Yes. Shanhai Qiguan is a browser board game built on the Classic of Mountains and Seas, at starc.institute/games/shanhaiqiguan/. You pick one of twelve mythical heroes, roll dice, claim land, fight towers, and try to be the last one standing. There is nothing to install and no account to create, but the game's text isn't in English yet.
What is the Classic of Mountains and Seas?
The Classic of Mountains and Seas is an ancient book of mythic geography. Early versions go back to around the 4th century BCE, and it reached its present form in the early Han period. It has eighteen sections and describes more than 550 mountains and 300 waterways, with short notes on the animals, medicines and minerals found in each place, and many brief myths along the way.
If you have never read it, think of a field guide written by someone who has met monsters. Go this far east and you reach this mountain. This beast lives there. Here is what happens if you eat it.
That structure is why it works as a board game. The book is already a map you walk through one stop at a time, and every stop has something on it.
How does the game play?
Shanhai Qiguan follows the rhythm of a classic property-trading board game, with combat added:
- Roll and move. The boards have forks, and your direction at each one is random.
- Claim land and build. Five building types do different jobs. Archer towers can kill a hero. Cities earn money.
- Land on a rival's tile. Pay the toll, or fight the tower. Each side strikes three times and then stops, and the damage stays.
- Meet a beast. Fight it until one of you falls, or walk away and take one hit anyway.
- Level up. Heroes reach level 10 and learn a final skill at level 6.
- Survive. A fallen hero is out. The last hero standing wins.
There are three boards: a mountain range, an island sea, and a three-ring underworld. A full game is long, but your progress saves in your browser and you can return to it later.
Play now: starc.institute/games/shanhaiqiguan/
Which of the twelve heroes should you pick first?
The heroes come straight from the old stories, and their skills follow those stories. Use this table to choose.
| Hero | The myth | Play them if you like |
|---|---|---|
| Huangdi | Defeats the war god Chiyou | A steady first game |
| Yinglong | Winged dragon who stores up floodwater | Flying across the board |
| Nüba | Drought goddess; no rain falls near her | Wrecking rival economies |
| Chiyou | The war chief who rises against Huangdi | Trading health for damage |
| Xingtian | Fights on after losing his head | Comebacks at low health |
| Kuafu | Giant who chases the sun | Speed and long moves |
| Tubo | Three-eyed, tiger-headed underworld guard | Absorbing punishment |
| Xiangliu | Nine-headed serpent that poisons the land | Huge burst damage |
| Yayu | Slain, then revived with the medicine of immortality | A real challenge |
| Nine-Tailed Fox | Beast of Qingqiu Mountain | Luck and charm |
| Jingwei | Small bird carrying stones to fill the sea | Winning as the underdog |
| Zhulong | Day when its eyes open, night when they close | Long-term setup |
Three of these show how closely the skills follow the myths. Xingtian is beheaded and keeps fighting, with eyes on his chest and a mouth on his belly, so his first skill can save him from a killing blow and he hits harder as his health drops. Kuafu chases the sun, drinks whole rivers, and leaves a staff that grows into a peach forest, so he moves further with every roll and can plant a grove that blocks rivals and heals him. Jingwei drowned and returned as a bird that drops stones into the sea, so she blocks the road behind her with stones and can fly over everything.
If you can't decide, the hero screen has a random button.
Why does every hero have a secret ending?
The best part of the old property-trading computer games was the ending screen: your character, rich beyond reason, living the good life. This game keeps that idea. Each hero has one illustrated ending that shows what they do after conquering the map, and the jokes come from their myths. Without spoiling much, the sun chaser still hasn't caught the sun.
You only see an ending by winning with that hero yourself. Seeing all twelve means winning twelve times.
How many people are playing?
These numbers update live. They are plain counts and include no personal data.
Votes: how much would you pay for a polished Steam release?
Counting since November 7, 2026, updated at least once an hour. The first few counts are launch tests. The counter service sometimes drops a request, so missed opens and starts are re-sent the next time that player opens the game.
The last group comes from a question on the game's home screen: if the game is polished and released on Steam, how much would you pay? It is only a survey, and it doesn't promise a Steam release.
How does this connect to STARC?
Shanhai Qiguan is an example project for STARC's One-Person Company program. It shows what a small product looks like once it's live: a real page, real players, and numbers anyone can check.
The short version
If you want a board game from the Classic of Mountains and Seas, open Shanhai Qiguan in your browser. Pick Huangdi for a steady first game. Keep the translate button handy for the skill text, and remember that the ending only appears if you win.
Related questions
Do I need to download anything?
No. Open starc.institute/games/shanhaiqiguan/ in a phone or desktop browser and start a game. There is no app and no account.
Is the game available in English?
Not yet. The interface and hero stories aren't in English. The board, dice and hero art are easy to follow, but you will want a browser translation tool for skill text.
Can I play with friends?
Yes, on one shared device. Set up to four seats as human players and pass the device around. Any empty seats can go to computer players.
How do I see the hero endings?
Each of the twelve heroes has one ending image, and you only see it by winning a game as that hero yourself. A computer win doesn't count.
Want to build your own product?
The OPC cohort: 12 students, 8 weeks, one real product with real users.
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Follow on XLast updated: 2026-11-07. Written by the STARC team. Rules quoted here come from our how it works page; if they change, this post is updated.
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