War Stories

War Stories is the first game by Symbiose, a small Dutch publisher. Only 1000 copies were printed. It is a small strategic boardgame for two players that can be best described as a combination of Chess and Memory with a 16th century feudal Japan theme added to the mix. The story is that two Daimyos are discussing a battle they once fought, during a tea ceremony (the discussion, not the battle). The problem is that both Daimyos don't have very good memories. They try to remember how the battle developed and who won eventually. As mentioned, the basic mechanics of the game are a combination of Chess and Memory. Finding combinations of identical cards on the board results in new units, which act as chess pieces. Hence, good memory and some tactical insight may be of good use in playing this game.