Samurai Blades in Miniature.

Back in the early 80's one of my first ventures into wargaming gaming was the excellent Cry Havoc Medieval skirmish game by Standard Games, they are tucked away in the cupboard earmarked for one of those projects to turn to miniature.

So you can imagine how quick I was to volunteers when Dane over at the Wyverns was looking for playtesters having turned SAMURAI BLADES into a minaitures game using Steve Barbers 40mm Samurai range and Paul at Kallistra's Hexon terrain.

I was 13 all over again.....

Game 1

The local monks had long believed they were except from taxes, but the local warlord was not a religous man and believed the monies could be put to better use.

The attackers have 10 turns to break into the temple and loot it's contents, the defenders simply need to prevent this.

Danes raiding party advances on to the table, archers and mounted Samurai cover all approches to the temple, each character has stats for healthy and injured, we are still giving some consideration on how best to note these stats during game play.

My Warrior Monks and Ronin hide behind the woods as the raiders close in on the front gate, each figure fills a single hex which makes every move important to bring the best fighters to bear, but also to ensure you don't leave yourself surrounded with nowhere to fall back to.

3 Turns in, I sally forth from the temple looking to pin the attackers and wind the clock down, the mounted Samurai sweep round the flanks and Yari look to slip in through the back window as my defnders are engaged at the front of the temple.

By turn 10 the last monk has fallen, a single ronin holds the gate but Yari have broken into the building. - A slight victory to the attackers.

Game 2
Time to swap sides and avenge the warrior monks.

Archery in Samurai Blades can be rather deadly with kills on a 1,2 (D10), the temple has little cover outside and there is insufficent room to house all the defenders, so by flanking the temple with the mounted Samurai and Yari archers, I am able to pick off the defenders including in the first turn a warrior monk archer ..... ouch. 

My foot Samurai advance on the gate, no one appears fearful of the archers deadly fire........

Turn 8 - Banking on the offensive power of the mounted Samurai I break through the gate, the court yard is crowded, but with combat odds of 3:1 the defenders are injured and then dispatched, without any losses to the attackers...

It's fair to say all of the Monks luck must have been spent in the first game.

A cracking nights play and a real throw back to the early days of gaming, I can feel another project coming on...

The original maps and counters can be found here.

 http://www.cryhavocfan.org/eng/suite/concepts.htm