Friday, March 14, 2014

Turning Japanese

I've been wanting to do some kind of Samurai gaming for years now. Well something more than the Milton Bradley game Shogun.



Don't get me wrong, Shogun (now I believe relabeled Samurai Swords), is a very fun game. But something a bit more tactical and miniature wargamey is also desired. I've read loads of books on the subject over the years and the Age of War just pushes all my wargaming buttons.

I tried to talk the boys into 15mm Peter Pig and their Battles in the Age of War rules which I tried at Historicon back in 2008 (the only year I went). It is a great game. I thought we could each raise a clan and then armies would be determined by who showed up to play and which side they wanted to fight on that night.

No real takers. One guy wanted to do it with the 28mm Perry figures, which yes, are gorgeous, but were out of my price range at the time. Especially for an army.

But now Mikey has bought a copy of Ronin from me, and the other day he was showing me the lovely Perry Samurai figures he got cheap at the Cold Wars flea market.

This is eliciting some promise. Start small and skirmishy with Mikey. Then if interest continues to be maintained, build forces up to have armies and fight battles with Hail Caesar (or even Battles in the Age of War). Sabot basing makes things totally flexible. I do, after all, fight my North West Frontier battles with Black Powder using individually based figures.

The new 4Ground Samurai buildings are also very pretty and make having some nice buildings pretty easy. I like terrain. Terrain is a real crucial factor with skirmish games.

And gee, I happen to be able to get all the needed stuff wholesale now.

Just need to get some cherry trees.

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5 comments:

  1. Dr. Willett's WorkshopMarch 14, 2014 at 1:07 PM

    I recently played "Sekigahara" and really liked it. It's not miniature wargamey, you use blocks instead of models but it felt very epic and japanese. Check it on BGG if you've got time...

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  2. timMarch 14, 2014 at 4:10 PM

    It was renamed Samurai Swords. The current incarnation of the game is called Ikusa.

    Ronin is a lot of fun. I recently ran a weekend Ronin campaign/tournament:

    http://saskminigamer.blogspot.ca/2014/02/10th-annual-wargaming-birthday-bash.html

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    Replies
    1. JamesMarch 14, 2014 at 9:29 PM

      Looks like a hoot! Nice tables and buntai.

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  3. Silver WhistleMarch 16, 2014 at 3:46 PM

    Makes a lot of sense, collect for skirmish games and build the collection up.
    Perry figures, 4ground buildings and the Ronin rule book, I am tempted myself.

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  4. JamesMarch 16, 2014 at 6:43 PM

    Yup the more I ponder it, the better it seems. It also has the advantages of a ready opponent in Mikey, and it's 25mm, visually appealing and no tanks all of which get Mrs. Rabbitman's stamp of approval

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