If you love one Eric Lang miniatures war game, you inevitably ask about the other. Blood Rage and Rising Sun share a designer, a gorgeous-plastic pedigree, and a “fight over a map” core — but they play differently enough that owning one doesn’t make the other redundant. Here’s the honest comparison to decide which belongs on your table.
The Quick Verdict
Buy Blood Rage if you want lean, aggressive, drafting-driven combat with no diplomacy to slow it down. Buy Rising Sun if you want a richer, more political game where alliances and negotiation matter as much as battle. Blood Rage is the tighter, meaner game; Rising Sun is the deeper, more social one. Many fans own both — they scratch related but distinct itches.
| Blood Rage | Rising Sun | |
|---|---|---|
| Theme | Norse / Ragnarök | Feudal Japan / mythology |
| Core driver | Card drafting | Political negotiation |
| Diplomacy | None | Central (alliances, tea ceremony) |
| Combat | Strength + one card | Hidden bid / war resolution |
| Players | 2–4 | 3–5 |
| Best at | 4 | 4–5 |
| Feel | Lean and vicious | Rich and political |
| Play time | 60–90 min | 90–120 min |
How They Play Differently
The biggest split is negotiation. Blood Rage has none; Rising Sun is built on it.
In Blood Rage, your plan comes from the card draft and you execute it through raw aggression — there are no formal alliances, no deals, just figures clashing on the map. In Rising Sun, players form and betray alliances every season, and a “tea ceremony” mechanic lets allies share political mandates. Combat in Rising Sun is resolved through a hidden simultaneous bid across several war categories, which feels more like a poker showdown than Blood Rage’s single dramatic card flip.
The rule: if your group loves table talk, deal-making, and stabbing friends in the back, Rising Sun wins. If they’d rather just fight without the politics, Blood Rage wins.
Which Is More Complex
Rising Sun is the heavier game, but not dramatically so.
Blood Rage teaches in about 30 minutes and runs on three clear pillars: draft, act, Ragnarök. Rising Sun adds layers — alliances, the bidding war resolution, multiple resource types, season-based card sets, and monster recruitment — that push it a step up in rules overhead and a notable step up in social complexity.
Blood Rage’s difficulty: lives in a mindset shift (losing scores points) more than in rules. Once that clicks, it’s smooth and fast.
Rising Sun’s difficulty: lives in reading people and managing shifting alliances. The rules are heavier, and the politics make every game unpredictable in a way rules can’t capture.
Neither is hard for an experienced group, but Rising Sun asks more of you — and rewards groups that can handle the political layer.
Which Looks Better on the Table
This one’s close to a wash, and both are stunning.
Both feature Adrian Smith art and CMON’s top-tier miniatures. Blood Rage gives you four Viking clans plus monsters in a tight, brutal layout. Rising Sun counters with more figures, more monsters, and a larger, more colorful board of feudal Japan. If sheer plastic volume impresses your table, Rising Sun edges it; if you want a focused, iconic battlefield, Blood Rage delivers.
Worth knowing: both games are popular hobby-painting targets, and both are expensive to fully kit out with expansions. If budget matters, Blood Rage is the leaner buy with a lower barrier to “complete.”
Which Player Count Suits You
Player count is a real deciding factor.
Blood Rage supports 2–4 and is at its best at four. Rising Sun supports 3–5 and shines at four or five — its political layer needs a crowd to work, and it’s noticeably weaker at three. If your group is usually two or three people, Blood Rage is the safer pick. If you regularly seat five, Rising Sun is built for it and Blood Rage can’t go that high.
Who Should Buy Which
Buy Blood Rage if you want a faster, leaner war game, you play mostly at 2–4, your group prefers fighting to negotiating, or you want the lower-cost path into Eric Lang’s miniatures games. It’s the better first purchase for most groups.
Buy Rising Sun if you want a deeper, more political experience, you regularly play with four or five, and your table relishes alliances and betrayal. It’s the bigger, richer game for groups that can handle the social weight.
Buy both if you’ve played and loved either — they complement rather than replace each other. Blood Rage is your tight weeknight brawl; Rising Sun is your epic, treacherous main event. For the full breakdown of each on its own terms, see our complete Blood Rage review.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Blood Rage or Rising Sun better?
Neither is strictly better — they suit different groups. Blood Rage is leaner, faster, and more aggressive with no diplomacy. Rising Sun is deeper and more political, built around alliances and negotiation. Groups that love table politics prefer Rising Sun; groups that just want to fight prefer Blood Rage.
Which should I buy first, Blood Rage or Rising Sun?
For most groups, Blood Rage. It’s faster to teach, lower cost to complete, and works at 2–4 players. Buy Rising Sun first only if you regularly play with four or five and your group loves negotiation and alliances.
Is Rising Sun harder than Blood Rage?
Yes. Rising Sun adds alliances, a hidden-bid war resolution, more resources, and season-based cards, making it both heavier in rules and more complex socially. Blood Rage teaches in about 30 minutes, with its main difficulty being a mindset shift rather than rules.
Are Blood Rage and Rising Sun the same game?
No, but they share DNA. Both are Eric Lang miniatures war games with drafting and combat over a map. Rising Sun adds central negotiation and alliances and a feudal Japan theme, while Blood Rage is pure Norse conflict with no diplomacy.
Which is better for 5 players?
Rising Sun. It supports 3–5 players and is at its best at four or five, where its political layer thrives. Blood Rage only supports up to four (or five with an expansion) and is weaker at its highest counts.
Do I need both Blood Rage and Rising Sun?
You don’t need both, but they complement each other. Blood Rage is the leaner, more aggressive game; Rising Sun is the deeper, more political one. Many collectors own both because they fill different roles on game night.
Blood Rage and Rising Sun are both excellent, and you genuinely can’t go wrong — but they’re not interchangeable. Blood Rage is the tighter, more vicious brawl; Rising Sun is the richer, more treacherous epic. Match the pick to how your group likes to win, and start with whichever fits the people at your table.