Killer Katanas

Samurai Rules

by Craig Martelle

Killer Katanas & Tokugawa's Battles by Brian Bradford & Robert Fryvie, available from Brookhurst Hobbies, 12188 Brookhurst St., Garden Grove, CA 92840. phone (714) 636-3580.

Killer Katanas and the companion Scenario Book, Tokugawa's Battles are highly recommended! Samurai action with numerous examples and in the main rules set there are 5 separate scenarios! All you need to game is right here and the rules are quick, logical, and very, very well written. I can see why Brookhurst jumped on board to publish this so quickly. Brian is a Samurai aficionado and he translates that into a fine work that is playable and realistic. Well-done Brian!!!!

This review and overview is provided by Brian Bradford off his web page.

Killer Katanas (KK) is a set of rules for recreating the battles of the Sengoku-jidai (Warring States period) with model soldiers, available from Two Dragons. While the rules are intended for use with 15mm figures, other scales may be used as well. Most rulesets for the Samurai are skirmish level. It was the goal of KK to allow the larger battles of the Samurai to be played, such as Nagashino. There are two scales for doing this:

    * 1:15\40; one man represents fifteen and one inch is 40 feet
    * 1:30\80, which is intended for larger battles.
    One turn represents 15 minutes in both scales.

Basing: For all infantry, 4 figures on a 1 1\2" x 1\2" base. All cavalry, 2 figures on a 1" x 1" base. Unit leaders are based single on a 1\2" x 1\2" base for Inf and 1" x 1\2" for cav. Players group bases into units--no size restrictions. Each unit recieves a leader.

Formations: There are no formations, such as line and column. Players may form as they wish, but a unit must be at least two ranks deep.

Rules Summary: A turn consists of 16 movement cards. There are 8 cards per side each composed of 4 inf and 4 cav. Cards are drawn one at a time for action.

On a card it will state who may move and their movement allowance. Only during a card may a unit act. During an action, a unit may fire, reload (guns), wheel,

face, melee, and so on. Once all 16 cards are drawn the turn ends. The deck is shuffled and drawn again.

Fire casualties are computed by crossing the units base factor, minus modifiers, with the number of men firing. The resulting number is expressed like 8.3, 2.4, etc.

The first number is the automatic kills. The second number is the possibility for an additional kill--a player must roll that number or greater on a D6 to get an

additional kill. A 3.2 would be three dead and another if 2-6 is rolled.

Melee is handled the same way. Different weapons, such as lances, allow for a greater number of figures to be included in the fight. A melee can continue from one card to another, and is only terminated if a unit breaks or pulls away from the fight. As a melee continues, further ranks are added into the fight.

Personal challenges may call one another out to fight a duel. Both sides roll 2D6 and crosses this number under their ability table. The result tells them if they

wound, kill, or drive off their opponent. Leaders who fail bring disgrace upon their unit and require a morale check.

Morale is straight-forward. 2D6 is rolled, modifiers applied, and the final number referenced for the result. Rally may be done on a player's card\turn.

What else is in the book? The rules also include 5 scenarios with complete OoB's; 4th Kawanakajima, Anegawa, Mikata-Ga-Hara, Nagashino, and Sekigahara.

For those who wish to make their own scenarios, a points table is provided and weapon statistics, by year\clan, for converting a force into weapon classes ie.

Lances, arquebus, bow, etc.

For the first time in English, all 22 battle formations have been identified with accompaning diagrams. Hundreds of Daimyos are identified; and statistics for their use in games provided.

Lastly, 38 Daimyo flags have been identified; a color picture of each is provided.

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© Copyright 1998 by Craig Martelle Publications
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