Each figure in the game has a skill level represented by a type of die. Better skill levels gets a lower the to roll with. All actions taken by that figure use only that die. For instance, a skill level D8 figure always uses an 8-sided the for shooting and fighting. That the typelskill level shall be hereafter called "Die Value" or "DV". Your figures are armed and armored as they appear. Play is in turns. During his/her turn each player's figures may do ONE of the following MOVE RELOAD SHOOT If your figure moves into contact with an enemy figure, you must fight a melee at the end of your turn. MOVING Any figure may move up to the distance Shown below. Rough terrain will halve these movement distances. For climbing stairs or a steep slope, just add the vertical distance with the horizontal distance to get the full move distance. Swimming is considered rough terrain. To mount/dismount a horse/mule/donkey, climb over a wall, climb through a window etc. takes one full move. STOP if your figure's base touches an opponent's at any time. MOVE RATE: FOOT 8 Inches MOUNTED 16 inches SHOOTING Any of the player's figures may shoot at targets which they can see. To shoot, simply roll your DV. Modify the roll by adding or subtracting appropriate modifiers. A "I" or less is a kill. Remove the target figure from play. If you scored a hit on a mounted target roll your DV the again. An odd number kills the horse instead of the rider. the rider is now dismounted and cannot take an action next turn. (He is considered a bit stunned and is getting up off the ground). Arquebus targets are always considered unarmored. WEAPON SHORT RANGE LONG RANGE Bow 15" 30" Blowpipe 3" 6" Shuriken 2" 4" Arquebus 12" 24" MODIFIERS Target in cover +1 Target mounted -1 Arquebus +1 Short Range -2 Unarmored Target -1 Place a marker on your Arquebusier that has fired to mark him as unloaded. This is removed next turn when he has reloaded. Bows do not have to spend a turn reloading. MELEE Figures fight if they are in base to base contact. Figures may not be attacked in the rear, instead always assume they can spin around to defend themselves. To resolve combat simply roll the DV's for each figure. Add the appropriate modifiers. the winner is the lowest the roll. Re-roll in case of a tie. The loser is killed and removed from play. If more than one figure is attacking a single figure, use the "outnumbered" modifier and the lowest of the DV's of the outnumbering figures. If the outnumbered guy wins, the winner chooses the one enemy figure that he killed. MELEE MODIFIERS: Unarmored Dagger, Short Sword, and Wooden weapons +2 On foot against mounted opponent (unless armed with Naginata or Yari) +2 Defending Cover -2 Night visibility is only 12" , either from a figure or around any lamp or other glowing object. SUICIDE One can never really lose a game if the leader figure commits suicide instead of being killed outright. Suicide can include seppuku or charging headlong into a superior force. Such an act will preserve honor and perhaps even save the lives of immediate relatives. This act should only be performed if one is clearly losing a game. SKILL LEVELS FOR YOUR FIGURES Daimyo and Hashimoto D6 Daimyo's Samurai D8 Damiyo's Ashigam D10 Villagers D12 Family Samurai D6 Family ashigaru D8 Ninja D4 Back to Table of Contents The Messenger August 2001 Back to The Messenger List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 2001 by HMGS/PSW. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com