will be careful of the cards they purchase
All KS exclusive monsters and monster pack monster cards will be added to the core deck
along with the randomly chosen set (archway,teapot,horseman,ship,mountain,dice tower) (I will
still test this option)

6.) Put kami cards in their respective shrines and kami figures in their shrines if kami unbound
expansion is in play.
NEW MECHANICS

INTER CLAN REGULATED AND TAXED TRADING SYSTEM

-There can only be 1 allowable trade/donate action per player per season giving each player a
chance to enact 1 trade/donation action per season which equals to 3 trades for each player
player per game. Trading/donation can be used as a strategy to gain an upper hand but it can
also be detrimental since it is taxed by the (SHOGUNATE/PAY TAX BY DISCARDING COIN IN
THE COMMON PILE WITH THE SHOGUNATE'S TOWER) it adds another layer to the strategy
so use it WISELY.

-These are the only allowable forms of interclan trading between the two clans a player controls
and the SHOGUNATE will tax these trades/donation actions meaning the players will discard a
portion of the trade amount to the common pile beside the SHOGUNATE'S TOWER. to provide
further balance. Clans from opposing players CANNOT TRADE.

DONATION

1.) Coin donation: A player can donate a maximum of 2 coins per donation action from his clan
A to his clan B (vice versa) but the clan donating the 2 coins must give 1 of the coin being
donated to the SHOGUNATE/PAY TAX BY DISCARDING COIN TO COMMON PILE BESIDE
THE SHOGUNATE'S TOWER. Effectively this means the clan recieving the donation only gets
1 coin. This does not trigger benevolence card as thay card only activates when buying season
cards or buyinh strongholds :)
(Tax 1 coin)

TRADING

2.) A player can sell a (max limit of 2 ronins per trade. The clan who is buying the ronin tokens
(must give the clan selling the ronin tokens 1 coin and pay 1 coin to the SHOGUNATE/PAY
TAX BY DISCARDING COIN TO COMMON PILE BESIDE THE SHOGUNATE'S TOWER. (tax
1 coin)
3.) A player can sell 1 monster (max limit 1 monster per trade) on reserve from clan A to Clan B
(vice versa) for 2 coin paying the clan selling the monster from his reserve 2 coin and paying 1
coin to the SHOGUNATE/PAY TAX BY DISCARDING COIN TO COMMON PILE BESIDE THE
SHOGUNATE'S TOWER (Tax 1 coin)
EDIT: Monsters traded from reserve will be in the reserve of the player that bought them and
can only be summoned during recruit)Only monsters on clans reserve pile can be traded
monsters on the board CANNOT be Traded.

And last but not least...

4.) A player can sell 1 province (max limit 1 per game per player) he owns from clan A to Clan B
(vice versa) the clan buying the war province token must pay the clan that is selling the province
2 coins and pay 4 coins to the SHOGUNATE/PAY TAX BY DISCARDING COIN TO COMMON
PILE BESIDE THE SHOGUNATE'S TOWER (TRANSFER TAX 4 COINS)