End of Samurai Test and Game AAR

Welcome to new subscribers/followers, Kullervo's Niche of Melancholia,
Sergeant Crunch's Miniature Madness, Roundwood's World
1914-45

All you who read and keep up with my silliness, put me over 3,000 pageviews in one month for the first time in my blog's history.  I hit 3,258 views last month.  Cool.  I'm glad I'm putting stuff up that people want to read or at least click through because they're curious.

Table Setup

To the topic of the post. My most recent samurai game using Kings of War. I set up a scenario I'd found in the most recent Wargames, Soldiers, and Strategy magazine.  The battle of the two tombs.

I fought the battle and well. The attacking Eastern Army was struggling. One, they started in too heavy of terrain and were severely slowed.  I should've moved them up for deployment. Two, they were leading the charge with Cavalry and were getting slaughtered at the ford crossing. At this point, no one could get over.

Eastern Army - The attackers

I should've made one of two choices when seeing this road block developing.  Pulled the cavalry back and inserted the pikes in their place for more punch. Or, shifted more of the units to use the completely open bridge to the South. Even when playing solo, it's easy to stick to a plan without looking and adjusting to the developing game.

Western Army - The defenders

Also, I should've also stationed more ranged units to fire over the river while the attack was going on.  I didn't need them to the South in the woods because they could've assisted in the attack across the river and then moved over to assist in the taking of the hills.

Now, the biggest causality in the game. I'm putting up the ancients/medieval/samurai army thoughts for now. I've played both Impetus and Kings of War (I like both rulesets for simplicity and free availablility.) and I just don't get that excited while playing them  or the period. I think it's the lines of blocks and positioning.  I'm not sure.  I have a couple board games, Samurai, and Saints in Armor that I would like to try. I feel these may inform my decision: is it the period(s), the rules, or something else.

First Blood - Cavalry crossing river.

I like reading the rules and reading about the period. But once a game is set up and ready to go, I want to try something else.

This is all good, because I'd begun pricing out what it would cost to have two 6mm armies built, painted and based for me.  Anywhere between $700-900.  Money saved for now.

More casualties and game end - hand of god is done with this.

I'll keep the rules, but I will be putting it all on the back burner for now.

Samurai Testing Take 2 - Kings of War AAR

I think this is the second full play through I had with King of War to find a ruleset I want to play Samurai with.  If I want to play Samurai at all. I think that i do because my last play of Basic Impetus and now KOW were both more fun than the first go around.

This may be partially familiarity with the rules. And it may be a partial understanding of the nuances of this type of wargaming vs WWII gaming.

But the thought of painting a ton of Samurai scares me off just a bit.  However, I don't want to play with blocks of wood forever.  It's shown me that the models are what draw me to this type of gaming.

The color
The majesty
of
MINIATURE GAMING!!!!

Samurai Testing - Kings of War - Basing

This is a project that will take forever, but the planning is most of the fun.

Samurai Test - Kings of War - Melee

Previously, I showed how shooting may work for Sengoku (sp) era Samurai battles, with my amazingly drawn up blocks.  Now, let's look at Melee.  There are some rules I need to get down, but this rule set is definitely easy and quick playing.  I'm trying out Black Powder and/or Hail Caesar at the moment.

Samurai Testing - Kings of War - Shooting

I refuse to let go of the dream that I may one day paint up a Samurai army.  I must be crazy.  I also like the idea of gaming this or other similar eras, but I go back and forth.  I'm used to manuever and fire tactics from WWII and like them.  Can I get into the more chess-like, manuever and troop placement that ancient through early/mid-19th  century warfare seems to be.

Understand that the last sentence is an uneducated one and how I've observed these games to go.  I also understand that warfare in such a stretch of time isn't dictated by one tactic/discipline.  I was painting with a humongus brush to generalize.

So I keep trying rules to see how I may want to play with these little soldiers if I decide to dive in.  And to see if I like this style of gaming.  I'm looking for fairly simple and fast playing.

Here I test the Kings of War set with 40mm x 20mm blocks and lists I've found on the web.



I had fun playing this short test.

Links to Phil's Blog and some of his Samurai stories
http://philbancients.blogspot.com/?q=samurai
Free Rules from Mantic
http://www.manticgames.com/Hobby/Gaming.html
Free Historic Army Lists
http://files.sigil.biz/data/kings_and_khans_1600bc_to_1700ad_22jan2013.pdf

Kings of War Sengoko Period Test

Tested out the Kings of War rules as another possible set for Samurai gaming when I had an hour during a recent trip. (20 year anniversary trip with my Awesome Wife to the town where we were married. Great time.)

There currently isn't a list, but I modified an English Civil War/Pike and Shot list someone has created as well as taking some hints from the Kingdom Of Men list. Needs some tweaking with the lists.

Also, I had no leaders, banners, or musicians...of which there would be some...and they are necessary. Otherwise units hit their nerve tests way too easy and are quickly routed off the field. Also, cavalry is way tough. I also made it way to the blue's favor just so I could get a quick result. But this was crazy fast.

One thing, the arquebus has the same range as the bows. It seems as though this era of weapon technology, the bow would shoot further than the guns - and be more effective. But I'm very new to this era, so I'm open to opinions/facts on this issue.

Cool thing about this set - even easier than Impetus and Black Powder/HC.

Will have to try this again.

Yellow Clan against Blue Clan on snowy fields

You'll see Yellow is down one unit and Cavalry Samurai unit (blue) will charge the yellow Samurai next turn

And, the end. Only the long blue Yari (Sprears) have one wound.