Ono Onomoro's Failure...

As well as our Bolt Action game last week, Phil and I managed to try out a game using the latest stage of 'Funsen', my Japan in the Age of Wars skirmish rules which are in development. They are still at a fairly rough and ready stage, but I feel they are shaping up nicely for large skirmishes, and small battles if you don't mind rolling a few dice!  I've developed a set of campaign rules to use with them, which will allow games to be inter related and more meaningful without the need for reams of record keeping and these will be included in the final rulebook. The first picture gives you an idea of what a 6' 4' game table might look like.

The second picture allows a closer look at the small farm I've made up using buildings from JJD and accessories from Oshiro. I chose the JJD buildings over the more accurate Oshiro ones as they had removable roofs, a must in a skirmish game I think. The bridge to the left, together with the small shrine in picture one, were from our local Garden Centre and came ready painted for about £8 for the two.

While the game is played at a 1:1 ratio of figures to men {and women} I think movement tray speed up the earlier movement of groups of figures. I got mine from Warbases, whose excellent service included making the command bases incorporating pill and circular slots to my design at very reasonable cost. As you can see, I've yet to texture and tuft some of the movement trays though... The next pictures will, I hope, give you a brief flavour of the flow of the game together with a sneak view of its outcome.

As the game is driven by drawing cards {See an earlier Blog entry for detailed views} even the best laid plans can be undone. As it turned out our Ashigaru were left well behind by our Samurai Lords and  their lesser Samurai retainers and bodyguards. While earlier exchanges favoured our hero ~ in red ~ things can change quite quickly...

Already Ono Onomoro has lost two wounds, represented by removing two of the four figures on his base, while he has also seen one Samurai retainer killed and two more wounded.

And, sure enough, two rounds and two wounds later, Onomoro is laid low. Not dead, but definitely feeling the worse for wear. You may just see his first Ashigaru unit in the distance.... In all the game lasted about an hour and a half and allowed for about twelve turns. As we were making slight ammendments as we went along, we could probably have fitted about two more turns otherwise into that time. Now, back to painting the last five Chindits for Burma 1944...