Tabletop Game Review: Warriors of Jogu: Feint

Warriors of Jogu: Feint

Monsoon Publishing

Players: 2 Players

Play Time: 30 Minutes

“Conflict has broken out in the land of Jogu as different factions vie for access to Saiur, an energy-generating liquid which can transform the economies of these Jogu inhabitants. In this time of conflict, which faction can apply the art of war, master the trick of deception, and emerge victorious?”

In Warriors of Jogu: Feint, two players will compete in a game of bluffing, deception, and tactics. There are three factions in the starter edition of the game. Warriors of Jogu: Feint acts as a sort of complete version of the game and includes two extra factions. Every faction plays in a completely different way, which leads to a variety of strategies for both players. The Guards of Keion have strong units that control the battle locations, while the League of Agents emphasizes concealing cards and milling the opponent’s deck.

The players each have a deck of 40 cards and will take turns playing cards in the round’s battle location(s). At the start of a round, one battle location is revealed to each player and is a secret to the other. Knowing only half of the information regarding the battle locations leads to both players bluffing while trying to deduce the second battle location. There are five potential battle locations, allowing for the players to attempt to throw the opponent off. At the end of a round, the battle locations are revealed, and the players will tally up the score of their units in both locations, and whoever has the most points will take the round. The loser will lose morale points. The players will clear the board, draw new cards, and repeat the process again.

You win by winning four out of seven rounds or by reducing your opponent’s morale to zero. The simplicity of the scoring system combined with the variety in playstyles of the five factions makes for an engaging experience once the players get the hang of the mechanics. The duel between players is a fun game of cat and mouse with some factions and a straight fist fight with others. Knowing both decks in play is crucial to success, but so is reading your opponent. The differences in playstyle in each faction are incredibly impressive and keeps the game feeling fresh after many plays. What is even more impressive is that each faction is limited to just one play style and allows for different types of plays and combos to be made.

The decks each have five or six unique cards duplicated throughout the deck that fit the theme. It would be nice to see a few more cards in each deck, but this is easily forgiven since the game is so balanced right now. The balance is one of Warriors of Jogu’s biggest accomplishments, with no deck absolutely dominating another. Sure, there are slight edges with certain matchups, but these can often be overcome with skill and careful deduction. Even the “Strongest” decks can’t just step into the battlefield and bully a location because of an area capacity mechanic that prevents more than 10 points of strength from occupying. Weaker factions like the Society of Engineers and Gang of Mibits can break capacity limits and make up for their low strength.

In additional to Jogu’s fine mechanics, the game also comes with gorgeous art. The card art is both beautiful and cute. The designs of the characters are unique and come together to create fun, cohesive themes. The art has a clear influence from both Western and Eastern fantasy styles, leading to universal appeal. Playing doesn’t require a large amount of space due to small boards that only serve the purpose of indicating battle locations and scorekeeping. The game’s theme is a little weak and unoriginal, but this is easily overlooked due to the art and mechanics.

A game takes about thirty minutes to play, and it is easy to clean up and start another game quickly. The box states that the game is fine for fourteen-year-olds and older. We tested this game with a fourteen-year-old without much gaming experience, and it took her an entire game to grasp the basic mechanics, and even then her moves were a bit slow while she tried to remember the various rules. For adults, it will take a game to get comfortable with Warriors of Jogu, but from there it will be easy to play. As the player explores the five factions, they will find that the game continues to feel fresh as they try to master how to play with and against the various playstyles.

Warriors of Jogu juggles multiple mechanics but implements all of them well. It’s an excellent dueling game for fans of strategy and trading card games. It’s finely balanced and doesn’t rely on luck as much as other card games do. The need to bluff and manage your hand adds what this game needs to stand out from others in the genre. Warriors of Jogu is a fine addition to any board game collection.