Naishi (CZ) - card duel

Product detailed description

An elegant two-player card duel set in the heart of the Japanese Imperial Court

In Naishi, you step into the refined yet politically charged world of feudal Japan, where court ladies — the naishi — held quiet but significant influence over rituals, diplomacy, and the balance of power. Just like them, you work to expand your domain, increase your prestige, and outmaneuver your opponent through careful planning and clever positioning.

Naishi is a thoughtful, tactical card duel in which you build your personal territory using provinces and influential characters. A simple rule shapes the entire game: you are not allowed to change the order of your cards. Every decision is therefore a puzzle of timing, foresight, and opportunity.

By developing your territory, you exchange cards from your hand or row with those from the offer. Envoy tokens allow you to bend the strict rules — swapping cards, manipulating the market, or even invoking the powerful Imperial Decree, which lets you directly exchange a card with your opponent. Envoys, however, are limited, and using them at the right moment can decide the game.

How the game works

Each player manages two sets of five cards — a hand and a row. At the end of the game, the hand is placed beneath the row to form a 2×5 grid, which is then scored.
Each card type follows its own scoring logic: some reward adjacency, others depend on position, number of copies, or specific card combinations. Rice fields, torii, riders, advisors, ronin, fortresses, monks, naishi — every symbol brings unique tactical possibilities.

The game is quick but full of tension. With no randomness in card order, every turn is a deliberate step toward building the most prestigious domain.

Why you’ll love Naishi

• A refined and fast two-player duel with accessible rules and deep strategic play.

• You work with a fixed set of 10 cards, enhancing them over time instead of drawing from a deck.

• Strong synergies between provinces and character cards.

• Envoys enable clever tactical twists — but timing is everything.

• Beautiful Japanese-inspired artwork and clean presentation.

• A perfect game for players who enjoy compact, smart, and thoughtful two-player strategy games.

Contents

• 16 Mountain cards

• 34 Development cards (19 Characters, 15 Provinces)

• 3 Imperial Court cards

• 4 Envoy tokens

• 2 double-sided reference cards

• 2 overview cards

• 1 scorepad

• Rulebook (CZ)

Players: 2
Age: 10+
Play time: 20–30 minutes
Language-independent components (rules in Czech)