Nippon: Genro + Nippon: Zaibatsu

🗾Introduction

⛩️About Nippon: Zaibatsu

📜About Nippon: Genro

✨Campaign at a Glance

💡Why Back Now?

❗Why Nippon: Genro is For You

📚How to Play

For every game, you choose two Genro. Ten (or 15 with Financier Genro) possible combinations allow you to fine-tune the experience to match your group’s preferences.

Each Genro both sets limits for all players and grants generous bonuses, unlocking new opportunities and strategic options.

Whenever you perform the Local Market action, you may seek a Genro’s approval instead of gaining the Region bonus or VP.

At the end of each Period, score VPs based on how much Influence you have with each Genro.

Please note that some images and graphic elements are placeholders and subject to change. Much like cats themselves, some things refuse to stay still. ;)

When playing with Cats of Japan, two cats are placed on the Genro boards and one in a region on the main board. Cats block bonus and influence spaces until you feed them by spending money or goods. When you do, move the cat, advance the corresponding marker on their board, then flip it.

Each cat is associated with a specific action that it enhances. When performing that action, you may flip the corresponding marker face down to gain one of the available bonuses.
 

📖Rulebook

♟️Tabletop Simulator

🌪️How Genro Change the Game

🍱What's in the Box: Base Game

🎁What's in the Box: Expansion

💴Pledges

📍Add-Ons

🌍International Editions

In collaboration with our trusted manufacturing partners at Eastar Games and publishing partners around the world, we're co-publishing Nippon: Zaibatsu and Nippon: Genro in multiple languages (with additional languages supported via translated digital files).

Please note: Information about pledges, add-ons (including free add-ons), prices, shipping costs, and campaign terms on this page applies only to orders placed through this crowdfunding campaign.

After the campaign is over and the Pledge Manager opens, you will be able to choose a language version you prefer. The languages you can choose from are English, French, German, Spanish, Chinese, Russian, and Korean. 

The English version is available worldwide. Other versions are available from our shipping hubs (see below) in Europe, the United States, Canada, and Australia. 

Later, the games will also be available through our language partners: Boardgame Atelier (German), Maldito Games (Spanish), HIT Games (Korean), and Key Studio (Chinese).

The Polish version of the game will be available exclusively from Czacha Games (Poland).

The Thai rules and player aids included with English copies of the game and expansion will be available from Lanlalen (Thailand). Digital versions will also be publicly available.

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US Hub serves the United States and Latin America (except Brazil).
European Hub serves all European countries (except Great Britain), Israel and Central Asia.
Canadian Hub serves Canada only.
Australian Hub serves Australia and New Zealand. 

Please refer to the Shipping & VAT section for more information on our shipping policy, including countries we do not ship to.

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Would you like to expand this list and publish Nippon: Zaibatsu and Nippon: Genro in your language? We are open to new localization partnerships and would be happy to discuss publishing opportunities.

For more information, please contact us at contact@crowdgames.us.

🛍️For Retail Stores

📺Media: [P]reviews, Playthroughs, etc.

Nippon: Genro (Expansion):

Nippon: Zaibatsu (Base Game):

Nippon: Genro (Expansion):

Nippon: Zaibatsu (Base Game):

🥇Meet The Team

📅Timeline

📦Shipping

Shipping rates will be calculated in the pledge manager. If you would like a more accurate estimate before the campaign ends, please send us a message and allow a few working days for us to check the rates. Please note that response times may be longer at the beginning and end of the campaign.

Shipping Costs and VAT

Shipping costs (+EU and UK VAT) are not included in the product price and will be charged in the pledge manager after the campaign ends.

Shipping costs listed above are based on 2026 estimates provided by our shipping partners and include a partial subsidy from us. Final shipping prices will be calculated in the pledge manager. While prices may slightly change due to logistics or taxation, we will do our best to keep them as low as possible.

Important Notes

Depending on where you are in the world, your game will be shipped from the closest fulfillment hub. We currently plan to ship from hubs in the USA, EU, UK, Canada, Australia, and China. Orders will be sent from the hub that makes the most sense for your region.

Unfortunately, there are some areas we cannot ship to, including Afghanistan, Brazil, North Korea, Russia, Ukraine, and most countries in the Middle East and Africa. We may also be unable to ship to countries experiencing a state of emergency or armed conflict. If you are unsure whether we can ship to your country, please contact us before backing this project.

We recommend avoiding PO Boxes. Shipments to PO Boxes are often undeliverable and may be returned. If you choose to use a PO Box, you do so at your own risk and agree to cover any costs associated with reshipping the package.

🧾Nippon: Zaibatsu. What Happened

You may have heard about the unfortunate situation with Nippon: Zaibatsu fulfillment. In short, we messed up, and we take full responsibility.

A small batch of games intended for a European distributor moved through transportation and customs faster than expected, ahead of the thousands of copies being shipped to backers. We also failed to explicitly communicate that the game should not be sold at retail before backer fulfillment. This is a lesson for us: never to assume that something should be obvious.

As a result, the distributor released the game for sale immediately upon arrival. This led to an unfortunate situation where some people were able to purchase the game at retail before backers received their copies. It has been a difficult and costly chain of events for us, and we have since updated our processes to ensure this does not happen again.

Our sales team has already added clearer terms to future agreements, and our logistics team will now hold back retail copies until we are certain that backer fulfillment is completed first.

👋About CrowD Games

⚠️READ ME to Avoid Issues

Backing a Kickstarter for the first time or just want everything to go smoothly? Here are a few key things to keep in mind:

1. Read the updates

We’ll share all important information through updates during and after the campaign, including changes, delays, key dates, and deadlines.

2. Finalize your pledge in the pledge manager (PM) in time

After the campaign ends, you’ll need to finalize your pledge in the pledge manager. Confirm your selection, upgrade if needed, and pay for shipping and VAT (if applicable).

You’ll have plenty of time, but don’t wait too long. We’ll send reminders, but taking a few minutes early tremendously helps avoiding unnecessary (and potentially costly) issues later.

3. Use a reliable email address

Avoid using addresses like @privaterelay.appleid.com or any email you may not have easy access to. We rely on email to share important updates, and using temporary or restricted addresses will result in missed information and notifications.

Also, sometimes emails (including pledge manager invites) may end up in spam or promotions folders. If you’re expecting a message from us, be sure to check there as well.

4. Remember that problems happen

Files we send to the factory and the image of the product in our heads may be perfect, but reality rarely is. Materials may not meet specifications, colors may not match the files, or cutting may not be precise enough.

We know how to handle these issues, but if they occur, it takes time to ensure the final product meets our standards. Global shipping can also be affected by events such as major trade route blockades, armed conflicts, or other disruptions. And sometimes, people simply make mistakes.

Delays are possible, and if the timeline on this page no longer reflects reality, we will inform you promptly through updates.

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P.S. If ANYTHING is unclear, please don’t hesitate to ask. We’re always happy to help! Email us at contact@crowdgames.us or send us a Kickstarter message, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

🔗Links