Battle of Ichi-no-Tani using Lion Rampant

Here's the Battle of Ichi-no-Tani using Lion Rampant. I slightly modified the rules a bit by making all units 6-figures, and also upping the Armour save to 2 from 1 for the Bidower classed Chugen/Ashigaru. Mounted and foot Samurai were classed as Serjeants and armed with bows; the foot Samurai were upgraded to Expert. Warrior Monks were also classed as Serjeants and given the Fleet Footed special rule.  In the actual historical battle, the Taira forces were decimated, yet a remnant managed to make it out to sea. Another deviation from history had Minamoto Yoshitsune, the hero of the actual battle, killed off in this game.

Pre-game set up showing the nomimal placement of troops. The Victory Conditions for the Taira were either getting at least 50% of their troops off table using the watercraft beached along the shore - or killing at least 50% of the attacking Minamoto forces. The Minamoto's Victory Condition was simple - kill off at least 50% of the Taira.

Minamoto Yoshitsune and his loyal companion, Benkei lead the Minamoto cavalry. Their descent from the sheer cliffs behind the Taira camp is still remembered as a legendary feat.

Fleet footed warrior monks allied with the Minamoto break through into the Taira stronghold from thick forests. The surprised lower classed Chugen will soon be decimated, even with their increased Armour save of 2.

On the opposite side of the Taira camp, Minamoto Yoshitsune counter attacks Taira foot samurai - their red banner bearing the clan's butterfly crest. This engagement was more evenly matched with equal amounts of casualties. Both units passed their Courage tests and had the attacking Taira retreating to lick their wounds.

Minamoto foot samurai having attacked and successfully breaking a portion of the Taira barricade are ready to move in.

Another unit of Minamoto cavalry counter attacks Taira foot samurai in the center of the Taira stronghold. Again, another evenly matched fight, with the Taira retreating back as a result.

Now it is the Minamoto cavalry's turn to attack the Taira, who are now backed up against the wall of their fortress. The Taira foot samurai held their own and made the Minamoto attackers retreat after this round of combat. Note the Taira chugen bowmen along the walls. This unit was allowed to fire half their shooting dice on either side from the main gate. They also had a special rule to dismount from the wall and form into a unit on their next turn.

Sohei warrior monks having turned the Taira right flank within the stronghold move towards the main gate. The chugen bowmen have jumped over their walled enclosure and will form up as a unit in their next turn - hoping to reach the boats.

Minamoto and Taira foot samurai in combat. Both sides again fairly evenly matched. The attacking Taira retreating towards the shoreline after the combat would be fortuitous for them. By now, over 50% of the Taira had been killed. However, we decided to continue playing on until until all were killed or if any could make it to their watercraft and out to sea.

The remnants of the Taira - the chugen bow unit and half of a samurai unit - successfully reach their boats and subsequently make it out to sea out of bow range of the Minamoto.

Remaining Minamoto forces rally outside the now deserted Taira stronghold. Their leaders Yoshitsune and Benkei having been killed within the compound make it a bitter sweet victory.

A nice use of the rules with a semi-historical conclusion. Although the Taira lost the game due to over half of their forces being killed off - the Minamoto lost their leader which would likely have dire effects in a campaign setting. I must add that the Taira had two or three failed activation rolls in a row which really hindered their deployment and tactics. As far as comparing the use of Lion Rampant and WAB for this scenario - I would say both work, but I recall the WAB game having a bit more flavor. That is, one of the games had the Minamoto commandeering a Taira boat and setting fire to the Taira flagship.

Bascinet with Camail/Aventail Added

Well, no sooner after the last post, I decided to press on with the camail project. It is done except for running a wire or leather thong through the vervelle holes along the leather strap.

With my wife's sound advice, I ended up cutting a "V" out of the strap right after the third vervelle. It ended up pretty nice and stays on the helmet very well.

Here's my impression of the Cherbourg helmet.

The camail has to go around the bottom edges of the visor to allow the visor to seat down fully. I may try to route leather thongs at the opening of the mail to see if it can be tightened up below the chin. Addendum: I got the visor to seat properly - all I did was squeeze the bottom front edge of the bascinet in.

The leather strap fits snugly along along the base of the bascinet. Not bad as I bought the camail separately from the helmet and wasn't sure if it would fit properly. A padded liner should probably be worn under the camail.

Not a bad way to spend the morning on a day off - still in my PJ's too :)

Bascinet - Camail/Aventail - WIP

Got up this morning - Friday is my day off  from work - and started work on attaching the camail to the helmet. Up to now it has been fairly easy - starting at the rear and working outwards to the front, alternating between each side to ensure the leather strap doesn't distort one way or the other. Since the hole punch my wife had is smaller than the vervelles, I used a drill to enlarge the holes in the strap. From the tutorial I found on the web, a 1/2" socket was used to seat the strap over the vervelle. Paper clips are used to temporarily hold the strap on the helmet. I'll see if Joann's or Home Depot has some wire or leather thong to run through the eyelets of the vervelles once all of them are completed.

Only three vervelles on each side of the front of the helmet remain to be attached. As they arch upwards fairly sharply, and the leather strap doesn't follow the shape, the strap will have to be v-notched and bent upward. As I don't want to mess it up, I've taken a break to assess the next move. For detailed work like this, I always consult my wife, who makes a great adviser and critic.

 On the gaming front, the Ichi-no-Tani game is still scheduled, and plan to have an AAR posted.

Late Week Arrival - Camail/Aventail

Succumbing to the sirens of ebay, I picked up a camail/aventail which I hope to attach to the bascinet recently acquired. It's another inexpensive (with free shipping) item made in India - the sticker on the packaging said so. The first thing I noticed was it's weight - which coupled with the helmet will be quite a load on the head and shoulders.

It's not a custom fitted piece, so I will have to figure out how to get it attached. A leather strip is stitched to the end of the mail area to be attached to the helmet. I showed it to my wife, who is a skilled seamstress; she said it was hand stitched - pretty impressive as the leather is fairly thick.

My wife recommended I start attaching the camail from the center rear - punching holes in the leather to match the vervelles at the base of the helmet. She cautioned me to "not screw it up" or words to that effect. Here's how I hope to have it attached - from a nice step-by-step tutorial of a similar camail.

Need to pick up some wire from the hardware store.

Midweek Diversion - Another 1:43rd Porsche - 904

Couldn't resist another ebay purchase - it was sold from an estate and the seller wasn't even sure what kind of car it was. No one else bid on it and it arrived from Oregon in three days - all for less than $20.00 USD including shipping. It came with the original case too. It's in 1:43rd scale which is about the closest you can get with diecast cars to go with 28mm figures. This is another favorite of mine - the famed Porsche 904 which debuted in 1963.

The mid-engined four cylinder was the first of the so-called plastic Porsches with a fiberglass composite body.

Here it is, appropriately, with a couple of Fallshirmjaeger. Something I'm sure they would've driven off-duty had it existed back in the 30's and 40's. It was famed for it's durability and performance, and looks pretty cool to boot.

And next to the earlier acquired 550 Spyder.

Apologies for the non-gaming digression, but the next post should be the Ichi-no-Tani game this weekend.

Ichi-no-Tani - Gempei Rampant - Lion Rampant for Early Samurai Warfare

Here are some pre-game teaser shots of a scenario based upon the Battle of Ichi-no-Tani, where the Taira forces were holed up in their seaside fortress with sheer cliffs directly behind them. Minamoto cavalry led by Minamoto Yoshitsune surprised the Taira by descending the cliffs which was believed to be an impossibility. Minamoto foot at the same time approached the Taira by land. I've played this scenario several times in the past using a modified version of WAB with good results. The Victory Condition for the Minamoto is to destroy at least 50% of the Taira; the Taira achieve victory if at least 50% of their forces can get off table via the sea utilizing the watercraft available.

View of the Taira fortress at Ichi-no-Tani from the sea. Note the larger command vessel offshore with smaller craft beached along the the shoreline.

Mounted and Foot Serjeant's stats are used for the Samurai, with the addition of arming them with bows. The foot Samurai are also upgraded to Expert for an Attack Value of 4+. There are a couple of Warrior Monk (Sohei) units also classed as Foot Serjeants and given the Fleet Footed special rule. Incidentally, both Foot Samurai and Sohei units are 6-figures instead of the usual 12. Finally, the Chugen (an early form of Ashigaru) are ranked as Bidowers. Only one of the Chugen (Bidower) units is armed with bows and they are on the walls of the Taira fortress. A modification to the unit cohesion rule for this unit requires them to either remain at their respective posts on the walls, or if not to attempt to form up as normal if they chose to leave the walls. Their firing dice is halved on either side of the entrance gate.

View from the right Taira watchtower - Warrior Monks and Minamoto Samurai advancing along the shores.

The left of the Taira fortress walls with Minamoto Samurai and Chugen approaching - note the Minamoto standard bearing the gentiana clan mon.

Two units of mounted Minamoto Samurai led by Minamoto Yoshitsune surprise the Taira from the rear of their cliff side fortress.

Taira forces on foot attempt to respond to Minamoto inside of their camp. The red Taira banner bears the clan mon of a butterfly.

All the figures were painted a few years ago, and are mostly The Assault Group with some 1st Corps, Curteys and West Wind. The fence was also built a while back as the small watercraft. The hootches were picked up a local discount store, which sadly no longer carries them. Hope to have an actual battle report posted in the not too distant future, but I have a few projects needing my attention first - none of which are hobby related :)

I'm Henery the Sixth, I am

Here are Henry VI, Queen Margaret and the Duke of Buckingham - a Perry War of the Roses set picked up via a gift certificate awarded from Anne O'Leary's contest back in June. Thank you very much, Anne!

These figures were just the ticket to pick up a brush after a long period of painting inactivity. As the gift certificate was from the WarStore (my choice in the contest), I long perused their online catalog. After a few weeks, I finally decided on this Perry set as the figures are mainly in civilian attire. I was kind of burnt out with the usual military look, i.e. armor or uniforms.

To be honest, I took a bit longer than normal to start as I had trouble deciding on colors of their clothing since there really was no right or wrong colors - as long as they looked regal enough.

Anyway, I'm happy to finally post a completed painting project after so long. The figures will be useful in future games - particularly the Henry VI figure, which can be used as a character to be captured for Victory Points. Thanks again, Anne!

Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham - Another Perry Miniature

Here is the Duke of Buckingham figure from the three figure Perry set. Sir Humphrey was a close supporter of Henry VI, yet tried to keep the peace between the king and the Duke of York. He was wounded at the First Battle of St Albans.

The figure is in full plate armor of the period with a civilian coat over it. He is also wearing a fashionable headdress - or possibly drying his hair with a towel.

The duke was present at the relatively bloodless Battle of Ludlow Bridge which had Yorkists leaders escape before overwhelming Lancastrian forces.

Sir Humphrey was killed at the Battle of Northampton in 1460, and buried at Grey Friars.

The King Henry VI figure is next.

Margaret of Anjou, Queen of England - a Perry Miniature

Finished the Margaret of Anjou figure. The wife of Edward VI, she played a significant role in the War of the Roses, not the least of which her strong opposition to the House of York.

As mentioned earlier, the model is a single cast figure, with both rider and mount as one-piece. For some reason (probably to ease casting), Perry does this with some of their models. Their Choson Korean cavalry are this way too. You can't really tell by the online catalog images, and they aren't described as such. Anyway, there wasn't any problems painting this one. Especially as I only used a few colors for the queen's attire.

She appears to be wearing a fur lined gown. The garment itself has a lot of folds and creases so I opted to just give it a solid color - choosing not to give it any embroidery work as it would be too busy looking.

The headdress seems to be plain without any indication of precious stones or pearls to it, as portrayed in some paintings.

Anyway, I'm happy to be able to post images of this project - the first painted figure from me in a long time. Hope it meets your approval.

Painting Distractions - Continued

Well, ebay did it again, another purchase arrived today - keeping me from picking up a paint brush yet again. This time a 1:43rd scale diecast car made and delivered from China. Couldn't pass up the price ($8USD including shipping), and the shipping was surprisingly fast - within 2 weeks. Here is a favorite car of mine - a Porsche 550 Spyder; similar to the one James Dean met his fate in. I may someday use it in something Tamsin has been recently doing.

It's a really well-detailed model with proper 5 lug rims and cut out engine vents. Here it is below with a 28mm (larger side) Victory Force figure for scale comparison - looks about right.

I may have to use a spare driver figure to place inside the car.

Here's the Rebel Without a Cause and his 550 ("Little Bastard"); he had just traded in in his Super Speedster for the Spyder about a week or so before the fatal crash.

My first two cars were Karmann Ghias - the so-called "Poor Man's Porsche." The first a '64 in Hawaii which had a rebuilt 1855cc with dual 44 Webers, and then a '61 when I was stationed at Fort Ord, California in the early '80's. I used to drive around the back roads near Laguna Seca. The first one was totally wrecked by a woman driving a Corvette who ran into my car as I was at a stop light; I think the she was drunk - from the police report as she fled the scene. I joined the Army not long afterwards, and found the '61 with a "For Sale" sign parked at the Monterey Marina - it was owned by a little old lady - really. This one I drove into wooden fence at a hairpin turn I didn't see on a moonless night (no street lights) near Salinas, California. I walked away from both fine, but the cars didn't. God was looking out for me both times, and continues to. Apologies for the ramblings.

Painting Haitus - Houndskull'n

Well no sooner had I picked up a brush in quite some time, and an ebay arrival has distracted me from further work on the Perry WotR figures. Couldn't pass up the price with free shipping; and I always wanted one of these helmets. It's pretty high quality with removable visor and an adjustable leather liner inside.

The leather bindings inside are adjustable with a nice strap. Brass vervelles ring the base of the helmet for attaching an aventail.

Even with the breather holes, it gets hot inside when the visor is down.

Suppose there is a bit of a resemblance.

Took Up A New Hobby - Painting Miniatures

This may come as a shock to some, but I picked up a brush today. Thanks to Anne O'Leary's blog contest back in June, I ordered a pack of Perry War of the Roses personalities from the WarStore. The figures are Margret of Anjou, Henry VI and the Duke of Buckingham. They could be useful as victory points in future games.

The Margret figure is one of those that is cast as one piece atop the horse. I prefer riders and mounts separate to facilitate painting, but it is a fine sculpt nevertheless. Here are images of Henry and Margret for reference.

Anyway, we'll see how long it takes me to paint these up.