Apparently through a channel membership, this app is available now:
youtu.be/W1veVgtJArQ
The "Poker Shogi" seems to be poorly defined. My thoughts on a major flaw in the card mechanics is as follows.
First, here is how the gameplay rules were originally described:
- Turn Flow: Every time it is your turn, draw 2 cards from the deck before making a move.
- Movement Restrictions: You can only move a piece located in the "files (vertical columns)" that match the numbers on the two cards you drew. (e.g., If you draw a 2 and a 7, you can only move pieces in the 2nd file and 7th file).
- Face Cards (J, Q, K): These act as Wildcards (Almighty). If you draw at least one face card, you can freely move any piece on the board, regardless of its file. There are 12 wildcard cards shuffled into the deck for this setup.
- Evading Check (Oute): Since your card draws might prevent you from legally blocking or escaping a Check, you are only required to evade it if your drawn cards allow you to do so. If you have no cards that can move a piece to protect your King or move the King itself, you cannot evade it (which can lead to a sudden checkmate).
Reading this, an obvious question immediately arises: If I draw a 10, which file can I move a piece in? A standard Shogi board only has 9 files.
If we logically assume that drawing a 10 allows you to move a piece in the 1st file, it creates a massive issue with game balance:
1. Doubled Probabilities: Since both Ace (1) and 10 would activate the 1st file, the probability of moving pieces in the 1st file becomes approximately doubled compared to files 2 through 9.
2. First-Player vs. Second-Player Asymmetry: In Shogi, the starting positions are rotationally mirrored. This means the 1st file represents the far-right side for Sente (First Player) but the far-left side for Gote (Second Player). Making this one specific file hyper-mobile introduces a strange strategic asymmetry between the two players. (Interestingly, if this mechanic were applied to a Chess board setup, this specific player asymmetry wouldn't occur because Chess pieces are mirrored symmetrically across the ranks—meaning the A-file is the left side for both players).
Given this oversight, if we were to actually play this game with a physical Shogi set and a deck of playing cards, should we just remove all the 10 cards from the deck beforehand? Or is there a better house rule to fix this?
I would love to hear your thoughts on how to balance this variant!
P.S.
A Note on the Name: Despite being called "Poker Shogi" by its creators, this game contains absolutely no poker elements (such as making hands or pairs). Therefore, it is much more accurate to consider this game simply as "Playing Card Shogi".
You can't post in the forums yet. Play some games!