Samurai SITREP

A few different things going on with my "Sharp Katanas" project this past week. 

A blog reader very kindly sent me his never been played copy of Dux Britannarium. I'm not keen on the fixed force sizes, or tactical options being limited to a hand of cards, but it has some interesting ideas to mine nonetheless. 

I should probably try it straight up with my Middle Earth figures. Or the fan-made Dux Arda variations. 

Cards aren't even unwrapped!

Now that I'm done the bandits, I'm trying to get the regular troops built to roughly equal numbers. Getting paint on figures I had already primed 9 years ago will roughly balance the sides, and give me something to play with. 

A while back Pasha Dan gave me a sprue of Warlord Games plastic ashigaru missile troops that he'd gotten free with a copy of Wargames Illustrated. 

I figured I'd try making some commanders and ammunition carriers for the archers and matchlock squads. 

Oof. The separate legs seem a bit much. And some of the torsos come in two halves.

At least there are pegs so you don't inadvertently select 2 left feet

Two piece torso? Really dude? Note large arrow quiver for ammunition carrier.

The details are very soft compared with modern plastics and figures are also missing the waist sash to thrust their swords through. The observant among you will notice an important detail: no base!

The ammunition carrier doesn't look too bad. But the teppo no gashira (commander of a musket squad) just looks.... odd. The way he's waving his staff just seems awkward. 

Since Wargames Factory designed the sprue to be part of a box with multiple sprues, there is only one pair of arms for holding the straps on a heavy ammunition pack. Poo.

Part of my mind says "just bin them!" The other part says "faff around and see if you can get anything useful out of them, what have you got to lose?" Maybe I'll play around and see if I can cut some other arms to have them holding pack straps. 

Back when I started this, I had megalomaniac dreams of a second contingent for my Daimyo. Same mon, just different colours. 

So I did a basic 100 point Ronin buntai of 1 samurai, 2 ashigaru with yari, 1 bow and 1 teppo with lovely red armour and coordinating yellow clothes and sashimono. 

Now they rather stick out. And I'm not thrilled with the yellow sashimono either. 

I hate the idea of stripping and repainting them. I also rather like the red lacquered armour. I am going to repaint the sashimono to match the others and reinforce them with a few more figures to make a personal guard for my Daimyo and his great banners.