Turtle Clan

### Ability

Shell of the Eternal. Your Strongholds count as 1 Force and can Move as if they were figures.

## Description

The Turtle Clan has strongholds that count as 1 force and that can move as if they were figures, making them an excellent clan for the Big Force Strategy.

## Strategy

Turtle is a well rounded clan. They have a high seasonal income, a central starting Province, and a mid-range starting honor that can be easily adjusted to your strategic needs:

* Turtle Clan excels at the Big Force Strategy (including the Daimyo variant) as its strongholds are nearly indestructible. Strongholds cannot die (or commit Seppuku) or be taken Hostage.
* As Turtle Clan starts with more Force than any other clan (thanks to its strongholds also counting as figures), it should look for early Harvests.
* Moving around with 2-3 large armies gathering Harvests and War Province Tokens typically works better for Turtle Clan than spreading out widely.
* Turtle Clan is the only clan that can move their strongholds around, which offers flexibility towards Recruit mandates.
* It is a good idea for Turtle Clan to ally themselves if they can get more opportunities to get their strongholds on the board by doing so. However, as strongholds are expensive, it is important for Turtle Clan to come up with a plan to afford more than one stronghold per season.
* If Turtle Clan can get its 4 strongholds on the board (and maybe Train Jinmenju for a 5th), it should consider acquiring Form of the Kitsune Winter Upgrades for up to 30 Victory Points.

## FAQ

### **Does Path of the Serpent affect Turtle Clan strongholds?**

Apparently there has been a social media ruling from CMON that Turtle Strongholds are not figures and therefore not affected by Path of the Serpent, which basically contradicts this statement: ‘moving as if they were figures’. Given the uncertainty around previous helpline rulings, my best suggestion is make the choice as suits your gaming group, and be consistent .

### **Some abilities like the Oni of Plagues can stop movement into a Province. What about Turtle Clan Strongholds which are not figures, but may still Move?**

Turtle Clan Strongholds can move as if they were figures. If they were figures, they could be affected by the Oni of Plagues (and other abilities that affect figure Movement), so Turtle Stronghold Movement may be affected by the Oni of Plague and similar abilities. Confirmed by CMON ruling on social media, with obvious disclaimer given some previous rulings issued .

### **Can Daikaiju (Monster in Daimyo Box) destroy Turtle Fortresses?**

Yes. Turtle Strongholds may never be killed in Battle, Taken Hostage or Betrayed as they are not figures, but the Daikaiju ability specifically destroys Strongholds .

### **Raijin (Kami Unbound) ‘Only Bushi and Kami figures count their Force in this Province.’ Are Turtle Strongholds affected?**

Raijin nullifies the force of non-Bushi, non-Kami figures - this does not affect Strongholds (as the lovely Kickstarter Stronghold ‘figures’ are actually pimped out cardboard tokens from the base game) .

## Reference

1. ↑ https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1948913/bgg-clan-guide-4-turtle
2. ↑ Rising Sun Unofficial FAQ
3. ↑ Rising Sun Unofficial FAQ
4. ↑ Rising Sun Unofficial FAQ
5. ↑ Rising Sun Unofficial FAQ