Overview
At a glance
Is this game right for my group?
ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.
Easier to teach
High replayability
Highly interactive
Player-count sensitive
Deep strategy
More strategic control
How it plays
How does it play?
Lead Chu or Han through a sharp two-player climbing game where every historical card can change the campaign.
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Multi-Use Cards
Use the same card in different ways, making each play a trade-off.
Hand Management
Time and sequence a limited hand of cards to preserve future options.
Ladder Climbing
Play increasingly strong combinations until opponents cannot or choose not to respond.
Events
Triggered events alter the shared state, rules, or available choices.
Read the full game description
Chu Han is a two-player climbing and shedding game inspired by the war that founded China’s Han dynasty. Players alternate combinations of numbered cards, following and beating the current play or passing until one side controls the trick. Character and event cards break the expected hierarchy with historical powers, while carefully emptying a hand advances a faction along the score track. Several linked hands form a campaign, so tactical sacrifice in one battle can improve the next position. The two sides are asymmetric, and campaign cards introduce further variety without obscuring the elegant core. Tom Lehmann’s design fits a tense historical contest into a compact deck while rewarding timing, memory, and a precise read of the opponent.
