Blood Rage vs Rising Sun - Play This, Not That 

11:00 I would say the stakes are much higher in Rising Sun and the hidden bidding mechanic creates a delicious mental game of out maneuvering and out guessing your opponent.

I have loved Blood Rage for a long time and find it's much easier to teach and play quickly. I've had two 5 hour long games of Rising Sun, at 5 players, and it's been some of the best gaming experiences I've ever had. It made my friends, who weren't exactly unfamiliar with boardgames, realize just how incredible a gaming experience can be.

These aren't questions ANYONE should ask. It's like asking which is your favorite kid. LEAVE ME ALONE!!! **hugs my Lang games tightly**

Yes in combat (Rising Sun) you both lose the coins you spend, but the winners coins go to the loser and can be used for future battles that round. Plan accordingly and it can be quite the boon.

Thx for this. Although I prefer RS to BR for the negotiation and strategy part I do feel you loving the drafting. Would like to pla both games again asap

I prefer Rising Sun by a good bit. However Blood Rage is simple and easier to get to the table. Absolutely keeping both. :)

The ”Loki” Strategy in rising sun can be incredibly strong depending on what set of season cards are used - I'd argue that saying blood rage has a stronger losing strategy is quite misguided. I think this misconception might be caused by Blood Rage actually having a name for the losing strategy. Playing the fox clan in rising sun with the right season cards is more than comparable to the Loki strategy in BR. We usually call it the kamikaze strat. Also, take in consideration that you’ll gain a bunch of coins for each loss, to be used for points/seppuku in your next fight. Either way, shame that you’re getting rid of RS. I love them both, and even though I prefer one of them I’ll never get rid of the other one. I consider these collector's titles that you should always keep in your collection.

So agreed, I prefer Blood Rage... BUT why I keep Rising Sun, why I love it, and why its different from Blood Rage for me comes down to feel (in that how the mechanics combine with the theme). BR gives me the quintessential Viking 'feel' that I'm looking for. Its outright aggressive, barbaric, and straight forward- HUZZAH! RS, however, is much more elegant, political, deception driven. It gives me the 'feel' of a calculated warlord who is looking to rule but knows that just fighting won't cut it. Scoring is structured so that strength and aggression aren't favoured more than timing, deception and wisdom is. i.e. You can't turtle your strength in one place and hope to win, but you have to strategically move your troops into different lands and time when you are going to vie for control there. You have to make/break strategic alliances and never fully reveal your goals to them if you hope to gain advantage. And combat is 'won' by the wise who know how to get something out of nothing and know how to bluff your adversaries and allies. So, while BR and RS share similarities, for me, they are so different and offer such a different game experience that both MUST remain in my collection. I hope Ankh is as different too. Oh and I disagree, (stylistic impression aside)RS's art style and minis are WAY better- more detailed and evocative.

I have not played Blood Rage (and perhaps I have to now...) but Rising Sun is pure, unfettered and distilled genius in a box. It is so well thought out and the tension is unreal. For me, this game raised the standard of what I thought was possible with a board game and showed a lot of other games up for the unbalanced trash they are, I urge you not to miss out on this one, especially if you are not a fan of the randomness present in so many games.

I always say Rising Sun is a 7 course meal and Blood Rage is desert. 😋 Both are very satisfying!

Great video comparing 2 great games! Just by the BBG rating, it's not surprising that more people prefers Blood rage to Rising Sun. The biggest turn off of RS initially was like you mentioned, having my big awesome monsters stolen by take hostage before I got to "use it" to stomp face. Then I realize I'll have to change my thinking in how I viewed them. Using monsters as leveraging pieces to manipulate and extract coins from my opponents, making them *think* I am trying to win the battle. Then it becomes a much better feeling losing a battle you were planning to lose in the first place, robbing your opponents and crippling them in the battles you actually wanted to win. The mind games in RS are amazing. If all you are looking for is a more one dimensional use of your big beasts, then yes I totally get why BR would be something you would enjoy more. But in RS, sometimes your big monsters does go stomp and crush your opponent, but more importantly to me is getting much more value from my monsters by crippling my opponents ability to win in other battles. It's a different style of battle for sure, and it doesn't even really feel like "battle" sometimes which is the beauty of RS. As a board game collector as well, I want to keep the whole trilogy of Eric Langs games in my collection.

Haven't watched yet, but the outcome is pretty obvious for those that has watched content on this channel for a while. 😅

I have been searching for 'Rising Sun vs Blood Rage' on RU-vid and Google for a few days and was sad that you didn't make a comparison. And there it is! ha! I am a happy human!

I really like this style of video and glad these are back. I like these games analysis, but despite loving are control, I doubt I'd ever get any of these (or ankh), but would gladly play. if I had to choose which one to table, I'd pick Rising Sun, because it has a bit more unique mechanics in broader gaming space in my mind.

Great video, cheers 🥂

Thanks for another excellent video

Excellent video! I've been wanting to buy Blood Rage ever since viewing your review--Vikings, Pirates, and Zombies will always garner my interest!

Fantastic comparison!

I really like your approach of this not that. Great concept

Great video. Rising Sun has my favorite combat system of any game I have played and for that reason I prefer it to Blood Rage, but I really love both of them so I can't blame anyone for liking one over the other.

Was bouncing between these two today at a comic/game shop I don't get to very often. If only I had watched this prior to going! Ended up with Shard of Infinity as the clock ran out before I made a decision. Definitely looking to play Blood Rage in the future as you and other's who's opinion I also trust lean toward the BR. Thanks!

The only tricky thing to teach in Rising Sun is the combat system. While I like Rising Sun's combat more than Blood Rage, it can be hard for new players to wrap their mind around the system. I have both and I am definitely keeping both. Blood Rage is my number 3, Rising Sun is my number 13. That's not necessarily because Blood Rage is a better game. It is however, a simpler game than Rising Sun. Simpler games get more plays and games that get more plays climb higher my rankings. This or that, to me, really comes down to this: if you want a quicker, more kinetic area control game, get Blood Rage; if you want a longer, more thoughtful area control game, get Rising Sun. I have use for both of these niches so both are staying for a long long time.

Alex, but the hostage mechanism just makes everything way more interesting. Not sure why you are pointing it out as a negative. Put all your money there so you don't lose... but then they will win the other bids... Or better distribute your coins in a way were you know losing those bets won't affect your win(obviously this is the point of the game) I just don't see how hostage mechanism is a bad thing.... is that only a personal preference, maybe?

Ooohhh just started the video. I really love both those games. Interested in your thoughts.

Pretty much agree with you 100%. That's why I sold mine a while ago.

One big aspect in RS imo is the amount of planning you can (and have to) get during the game. The fact battles ONLY happen in some regions, in a precise order, makes it very interesting. And thus the losing a battle compensation, the alliance system, the monsters' abilities (half of the time not directly related to combat) are perfect for it.

Awesome video! Would love to see an episode of Arena: The Contest PvP vs. Mythic Battles Pantheon, since Mythic Battles will come back to Kickstarter now and Arena: The Contest can still be late backed.

I love Rising Sun so much! Blood rage is definitely the easier to teach game though.

Thanks for the video. I'm definitely on your side in this one. Got rid of my all-in KS pledge of RS after 4-5 games. Blood Rage is my #1 as well. However, I think I would be ok with a non-deluxe version of BR but after the KS edition of RS, I don't think I would settle for the retail edition of RS.

Good video. I think my preference for Rising Sun comes down mostly to the love for the theme (I like more Feudal Japan mythology) and due to the fact that I don't really like the drafting mechanism in Blood Rage, where you just can be lucky and get the most powerful cards (or the cards that get you the best combos) while others just can't be satisfied with what they get (maybe good cards but without sinergy between them). All that said Rising Sun has it's own flaws, but I really, really like the bidding combat mechanic. You have to Outsmart your opponent, trying to figure out what his plan is by only knowing how many resources he has. Truly brilliant.

Rising sun takes another dimension with kami unbound. Im keeping them both. Mechanics are different but both interesting. And rising sun is more beautiful :)

I have yet to try any in the series but GameNerdz recently had the base game for Bloodrage for around 30 and I have it coming in soon to try. I backed Ankh with the idea that if I didn't care for it that it would easily make it's money back (and hopefully then some) so I'm looking forward to seeing how that turns out.

Maybe the next Zombicide will be Pirates & Ninjas in one game! With a Dinosaur expansion

I prefer rising Sun , more balance more strategy, also the theme of rising Sun is less common , all the fantasy style game are “viking lore “ tendence .I love the series by the way i’ll get ankh too

I would be interested in hearing your choice between Rising Sun and Mezo.

The mandate tiles are one of my favorite game components amongst all my games

I love this series, its very useful for viewers like me Who want to keep a lean collection, and are not able to play both unless they buy both

Well, I think some folks just like to mix up their menu with varieties of the same mechanics. I feel like Days of Wonder has mastered the theming of Ticket to Ride with each map having a slightly different rule alteration to fit the them but yet keeping the core mechanisms intact. My mother for example often says I don't want to learn a new game (She is > 80) but when she gets around to playing a new edition of Ticket to Ride (Japan as a recent example) she is thrilled she let an "old dog" learn new tricks. I hope players consider playing both Blood Rage and Rising Sun just to experience a bit of variety.

I really love RS though I think a couple things could be improved. Definitely needed some balancing on the stretch goal monsters. I was able to teach my in laws but definitely takes a lot of time the first few games.

Not having played either this question might be illogical, but if they are so similar, have you thought abouttaking the elements you like in rising sun and exchange them for those you like less in blood rage or vise versa? Alternatively you could make a video about houseruling in board games, if this is a subject that you have expierince in.

So for your next to back or not (or sooner if you want ;-)) Would you go for Theurgy or for Rise of the Gnomes when having 2 players

I enjoy both, but prefer RS. It may just be because I got RS to the table first and it was the first KS I had backed. I plan on keeping both. Sometimes I want to play with fantasy Vikings and sometimes I want to play in fantasy Japan. It’s a shame you’ll be getting rid of RS. It would have been interesting to see it compared to Great Wall.

13:46 Blood Rage is more tactical and in your face, Rising Sun is more Strategic and less focused on actual combat.

The biggest thing I've noticed with this Trilogy of kickstarter games is that the kickstarter extras really focus on table presence with plastic/3d tokens. Which is something that im happy to pay a premium price for. Yes there are a couple extra factions in the kickstarters, but the retail copy of them doesn't feel like you're missing out on the experience by not having the exclusive faction. There are to many kickstarters where I feel if I dont buy everything that I'm missing out on actual gameplay. While each add on has basic/cheap cardboard components. Which has led me to not back super big games as of late.

Good video, still doesn't help me choose one or the other though 🤔 both seem great fun.

Rising Sun is more my speed more because of the theme and the negotiating. Rising Sun is the one I decided to buy. I'll happily play either game, though. :-)

I love both! RS gets the edge in 3 or 5 player games and BR is my favorite at 4 players. Can’t wait for Ankh!

Hi there, both game are appealing to me, hard to chose between any of those. I got a friend who got Rising Sun, i might hopefuly try that one someday. I read about something occuring in Blood Rage. Something about the fact that, a lot of time, when you're the winner, it's not a feeling of it is coz of your actions, but more likely coz the others get against each other, or doing stuff that helps you... And not coz you made it by yourself only. Is there anything like that ? That would be great hearing your view about this Cheers

So as a resume, you prefer BR because of viking theme and drafting mecanism over RS japan theme and bet / négociation mecanism. Other things are common, so it s just a personnal preference. Am I wrong?

Liked the video. Solid information. I disagree with the idea of the losing a fight being weaker in RS given that both 5 player games I've played were won that way. Meanwhile, I've never played a game where the losing combat was the determining factor of the win in Blood Rage. More than anything, I think the issue is that RS really shines the best at a higher player count, whereas BR is good across its player count.

When Ankh arrives I cant wait for play this not this or that.

I don’t mind card drafting in most games but really don’t like it in war games. I guess that is why I prefer Rising Sun. To each his own I guess.

Honestly if I can ever find blood rage for a reasonable price (it's near or over $200 CAD locally for just the base game) I would love to give it a play but I've pretty much given up hope on that happening lol. Hopefully Anhk will be a worth successor and I can pick that up in retail instead.

Very good comparison. Which would you say is better at handling varying player counts? Like 2p/3p/4p/5p?

I like that Loki strategy a lot

Rising sun the loser gets the coins from the winner. I think the biggest differentiator between the two games is the combat, some people just don’t enjoy the bluffing / bidding combat in Rising Sun and if you don’t it’s very likely Blood Rage is for you.

I have both games and like them very much. I prefer Rising Sun for a few reasons; I think the artwork is a little more exquisite; I really enjoy the action selection with bonuses for allies; I prefer the minis- but it’s close; I like the hidden element of the conflict- stacking or not stacking coins. I like the board’s sprawling map which makes for a more sumptuous table presence and the upgraded components are another boon.

The monsters in rising sun aren’t nerfed that much by the hostage mechanic. Most the time their specials and benefits are not about extra force which is all that matters after the hostage bid. However still i wish they were better, i typically go for other cards before monsters, but not necessarily cuz the hostage risk

Play This AND That.. both of these are great!

Where would one go to to settle a Rising Sun rules dispute? My concern is with the Courage Card, that rewards points for winning a battle. The question is, if you were the only one there, did you win a battle or just gain a province? The rules are very confusing to me in this regard. Thanks for redirections or knowledge.

I don't know if Rising Sun is better than Blood Rage, but the alliances add a really fun player interaction as well as the encouragement to negotiate moves with other players. I think the bidding system for battles is nice too because it's really about reading the other players and deciphering what you think they'll be going for, while managing your own stack of coins for upcoming battles that you may need to win more urgently. To address your complaint with your monster being kidnapped, that's just another interesting aspect in play. You're going to want to win the kidnap action to keep your monster alive so you might put a lot of coins there. On the other hand, other players know you want to win that action so maybe they put their coins elsewhere, meaning you can win the action with fewer coins. Lots of play the player elements!

I have Kickstarter Rising Sun (love it) and have always wanted to get or at least play Bloodrage. Looks like a purchase is in the near future. Unless someone wants to invite me over for a game. I live in upstate SC. 😀😀

Good video. I own both but I prefer rising sun.

1- Blood Rage definitely easier to teach, isn’t it? 2- Artwort, minis, theme, table presence... both are very comparable and it becomes more a question of preference in the end. 3- Agreed on both drafting mechanic and distinctive clan powers. 4- Agreed also on the ally/betrayal mechanic. 5- You’re spot on on combat! While I would still play Rising Sun if I have to, I would pick Blood Rage any day because of combat. The biding mechanic of RS doesn’t do it for me. 6- Monsters are effectively way more fun in BR! 7- I found that people that played BR a lot get to know the cards very well and how to get good synergy which makes it a bit difficult to introduce new players.

Just started watching, but for me the Vikings blaze past the finish line before the Samurai's even get off the blocks purely from theme alone. EDIT: As for price I discovered Blood Rage late, so had to hunt down every last extra from both KS campaigns which was damn expensive (especially the Wildboar clan). However I flipped and parted out a 2nd KS version and made so much it almost covered more than half the cost of a complete collection. So win!

To be fair, I only played Blood Rage once, which was really fun, but I prefer Rising Sun (probably in my top 5 all-time games). What I prefer in RS is theme, alliances (and betrayal hehehe), unique clan powers and the bluffing/biding war with every information available to all players (while blood rage, there are some potential strong cards you didn't even see once in the draft that you can't prepare for...I think) I see seppuku/loki in RS more as a complementary strategy or tactic than a full all-in strategy; I usually seppuku in early wars to go higher in the honor track and win tie breakers in later battles. If I go heavy in seppuku, I still try to win at minimum 3 war province tokens to get the 10 point bonus. Loki is indeed more viable as a main strategy. And I agree about the hostage/monster critique, it costs a lot of coins to get a strong monster and you usually don't have enough coins in the war to defend against hostage unless its really well planned (losing war to collect coins for example) And finally, I 100% agree with the fact that its a bit useless to own both Blood Rage and Rising Sun. Too similar in their strengths. Blood rage is really fun , but I know I'd end up choosing Rising Sun every single time.

This or that, it will cost me money anyways, because now I want it :)

I prefer Rising Sun by far, but that's probably because I really like the bidding system and I am underwhelmed by drafting games in general. I feel that if they where not communicated as in the same line, nobody would compare them - the core mechanisms are really different, to the point that Rising Sun is my favourite game and Blood Rage falled flat for me. Also, the monster hostage thing is a fallacy I see in a lot of Reviews. If you go for monsters, you prepare to win hostage the same as with any other strategy (if you go for Rising Suns Loki Strategy, you go for Seppuku and have to win it for your strategy, too. The same applies for using Ronins, that also means you need to win the corresponding battle action "hire ronin"). Basically, you need at least enough money to win in your area of expertise, and if that's big monsters, you actually have and advantage as you often win the Harvest Mandate.

Such a shame both are not painted yet!

Looking forward to Ankh

Is Great Wall gonna be a Rising Sun killer or an evolution? I sell Rising Sun for the upcoming Great Wall by AR. I never gonna do that with Bloodrage, whatever happen. Pretty curious to see Alex, thanks for sharing, always a pleasure. 👌😊👍

I am 10 plays of Blood Rage, 1 of Rising Sun and 3 of Ankh (TTS). Ankh is my favourite of the three by a little bit over Blood Rage. I like positioning type strategy (like Chess) has and Ankh is big on that while there is very little of that in the other two. Not a huge fan of drafting but I think overall Blood Rage is one of the greatest board game designs ever made, I have never found a person who didnt enjoy there play. Rising Sun was good in my one play. I never played it again, no real reason, if I had less games I would have played it several more times and been very happy with it. Sounds very similar to Alex's journey with it. I do think Ankh is looking to dethrone Rising Sun more then Blood Rage though, I think its around that complexity and borrows more from it then it does Blood Rage. Blood Rage and Ankh will be the games in my collection. Ratings probably A 9.5, BR 9, RS 8.

I've played Blood Rage, but not Rising Sun. This video gives me lots of reasons to just stick with Blood Rage. Thanks!

Those minis are just sitting there begging to be painted. But awesome video on two great games though Rising Sun didn’t end up being a keeper for me.

AHHH you said it! Zombicide Feudal Japan or Pirates or Vikings would be amazing!!! Damn, CMON and GUILLOTINE have a license to print money there.... That settles it, I'm saving the cash I was tempted to spend on one of these or Marvel United to start saving for the next Zombicide... it's that or my son's college education but that's what student loans are for right?

Video Idea: There's been rumours of a Blood Rage 2, or a refined version of the game, as Eric Lang has grown as a designer. As a huge fan of the game, what would you like to see changed, improved, or added to the game?

For me unfortunately it came down to which version I could get the Kickstarter for. I refuse to get Rising Sun without the neat KS extras and component upgrades. Thankfully I backed Ankh. Not saying the games are not worth the retail price (I think both games are) but it's a personal decision to avoid retail CMON games that I know have had a KS campaign. At least my friend owns it!

RS and BR are so different still, so I‘ll keep both. BR is the game to keep or buy though as RS takes to long to explain.

I only chose Rising Sun over Blood Rage because I’m not really a fan of Vikings, but maybe someday I’ll pick it up.

What are those grey blobs on your boards?

bloodrage is the obvious winner. But, I'd keep a kickstarter rising sun forever just for collection value and it's uniqueness, if it was a core box it'd probably have gone in a year.

The monsters in Rising sun aren't that weak, but you can't use them that often. If get monster in spring, it will fight for you 3 times. In a 4 player game you will fight 3 times in season probably more. In blood rage when you win a fight, you're monster can participate an other battle the same age. In rising sun I'm always trying to get the monster that counts as leader, he can't be taken hostage.

Both!

Oh I see 🤨...you promote the whole Matagot Trilogy, but when it comes to Blood Rage and Rising Sun, you can only have one. 😜

do one more when ankh is out

Good arguments, definitely the drafting is the strong one in Blood, for me I love both games, besides the area control, minis, gods and powers, they can be part of my collection, I will not touch the theme because that depends on the person, for me I like more the japanese art han the nordic, but that's just a matter of personal taste, the problem with Rising Sun for shining is that has to be played at least for 4 players, the alliances and betrayals are fun, the battle in Blood Rage I think is more chaotic but also fun and of course there is strategy but I think for me the strategy wins in Rising Sun, it's not just to bid the coins and loose all, you have to decide carefully where and when to battle (order matters so much) so you have to plan accordly to loose some battles for win others, the bidding It's tense and hard to deice if you wanna sacrifice, kidnap enemies (I forgot the right word) put more force or win more VP, and when you win (or loose magnificient) is much more rewarding, don't get me wrong, again I love both games so much but for me where is a win win for both games in my collection for different tastes or groups.

Those are some gigantic statues.

The big question is whether Diplomacy is one of your favorite games of all time. For those of us who fit that bill, it's Rising Sun hands down

Well if they end up doing a Pirate theme of Zombicide there damn well better be a Rum and bones crossover pack 😆. But seriously Zomibicide is Turning into Monopoly do we really need this many different versions of it?

Recently, my group tried Rising Sun based game to get the feel of it. We instantly love it. The build up to every war season is intense. Next stop: HATE. Right behind you 😁

The problem in Blood Rage is the broken mechanism with Loki. Unless multiple people actively stop it that is the one sure way to win.

Both games are fantastic and super fun , dont compare to each other, pick both of them , no need for expensive kickstarter versions , no need for expansions , keep in mind expansions will increase the duration of the setup . If you have extra cash get both games instead of one game with expansions , if you have extra extra cash , get the 3d game ANKH . Blood rage -> drifting cards Rising sun -> negotiations ANKH -> chess like By strategy and depth the most complex is ANKH followed by rising sun then blood rage. The easiest to learn is blood rage . Blood rage, rising sun and ANKH combined as a value for me is like having a gold mine .

This trilogy looks less intimidating than the Mythic Battles trilogy. Hmmm, Vikings vs Samurai would be visionary.

What I don’t like in rising sun is the time, too much for only 1 game. I’m waiting for ankh!

Agreed.

These are both in my top 5 of all time. I will say I give the edge to Blood Rage due to the fact that it's quicker and a game I feel I can show new players. Rising sun is a bit much for a lot of people. But one of the reasons I think you are wrong to get rid of rising sun is that it supports 7 players. And its so hard to find games that support that many let alone good or in this case great games. Rising sun will never leave my collection. I'm sure it's components will one day be outdone but for now its still the most impressive thing to hit the table.

Our group had the exact same experience with Rising Sun. Based on the comments section here; It's supporters are quite vocal (and that's fine, not a dig at anyone) but for us; we hated the combat and found RS to just be a slog. We also personally didn't like the allying in the tea ceremony, it lead to far more king making than what's in Blood Rage. I can see why some might prefer RS (and it is a well designed game) but for me and my group, Blood Rage all the way out of these two.

Ankh has entered the chat

14:43 I don't understand why you think Bloodrage is so good. It seems like such a strange game - people say it's a better version of risk but there are not many places to move on the board, you draft cards (?!) which seems like a poor man's MtG. It would be helpful if you did a video explaining 'why bloodrage'. I'm very confused by it but curious!

They are both amazing! Not selling either! The biggest thing for me on rising sun is, its a game that you can play with your wife or friends that is civilized battle versus just straight testosterone monsters, dudes bashing each other as it were so you can have variety in alliances and all that. That was the biggest draw for me on rising sun because my wife doesn't like to always play hack and slash etc type games so this is a way to integrate game time without all the blood lol! Blood rage is blood rage need I say more? Both great games!