At long last, almost three years since I visited Japan and started developing this project, I finally got round to testing the Ronin rules with Andy.
Ronin is a short set of rules produced by Osprey. The rulebook also contains lots of information for different Buntai (groups) and a set of scenarios. It has the standard Initiative - Move - Combat sequence but has two important characteristics that make it different from the Warhammer skirmish games we play (Legends of the Old West, and Legends of the High Seas).
The first characteristic is that instead of a player moving all their figures before the other player, the players move one figure each alternately, so you feel more like you are playing with a set of individuals than a group. The second characteristic is how hand-to-hand combat works.
Ronin uses a (as far as I know) unique system of combat counters. Each figure has a rank of 1 to 5 with a corresponding number of combat counters (black and white Go counters). During combat, characters use black counters to attack, white to defend, and further black counters to enhance initiative and attack roles. Players select a different set of counters for each combat so there is a need to think what your opponent might do and then what risks to take with whether to enhance your rolls or not. We had a quick one-on-one fight to test this (which pleasingly was won by the first figure I finished painting) and found it was much simpler to play than it is to describe!
Then the first proper game - a standard skirmish on a two feet square board with a bamboo grove and a couple of buildings.
We had three Samurai figures each. I made up stats cards for each character.
The three Buntai started on opposite corners of the playing area...
...but were quickly facing up to each other...
...and then getting stuck in:
Blood was spilt and James' Buntai was victorious - earning 9 Victory Points for killing Andy's three Rank 3 Samurai.
We then tried another skirmish with a larger Buntai and some additional random minor objectives (e.g. kill the Leader, kill 75% of the enemy). Each Buntai had a Rank 4 Samurai, two Rank 3 Samurai, two Ikko Ikki and a Ninja as a "sword for hire".
Starting from opposite edges of the playing area, the figures again quickly closed up...
...and then got stuck in:
This time Andy wiped out James' Buntai, losing half his figures the process, and so winning 18 Victory Points to 9.
It was great to finally play with these figures and a relief to find the rules are good to play. Given the focus on individual figures rather than groups, Ronin will easily work with more players without the need to create complicated multi-Buntai scenarios.
Ronin is a short set of rules produced by Osprey. The rulebook also contains lots of information for different Buntai (groups) and a set of scenarios. It has the standard Initiative - Move - Combat sequence but has two important characteristics that make it different from the Warhammer skirmish games we play (Legends of the Old West, and Legends of the High Seas).
The first characteristic is that instead of a player moving all their figures before the other player, the players move one figure each alternately, so you feel more like you are playing with a set of individuals than a group. The second characteristic is how hand-to-hand combat works.
Ronin uses a (as far as I know) unique system of combat counters. Each figure has a rank of 1 to 5 with a corresponding number of combat counters (black and white Go counters). During combat, characters use black counters to attack, white to defend, and further black counters to enhance initiative and attack roles. Players select a different set of counters for each combat so there is a need to think what your opponent might do and then what risks to take with whether to enhance your rolls or not. We had a quick one-on-one fight to test this (which pleasingly was won by the first figure I finished painting) and found it was much simpler to play than it is to describe!
Then the first proper game - a standard skirmish on a two feet square board with a bamboo grove and a couple of buildings.
We had three Samurai figures each. I made up stats cards for each character.
The three Buntai started on opposite corners of the playing area...
...but were quickly facing up to each other...
...and then getting stuck in:
Blood was spilt and James' Buntai was victorious - earning 9 Victory Points for killing Andy's three Rank 3 Samurai.
We then tried another skirmish with a larger Buntai and some additional random minor objectives (e.g. kill the Leader, kill 75% of the enemy). Each Buntai had a Rank 4 Samurai, two Rank 3 Samurai, two Ikko Ikki and a Ninja as a "sword for hire".
Starting from opposite edges of the playing area, the figures again quickly closed up...
...and then got stuck in:
This time Andy wiped out James' Buntai, losing half his figures the process, and so winning 18 Victory Points to 9.
It was great to finally play with these figures and a relief to find the rules are good to play. Given the focus on individual figures rather than groups, Ronin will easily work with more players without the need to create complicated multi-Buntai scenarios.
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