Samurai Clash

 Hosted a Samurai game using Lion Rampant at the local mini-con.  

While the new 2nd Edition of the rules has the rule's author Dan Mersey argue for the one-failed-activation-and-you-are-done rule to be continued, I and many others have not done so as the players have felt dejected from not having any involvement for turns - or for the entire game in one famous event! However, as this game was essentially a four-way fight and each player only had 2 or 3 units, I made this original rule in effect.  Of course, there were many failures but this had the turns fly by and kept everyone very much engaged.  "What? My turn again? Excellent"

One event of the game stands out.  The banner of Okudaira Sadamasa was "stalled" lacking the activation to move with the army by PeterM's usual rolling.  However my also usual poor activation dicing had this prime target for the villagers to gain victory points out of reach.  This sorry state would last for much of the game, turn after turn.  Meanwhile the other players had a time with great slaughter.... 

The camera must have been on one of those funky settings.  The villagers are massed behind the building ready to come out of the gate...if i could only roll high enough dice.....

Samurai!

 Samurai!

With the club once again opening up for participation, decided to take my Samurai with some basic terrain.  I laid out the terrain in a haphazard method, placed troops on the table only in their clan grouping without any respect to tactical positions, and said to the players your troops start in those positions and gave the terrain descriptions ( this and that are rough ground, etc. )  Quickly looking around the table, I then gave them the briefest of objectives ( which turned out to all converge upon the village centre as I soon discovered ) and had them to it.   So much for careful scenario design, eh? Still better than the 'kill the other guy' routine.

Pictures from the game:

Added a small contingent of Europeans to the collection.  Perhaps rather un-historical but adds to any scenario design as mercenaries if needed.

The 'sacred white stone' in the centre of the village. (Hey, I found this interesting very white stone in the gravel and so gave it its own sitting stool. Very Zen. And a scenario objective. )

a rare picture of the Peasants. They are usually slaughtered early in the game, usually within the turn of first combat!  Nice Perry figures nevertheless.

The week in gaming

Still haven’t got to my “Saratoga” game set up on the table for the last three weeks..... but did take my Samurai on the road for a Monday Game.

The Oyamata were to escort the musicians and gifts to a wedding while the rival Takeda wanted to halt the convoy. Used Lion Rampant rules with an add-on for the Teppo (handgunners).

The Oyamata procession

Takeda ashigaru soldiers

  Short story:  the Oyamata players rolled poorly and wore out fairly quickly.  Extremely poor courage tests by both sides had units vanish rather than be battered.  I guess one’s life (based as ever on the randomness of the fates) was not worth the honour of wedding gifts, even for the Samurai…..

The mounted Samurai who, with rather poor activation rolls, did not move but once the entire game (but didn't really need to....)

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On Friday, it was the ClubNight and, after offering scenarios set up for Will’s Jacobite game (see his blog: link ), I got into Lisa’s Congo rules game of slavers vs tribes vs rival tribe three-way.  She made a call for additional figures and a couple of us offered what we had; and ended up playing in the game anyway.

The jungle, the Lisa version, using plastic plants to good use.

 The interesting rule introduction by Congo is the method of unit ordering and activation.
The player has a handful of cards each. The cards have an initiative number together with symbols for movement (footprints), shooting (bow and arrow) and/or panic (umm, something scary to Congolese warrior).  These come in various amounts and so the player can pick three of these to play in their next three plays.  You can sorta guess what you might need to do in the next 3 turns but things could certainly change which makes the selecting difficult and hit-and-miss.

The 'ordering and activation' cards.  The rules use an assortment of dice 

Various 'stress' tokens.  Too many and you start having fellows leg it.

more examples the activation cards.  In this case, my turn is probably after everyone else (the top '2' is low).  I can shoot with 1 unit and move another.

Points were allotted to victory conditions.  As a Masfusi I wish to rescue our prince, and the other captives, kill slavers and prevent the hated Kosi from doing the same.  It did not start well for me as, of course, I picked up the dreaded chit as I entered the rough terrain and so panicked so firing at the nearest group (friend or foe).  It was to be my fellow Masfusi  for me to blast away using my only trading-muskets causing death and wounds.  This then panicked that group who fired back with accurate spear fire, killing three of five musketmen!   Meanwhile another group of mine were shooting at the slavers.  There was only a small chance to killing one’s own but my fire firing did just that!  While usual for me, not a great start….
I managed to gain the most victory points at the end so redeemed my early ineptitude however. I still think I eliminated more of my own than the enemy!

To add a bit of weight to her plastic models, Lisa glues them to old pennies (the same size as an American penny).  Canada no longer uses pennies as currency.  So when I mean old, I mean old - note the minting in 1929!   Mind you metal washers cost much more than 1 cent these days.....

Quote of the game:  the Kosi player having fun with a small group of poison dart armed Pigmies (pun included??) also envisioned his tribe to be cannibals.   A rule of ‘Congo’ could have you add a stress token to your unit for a chance of saving figure from being killed. “Nah, we’ll eat him later”  We had a light and fun attitude to the game….

Sengoku battle

Fictional Battle of Zenrokkumura

Oh, this is but one of the multitude of minor squabbles occurring during the Sengoku period of Japanese history - the time of the classic Samurai we all know and game.

Having no idea who will show at host’s Francis’ place, the scenario has to be, well, ‘loose’ to allow for various number of players.  I deployed a triad of forces, with small one in the village to protect the sacred ‘Zen White Stone’ , the other equally matched forces on each side.

The village defended by the Oyamada.  The Zen white rock with stool in the center. Peasants to the left, Samurai at lower right.  

Being a Lion Rampant game, it is hard to describe the action but the Okurdaira and the Takeda aimed for each other while controlling the Oyamada protecting the village I sought to stay out of the fight only entering once one side was weakened thus being on the winning end ( much like Stanley at Bosworth Field )

The mass of Takeda early in the game.  I ignore the 3" rule....obviously.

But like any plan, it went for nought, as while Rene left my Samurai alone as he moved against DaveS’ and Kev’s red and white flagged Okurdaira,  his compatriot Francis promptly charged my Oyamada samurai and lost the combat.  “They are samurai?!” Francis exclaimed in his defence,  “I thought they were peasants. Aren’t peasants easy to kill?”

The Takeda mounted Samurai (Kingsford Miniatures)

Okudaira army advances ( the red/white sashimono was a common theme for several clans it would appear)

However with that, I decided to help the Okurdaira but as I came out of the village DaveS and his Okurdaira teppo (handgunners) then shot at me “They were the nearest and best target!” he would say.  You do get the idea that these players do not care a wit about strategy and just want “to throw dice and kill things”

I retreated but to the village to let them sort it out, which, after quite the bloodbath, the Takeda with their black flags, won the attrition battle.

Jimasa has a burning desire….

Jim suggested he had individually mounted Japanese Samurai to add to my collection for a “Lion Rampant” rules game.

These rules, while designed for the European medieval period, work well for other conflicts and convert well for early Japanese warfare ( well for tabletop wargames anyway)
The introduction of the gunpowder handgun (‘teppo’) into Japan in the early 16th century adds a weapon not within the Lion Rampant rules arsenal.  Jim declared he would rather use a bunch of bows, but I like them as Samurai killers.  But each troop type has advantages and disadvantages…as long as you can activate them!  That is the key to LR, and outcome of games as usual, will depend upon them.

The scenario has the holders of the castle running out of the castle to prevent Jim and his contingent, along with the ambushers of Kevin arriving randomly later, to systematically burn each of the fields and village buildings thus burning the castle inhabitants food source.

Jim's ashigaru burning along.  One of the banner designs he used is the same as mine and the same Kingsford Miniatures.

Jim and Kevin were having the usual LR trouble with activating, while Will and Peter were doing better, shooting up opposing teppo units “before they can shoot back!” Even the rather weak firepower from the castle wall got a couple of important hits. As Peter points out:  “Every courage test required could be a disaster”.

a teppo unit about to be attacked by irate peasants 

The game swung slowly to the castle defenders favour despite my back up plan to have a reinforcements arrive after a (d6) number of units from one side or the other were eliminated and we had a few more hours to go. Kevin’s dice rolling had the extra unit depart rather quickly unfortunately.

Jim's ashigaru vs one of Takeda samurai commanded this game by WillB. More of the Samurai's friends are just off camera.

Fighting at the village gate

I had my Peasant favourites situated in the village to attack any unit trying to burn a building.  Peasants are rather poor fighters and did little, even against a teppo unit, so fell back to their station within the village. One of Kevin’s ashigaru infantry units ignored them while torching ( well, TRYING to alight the thatch of a village building…all that was needed to do so was the unit’s  ‘move’ activation, something he was unable to do for many turns! ).  My peasants, finally rallied, had enough of this burning and went into these elite fighters.  The results were not good. The peasants were slaughtered.  And their attack on the ashigaru?  I needed sixes.  I got 6 ones! Ugg. But as was agreed by all, it was “Doug’s usual rolling”.

my usual dice rolling....... sigh ......

Fun game with the usual unpredictability.

ground eye view of the action between my collection's clans (Kingsford Miniatures)

a terrain piece 'well' done?

Often those little pieces one creates gives the most pleasure.  With a bit (Ok, a lot(!)
of time) and a chunk of self-hardening clay, a nice little piece for the table can be made.
It is nice that it can be universal and will undoubtedly show up on many of my battlefields.

as seen in a recent game within a Japanese village
(to the left is a interesting white stone I made into a Zen mediation stone complete with seat!)

"Nagashino Fences"

I wanted some fences as a terrain feature for my Samurai games and thought the pole fencing represented as per the famous battle will look good.

 Rather than a bamboo skewer construction, I thought styrene rods would glue together strong enough to allow me to wind sewing thread around each of the cross beams.  I found some likely coloured thread within the household sewing kit so I would not need to colour it.  By gluing on the upturned leftover sprues (from all of my other 'plastics' ) ,  I could achieve a regular spacing with the upright poles firmly attached to the base with the length of the sprue and not individual poles, thus ensuring a stronger bond when glued to the base cardboard.

The white portion is yet unpainted as it will form part of the basing.

Katana Rampant reprise

Katana Rampant - Lion Rampant with hand gun addition

Whoa, after three days of a wargaming convention I host another game with FrancisM’s boys the next day on Monday to make it four games in four days.

The scenario is a simple one with the Takeda having captured the personal standard of Okudaira Sadamasa who wants it back. (I didn't want to repack so simply used the same as I did on Friday!)

I use the stand of musicians and the standard bearer which I painted but which have no real use within the rules, into the scenario along with the new raw bamboo mantles which gave the protectors of the captured flag some defences.

The game was an introduction of Lion Rampant to the group who were ‘amused’ by the activation - or lack thereof - of the many units and the dice luck - or not - by others.

In particular was the continual activation of his teppo by FrancisM - usually a difficult proposition by the slow firing hand-gunners - yet his total inability to hit with them!  In five straight rolls with six dice each,  he was unable to roll a 6 and thus unable to gain a single hit with 30 dice!  His target was another arquebus unit but in this case ChrisO was unable to actually activate his unit to fire at all!

But, yes, some fighting did occur.  Including when I bravely (foolishly) ran out some peasants out of a house where they were hiding. This was to give them the idea how bad troops play against good troops within the rules.
 The Takeda commander of the nearest unit assumed they were hostile and immediately ordered bowshot into them.  I asked if he knew if the peasants were hostile or friendly as indeed I did not say one way or another as I simply moved it from the building. Somewhat taken aback “CokeDave” fired nevertheless.  The peasants charged in, and then ran away…..

the Japanese peasants "come out to play"

Hosted games at Trumpeter Salute 2017

Chided into hosting 4 games during the convention, I decided on three completely different eras so that I may organize the transport into separate “shipments”  thus without much need to remember to move items from one pile into another each bleary-eyed morning…

With that in mind, I hosted a semi-skirmish Japanese samurai game on Friday, two distinct sessions of grand-tactical Napoleonic battle on Saturday, and a low key French and Indian War game on Sunday.  Surprisingly it all went well.

Trumpeter Salute Convention My games: Friday afternoon

Sengoku Era Japan - Samurai Game using “Katana Rampant” (Lion Rampant rules with addition for handguns)

Okudaira tempo ready to fire upon the walls 

The scenario has a surprise attack by the Takeda upon the Okudaira besiegers of their castle.  To keep it a surprise, I told all the players of the procedures to take the wall of the castle.  This included activation to climb the walls, and defensive fire from them.  While I kept the defensive fire rules for the game, the intent was not to have a siege game but a straight up fight with a surprise flank attack.  To that, I was successful.

 (besides…. the walls were built only to give a backdrop for photos!)

I gave the flank attack player the option of either using his normal troops to lead the attack but through the muddy fields (rough ground) or if he leads with the peasants they know a drier faster way.  But of course, then,  you are leading your attack with peasants who are not the exactly the best choice as a military unit to lead any attack!

The Takeda (with black back-flags) emerge in the muddy fields for their flank attack!

In any event, he lead with his samurai who while fighting well in the muck (‘ferocious’ rule) still are slow to get through it and impossible with his poor activation rolls! The (were) attacking the walls (now) defending from the flank attack players managed to recover from the surprise and a good game was the result.

the Okudaira reinforcements rush into the fight

 Game Two!

With a small game and fast action we had the time to have a second action. The scenario was a simple one with the Takeda having captured the personal standard of Okudaira Sadamasa who wants it back.

Trumpeter Salute Convention My games: Saturday afternoon

I would do two games of the historical Napoleonic Battle of Vyazma, each in a separate session.

a view from the east showing the French and Allies strung out along the road, with the town of Vyazma, represented by the church in the distance their goal to survival.  The villages of Gorontka (near centre) and Fedorskoie (near right) are represented with the French rearguard under Davout holding Fedorskoie.  The Russians of Ostermann-Tolstoy and Eugene of Wurttemburg (left) under Miloradovich are attacking from the south to cut off the retreat.

  This first one had six players participating with three French and three Russian players.
The Battle of Vyazma occurred during Napoleon’s retreat from Moscow and only days before the snows began.  Miloradovich, the Russian commander, pressed his attacks on the French rearguard of Davout’s corps centred around the villages of Fedorskoie and Gorontka, with Eugene’s (with some Italians), Poniatowski’s Poles , and Ney’s corps strung out along the road of retreat towards the town of Vyazma.

Wurttemburg's Russian Corp attacking the French and take Gorontka

For the French, their objective was to get as many units, including supply wagons, safely off the table and continue the retreat through Vyazma.  If they did so with more than those destroyed or captured (any left on the table should the Russians take that town), they win the game.  Thus, the French had the task of moving AND fighting to survive.

Davout must simultaneously transfer troops along the road and support the defence against the Russian attack. He does a good job

The Russian objective was simpler.  They were to destroy the French.  Casualties were not a concern.

The height of the Russian attack. The near marsh deemed impassible, as indeed it was historically, restricted direct Russian moves against Vyazma (off camera to the left) and served to constrict the Russian reserves.
We can see Platov's cossacks and Paskevich's small infantry division in the far distance trying to move against the French in a flanking move.

For this task, I placed the Russian commands in their historical locations allowing each player to deploy as they wished.  From east to west, Platov’s cossacks, combined with the small infantry division of Paskevich,  attacked from the end of the long table against Davout’s rearguard.  Wurttemburg’s corps with Korff’s cavalry came from the south, while Tolstoy’s corps with Siever’s cavalry moved toward Vyazma itself to potentially cut of the French/Allies retreat.
The Russians were historically estimated at 22,000 to 24,000 in strength.  The French total is unknown but would be at comparable numbers.

With a very large strength ratio and using 28mm figures, a village can only be represented by one building.   

The French players had the unenviable task of choosing when to run and when to fight all the while moving toward their goal of the exit point.  To be honest, seeing the deployments in full, I did not think the French had much of a chance, but to their credit, they managed to get more than 50% off the table successfully for the victory.  Notably on the French side was the decision by “Ney” who was closest to Vyazma, to quickly file his units off the table leaving only his artillery to hold off the Russians and keep the road open for the others;  and the unfortunate die roll by “Tolstoy” failing his corps morale roll and having to fall back thus losing the opportunity to close the door on the French.  It turned out to be a good scenario.

The Russian advance continues!

Trumpeter Salute Convention My games: Saturday evening

In this second game of the Battle of Vyazma, I reset the scenario to the original starting points.  I did move the road on which the French moved from the centre of the table slightly further away from the Russian southern attack which gave everyone a bit more maneuver space and the French a tad more time to have units retreat toward the town.

Deployment of the French (centre) along the road.  The Russians (left bottom) attacking from the south. 

In this game, we only had one player commanding each side.  It had the usual effect of having a much more ‘ordered’ game in action and in the even look of the elements on the table!

With only one player per side controlling all elements, the game tends to have a more "ordered" appearance!

Surprisingly the result again was a French “victory” with very slightly more elements having got off the table than were destroyed or captured.

Uvarov's Cuirassiers, historically sent into action very late in the day,  finally make an appearance. But as in the first battle, make little impact as they are late and too far in the rear to make an effect.  They are pretty however!

Trumpeter Salute Convention My games: Sunday

French and Indian Wars action - 'Manage-a-troi'

A good group of wargamers who are there to gleefully move around pieces on the table in good humour certainly make for delightfully entertaining game and none more so than the group who signed up for my French and Indian War game on Sunday.
Without knowledge of how many players I would have ( Sunday gaming is always less populous but numbers can be unpredictable) I needed to very much come up with a scenario on the fly.  In this case, the whiskey wagon (it would seem ALL my FIW games involve the whiskey wagon as everyone, natives included, would love to capture it!) .  The British were tasked to escorting it to the fort.  They could take the longer, but more open route, or the shorter but forest choked shorter route.  They chose the latter after the French and Native players had deployed.
The respective Native players (both the English and French having native allies) were given blanks but did not know if they were real or mere shadows in the darkness of the woods.  As the terrified Europeans could fire at perceived shadows and the chieftains having no control of the actions of their war bands, the unknown nature of the blanks to all players seemed to work to good effect.  Well, OK, a bit frustrating for the Native player to carefully move his blanks into an excellent firing position only to find not one but three of his elements were false but then again the European player halting only to find himself once again firing at shadows is an equally disappointing yet realistic event.  And it does add to the suspense.  I do assure the players that half of the blanks are real (even numbered are there, odds are not) so as more are revealed more is known of the remaining.  — although I might want to mess with that ratio in a future game! ;)

Again I will let the pictures tell the story but the game ended with most of the French elements eliminated and the wagon free to deliver the fire-water to the fort.

view of the action

the infamous 'Whiskey Wagon"

British regulars in campaign lead the British lights also in campaign dress. The British commander suggested to himself that he should have, in hindsight, reversed that deployment! ;)

Natives cross a stream.  I heavily 'terrain' my bases.  A very inexpensive by simply looking outside and nearby parks for the natural items. 

'the Fort' is designed to fit into a small corner of the table