Trying some new troops

 Today, with Lawrence and Phil away, it was just left to Rhod and myself to attend the club.

Rhod was keen to do Test of Honour again, and I was perfectly happy to comply. We ended up having 2 games, which I took a few pictures of.

Game 1: This was based loosely on the 1st scenario in the book, where 2 Samurai fight about getting first dibs on the Budha!

Rhod had finished painting his Samurai, so chose this force. He focused on extra abilities rather than numbers.

I went with numbers, especially in Samurai.

The terrain for this battle.

I began by getting my forces forward, and shooting anything in range.

I got a 'blood drop' on his Archery Sergeant!

Rhod went to hide in a wood.

My Ashigaru spears charged into the wood and killed one of Rhod's gunners.

Rhod's Lord countered them and rapidly dispatched one of my spearmen...

...following up he killed another!

The 2 Lords met, and bounced off each other, but Rhod's Arquebusiers killed my second armoured Samurai (Yes, my dice were awful!)

However I had one action left and charged Rhod's Lord again, cutting him down and winning the game! I was lucky!

The battlefield at game end!

Game 2: This was trying out troops that have not been used before, Rhod had some Ninja, and I defended a teahouse with the relevant box set troops!

The teahouse of the waning moon.

I started on the front porch.

My Watchman had seen the first Ninja approaching and alerted the rest of the clientele.

The Ninja sent one of their number to kill my Onna Bugeisha...she wafted away his Shuriken with her fan, easily!

I moved her back into cover, allowing my Arquebusier to shoot, another near miss.

I then tried to attack again with Madam butterfly and the Buddhist Monk, both bounced off a group of lesser Ninja.

I was slowly getting more troops forward, but the old man never moved all game!

The Ninja were keeping back, throwing Shuriken at my Lady.

I charged my Ashigaru spearman out who drove back the one of the Ninja, but was amazingly killed by a very lucky Shuriken! My Priest took a leg wound from the Ninja group, but survived! -- Then the Ninja leader charged and drove back my Hostess...

... but she countercharged and killed him!

Thankfully, the Ninja decided to leave before I got overwhelmed!

Interesting games, we tried 'Quick Recovery' for the first time this last game and decided it made the game overcomplicated and clunky, we won't be using it again!!!

Test of Honour: The story continues!

 Today, I was asked to bring down Test of Honour again.

We continued the scenarios in the rule book...

So this game was the third scenario 'The Battlefield', where we had to search for 3 of 5 objective markers placed by us in the central foot of the table. 

I could see the way it was going to play and said so. However, I am sure I have Cassandra syndrome (always to tell the truth and never to be believed)! - so we played the scenario as written...

My terrain for the day, I hadn't finished my Dojo, so just brought some of my paper buildings!

Phil and I split a 24pt force on our side.

Lawrence, opposite, had mostly Ashigaru.

Rhoderick, also with Shimazu, used a Samurai with mostly missile troops.

Basically, both sides advanced, but our Oda troops seized 3 objectives very easily, never failing a 'Search' test...

...Game over!

(PS: Has anyone else had any problem with this scenario? - or were we playing it wrong?)

Game 2 (Scenario 4: The Spy) 21 pts a side

For this game, I had a hero Samurai and an unarmoured one, I also had a group of 3 archers.

Phil had an armoured Samurai, and groups of Ashigaru with Nagae Yari and Tippo (arquebus)

Opposite us the Shimazu had mostly missile troops and a couple of Samurai.

The places (Counters) we had to 'Search' to find a spy. We had to capture her alive, the Shimazu tried to rescue her.

Both sides advanced, I cleared a dummy marker in the house and charged back out to engage a Shimazu Samurai who was approaching.

Phil was clearing another counter and keeping the enemy under fire.

The Shimazu Hero had given up looking at the counter in the far side house and came to attack me, as I had been reinforced by my other Samurai. My Samurai had some bad rolls and I took an arm wound.

The Shimatzu Hero went back to the house and found the spy straight away!!!

Phil raced his Spearmen across the table, supported by my archers (who hit nothing all day!)

Unfortunately, the Shimazu had a card giving them the ability to get an extra 4" move on 3 units, which allowed my opponents to escape.

As the only one able, I raced my Samurai Hero and engaged the enemy Hero...but he fended me off.

The Shimazu Arquebuses shot at me but missed, however when their bowmen shot I tripped and fell over!

Phil's Nagae Yari men charged the Shimazu Samurai I had passed by, but they were driven off!

The Spy and her guard were nearly off table. Could I pull this from the fire?

As I pursued, the other Shimazu Samurai attacked me and once again my dice failed as I was...

...Cut down!

The sneaky spy escaped!!!

This was a much more fun scenario, and even though our luck was against us, we all had a good time!

Gekokujō?

 Today, after a gap of 14 months, at my pal Lawrences suggestion, we returned to an old friend, Samurai skirmishing! Using my own rules)

As we couldn't bring a lot of terrain down (as Phil is at Fiasco in Leeds), we did a small game involving some local Samurai fighting off a small raiding party of Ikko-Ikki. (Run by my solo rules)

The village, with lots of Peasants 'helping' to set up defences.

Some Ikko-Ikki appeared on the road.

A heavier force with some Sohei monks was in their centre.

On their right, some Noumin (farmers).

Facing these peasantry, I was deployed.

Lawrence held the village...

...making the most of the defences.

He held some Ashigaru behind a wood in ambush.

I began by sending my archers across the stream.

At that range I only startled the peasants.

The peasants changed course to the cover of the woods, but continued to advance!

In the centre, the Ikko-Ikki commander and his Sohei moved forward...slowly.

There were more Noumin on Lawrences side, some were better armed with Yari, Naginatas and even Wakizashi swords!

They were slowed in some woods, which meant Lawrence would not have to face a coordinated attack, hopefully!

The first wave would be some peasants, backed up by some Armoured Ashigaru.

The Noumin in the front line halted short of Lawrence's defences, unsure whether to attack.

Their supporting troops were only advancing slowly, letting the peasants probe the village defences.

Eventually, some Yari armed peasants led the charge!

Lawrences Tippo-men (Arquebusiers) let fly.

When the smoke cleared, only one of the attackers was found to have been hit!

Lawrences Ashigaru charged!

Finally, the Ikko-Ikki advanced their reserves!

The battle was fierce!...

...but the peasants, however motivated, were no match for the trained Ashigaru!

Lawrence sent some Ashigaru to chase some peasants who only retired in good order into the wood.

The rest of the towns defenders were left to face the best of the Ikko-Ikki warriors.

In the wood, the Ashigaru again made short work of the poorly armed peasants.

Lawrence's Samurai quickly rallied their men to help on the road.

They were needed! after being pushed back, the Ashigaru defenders were able to hold as the Samurai and the rest of the Ashigaru attacked the enemy Ashigaru in the flank!

Only the Ikko-Ikki Tippo-men remained.

These fell under the swords of the Samurai!

While that battle was going on, on my side, the startled Peasants emerged from the woods, supported by the Sohei monks.

My archers shot at the Monks, but the arrows made no impression on their armour.

The archers withdrew as the massed Noumin advanced. The Sohei headed for my Samurai and Naginata men.

My archers shot a peasant...

...before my Ashigaru launched a charge which slew several more.

The survivors fled.

The rest of the Noumin tried to overwhelm my small band of Ashigaru, who were driven back over the stream.

My Archers, having no other target, drew their swords and charged in support.

One group of Noumin fled under their renewed assault.

My archers now got some help against the other group!

The last of the Noumin fled...as the Sohei charged my Samurai and Naginata men.

My Samurai held, but my Ashigaru were losing!

Then a miracle, one of my Naginata men killed the Ikko-Ikki leader, (who had been injured on his approach by my archers) - and this led to a catastrophic collapse in morale among the surviving Ikko-Ikki.  In a twist of irony, as the Sohei had killed 2 more Naginata men they routed off table! Heroes all!

That was a tough battle! I had lost 5 Ashigaru with some wounded and one of my Samurai, in addition. Lawrences losses were less severe.