Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
In 1598 the death of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, whose only heir, Hideyori, was just five years old. To manage the realm until the boy came of age, Hideyoshi established a Council of Five Elders, but the council quickly fractured as the most powerful member, Tokugawa Ieyasu, began consolidating personal power through forbidden political marriages and the occupation of key strongholds like Osaka Castle. This ambition drew fierce opposition from Ishida Mitsunari, a staunch Toyotomi loyalist who organized a coalition of Western lords to check Ieyasu's rise. Tensions have escalated into open warfare in 1600 when Ieyasu led a punitive expedition against the Uesugi clan in the north, providing Mitsunari the opportunity to mobilize his "Western Army" and seize strategic positions in central Japan, eventually forcing a decisive field confrontation at the crossroads of Sekigahara.
In this kriegsspiel game, each player commands an independent army and assigned personal objectives. The "pre-game" will feature Tokugawa and Ishida working to recruit players to their side using resources provided to them. Will they recruit enough? Will there be traitors?
In 1598 the death of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, whose only heir, Hideyori, was just five years old. To manage the realm until the boy came of age, Hideyoshi established a Council of Five Elders, but the council quickly fractured as the most powerful member, Tokugawa Ieyasu, began consolidating personal power through forbidden political marriages and the occupation of key strongholds like Osaka Castle. This ambition drew fierce opposition from Ishida Mitsunari, a staunch Toyotomi loyalist who organized a coalition of Western lords to check Ieyasu's rise. Tensions have escalated into open warfare in 1600 when Ieyasu led a punitive expedition against the Uesugi clan in the north, providing Mitsunari the opportunity to mobilize his "Western Army" and seize strategic positions in central Japan, eventually forcing a decisive field confrontation at the crossroads of Sekigahara.
In this kriegsspiel game, each player commands an independent army and assigned personal objectives. The "pre-game" will feature Tokugawa and Ishida working to recruit players to their side using resources provided to them. Will they recruit enough? Will there be traitors?
