Shogun/Samurai Swords (1986 Milton Bradley Gamemaster, Complete): Axis & Allies' Forgotten Brother

Milton Bradley's Gamemaster series, launched in 1984 with Axis & Allies, produced five of the finest strategic war games ever to appear on the mass market. Shogun (1986, later reissued as Samurai Swords due to a name conflict with a film) was the series' feudal Japan entry, and among the Gamemaster titles it has developed a devoted collector following for its intricate rules, beautiful components, and the specific atmosphere of Sengoku-era Japan that it captured.

The Gamemaster Series

Milton Bradley introduced the Gamemaster series specifically to attract adult strategy gamers who wanted more depth than Monopoly but weren't ready for the complexity of dedicated wargames. The series ran to five titles:

1. Axis & Allies (1984)
2. Conquest of the Empire (1984)
3. Broadsides and Boarding Parties (1984)
4. Shogun / Samurai Swords (1986)
5. Fortress America (1986)

Each game used high-quality plastic pieces, cardboard maps, and rule sets that were accessible but substantive. The Gamemaster series proved that there was a large audience for complex strategic games outside the traditional wargame market.

Shogun vs. Samurai Swords: What's Different?

The original 1986 edition was titled Shogun. A legal dispute arose with the producers of James Clavell's Shogun television series over trademark use. Milton Bradley reissued the game as Samurai Swords, changing the box artwork and title but leaving the gameplay and components essentially identical.

For collectors:

• Original "Shogun" edition (1986): More sought-after by collectors for historical interest; typically higher value

• "Samurai Swords" edition: More commonly available; same gameplay content

• Both titles are identical in game components and rules

A complete Shogun/Samurai Swords includes:

• Game board (two-piece, depicting feudal Japan's main island Honshu divided into provinces)

• Five sets of colored plastic pieces (each clan's soldiers, cavalry, and siege weapons)

• Fortresses and castles

• Provincial cards

• Season cards and battle cards

• Dice (specialized battle dice)

• Rulebook

• Player reference cards

• Treasury coins (cardboard)

What "Complete" Means

Like all Gamemaster titles, completeness is critical. Missing pieces reduce functionality for play and significantly affect collector value:

The cavalry pieces are the most commonly lost components — they are small, distinctive, and have a tendency to fall off game tables. Confirm cavalry counts by color before purchasing any copy described as complete.

Condition and Value

The original "Shogun" label commands a premium over Samurai Swords among serious collectors. Sealed examples (very rare) would command multiples of these values.

Why It Collects

Shogun/Samurai Swords occupies a specific niche in the war game collecting world:

Historical theme: Feudal Japan and the Sengoku period (the era of warring states before Tokugawa unification) is a consistently appealing historical setting. The game captures the period's combination of mobile cavalry, fortress sieges, and intricate alliance politics.

Gamemaster brand value: All five Gamemaster titles have collector followings. A complete Gamemaster series set is a recognized collecting goal, and Shogun is one of the harder titles to find in excellent complete condition.

Playability: Unlike many vintage board games collected primarily for display, Shogun/Samurai Swords is genuinely playable and still holds up as a game design. Collectors who play vintage games return to this one.

Component quality: The plastic pieces are well-sculpted for a mass market game. The game board is attractively designed. The overall production quality represents Milton Bradley at its most ambitious.

Storage and Preservation

Gamemaster series games deteriorate predictably:

• The cardboard box corners crush with stacking weight

• Provincial cards can bend and crease

• The game board can warp if stored flat under weight

• Plastic pieces can break (the castles and fortresses are most fragile)

Ideal storage: upright rather than flat, out of direct sunlight, in a climate-controlled environment. Bagging the plastic pieces by color prevents loss and simplifies future inventory verification.

For any collector working through the Gamemaster series, Shogun/Samurai Swords in complete condition represents the most historically interesting entry in the series and one of the finest mass-market representations of its setting.

Browse all Collectible Toys & Games →

Related Items