Shikoku is a card selection and map building card game set in feudal Japan. It is the fourth installment in the Nippon-series, preceded by Honshu and Hokkaido, and released simultaneously with Kyushu. Take a tour around the four main islands of feudal Japan during different seasons. Fall has come to Shikoku. The trees turn vibrant shades of red and gold, painting the landscape in warm hues. The air is crisp, carrying the scent of harvest and woodsmoke. It’s the perfect season to wander through ancient temples, savor seasonal delicacies, and take in the peaceful beauty of the countryside. Each game in the Nippon series consists of two main phases. In the first phase, you select a card that you will later add to your personal map during the second phase. The card selection mechanism differs in each game, and the mechanisms can be used interchangeably across the series. The map cards, scoring options, and optional scoring cards also vary from game to game, ensuring a fresh combination of challenges with every play. For Shikoku's selection phase a selection pool of six cards is prepared before the game begins. In the selection phase players will take turns taking a Map card from the selection pool. To take a card, you must place a Map card from the top of the deck to the opposite end of the selection pool. You may never split the selection pool though, so taking a card from the middle may require you to spend a resource from your map. Shikoku also introduces a new terrain types - Temples and roads. Temples have their own unique method of scoring, and they're also used with roads as a part of your road/temple system to transport resources at the end of the game to be scored at your Factories. Another new optional rule introduces Resource Challenge scoring cards, which award you extra victory points if you manage to add the required amount of production squares of particular colors to your map during the game.
