Despite trying to wear my 'sensible hat' these past few days, I have succumbed to doing a (currently) small Samurai project, inspired by watching the current re-make of 'Shogun' on Disney+. As I think I mentioned before, my knowledge of this 'period' is rather lacking, with anything that passes for it based upon those superb Kurosawa films we used to see on the BBC. To significantly expand upon this 'knowledge', I decided to buy the following book as a good starting point:
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| I have a variety of these 'sourcebooks' for other periods, which have all been excellent, so this seemed a perfect starting point. At over 300 pages and packed full of detail, it will help me to get a good grounding to move forward. It was also less than the price of a second hand Osprey book! |
Games wise there are plenty of options in my current rules collection, from small scales skirmish, right up to large scale battles. They are:
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| My preference is certainly for small scale actions using these rules, and whilst surfing the next, I came across some very useful lists on Michael Leck's Blog. You could of course use 'Lion Rampant' too. |
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| For larger games, Warlord Games have published the following Army Lists to be used with these rules. Highly unlikely for me to be honest, but good to know should things change... |
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| This book contains a complete set of rules for gaming the Samurai period in question, so I could use either blocks/counters, 2mm figures or simply bases from 'The Pikemen's Lament' forces, with this being the easiest option. |
So looking at the sample lists on Michael Leck's Blog, I've already put in an order with Pendraken, based upon these, but with some additions so that I can field some Ikko Ikki warrior monks cum rebellious villagers etc. Having just watched the latest episode of 'Shogun', I'm now going to add some archers and mounted Samurai, to give me some more flexibilty for forces and scenarios.
I'm in two minds about adding sashimono banners to the figures, as they seem to not have been used in smaller actions, but they do really help add to the look of the period, so may use them for the leader only.
I've also pondered using some of the ECW troops for a bit of a 'what if?', where the Dutch East Indies Company, the East India Company and Portugese/Spanish had some troops being used by both sides. Not historically accurate as far as I can tell, but it could be fun. I've also remembered that I have a ship model somewhere that could make a nice piece on the coast for part of a campaign, battle and storyline etc.
TTFN.
Good luck with your researches Steve. The Samurai Sourcebook sounds perfect.
ReplyDeleteTo my mind there seem so many nuances to Japanese warfare that it seems difficult to know where to start - (1) pick a date and then “build” an army for that specific period or (2) find figures that you like and then see what historical error they are suitable for. Which? With British warfare clothing changed a heck of a lot between, for example 1600 and 1650 or 1650 and 1700.
Cheers,
Geoff
Thanks Geoff. I'm drawn to the Sengoku period, as there are lots of small actions, a mix of weapons and the armour is become simpler, so easier to paint!
DeleteGreat choice for a new project! I will be very interested in seeing where you come down on how these armies actually fought. Will your armies fight in integrated, combined weapons' units or as individual, "same" weapons' units? Skirmish-style battles or larger battles?
ReplyDeleteI'm hope it will be a good choice Jon! From the quick scanning of the book so far, archers were mixed with arquebuses, as the former could shoot more quickly and more accurately, but needed lots of training to do so. Yari armed troops (pike/spearmen) fought more loosely than European pike blocks, but could form up against cavalry. Samurai would carry bows and katanas or other hand weapons. Still early days so the reading-cum-research is still on going.
DeleteTo start with, it will be skirmish style games, as it gives plenty of opportunity for narrative campaigns based around minor clans etc fighting for control of something. Whether it grows from this level I doubt it, but you never know...
Naughty, naughty butterfly 🦋 😋!! I would think for Samurai, larger figures and smaller scale actions would be the way I would go, as half the attraction is the aesthetic appeal of the arnour and clothing eg what Dean at WAB Corner is currently working on....have fun painting the armour on 10mm figures, Steve!!
ReplyDeleteNaughty indeed Keith! Whilst the aesthetic appeal is certainly strong, for my current planned Sengoku period, the ornate armour had reduced, becoming simpler and less decorative, or at least that's my understanding so far. Sadly as much as I might want to do lots of detail, my shaky painting arm prevents me, which is also a good excuse to keep it simple, certainly in 10mm!
DeleteKeith, I pursued exactly the opposite track! I much prefer fighting entire battles rather than skirmishing.
DeleteThe trend for some time has been for skirmish level games, for multiple periods, with this certainly being true of Samurai games. At shows I've seen lots of games set at this level, but I did see a large Samurai game at Colours last year, which did look mightily impressive. If I wanted to scale up so to speak, the the Portable Wargames variant is an easy option for sure.
DeleteWell, I am no trendsetter.
DeleteA trendsetter for zoom games though Jon, so not all bad.
DeleteHello old chap,
ReplyDeleteThere is something definitely appealing about the whole Samurai thing for sure! I must admit that my whole interest in the period has been inspired by Shogun - I played an awful lot of the Bushido RPG back in the day - and more recently by The Last Samurai. The latter is certainly a Hollywood interpretation
but what the heck - it looked really good!
I like the idea of skirmishes and large scale actions and have plans to do something with the figures from the boardgame Shogun.
Actually I am more likely to look at the naval side but don’t tell anyone!
10mm would be a great scale though.
All the best,
DC
The original Shogun certainly appeals to those of a certain age for sure David; ditto The Seven Samurai when I first saw it. The Last Samurai is superb to look at for sure!
DeleteI'm aiming for some small games to start with and then I reckon I have enough figures and options for some larger scale actions, but certainly not big battles.
Samurai as a new project is something you can really throw yourself into as there seems so much to learn and explore. Stephen Turnbull seems to be the ‘go to’ authority.
ReplyDeleteAs it is a whole new period for me Norm, there is a lot to learn about for sure. So far I'm really enjoying it and getting my head around new terminologies etc. Stephen Turnbull certainly is the leading Western authority as far as I can tell. I imagine I might get another book or two of his...
DeleteI would go with banners as they as really make the units stand out on the tabletop. Good idea to start with pikeman’s lament and the rules variations on offer for skirmish games. Good luck with your new project.
ReplyDeleteThanks Peter! I ordered some banners last night to at least make the leaders stand out and to help identify which units belongs to which commander.
DeleteI’m staying well away from it Steve. I have enough projects in mind without torturing myself watching TV series. 😉
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the project. I’m sure it’ll look amazing.
Chris/Nundanket
"I can resist anything except temptation!" I think old Oscar Wilde might have been a wargamer as I think that quote applies to all of us;). Watching the current series really pushed me into this new project for sure, so maybe you are wise to stay away, as like you, I have plenty of projects as it is and wasn't planning on starting any new ones!
DeleteGood luck with the new project Steve. I'm sure that it will bring you joy. I would go with the banners though. But I'm not doing it, so only your decisions matter.
ReplyDeleteThanks Richard! As mentioned, I've ordered some sashimono banners, plus after today's morning read, they had some pretty cool 3D ones that could be fun to scratch build:).
DeleteSamurai stuff looking really interesting!
ReplyDeleteGood luck for your plans sir!
Thanks Michal!
DeleteALL projects start small.... lol
ReplyDeletedude, the banners on the backs of men is half the fun. though i could never understand how one fought with a flag on their back...
good luck with the project. I know very little about samurai, so you'll have to teach me. 😁
I'm worrying whether this acorn will quickly grow into an oak tree😉! I too wondered how the hell they fought with that on their back, even with it loosely held, but they obviously did. Don't expect great lessons from me...
DeleteA small project.....hhhmmm why am I now staring at a pile of AWI in 10 mm :-) Sounds like a great couple of projects Steve looking forward to see how it shapes up....
DeleteCheers
Stu
Small projects rarely, if ever, stay this way! Fingers crossed I might make some progress on these this year, subject to the usual caveats of real life and of course the flap of butterfly wings;)!
DeleteYou mad fool! I recommend using 40mm figures and putting together armies of at least 1000 figures each. You can do conversions or simply sculpt your own figures for those items not available from figure manufacturers. Shouldn't take more than 15 years or so.
ReplyDeleteMad indeed Keith, but it keeps me happy (I think)😉! The idea of even painting or converting a few figures for some of the Samurai skirmish games makes me go cold at the thought.
DeleteSounds like an excellent idea! I like Stephen Turnbulls style of writing . Having a bit of Japanese heritage I am very tempted but it will be further down the line and in 28mm so a bit of an undertaking, I shall just watch yours for now!
ReplyDeleteBest Iain caveadsum1471
Thanks Iain! I've enjoyed Turnbull's book, which has given me a good overview as well as an insight into Japanese and Samurai culture. Always good to learn something new for sure. 28mm whilst it certainly looks superb, is a step too far for me, but look forward to seeing what you do when you're ready.
DeleteLove the title of this blog post (😁 ). I’m not a samurai buff, so probably shouldn’t comment, but the Portable Wargame series ticks all the boxes for me, and gives a fun game.
ReplyDeleteAll the best progressing the project 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
I'm glad someone spotted my cunningly clever title😉😆! I'm not a Samurai buff either, but am certainly enjoying learning about the period Martin. I've enjoyed the PW series, but not played for sometime, as other games tick all the boxes for me. When the figures arrive and are painted (no prmoises on date!) then I think I will give the Samurai variant a run out or two...
DeleteWe used Pikeman's Lament for several times. Not the best representation of TYW-warfare - but it's possible to play a fast game in an hour. I hope to see interesting games. I do use my typical 1/72 figures - as you use very small figures for skirmish too.
ReplyDeleteThe joy of the Dan Mersey's rules is that they are fun, have the same broad mechanic and as you say, you can finish a game in an hour or so. If you wanted to a small campaign could be played over an evening if you were quick. I see other Bloggers using the Zvezda Samurai and nice to see smaller figures getting a look in:).
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