Ronin: Skirmish Wargames in the Age of the Samurai
Ronin: Skirmish Wargames in the Age of the Samurai Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Core Rules
Introduction
These rules let you play out skirmishes between small groups of armed Asian fighters of the second half of the 16th to the early 17th century. To play you need two warbands of armed Asian fighters, numbering from 4 to 20 models each, six-sided dice (d6), a ruler marked in inches, and some terrain so you are not moving models across a bare table. You will also need a number of markers to show various things; these are explained later.
Warriors
Your warband consists of a number of models, each with a set of characteristics. Do not be put off by how many there are; in fact it is all very simple.
- Name and type: describe what the warrior is, so you do not confuse them. Type matters for some special rules that may apply to only part of a warband.
- Rank: the overall importance of the model within the historical process:
- Rank 0: peasants, commoners and other rabble who can hardly do anything in combat.
- Ranks 1 and 2: ordinary soldiers who already know something and have decent equipment.
- Ranks 3 and 4: elite warriors with significant combat experience and good equipment.
- Rank 5: the best warrior possible, practically a living legend of his time.
- Combat Pool (CP): a very important parameter that determines the overall capability of a character in melee. As a rule it equals the model's Rank, and the higher the better. Models of Rank 0 have a value of 1.
- Initiative: an important parameter that determines how much faster a warrior is than other warriors in a melee. The higher it is, the greater the chance to strike first.
- Melee: determines how well the warrior handles a cold steel weapon.
- Shooting: determines how accurately the warrior shoots.
- Armour: shows what protective equipment the character carries. It may be light, medium, heavy, or none at all. The visual difference between armour types is left to your intuition and logic.
- Weapon: shows what the character is armed with.
Basic Principles
The game uses several basic imperatives, namely:
- Measurement: players are free to measure any distance at any moment of the game.
- Reduction of movement: some factors may reduce the movement speed of characters. But under no circumstances can this speed fall below 1 inch.
- Reduction of characteristics: some characteristics of warriors may be reduced during play down to 0, but they cannot become negative.
- Divine justice: has a stubborn argument broken out? Roll a d6, and on a 4+ the one who rolled is right.
- Line of sight: a real Asian constantly turns his head from side to side. The field of view of any warrior is 360 degrees. In addition, any model may be turned on the spot at any time; this does not count as movement.
Game Process
Turn Sequence
The game consists of a set number of turns. Each turn is divided into five consecutive phases, following in the order given below:
- Priority Phase
- Movement Phase
- Combat Phase
- Action Phase
- End Phase
Priority Phase
Players determine which of them will have Priority on this turn. Then players, if necessary, take a Morale test for their warbands.
Movement Phase
During this phase players may move their warriors or use missile weapons.
Combat Phase
Melee clashes between warriors take place in this phase.
Action Phase
Warriors may again use missile weapons or perform a number of other special actions.
End Phase
The victory conditions of the scenario are checked, and a number of mandatory actions are carried out. The turn is over.
Priority Phase
1. Determining Priority
Each player rolls a d6. Ties are rerolled. The player who rolls higher has Priority on this turn. This gives them a certain advantage over the opponent in the subsequent phases.
2. Morale Test
A warband's fighting spirit is always in one of three states: Confident, Wavering, or Panic. At the start of the game this state is always Confident. In the Priority Phase you must take a Morale test if any of the following circumstances applies:
- Your warband's fighting spirit is Wavering.
- On the previous turn your warband's Leader was taken out of action.
- On the previous turn 25% of your warband's starting strength was taken out of action (for example, 3 warriors from a starting strength of 10).
To take the test, roll 2d6. Compare the sum of the two dice with your warband's Morale value. If the sum is less than or equal to the Morale value, the test is passed and the following happens:
- If the warband is Confident, nothing happens.
- If the warband was Wavering, it becomes Confident.
If the sum is greater than the Morale value, the test is failed. The following happens:
- If the warband is Confident, it becomes Wavering.
- If the warband was Wavering, it falls into Panic.
Once a warband has fallen into Panic, its fighting spirit no longer changes. Note that two 1s are always a success on the test, and two 6s are always a failure. In addition, the following modifiers apply when taking this test:
- Fewer than half of the warband's warriors remain: +1 to the dice sum.
- Fighting spirit is Wavering: +1 to the dice sum.
- At least one warrior in the warband has the Commander skill (alive and on the table): -1 to the dice sum.
- The warband has a banner: the dice may be rerolled, if desired.
Wavering
If your warband is Wavering, the warriors are no longer ready to simply risk their lives. Each time your warrior in a wavering warband tries to make contact with an enemy model, roll a d6 and add the warrior's Rank. If the result is 7 or more, he may perform this action. Otherwise he must do something else, as he did not have the courage to make contact.
Panic
Panic has set in: all is lost. A warband cannot leave this state. Each time you activate a warrior, roll a d6 and add the model's Rank. If the result is 7 or more, the warrior may act normally. Otherwise he must Run or, if mounted, Gallop towards the nearest table edge. Once he has left the table, the warrior does not return. This rule does not apply to warriors who are in base contact with an enemy.
Movement Phase
In this phase warriors move or use missile weapons. To begin, the player with Priority selects one of his models and activates it. Then his opponent activates a model. A player may pass if he wishes. The phase lasts until all models have been activated or until both players pass in succession.
1. Movement
Warriors CANNOT pass through other models, friendly or enemy. A model's base must always have room where it stands, otherwise it cannot be placed there! Movement geometry is not restricted in any way, you may even back up.
- A warrior may move up to 6 inches, including in order to make contact with an enemy model.
- A warrior may Run a distance of up to 9 inches. While running he may not come closer than 1 inch to enemy warriors.
The movement speed of a warrior is halved if (these penalties are CUMULATIVE):
- The warrior is Stunned or has a Serious Wound.
- The warrior moves through Difficult terrain.
- The warrior is Encumbered (carrying a Heavy object).
A warrior cannot move if he used a missile weapon in this phase, or if he is in contact with an enemy. In the latter case, however, he may Break Contact, if he wishes to.
Breaking Contact
Any warrior who is in contact with an enemy at the start of his activation may Break Contact and withdraw 2 inches in any direction. His opponents may respond (the choice is made by each model in base contact):
- Immediately pursue the coward (this counts as an activation and is impossible if the warrior has already been activated this turn).
- Stand still and deliver one blow to the enemy. This blow cannot be Enhanced, but it gets a +1 bonus to Attack.
- Do nothing.
Terrain
Open ground is not considered terrain and has no effect on play. All other terrain is conventionally divided into 4 types: Difficult, Impassable, Buildings and Water.
- Difficult terrain: streams, rice paddies, mud, scrub, hedges and fences, and especially dense and wild forest. Speed is halved if during movement the character touches such terrain even partly.
- Impassable terrain: high walls, sea, steep cliffs. These obstacles are insurmountable and can only be bypassed.
- Buildings: you may enter them through windows and doors. In some fragile structures (normal for Japan) you may enter by breaking through the walls; this counts as Difficult terrain. Warriors with long weapons (yari, naginata-yari, naginata, nodachi, tetsubo) treat it as giving them -1 to Initiative and -1 to Attack when fighting inside a building. This does not apply to huge buildings whose halls allow such great clubs to be swung freely. In any case, discuss the peculiarities of each building before the game begins, not during it.
- Water: if a character receives a "Stunned" marker while in water, immediately roll a d6. On a "6" he drowns. If the character wears Heavy armour, he drowns on a 5+. A drowned character counts as taken out of action, with all the consequences that follow.
2. Use of Missile Weapons
In this phase you may shoot, if you have something to shoot with. Note that this is a hasty and inaccurate shot, with corresponding penalties. You may also shoot later, in the Action Phase. If a warrior has a bow or shuriken, he may shoot in both phases, again with the corresponding penalties.
Any warrior who is not Stunned and is not in contact with an enemy may shoot. Unlike melee, in shooting only the attacking model rolls the dice.
Shooting
Choose a target, check the line of sight and the distance to it.
- Roll 2d6, add the Shooting parameter, and add or subtract modifiers. The final sum is the Attack Result.
- The target's Base Defence is 6. Modifiers for Cover and Armour are added to this value.
- Subtract the Base Defence from the Attack Result. If the result is greater than 0, the target receives some damage (see the wounds table); otherwise the attack has failed.
Modifiers to the Attack Result (all modifiers are added together):
| Condition | Modifier |
|---|---|
| Target closer than 6 inches | +1 |
| Target at 12-24 inches | -1 |
| Target at 24-36 inches | -2 (-3 for arquebus) |
| Target farther than 36 inches | -3 (-4 for arquebus) |
| Target in melee combat | -1 (plus a risk of hitting the wrong one) |
| Shooter moved in the Movement Phase | -1 (0 for shuriken) |
| Shooter Ran/Galloped in the Movement Phase | -2 (0 for shuriken) |
| Shooter has already shot in the Movement Phase | -1 |
| Shooting in the Movement Phase | -1 |
| Shooter Seriously Wounded | -1 |
Modifiers to Base Defence (armour and cover modifiers are added together):
| Condition | Modifier |
|---|---|
| Light armour | +1 (0 against arquebus) |
| Medium armour | +2 (0 against arquebus) |
| Heavy armour | +3 (+1 against arquebus) |
| Light cover | +1 |
| Solid cover | +2 |
Line of Sight and Cover
Cover is Light or Solid. Light cover includes forest, bushes and hedges, which hide the shooter from view rather than offering real protection against a missile. Solid cover includes walls, palisades and buildings.
Line of sight is considered blocked (shooting is impossible) if:
- Another model lies on the straight line between the shooter and the target.
- There is more than 2 inches of Light cover between the shooter and the target.
- The target is in Solid cover and did not move or shoot this turn.
Missile Weapons
| Weapon | Maximum range | Attack modifier | Special |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shuriken | 6 inches | -2 | No penalty for shooting after moving |
| Teppo (arquebus) | 48 inches | See Special | After firing, the arquebus must be reloaded (see the Action Phase). Light and medium armour do not save against the arquebus; heavy armour gives a bonus as light armour. |
| Yumi (bow) | 48 inches | - | - |
Shooting into Melee
If a warrior shot at a target that is in a melee clash and missed, immediately choose another model in the same clash (at random) and resolve the shot as if you had aimed at it.
Combat Phase
In this phase warriors who have come into contact with an enemy may try to kill each other. The key mechanic is the use of Combat Pool (hereafter CP). It shows how many combat tokens a warrior may use in a clash. Tokens are Attack tokens (conventionally black) and Defence tokens (conventionally white). We recommend using dice of different colours, Go stones, or something similar.
The player with Priority divides all the brawls into duels. A fight may be one on one or one against many; there is no third option. One warrior cannot fight more than 4 enemies (if extra ones cannot be fitted into other clashes, let them smoke on the side and wait their turn). Once all the clashes are clearly distributed, the player with Priority chooses which of them he wants to play out first. After it is played out, the opponent chooses another clash, and so on until all the fights have been played out. After this the phase ends.
Remember that regardless of whom a model is in contact with, during a turn it may take part in only one clash (with one exception: if the warrior has the "Relentless" skill, but more about that much later, see the Skills section).
Melee Procedure
The player with Priority chooses one clash (in which there is a warrior under his control).
The players secretly take a number of combat tokens equal to the sum of the CP of all their warriors in the given clash. The ratio of Attack to Defence tokens may be anything.
Both players lay their tokens on the table simultaneously. Indicate which tokens belong to which warrior!
The players determine initiative. They roll a d6 (or 2d6, keeping the highest, if the roll is Enhanced; see the Enhancement section below) for each warrior, adding his Initiative parameter and other modifiers. Ties are rerolled, but without modifiers and without Enhancement. In this way the order of action in the fight is established: from higher result to lower.
In initiative order the warriors may make one attack each. A warrior may pass and not attack.
After an attack is made, the next warrior in initiative order acts.
If all warriors have passed in succession, or both players have run out of Attack combat tokens, the clash is considered finished.
How an Attack Is Made
Specify which warrior is attacking (the Attacker) and which enemy warrior is being attacked (the Defender).
- Spend one Attack token from the Attacker's supply (simply to make the attack).
- The Defender may, if he wishes, Enhance the defence roll that is about to be made. If he decides to do so, he spends one Defence token from his supply.
- The Attacker may, if he wishes, Enhance his attack roll. If he decides to do so, he spends one Attack token from his supply.
- If the Attacker wishes, he may declare a Special Attack (disarm or seize); see the Special Attacks section.
- The Attacker rolls 2d6 (3d6, keeping the two highest, if the roll is Enhanced). Add his Melee parameter, the weapon bonus, and various modifiers. The final sum is the Attack Result.
- The Defender rolls 1d6 (2d6, using BOTH dice, if the roll is Enhanced). Add his Melee parameter and various modifiers. The final sum is the Defence Result.
- Subtract the Defence Result from the Attack Result. If the total is greater than 0, some damage has been dealt. Otherwise the attack has failed.
Modifiers to the Defence Result:
| Condition | Modifier |
|---|---|
| Light armour | +1 |
| Medium armour | +2 |
| Heavy armour | +3 |
| Fighting against 3 or more enemies | -1 |
Enhancing Rolls
As you have understood, some rolls may be Enhanced by spending one token from your supply. One roll may be Enhanced only once. Here is a brief and clear explanation of what may be Enhanced, what it gives, and which tokens must be spent:
- Enhancing Initiative: an Attack token is spent. Initiative is rolled as 2d6, keeping the highest die.
- Enhancing Attack: an Attack token is spent. The attack is rolled as 3d6, keeping the two highest.
- Enhancing Defence: a Defence token is spent. The defence is rolled as 2d6, and BOTH dice count.
One Against Several
Although warriors spend their tokens only on themselves, a warrior may spend his Defence token on a comrade in order to Enhance that comrade's defence roll. This can be very useful!
Melee Weapons
| Weapon | Initiative modifier | Attack Result modifier | Special |
|---|---|---|---|
| Katana (sword) | - | - | - |
| Wakizashi (short sword) | -1 | - | - |
| Nodachi (great sword) | -1 | +1 | - |
| Tanto (dagger) | -1 | -1 | - |
| Naginata (halberd) | +1 | +1 | - |
| Yari (spear) | +2 | - | Gives a +1 bonus to the Attack Result if the character is mounted and performs a Charge strike. |
Choice of Weapon
If a character has more than one weapon, he may choose which one he will fight with in this clash. A weapon may be changed at any moment of the fight (for example, if the character is disarmed), but to do so an additional Attack token must be spent.
Special Attacks
There are two kinds of Special Attack. Usually they are not needed at all, but under the conditions of a scenario they may be vitally necessary, especially if someone must be captured alive. A Special Attack must be declared immediately before the roll.
- Disarming: allows you to destroy one weapon of your opponent. It inflicts no damage, but if the result of the attack was at least a Serious Wound, the opponent loses the weapon he was holding. After this he counts as Unarmed.
- Seizing: allows you to restrain an opponent and take him alive. Weapon bonuses do not apply to this attack. Like disarming, it counts as successful only if at least a Serious Wound was inflicted. If the attack inflicted a Light Wound or Stun, these count as normal, but the Seizing has failed. On a successful seizing the opponent is immobilised and cannot move, fight... cannot do anything at all, for as long as an enemy model remains in base contact with him. The attacker's comrades may, if they wish, help carry out the seizing; in that case each volunteer must discard one Attack token. Each discarded token gives +1 to the Attack Result.
Wounds
A character may receive a Stun, a Light, a Serious or a Critical Wound. Mark the wounds received with a marker. Note that a character may receive more than one Stun marker, in addition to wounds. But a character may have only one marker for a wound. A Stun is not counted as a wound. Stuns may be discarded in the End Phase, but wounds, alas, do not heal. Penalties from multiple Stuns are NOT cumulative, but a character may remain stunned for several turns in a row.
Damage is determined by the difference between the Attack and the Defence, both in shooting and in melee. Determine the result by the table.
| Difference | Damage | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stunned | -1 to initiative, cannot shoot |
| 2-3 | Light Wound | -1 to initiative, -1 to Melee |
| 4-5 | Serious Wound | -2 to initiative, -1 to Melee, -1 Shooting, -1 CP (reduce the token supply immediately after the wound) |
| 6 | Critical Wound | The character is taken out of action; lay him on his side, he is no longer a warrior... |
If a warrior with a Light Wound receives a Light Wound, it becomes a Serious Wound. If a warrior with a Light Wound receives a Serious Wound, it becomes a Critical Wound. If a warrior with a Serious Wound receives any wound, it becomes a Critical Wound.
Wound effects take effect immediately: that is, when a Serious Wound is received the warrior immediately loses one token from his supply (of his choice). If there are no tokens, he loses nothing, of course.
Example of Combat
A Samurai with a naginata against two Ashigaru, a spearman and an archer with a katana. The Samurai (CP=3) secretly takes 2 Attack tokens and one Defence token. The Ashigaru (CP=2) each take 1 Attack token and 1 Defence token. Initiative roll: the Samurai rolls 3, plus his Initiative (3), plus the naginata bonus (1) = 7. The spearman rolls 4, plus Initiative (1), plus the yari bonus (2) = 7. The archer rolls 4 and gets 5 in total. He acts last. The Samurai and the spearman each roll a d6 without modifiers. The Samurai rolls higher and acts first.
The Samurai strikes the spearman. He spends one Attack token on this. The spearman decides to Enhance his defence and spends a Defence token. The Samurai does not Enhance his roll in response; he simply rolls 2d6. He rolls 4 and 5. Adding his Melee (3) and the naginata bonus (1), this gives him 13. The Ashigaru rolls "4" and "1" on 2d6, which together with his Melee (2) and medium armour (2) gives him 9. The difference of 4 points means a Serious Wound. Note that because of this wound the Ashigaru immediately loses his last Attack token and is left with no tokens at all!!! And although it is now his turn to act, he is forced to pass. Next, the archer Ashigaru attacks. For him things look grim.
He may make only one attack, which is unlikely to do much harm to the Samurai (who has a Defence token he can spend on Enhancement). On the other hand, when it comes the Samurai's turn to use his last Attack, the archer will be able to spend his Defence token not only on himself but also to cover the spearman, depending on whom the attack is aimed at!
Action Phase
During this phase all warriors who are not in contact with an enemy may perform one of the actions listed below, in the order determined starting with the player who has Priority:
- Use missile weapons
- Reload an arquebus
- Loot a corpse or take its head
- Pick up an object
- Dismount or mount a horse
- Rest
Use of Missile Weapons
See the chapter on the Movement Phase.
Reloading an Arquebus
If a warrior with an unloaded arquebus is not Stunned, and did not move, shoot or fight in melee this turn, he may reload the arquebus. In the following turn it may be fired again. All arquebuses begin the game loaded.
Looting a Corpse or Taking Its Head
If a warrior is not Stunned and is not in contact with an enemy, but is in contact with the body of an enemy who received a Critical Wound, he may loot the corpse or cut off its head in the name of his daimyo.
Picking Up an Object
If a warrior is not Stunned and is not in contact with an enemy, but is in contact with some object that is important under the scenario's conditions (a banner, a chest, etc.), he may pick it up. Objects are divided into Light, which do not hinder the warrior in any way, and Heavy, which make the warrior Encumbered. Two warriors in base contact may be activated simultaneously in order to carry a Heavy object as if it were Light. If a warrior carrying an object comes into contact with an enemy, he may drop the object, or keep it, but then he takes a -1 penalty to Initiative and to Attack and Defence rolls.
Dismounting or Mounting a Horse
If a warrior is not Stunned and is not in contact with an enemy, he may dismount, or mount, if the horse is within 1 inch. Only a warrior who was originally deployed on the table as mounted may mount a horse!
Resting
The warrior does nothing and gets +1 to the roll for removing Stuns in the End Phase.
End Phase
Removing Stuns
For EACH warrior with Stun markers, roll a d6 and compare the result with the table. Subtract 1 from the roll if the warrior is in contact with an enemy, and add 1 if the warrior rested in the Action Phase.
| Roll | Stun markers removed |
|---|---|
| 1-2 | None |
| 3-5 | Remove 1 marker |
| 6 | Remove 2 markers |
Victory Conditions
Check whether anyone has won the game according to the conditions of the scenario...
Special Rules
Banners
Some factions have access to banners. Banners follow these rules:
- A standard-bearer may not voluntarily come into contact with enemy models.
- A standard-bearer receives a -1 penalty to Initiative and to Attack and Defence rolls, and may use only a katana or something smaller as a weapon.
- If the standard-bearer is killed, the banner may be picked up by friends or by enemies.
- A banner in enemy hands brings that side victory points.
- A banner in the hands of an ally allows Morale tests to be rerolled.
Cavalry
Characters who move on horseback count as cavalry and receive a number of special rules.
- The movement speed of a mounted model is 12 inches.
- A mounted model may Gallop 18 inches, provided it does not come within 1 inch of enemy models.
- A mounted model may not enter buildings or difficult terrain.
- A mounted model may make Charge attacks (Strikes from a Gallop).
Cavalry in Melee
A rider receives a -2 penalty to Attack rolls in melee and when shooting. An arquebus may not be fired from horseback. If a warrior has the Bajutsu skill, he ignores these penalties.
If a foot warrior fights a rider, he chooses whom to attack: the rider or the horse. Riders fighting riders strike each other, leaving the horses to sort it out between themselves. When you attack a horse, it counts as having Melee equal to 1, but all its defence rolls count as Enhanced. If the horse receives a Serious Wound, the rider is thrown from the saddle.
Shooting at Cavalry
When shooting at cavalry the shooter has a choice: aim deliberately at the rider or the horse (an additional -1 penalty applies), or shoot at random. In the latter case roll a d6: on 1-4 the shot goes to the horse, on 5-6 to the rider. Against shooting, the horse counts as protected by light armour (that is, it makes no difference to the arquebus).
Charge Attack
This is a special attack. Only mounted warriors may make it. The attack is made in the Combat Phase. To carry it out, the warrior must NOT be in contact with an enemy and must NOT have moved in the previous Movement Phase! When this model is activated (despite the fact that normally only models in contact with an enemy are activated in the Combat Phase), it rides up to 9 inches to any enemy and initiates a melee. In this fight all participants halve their CP (rounding up, with a minimum of 1). The rider receives a +1 bonus to initiative. At the end of this clash the rider may immediately ride away up to 9 inches in any direction, but without coming closer than 1 inch to enemy models.
Thrown from the Saddle
If a rider is thrown from the saddle, replace him with a foot model. The horse is removed from the game. The rider receives a Stun marker.
Warhorse
Some warriors went into battle mounted on fierce and biting warhorses, rather than on ordinary saddled nags. A warhorse has a Melee parameter equal to 1, Initiative 1, and always receives 1 Attack token. It fights as if it were an ordinary warrior. In a fight against another cavalryman, a warhorse always attacks the enemy's horse, not the rider.
Skills
Some characters have special skills. Usually these are available only to the best warriors in your warband: commanders and elite. Which skills may be taken, and at what cost, is given in the warband lists. Skills are divided into Abilities and Bujutsu (martial arts). Bujutsu are set out in a separate table. There are many kinds of Bujutsu, and each counts as a separate Skill.
Acrobatics
A warrior is not slowed by Difficult terrain, and receives no attacks when he breaks contact with an enemy. He may cross Impassable terrain if his base can be placed on it.
Fearless
Ignores the results of Morale tests.
Swift
+1 to initiative tests; automatically wins ties on initiative tests.
Intuition
Receives 1 free Defence token in each fight.
Yokimbo
The bodyguard of the warband's Leader. Once per turn may take on himself a shot aimed at the Leader, if he is within 3 inches of him (this is declared before the roll). At the start of the Combat Phase he may swap places with the Leader, if he is within 3 inches of him (simply exchange the models, ignoring terrain and enemy warriors).
Commander
Gives -1 to Morale tests, if present in the warband.
Tough
Ignores the penalties of Light Wounds. If a warrior received a Critical Wound in melee but has Attack and Defence tokens, he is not taken out of action until the end of the phase, that is, he may still manage to spend them!
Mighty
+1 to all Attack rolls in melee.
Relentless
If a warrior has killed all his enemies in the Combat Phase, he may immediately move up to 2 inches to make contact with another enemy. If at least one Attack token remains to him, then one of the following may happen:
- If the opponent has not yet been activated in this phase, and was not in base contact with enemies, he fights the warrior using his full CP; the warrior uses the tokens that remain to him.
- If the opponent was not in base contact with enemies, but has already been activated in this phase, he receives a free Defence token and they fight. The warrior himself uses the tokens that remain to him.
Bujutsu
The first group of Bujutsu are weapon Bujutsu. Each such Bujutsu is tied to a particular type of weapon. If a warrior with this skill is armed with the corresponding weapon, he gets the ability to reroll one die when making an Attack or Defence roll. Importantly, when Enhancing an attack, you must first select two dice out of three, and only then reroll one of the remaining ones!
There are also advanced Bujutsu! These usually require one of the ordinary Bujutsu, but give their owner exceptional abilities.
| Bujutsu | Weapon | Additional effect (if any) |
|---|---|---|
| Kenjutsu | Any sword | - |
| Naginatajutsu | Naginata | - |
| Sojutsu | Yari | - |
| Dzedzyutsu | Dze | - |
| Bojutsu | Bo | - |
| Tetsubojutsu | Tetsubo | - |
| Kusarigamajutsu | Kusarigama | +1 bonus when performing Special Attacks |
| Jujutsu | Unarmed | +1 bonus when performing Special Attacks |
| Advanced Bujutsu | Effect |
|---|---|
| Niten (two swords) | Requires Kenjutsu. If the warrior is armed with a katana and a wakizashi, he increases his CP by 1 in melee. |
| Yadome-jutsu (arrow catcher) | Requires any weapon Bujutsu. All bow attacks against the given character receive an additional -2 penalty. |
| Bajutsu (horsemanship) | Removes the penalties for fighting and shooting on horseback. |
| Senyo-jutsu (tactics) | Allows either rerolling the priority roll or forcing the opponent to reroll the priority roll. |
Warbands
Below are the main types of warband that you may field on the table. The strength of any warband must vary within the limits of 4-20 models. Each warband must have a Leader, and your opponent must know who it is. The Leader is the model with the highest Rank in your warband. If there are several such models, you are free to choose which one it will be. Warband lists are built in a fairly flexible way. For example, when assembling a Bushi warband you may make a large unit of Ashigaru led by one or two commissars, or, conversely, a small elite unit consisting of several legendary and semi-legendary samurai warriors. You may even make a warband of mixed type.
Bushi
Bushi are the warriors of one of the samurai clans. Professional soldiers.
Composition:
- The warband must contain at least 2 warriors of Ranks 1 and 2 for each warrior of Rank 3 or higher. OR the whole warband must consist of models of Rank 3 or higher.
- For each warrior of Rank 2 there must be at least 3 warriors of Rank 1.
- For each warrior of Rank 4 there must be at least one warrior of Rank 3.
- No more than one warrior of Rank 5 in the whole warband!
- No more than 25% of warriors may be armed with arquebuses. No more than 50% of warriors may carry missile weapons of any kind at all.
Special rules:
In addition to the scenario conditions, the warriors of this warband gain or lose victory points according to the following conditions:
- For each warrior of the warband killed by an enemy of lower rank: -1
- For each head collected by a warrior of the "Samurai" type (provided that this samurai is alive at the end of the battle): +1
If the game is lost and the warband's Leader is alive, he may commit seppuku to bring the warband another 2 victory points. A game cannot be won this way, but a draw can be achieved!
One Ashigaru or Ashigaru-gashira may carry a banner. In that case he may not receive additional equipment. An Ashigaru standard-bearer becomes 3 points cheaper, but loses his spear.
A warband may acquire 0-3 Mighty "KIYA!" at 5 points each. They are single-use; they may be spent in the Priority Phase. Having spent one, you are automatically considered to have won Priority. If the enemy also uses such a thing, roll as usual – nobody is impressed.
Morale: the Bushi warband's Morale is 9.
Mercenary swords: a Bushi warband may hire Ronin, Sohei (but no more than one) and Ninja (but also no more than one). If the warband contains a Ninja, the warband loses 1 victory point.
Bushi warriors
Ashigaru
| Type | Rank | CP | Initiative | Melee | Shooting | Armour | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashigaru | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | Medium | 18 |
- Weapons: Katana and one of: yari, naginata-yari, teppo, yumi.
- Skills: None.
- Options: may be unarmoured for -4 points.
Ashigaru-gashira
| Type | Rank | CP | Initiative | Melee | Shooting | Armour | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashigaru | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | Medium | 18 |
- Weapons: Katana.
- Skills: Commander.
- Options: may be unarmoured for -4 points. May take one of: yari, naginata-yari, teppo, yumi for +3 points.
Samurai
| Type | Rank | CP | Initiative | Melee | Shooting | Armour | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samurai | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | Heavy | 24 |
- Weapons: Katana and wakizashi.
- Skills: Commander, and may take any one skill for +3 points.
- Options: may be unarmoured for -6 points. May take one of: yari, naginata, tetsubo, nodachi, teppo, yumi for +3 points.
Hatamoto
| Type | Rank | CP | Initiative | Melee | Shooting | Armour | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samurai | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | Heavy | 29 |
- Weapons: Katana and wakizashi.
- Skills: Commander, and may take up to two skills of any kind for +3 points each.
- Options: may be unarmoured for -6 points. May take one of: yari, naginata, tetsubo, nodachi, teppo, yumi for +3 points. May ride a horse for +10 points or a warhorse for +15 points.
Busō
| Type | Rank | CP | Initiative | Melee | Shooting | Armour | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samurai | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 3 | Heavy | 34 |
- Weapons: Katana and wakizashi.
- Skills: Commander, and may take up to three skills of any kind for +3 points each.
- Options: may be unarmoured for -6 points. May take one of: yari, naginata, tetsubo, nodachi, teppo, yumi for +3 points. May ride a horse for +10 points or a warhorse for +15 points.
Ikko-Ikki
Ikko-Ikki: rebellious Buddhist sectarians, brigands and rebels.
Composition:
- The warband must contain more models of Ranks 0 and 1 than models of Rank 2 and higher.
- For each warrior of Rank 2 there must be at least 3 warriors of Rank 1.
- No more than one warrior of Rank 4 in the whole warband!
- No more than 25% of warriors may be armed with arquebuses. No more than 50% of warriors may carry missile weapons of any kind at all.
Special rules:
One Monto or Monto-gashira may receive a banner for free. In that case he may not acquire additional equipment.
Morale: the Ikko-Ikki warband's Morale is 8, or 9 if the warband has a banner in hand.
Mercenary swords: an Ikko-Ikki warband may hire Ronin and Ninja (but no more than one Ninja).
Ikko-Ikki warriors
Peasant
| Type | Rank | CP | Initiative | Melee | Shooting | Armour | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peasant | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | None | 4 |
- Weapons: Improvised.
- Skills: None.
- Options: may take a yari for +4 points.
Monto
| Type | Rank | CP | Initiative | Melee | Shooting | Armour | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monto | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | Light | 13 |
- Weapons: Katana.
- Skills: None.
- Options: may be unarmoured for -2 points. May take one of: yari, naginata-yari, teppo, yumi for +3 points.
Monto-gashira
| Type | Rank | CP | Initiative | Melee | Shooting | Armour | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samurai | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | Medium | 18 |
- Weapons: Katana.
- Skills: Commander.
- Options: may be unarmoured for -4 points. May take one of: yari, naginata-yari, teppo, yumi for +3 points.
Samurai
| Type | Rank | CP | Initiative | Melee | Shooting | Armour | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samurai | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | Heavy | 24 |
- Weapons: Katana and wakizashi.
- Skills: Commander, and may take any one skill for +3 points.
- Options: may be unarmoured for -6 points. May take one of: yari, naginata, tetsubo, nodachi, teppo, yumi for +3 points.
Sohei
| Type | Rank | CP | Initiative | Melee | Shooting | Armour | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sohei | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | Medium | 26 |
- Weapons: Katana and one of: naginata, tetsubo, teppo, yumi.
- Skills: Fearless, and may take any one skill for +3 points.
- Options: may be unarmoured for -4 points.
Hanso
| Type | Rank | CP | Initiative | Melee | Shooting | Armour | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samurai | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | Heavy | 29 |
- Weapons: Katana and wakizashi.
- Skills: Commander, and may take up to two skills of any kind for +3 points each.
- Options: may be unarmoured for -6 points. May take one of: yari, naginata, tetsubo, nodachi, teppo, yumi for +3 points. May ride a horse for +10 points or a warhorse for +15 points.
Sohei
Sohei: warrior monks.
Composition:
- No more than one warrior of Rank 5 in the whole warband!
- No more than 25% of warriors may be armed with arquebuses. No more than 50% of warriors may carry missile weapons of any kind at all.
Special rules:
These aggressive, gluttonous sodomites have no special rules…
Morale: practically all Sohei are fearless, so they have no Morale value at all. Temple servants have Morale 7.
Mercenary swords: Sohei are greedy and do not use the services of mercenary swords.
Sohei warriors
Temple servant
| Type | Rank | CP | Initiative | Melee | Shooting | Armour | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sohei | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | None | 8 |
- Weapons: Yari.
- Skills: Fearless if within 3 inches of warriors of Rank 2 and higher.
- Options: None.
Novice
| Type | Rank | CP | Initiative | Melee | Shooting | Armour | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sohei | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | Medium | 19 |
- Weapons: Katana and one of: naginata, tetsubo, teppo, yumi.
- Skills: Fearless.
- Options: may be unarmoured for -4 points.
Sohei
| Type | Rank | CP | Initiative | Melee | Shooting | Armour | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sohei | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | Medium | 16 |
- Weapons: Katana and one of: naginata, tetsubo, teppo, yumi.
- Skills: Fearless, and may take any one skill for +3 points.
- Options: may be unarmoured for -4 points.
Senior Sohei
| Type | Rank | CP | Initiative | Melee | Shooting | Armour | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sohei | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | Medium | 31 |
- Weapons: Katana and one of: naginata, tetsubo, teppo, yumi.
- Skills: Fearless, and may take up to two skills of any kind for +3 points each.
- Options: may be unarmoured for -4 points.
Abbot
| Type | Rank | CP | Initiative | Melee | Shooting | Armour | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sohei | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 3 | Medium | 36 |
- Weapons: Katana and one of: naginata, tetsubo, teppo, yumi.
- Skills: Fearless, and may take up to three skills of any kind for +3 points each.
- Options: may be unarmoured for -4 points.
Koryu
Koryu: representatives of the large and small schools of martial arts of medieval Japan.
Composition:
- No more than one warrior of Rank 5 in the whole warband!
Special rules:
Most schools specialised in one particular weapon. Therefore, when creating a Koryu warband you must name one main weapon for your warband and up to two secondary weapons. At least half of the warband's warriors must be armed with the main weapon. The others may take a secondary weapon instead of the main one. This weapon is issued by default; depending on the type of weapon, a warrior's cost may rise, see the table.
| Weapon | Warrior cost |
|---|---|
| Katana | +0 |
| Wakizashi | +0 |
| Nodachi | +3 |
| Naginata | +3 |
| Tetsubo | +3 |
| Yari | +3 |
| Dze | +0 |
| Bo | +0 |
| Kusarigama | +0 |
| Unarmed | +0 |
In addition, each warrior of the warband who uses the school's main weapon and survives to the end of the battle brings the warband 1 additional victory point.
Morale: if the Koryu warband includes a Sensei who is on the table and alive and well, the warband's Morale is 9. Otherwise it is 7.
Mercenary swords: a Koryu warband may hire Shugyosha.
Koryu warriors
Novice
| Type | Rank | CP | Initiative | Melee | Shooting | Armour | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Koryu | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | None | 7 |
- Weapons: see special rules.
- Skills: None.
- Options: None.
Student
| Type | Rank | CP | Initiative | Melee | Shooting | Armour | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Koryu | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | None | 14 |
- Weapons: see special rules.
- Skills: Bujutsu for the school's main weapon.
- Options: None.
Kohei
| Type | Rank | CP | Initiative | Melee | Shooting | Armour | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Koryu | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | None | 20 |
- Weapons: see special rules.
- Skills: Bujutsu for the school's main weapon.
- Options: None.
Senpei
| Type | Rank | CP | Initiative | Melee | Shooting | Armour | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Koryu | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | None | 26 |
- Weapons: see special rules.
- Skills: Bujutsu for the school's main weapon, and up to one skill of choice for +3 points.
- Options: None.
Sensei
| Type | Rank | CP | Initiative | Melee | Shooting | Armour | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Koryu | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 3 | None | 31 |
- Weapons: see special rules.
- Skills: Bujutsu for the school's main weapon, and up to two skills of choice for +3 points each.
- Options: None.
Bandits
Bandits: Wako pirates and other scum who make their living from murder and robbery.
Composition:
- The warband must contain more models of Ranks 0 and 1 than models of Rank 2 and higher.
- No more than one warrior of Rank 3 in the whole warband!
- No more than 10% of warriors may be armed with arquebuses. Bandit arquebuses are kept in a rather poor state: if two "1"s or two "2"s are rolled when firing, the arquebus has broken and is no longer used in this game.
- No more than 50% of warriors may carry missile weapons of any kind at all.
Special rules:
Bandits value other people's goods above all. For each warrior who looted a slain enemy of Rank 3 or higher and who is still alive at the end of the game, you gain 1 additional victory point.
Morale: the Bandits' Morale is low, only 7. However, these lads know special methods of encouraging their warriors. On a failed Morale test, the warband's Leader, if he is alive, may kill any subordinate within 6 inches of him, and the test is then considered passed.
Mercenary swords: the warband may hire Ronin. Ronin, you know, are very undemanding about the pleasant company they keep.
Bandit warriors
Peasant
| Type | Rank | CP | Initiative | Melee | Shooting | Armour | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peasant | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | None | 4 |
- Weapons: Improvised.
- Skills: None.
- Options: may take a yari for +4 points.
Bandit
| Type | Rank | CP | Initiative | Melee | Shooting | Armour | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bandit | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | Light | 13 |
- Weapons: Katana.
- Skills: None.
- Options: may be unarmoured for -2 points. May take medium armour for +2 points. May take one of: yari, teppo, yumi for +3 points.
Gashira
| Type | Rank | CP | Initiative | Melee | Shooting | Armour | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samurai | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | Light | 20 |
- Weapons: Katana.
- Skills: Commander. Up to 50% of the Gashira in the warband may take one skill of choice for +3 points.
- Options: may be unarmoured for -4 points. May take one of: yari, naginata, tetsubo, nodachi, teppo, yumi for +3 points. May take medium armour for +2 points. May take a horse for +10 points.
Chief
| Type | Rank | CP | Initiative | Melee | Shooting | Armour | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samurai | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | Heavy | 24 |
- Weapons: Katana.
- Skills: Commander, and may take one skill of choice for +3 points.
- Options: may be unarmoured for -6 points. May take one of: yari, naginata, tetsubo, nodachi, teppo, yumi for +3 points. May replace heavy armour with medium armour for -2 points. May take a horse for +10 points.
Choson Koreans
Choson Koreans: unfortunate Koreans of the Joseon dynasty, whom the Japanese knocked about like...
Composition:
- The warband must contain more models of Ranks 0 and 1 than models of Rank 3 and 4.
- For each warrior of Rank 2 there must be at least 4 warriors of Rank 0 and 1.
- No more than one warrior of Rank 4 in the whole warband!
- No more than 10% of warriors may be armed with arquebuses. No more than 50% of warriors may carry missile weapons of any kind at all.
- If the warband includes Monks, it may not include Heavy Cavalry or Heavy Infantry.
Special rules:
One Korean Soldier or Monk may receive a banner for free. He may not acquire additional equipment.
Koreans receive 1 additional victory point for each samurai they kill.
Some Koreans are armed with combat flails. This is a powerful two-handed weapon that gives a -1 penalty to initiative in combat, but gives a +2 bonus to the Attack roll.
Morale: the Koreans' Morale is 7. They are not very sure of themselves, and they fear the samurai like fire from heaven.
Mercenary swords: the Koreans would be glad of someone's help, but so far no crowd of volunteers has been observed...
Choson Korean warriors
Peasant
| Type | Rank | CP | Initiative | Melee | Shooting | Armour | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peasant | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | None | 4 |
- Weapons: Improvised.
- Skills: None.
- Options: None.
Soldier
| Type | Rank | CP | Initiative | Melee | Shooting | Armour | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soldier | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | None | 11 |
- Weapons: Sword.
- Skills: None.
- Options: May take one of: yari, arquebus, bow for +3 points.
Monk
| Type | Rank | CP | Initiative | Melee | Shooting | Armour | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soldier | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | None | 13 |
- Weapons: Sword.
- Skills: Fearless.
- Options: May take one of: yari, arquebus, bow for +3 points.
Captain
| Type | Rank | CP | Initiative | Melee | Shooting | Armour | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soldier | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | None | 14 |
- Weapons: Sword.
- Skills: Commander.
- Options: May take one of: yari, bow for +3 points. May take a shield (light armour) for +1 point.
Heavy Infantry
| Type | Rank | CP | Initiative | Melee | Shooting | Armour | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soldier | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | Heavy | 23 |
- Weapons: Sword and shield.
- Skills: May choose any one skill for +3 points.
- Options: May swap the shield (armour becomes medium) for one of: yari, bow, halberd for +3 points. May swap the shield (armour becomes medium) for a second sword (CP increases to 4) for free.
Heavy Cavalry
| Type | Rank | CP | Initiative | Melee | Shooting | Armour | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soldier | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | Medium | 31 |
- Weapons: Sword and horse.
- Skills: May choose any one skill for +3 points.
- Options: May take a flail or bow for +3 points. May take a second sword (CP increases to 4) for +3 points.
Commander
| Type | Rank | CP | Initiative | Melee | Shooting | Armour | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soldier | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 2 | Heavy | 28 |
- Weapons: Sword and shield.
- Skills: Commander, and may choose up to two skills for +3 points each.
- Options: May swap the shield (armour becomes medium) for one of: yari, bow, halberd for +3 points. May swap the shield (armour becomes medium) for a second sword (CP increases to 5) for free. May take a horse for +10 points.
Ming Chinese
Ming Chinese: troops of the Chinese Ming dynasty, who gave the Japanese a hard time too.
Composition:
- The warband must contain more models of Rank 1 than models of Rank 3 and 4.
- For each warrior of Rank 2 there must be at least 4 warriors of Rank 0 and 1.
- No more than one warrior of Rank 4 in the whole warband!
- No more than 25% of warriors may be armed with arquebuses. No more than 50% of warriors may carry missile weapons of any kind at all.
Special rules:
One soldier may receive a banner for free. He may not acquire additional equipment.
Morale: the Chinese Morale is 9. Out of the general hopelessness of life, Chinese soldiers developed a special steadfastness and discipline.
Mercenary swords: mercenaries are a fine thing, but the Chinese would do well first to feed their own warriors somehow...
Ming Chinese warriors
Soldier
| Type | Rank | CP | Initiative | Melee | Shooting | Armour | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soldier | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | Medium | 15 |
- Weapons: Sword.
- Skills: None.
- Options: May take one of: yari, arquebus, bow for +3 points.
Light Cavalry
| Type | Rank | CP | Initiative | Melee | Shooting | Armour | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soldier | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | None | 28 |
- Weapons: Sword, bow and horse.
- Skills: Bajutsu (printed as "Баюцу" in the Russian text).
- Options: None.
Captain
| Type | Rank | CP | Initiative | Melee | Shooting | Armour | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soldier | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | Medium | 18 |
- Weapons: Sword and shield.
- Skills: Commander.
- Options: May take one of: yari, bow for +3 points.
Heavy Infantry
| Type | Rank | CP | Initiative | Melee | Shooting | Armour | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soldier | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | Heavy | 23 |
- Weapons: Sword and shield.
- Skills: May choose any one skill for +3 points.
- Options: May swap the shield (armour becomes medium) for one of: yari, bow, halberd for +3 points. May swap the shield (armour becomes medium) for a second sword (CP increases to 4) for free.
Heavy Cavalry
| Type | Rank | CP | Initiative | Melee | Shooting | Armour | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soldier | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | Medium | 34 |
- Weapons: Sword, yari and horse.
- Skills: May choose any one skill for +3 points.
- Options: None.
Commander
| Type | Rank | CP | Initiative | Melee | Shooting | Armour | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soldier | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 2 | Heavy | 28 |
- Weapons: Sword and shield.
- Skills: Commander, and may choose up to two skills for +3 points each.
- Options: May swap the shield (armour becomes medium) for one of: yari, bow, halberd for +3 points. May take a horse for +10 points.
Peasants
Peasants: unfortunate Japanese peasants, whom anyone who feels like it insults and despises.
Composition:
- At least 30% of the warband's points must be spent directly on peasants.
Special rules:
The warband gains victory points for plunder. For each warrior who survived and who, during the game, looted at least one enemy of Rank 1 or 2, you gain ½ victory point. For each warrior who survived and who, during the game, looted at least one enemy of Rank 3 or higher, you gain 1 victory point.
Morale: the Peasants' Morale depends directly on how greatly they outnumber the enemy! If the ratio of peasants to enemies is at least 3:1, Morale is 8. At a ratio of 2:1, Morale is 7. In all other cases Morale is 6.
Mercenary swords: you may hire any number of Ronin. A Ronin is always glad to help a peasant, especially if the peasant gives him something for it. You may also hire one Sohei or one Shugyosha (but not both).
Peasant warriors
Peasant
| Type | Rank | CP | Initiative | Melee | Shooting | Armour | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peasant | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | None | 4 |
- Weapons: Improvised.
- Skills: None.
- Options: may take a yari for +4 points.
Swords-for-Hire
Swords-for-hire: assorted mercenaries and simple adventurers out for themselves.
Swords-for-hire do not count towards the composition of your warband. They may not make up more than 25% of the warband's strength, and they may not earn the warband victory points in any way.
Ronin: samurai left without a master and without lands. They did all sorts of things.
Special rules:
Ronin are very unreliable. If your warband's fighting spirit is Wavering, immediately roll a d6 for each Ronin you have. On a 4+ this Ronin will use his next activation to run at full speed towards the nearest table edge. If he is in contact with an enemy, he will try to break contact.
When the warband falls into Panic, no roll is needed at all: the Ronin, without any dice, takes fright and begins to flee in the manner described above.
If your warband includes at least two Ronin, you may also include a Senior Ronin, but no more than one per warband.
Ronin warriors
Ronin
| Type | Rank | CP | Initiative | Melee | Shooting | Armour | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samurai | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | None | 17 |
- Weapons: Katana and wakizashi.
- Skills: May take up to two skills of any kind for +3 points each.
- Options: May take light armour for +2 points. May take medium armour for +4 points. May take heavy armour for +6 points. May take one of: yari, naginata, tetsubo, nodachi, teppo, yumi for +3 points.
Senior Ronin
| Type | Rank | CP | Initiative | Melee | Shooting | Armour | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samurai | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | None | 22 |
- Weapons: Katana and wakizashi.
- Skills: Commander, and may take up to three skills of any kind for +3 points each.
- Options: May take light armour for +2 points. May take medium armour for +4 points. May take heavy armour for +6 points. May take one of: yari, naginata, tetsubo, nodachi, teppo, yumi for +3 points.
Warrior-monk
Warrior-monk: a wandering warrior monk. Sometimes even a decent person.
Special rules:
Like any Sohei, this warrior is Fearless and therefore never takes Morale tests.
Warrior-monk warriors
Sohei
| Type | Rank | CP | Initiative | Melee | Shooting | Armour | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sohei | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | Medium | 16 |
- Weapons: Katana and one of: naginata, tetsubo, yumi.
- Skills: Fearless, and may take up to two skills of any kind for +3 points each.
- Options: may be unarmoured for -4 points.
Shugyosha
Shugyosha: a wandering master of the martial arts, perfecting his mastery.
Special rules:
Masters of this level were rare! Therefore no warband may take more than one.
Shugyosha warriors
Shugyosha
| Type | Rank | CP | Initiative | Melee | Shooting | Armour | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shugyosha | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 3 | None | 28 |
- Weapons: Katana.
- Skills: Commander, and may take up to four skills of any kind for +3 points each.
- Options: May swap the katana for a dze, bo or kusarigama for free. May swap the katana for a naginata, nodachi or tetsubo for +3 points.
Ninja
Ninja: legendary shadow warriors, professional saboteurs, spies and assassins.
Special rules:
Only one ninja may be in your warband. However, you have a choice: use the ninja openly, or take a disguised ninja. If you do not use disguise, use the profile below. In this case the ninja may be deployed anywhere on the table (after both sides have finished deployment), but not closer than 6 inches to enemy warriors.
A disguised ninja appears as one model of Rank 0 or 1 from among those available to you. He is deployed together with the rest of your warband and must not visibly differ or stand out in any way. The ninja even wears armour and weapons similar to the equipment of the character he portrays. You must declare that there is a hidden ninja in your warband. Write on a piece of paper which model he is. He may reveal himself at any moment. Until then the ninja has the parameters of the ordinary model he is disguised as. If the reveal happens during melee, his opponents immediately lose one combat token from their CP, so great is their surprise at meeting the ninja.
By the way, you may deceive the enemy! A player has the right to say that he is using a disguised ninja while not actually having one. Let the opponent rack his brains! However, in this case the deceiving player receives -1 victory point at the end of the scenario.
Ninja warriors
Ninja
| Type | Rank | CP | Initiative | Melee | Shooting | Armour | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ninja | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | Light | 26 |
- Weapons: Katana and shuriken.
- Skills: Acrobatics and one Bujutsu of choice.
- Options: May swap the katana for a kusarigama for free.
Disguised ninja
| Type | Rank | CP | Initiative | Melee | Shooting | Armour | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ninja | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | See special rules | 26 |
- Weapons: Shuriken and everything the portrayed warrior carries.
- Skills: Acrobatics and one Bujutsu of choice.
- Options: None.
Scenarios
Preparation
Game Table
For small games up to and including 100 points, we recommend a 24 by 24 inch table. For games of 100-200 points we recommend a 36 by 36 inch table. For large battles of 300 points and more we recommend a 48 by 48 inch table, or possibly larger...
Terrain
Each scenario specifies recommended terrain and advice on how to lay it out. Meanwhile, if you wish to lay out terrain at random, here are the rules to help you!
Random terrain generation
- First roll a d6 on the Setting table to determine where the battle takes place:
| Roll | Setting | Terrain types |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Urban | Houses, walls, gardens |
| 2-3 | Rural | Fields, streams, rice paddies, peasant huts |
| 4-5 | Wild | Forests, marshes, hills, rivers |
| 6 | Mixed | Roll d6 twice, rerolling any "6"; the mix of the two types rolled |
-
Then determine the total number of terrain pieces: d3+3 for games of up to 200 points, and d3+5 for larger battles.
-
The sizes of the terrain pieces are determined by their total number. Small pieces are up to 6 inches in any dimension, large pieces up to 12 inches in any dimension.
| Total pieces | Of which large | Of which small |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | 1 | 3 |
| 5 | 2 | 3 |
| 6 | 2 | 4 |
| 7 | 3 | 4 |
| 8 | 3 | 5 |
- Divide the table into quarters. Players roll a d6, rerolling ties. The winner places three pieces, one in each of any three quarters (one per quarter). After this the second player may move up to two of these pieces, by up to 6 inches each, in any direction. Then the second player places three (or however many remain) pieces of terrain in three quarters (again no more than one per quarter). The first player may also move up to two of them. This procedure is repeated until all the terrain has been placed.
Weather
Some scenarios call for special weather conditions. If they apply, roll a d6 on the table:
| Roll | Weather | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 1-2 | Fog | Line of sight is limited to 12 inches |
| 3-4 | Rain/Snow | Line of sight is limited to 24 inches; arquebuses may fire only once per game |
| 5-6 | Wind | Bows receive a -1 penalty to shooting all the time |
Time of Day
Battles usually take place in daylight, however some scenarios call for special conditions related to the time of day. If these apply, roll a d6 on the table:
| Roll | Time | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 1-2 | Night | Line of sight is limited to 12 inches |
| 3-4 | Dusk | Line of sight is limited to 18 inches on turn 3, and to 12 inches from turn 4 |
| 5-6 | Dawn | Line of sight is limited to 18 inches, but only on turns 1 and 2 |
Victory Points
In every game the winner is determined by the number of victory points earned. Some factions have special ways of earning victory points, but there are also ways common to all. Here they are:
- Each enemy killed gives a number of victory points equal to its Rank (1/2 for models of Rank 0).
- A captured banner (at the end of the battle) gives 5 victory points.
- Enemies who fled the battlefield give a number of victory points equal to half their Rank (rounded up).
Warband Deployment
There are several different ways of deploying warbands.
Edge deployment. Once the terrain is set up, the players roll a d6. The player who rolls higher chooses his edge and deploys the whole warband within 2 inches of that edge. The second player then deploys from the opposite side.
Corner deployment. Once the terrain is set up, the players roll a d6. The player who rolls higher chooses his corner and deploys the whole warband within 6 inches of that corner. The second player then deploys from the opposite corner.
Reserves. If the reserves rules are used, the players deploy only half of their warband on the table. The rest begin the game in reserve. Half of the reserve (rounded up) enters the table in the Movement Phase of turn 2. The remainder enter in the Movement Phase of turn 3. If a player wishes, he may hold back the entry of his reserves and bring warriors on later. The main thing is not to be late!
Scenario: Clash
In this typical scenario two roughly equally matched warbands meet in an encounter battle.
Scenario conditions
- Forces: both sides have an equal number of points.
- Terrain: use the standard rules.
- Weather: roll a d6. On a 5+ special weather conditions apply (see above).
- Time of day: roll a d6. If a "6" is rolled, roll on the Time of Day table.
- Deployment: both players roll a d6. The player who rolls higher chooses the type of deployment: edge or corner. The reserves rules may be used by mutual agreement of the players.
Victory points
Awarded under the standard rules. In addition, before the start of the game, each player secretly rolls a d6 on the special table below. This is a secret objective: write it down on something. Achieving it immediately gives 5 victory points!
| Roll | Secret objective |
|---|---|
| 1 | Capture alive one warrior of Rank 2 or higher |
| 2 | Control the battlefield by having more warriors than the enemy in each quarter |
| 3 | Kill the enemy Leader |
| 4 | Lose no more than 25% of your warband |
| 5 | Kill 75% or more of the enemy's warriors |
| 6 | Same as the opponent's; if a "6" is rolled by both, there is no objective |
Duration of the game
The game lasts d6+6 turns (determined at the start of the game), or until one of the warbands flees, surrenders, or is wiped out completely.
Scenario: Capture
In this scenario two roughly equally matched warbands fight over the possession of something very valuable. It may be a relic, a treasure, the body of a slain commander, or anything else of equal worth for which it is worth laying down one's head.
Scenario conditions
- Forces: both sides have an equal number of points.
- Terrain: use the standard rules. The key object is placed in the centre of the table, including on or inside a terrain piece if that happens to be the case.
- Weather: roll a d6. On a 5+ special weather conditions apply (see above).
- Time of day: roll a d6. If a "6" is rolled, roll on the Time of Day table.
- Deployment: corner. Reserves are not used.
Victory points
Awarded under the standard rules. The main goal of the battle is the key object. It counts as a Heavy object. A player controls it if at least one model is in base contact with it at the end of the game (when there are no enemies nearby), or if he has managed to carry the object off the table edge. Possession of the object is worth 5 victory points.
Duration of the game
The game lasts 8 turns.
Scenario: Duel
Japanese history is rich in duels. This scenario depicts a situation in which a duel between representatives of two warbands develops into a bloody melee.
Scenario conditions
- Forces: both sides have an equal number of points.
- Terrain: use the standard rules with one exception: the circle 12 inches in diameter in the centre of the table must be free of terrain.
- Weather: roll a d6. On a 5+ special weather conditions apply (see above).
- Time of day: roll a d6. If a "6" is rolled, roll on the Time of Day table.
- Deployment: the players roll a d6. The winner places his warrior anywhere on the edge of the duel circle, and the rest of his warband within 6 inches of the duellist but outside the central circle. The second player places his duellist directly opposite, and the rest of his band in a similar way. Roll a d6 to determine which duellist moves first (this is an exception to the usual Priority rules).
Victory points
Awarded under the standard rules, but taking into account the additional nuances described below.
- Duellists: before the game begins, each warband secretly designates a duellist. Only duellists may enter the central circle and fight there at all. If a duellist is taken out of action, the warband may immediately designate a new duellist to replace him (who may now enter the circle).
- For the first two turns only the duellists may be activated. They may not use missile weapons during these two turns. The other warriors stand in their places, but from turn 3 onwards they may act normally.
- This scenario provides penalties to victory points. A warband whose non-duellist warrior is the first to attack any opponent receives a -2 victory point penalty. A warband whose non-duellist is the first to enter the circle also receives a -2 victory point penalty.
Duration of the game
The game lasts d6+6 turns (determined at the start of the game), or until one of the warbands flees, surrenders, or is wiped out completely.
Scenario: Defence
In this classic scenario one warband, using a considerable superiority in forces, tries to wrest from another some key point: a shrine, a building, a hill, a bridge, or anything else of special value to the warring sides. Their opponent, accordingly, tries to hold the objective at any cost.
Scenario conditions
- Forces: determine which side is the Attacker and which is the Defender (as an option, simply roll a die). The Attacker may spend twice as many points on his warband as the Defender.
- Terrain: use the standard rules with one exception: one small terrain piece must be placed in the centre of the table, and there must be no other terrain pieces within 8 inches of it. This terrain piece must provide Solid cover to those inside it.
- Weather: roll a d6. On a 5+ special weather conditions apply (see above).
- Time of day: roll a d6. If a "6" is rolled, roll on the Time of Day table.
- Deployment: the Defender is deployed first. All of his warriors are deployed within 12 inches of the centre of the table. The Defender then specifies the table edge from which the Attacker deploys. The Attacker's warband must use the Reserves rule!
Victory points
Awarded under the standard rules. In addition, the warband whose warriors control the key object at the end of the battle (that is, no enemy models are inside it and its own models are) receives 10 victory points.
Duration of the game
The game lasts d6+6 turns (determined at the start of the game), or until one of the warbands flees, surrenders, or is wiped out completely.
Scenario: Assassination
A somewhat unusual scenario, in which one warband must prevent the assassination of its Leader by a group of Ninja!
Scenario conditions
- Forces: determine which side is the Attacker and which is the Defender (as an option, simply roll a die). The Defender recruits a warband of 150 points. The Attacker has a special task force consisting of 1 Chunin and 5 Ninja!
- Terrain: once the type of setting and the number of terrain pieces have been determined, the Attacker places all of the terrain as he wishes. The Defender may then move up to half of the pieces by up to 6 inches.
- Weather: roll a d6. On a 5+ special weather conditions apply (see above). The Attacker may, at his discretion, reroll this roll OR the roll on the special weather table, if special weather does apply.
- Time of day: roll a d6. If a "6" is rolled, roll on the Time of Day table. The Attacker may, at his discretion, reroll this roll OR the roll on the Time of Day table, if the first roll was a "6".
- Deployment: use a 36 by 36 inch table. The Attacker deploys the Defender's warband as he wishes, within 12 inches of the table edge. He then deploys his shadow warriors anywhere on the table, but not closer than 9 inches to enemy models. After this the Defender may move up to half of his warriors, by up to 6 inches. Then the Attacker may completely reposition up to two shadow warriors to another place.
Victory points
The Attacker's aim is to kill the Leader of the enemy warband. The Defender's aim is to prevent the enemy from doing so. The victory point rules are not used in this scenario.
Duration of the game
The game lasts d6+6 turns (determined at the start of the game), or until one of the warbands flees, surrenders, or is wiped out completely.
Special rules: Shadow warriors
The Attacker's warband consists of 5 Ninja and 1 Chunin. Use the profiles given below. On the first turn this warband automatically wins Priority. Ninja must not take Morale tests under any circumstances.
Shadow warriors
Ninja
| Type | Rank | CP | Initiative | Melee | Shooting | Armour | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ninja | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | Light | - |
- Weapons: Katana and shuriken.
- Skills: Acrobatics and Kenjutsu.
Chunin
| Type | Rank | CP | Initiative | Melee | Shooting | Armour | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ninja | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 2 | Light | - |
- Weapons: Katana and shuriken.
- Skills: Acrobatics and Kenjutsu.
Scenario: Tournament
This is a special scenario in which two warbands take part in contests to determine the strongest warriors. No terrain is needed, and the whole tournament is in effect a chain of duels. It may take place in the courtyard of a castle or in a large tournament hall.
Scenario conditions
- Forces: points are not used. The players agree how many warriors, and of what Rank, will take part. These warriors may be equipped in any way.
- Terrain: only a 12-inch circle for duels is needed.
- Weather: the weather is good.
- Time of day: it is day now, and if it is night, there are many torches, bonfires or lanterns around.
- Deployment: special rules are used.
Victory points
The victory point rules are not used. See the special rules below.
Duration of the game
The game lasts until one of the warbands surrenders, or until all the duels are finished.
Special rules: Bloody sport!
Each player secretly determines the order in which his warriors will fight. The lists are then compared, and a series of duels begins. The duel between each pair of warriors lasts 6 turns. If no one has died by the end of turn 6, the winner is whoever has gained more points. A Light Wound is worth 1 point, a Serious Wound 2 points, and a Critical Wound 3 points. A draw is possible.
The warband that wins more duels is the winner. If the number of wins is equal, the warband whose warriors have gained more points wins. If this too is equal, a final fight takes place between the surviving warriors of the highest Ranks. There is no time limit here: the duel continues until there is a winner. Note that wounds received by these warriors in previous fights are carried over.
Scenario: Village Defence
Another classic scenario, in which warriors of one warband must protect a group of peaceful villagers from the warriors of another warband. The villagers are cowardly and wretched, but sometimes they can offer the enemy a certain resistance!
Scenario conditions
- Forces: both sides have an equal number of points. Determine which side is the Attacker and which is the Defender (as an option, simply roll a die). For every 25 points that the players may spend on their warbands, one peaceful villager will also take part in the game (that is, in a 200-point game there will be 8, for example).
- Terrain: the Defender places all of the terrain. It is highly desirable to have at least one building (otherwise what sort of village is it, damn it?).
- Weather: roll a d6. On a 5+ special weather conditions apply (see above).
- Time of day: roll a d6. If a "6" is rolled, roll on the Time of Day table.
- Deployment: the Defender is deployed first. He may place his warriors and villagers anywhere on the game table. Then the Attacker is deployed. He may place his warriors anywhere within 3 inches of any table edge. The village is surrounded, so it is not necessary for everyone to come in from one side.
Victory points
Awarded under the standard rules. In addition, the Defender receives 3 victory points for each villager who survives to the end of the game. The Attacker receives 3 victory points for each villager killed.
Duration of the game
The game lasts until one of the warbands flees, surrenders, or is wiped out completely.
Special rules: "Peaceful" villagers
Villagers may move once in each Movement Phase, by up to 6 inches, if a friendly warrior within 6 inches of them is activated. Otherwise they cannot move. They also cannot leave the battlefield. The Morale of the warband defending them does not apply to the villagers: they are completely Fearless (or too stupid to be afraid).
Villagers are peaceful precisely because they cannot voluntarily come into contact with enemy models. If the enemy attacks them, roll a d6: on a result of 1-3 the villager is considered to have CP and Melee equal to 0 (that is, almost defenceless). On a result of 4-6 use the profile given below. The same profile is used when shooting at villagers.
Villagers
Villager
| Type | Rank | CP | Initiative | Melee | Shooting | Armour | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peasant | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | None | - |
- Weapons: Improvised.
- Skills: None.
Campaigns
Short Campaign
Campaigns can add some fun to your games. There are different ways to run a campaign. Here is one option, well suited to two players who are ready to devote 1-2 days to a campaign (more than enough time for such a campaign).
Each player builds a Large Warband, for example of 300 points, using the standard restrictions for building a warband of their type. Each player then secretly divides these forces into three detachments. The standard restrictions do not apply here; warriors may be grouped in any way. Each detachment must consist of 25-50% of the total cost of your Large Warband.
The player then, again secretly, assigns these detachments to three missions: Clash, Capture and Defence (the detachment of lowest cost will be the Defender). Play all three scenarios in turn, recording which models are wounded or taken out of action. After this, the remains of the detachments take part in a large final Clash, the result of which determines the winner of the Campaign.
Logically, warriors who received Critical Wounds cannot take part in the final battle. Warriors with Light Wounds are healed completely. Warriors with Serious Wounds may take part in the final battle if they roll 4+ on a d6; otherwise their wounds are too dangerous and painful for that.
Long (Progressive) Campaign
This is well suited to several players who regularly play against each other and want to add some spice to their games, as well as to follow the evolution (or degradation) of their warbands. Potentially such a campaign may last indefinitely.
All warriors in the warbands start with Experience equal to 0. Afterwards, record how much Experience each warrior gains:
- Survived a battle: +1
- Inflicted a wound (Light, Serious, Critical) on an enemy of equal or higher Rank: +1
- Captured a banner (or recaptured your own that was taken by the enemy): +1
Once a warrior has accumulated enough experience, he may spend it to gain a promotion. The amount of Experience needed for promotion depends on the warrior's Rank:
| Promotion | Experience required |
|---|---|
| Rank 0 to Rank 1 | 5 |
| Rank 1 to Rank 2 | 5 |
| Rank 2 to Rank 3 | 5 |
| Rank 3 to Rank 4 | 10 |
| Rank 4 to Rank 5 | 15 |
On promotion a warrior automatically gains access to all the options, Skills and equipment corresponding to his new Rank. The following nuances apply (for warbands that have several types of troops at each Rank):
- Ikko-Ikki: a Monto may become a Sohei, but a Sohei in turn may become a Senior Sohei, and then an Abbot (see the Sohei warband).
- Koreans: a Captain may choose whether to become Heavy Infantry or Heavy Cavalry.
- Chinese: a Captain may choose whether to become Heavy Infantry or Heavy Cavalry. Only a Soldier equipped with a bow may become Light Cavalry. Light Cavalry may become Heavy Cavalry, but to do so it must accumulate enough experience to skip two steps at once!
Appendix: Other Periods
Kamakura
This period allows you to play out early clashes between samurai and the Mongol invasion. Use the following warbands, with the changes indicated.
Bushi
This warband fully suits the period, but with the following reservations:
- All samurai wear medium armour and cost 2 points less.
- Samurai must choose Kudzyutsu (printed as "Кудзюцу" in the Russian text) and Bajutsu first, and only then other skills.
- Samurai may not attack one enemy in pairs (it is not dignified).
- Arquebuses have not yet been brought.
- Ashigaru (more correctly called Chelyad) wear only light armour and cost 2 points less.
- Mercenary Ninja are not used in this period.
Mongols
This warband uses warriors from the Ming Chinese list, and may also use Soldiers and Captains from the Choson Koreans warband. The following amendments apply:
- The Morale of the Mongol warband is 9.
- Arquebuses have not yet been invented, but all warriors who could be armed with arquebuses may, for the same points, arm themselves with one grenade instead.
- Grenade: has a fire range of 6 inches. Single use. It is thrown not at an enemy but at a point on the table (so the point has no armour, although cover may apply). If the attack is unsuccessful, nothing happens. If it is successful, everyone who was at least partly within 2 inches of the point of explosion must roll a d6 and add their armour factor. Subtract the sum from 7 and look up the final result on the wounds table.
Bandits
Use the warband unchanged, except without arquebuses and heavy armour.
Sohei
Use the warband unchanged, but remember that arquebuses have not yet arrived.
End of the Edo Era
This period tells of civil war and uprisings in Japan at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. "The Last Samurai" and all that.
Special rules
Rifle: counts as an arquebus, but does not need to be reloaded. It fires once per turn. Its range penalty is the same as for a bow. It is equipped with a bayonet: in melee it gives +1 to the warrior's Initiative.
Revolver: has a firing range of 12 inches. At distances over 6 inches it receives a -1 penalty to hit. It may be fired twice per turn (as with a bow). Armour counts as one class worse against revolver shots.
New warrior types
Soldier
| Type | Rank | CP | Initiative | Melee | Shooting | Armour | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soldier | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | None | 16 |
- Weapons: Rifle with bayonet.
- Skills: None.
- Options: None.
Captain
| Type | Rank | CP | Initiative | Melee | Shooting | Armour | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soldier | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | None | 16 |
- Weapons: Katana and revolver.
- Skills: Commander.
- Options: None.
Factions
Shinsengumi
Shinsengumi: a metropolitan samurai militia loyal to the Emperor.
To represent the warriors of this cheerful lot, use the Bushi warband with the following changes:
- Only warriors of type Samurai may be used.
- Nobody wears armour.
- At least 75% of warriors must be armed only with katanas and wakizashis.
- The Leader may take a revolver for +3 points.
- No mercenaries.
The same conditions apply to assembling a band of Shogunate supporters.
Imperialist Troops
Imperialist Troops: troops loyal to the Emperor who took part in the Boshin War of 1868-69.
To represent units of the Imperial Army, use the Bushi warband with the following changes:
- At least half of the warriors must be Soldiers (see the profile above).
- For each 5 Soldiers, one Captain may be taken (see the profile above).
- No mercenaries.
- Victory points are no longer given for collecting heads. This is an anachronism.
Shogunate Troops
Shogunate Troops: Shogunate troops who took part in the Boshin War of 1868-69.
To represent units of the Shogunate, use the Bushi warband with the following changes:
- No more than half of the warriors may be Soldiers (see the profile above).
- For each 5 Soldiers, one Captain may be taken (see the profile above).
- No mercenaries.
- Victory points are no longer given for collecting heads. This is an anachronism.
Imperial and Shogunate troops may also be used to play out the Satsuma Rebellion, the last major samurai revolt against the new government of Japan.
Yakuza
Yakuza: powerful criminal organisations that emerged in those wonderful times.
Use the Bandits, with the following changes:
- Nobody wears armour.
- The warband's Leader may take a revolver for +3 points.
Sohei
Use the warband unchanged.
Koryu
Use the warband unchanged.