Bin'Fa, The Game of Oriental Strategy & Conquest

Based on Sun Tzu’s famous military treatise, The Art of War, Bin’Fa is a game of strategy and conquest more than 40 years in the making. Players are transported to ancient China, where each must command an army of troops, ensure a steady flow of supplies, and navigate mountainous, constantly changing terrain on the road to capturing the enemy forces. Your guide? The legendary Sun Tzu himself.

It took four decades to complete—a testament to creator Kenneth Hodkinson’s pursuit of perfection. Ken began developing the game in the early ‘70s while working as a machine operator at the Waltham Screw Company in Massachusetts. He published the first edition in 1977 with many of the core elements in place, but never stopped tinkering and improving. Today, several editions later, Bin’Fa is fully realized, with stackable checkers for added challenge and an almost infinitely configurable typography via the board’s six triangular sections.

Every time you roll the dice, you’ll have to make crucial decisions, and success will require a combination of mathematical skill and strategic savvy. Initiate a cavalry charge or go on the defensive, and always, always mind the Vortex: This section of the board can move army units much closer to their goal in a single leap, and it can just as quickly send them to their doom.

Along with creating Bin’Fa and other games, Ken has authored children’s stories, school textbooks, poetry, and plays. Among his most celebrated works is the educational series Wordly Wise, considered the gold standard in vocabulary development. A devoted Taoist, Ken gives all proceeds from Bin’Fa to support the Taoist Arts Foundation. To read more about the game, the creator, and Taoism, visit the site. For demos, interviews, and reviews, check out the Youtube Channel.