坂の上の帝国 (Hanging Empire)

Hanging Empire is a game about the political struggles within Japan during the period from the Meiji Restoration to Great War. The basic system is based on the French Revolution 1789 from Game Journal issue 89. A unique feature of this game is players struggle against specific enemy powers, such as the former Shogunate, Qing Empire or Russia, which appear each turn, using diplomatic and military power. Players aim to ensure their faction holds a dominant position in the process of making the Japanese Empire one of the world's great powers. Each turn, players acquire characters(politicians, military officers, businessmen) and events through an auction, the Prime Minister allocates ministerial posts, take factional actions(voting or production), resolve diplomacy and war against enemy power, victory points are awarded accordingly, and finally, a new Prime Minister is elected based on the voting results. The winner is determined by Victory Points (VP), which are earned when the government and the characters in faction's ideology of align each turn, and through the achievements of the key ministers in the cabinet. This game is scheduled to be published as an insert in Game Journal magazine. The title 坂の上の帝国(Saka no Ue no Teikoku) means Empire Above the Hill, and is homage to "Saka no Ue no Kumo" (Clouds Above the Hill), a famous historical novel by Ryotaro Shiba depicting the Russo-Japanese War.