I recently read a review of the TACTICA SUPPLEMENT-BOOK ONE, in the curren issue of the COURIER. While overall an excellent review I was quite suprised at the reviewer's comment regarding the fact that the book was expensive at $12.00 "considering what you get." Personally, I find spending $12.00 for 22 additional armies and supplemental rules a good deal!
The reviewer's comment caused me to wonder if the Ancients wargamer, upon purchase of a supplement of this type has any idea as to the amount of research and "work" involved. Ok, yes, I am biased - having been on the ground floor playtesting the original rules; designed four armies for the first supplement and currently designing armies for the second supplement. Further, I can only speak of the research I conducted regarding the Japanese and the Mongols. I know of the research conducted by Arty Conliffe - an exhaustive effort that has yielded excellent results by any standard.
The Japanese/Mongol armies were three years in the making - research, design, and consultation with Arty in person and via the mail as I was often deployed on sea duty combined with continual play-testing and evaluation. My knowledge of the Japanese language allowed me to access works that the "average" wargamer interested in this fascinating period of ancient military history would find difficult. In all, over two hundred reference works were consulted including archival Japanese languange battle reports and texts. The mix and sift of these are the result for just four of the 22 armies in book one.
The purpose of this multi-part series is to explain the organization of the three armies in a brief historical context vis-a-vis their game counterparts, descriptions of the various troop types and finally a series of scenarios designed with escalating complexity culminating in the battle of HAKATA BAY pitting a finely tuned Japanese Army against a numerically superior Mongol Army; a small readily available reference list will also be included for those who, like myself, never tire of reading about this era.
SUPPLEMENT BOOK ONE lists three types of Japanese Armies - Early, Middle and Late. This very broad grouping corresponds to the basic development of Japanese Ancient Armies from approximately 1000 (Early Japanese) thru the EDO PERIOD (Middle Japanese) and finally the period that many historians refer to as the Golden Age of the Samurai - the MOMOYAMA PERIOD - till 1615 (Late Japanese).
Contemporary films and "popular" magazine articles would have the reader believe that the Samurai were fiercely individualistic and only concerned with personal achievement and glory. To an extent, this is true; yet over the time period covered by our army lists the impact of true combined arms operations would eventually eliminate this individuality as a governing factor in the minds of the ruling Daimyo (leaders) when concerned with the operation of Samurai armies. Of course, the spirit of individuality was never discouraged. Far from it - it was encouraged and focused in a new direction - the close coordination of all supporting arms (not just Samurai Nobles) to achieve victory on the battlefield.
The TACTICA Japanese player can "see" this in the progressive development of the army lists. The eventual inclusion and dependence on supporting arms with coordinating command control was dicated by the ever increasing strategic scope of the Japane e commanders; the ability to effectively cover larger areas of terrain, consolidate positions and hold them could only be accomplished via units of highly trained conscripts surrounding a solid corp of professional soldiers (Samurai). For the player who would like to experiment and actually follow this progression; simply play an Early Japanese Army against a Middle Japanese Army. The result should provide the same understanding gained by the Japanese commanders over a gradual period of time. This is just one reason why this type of army list is superior; it allows for the strategic and tactical historical flow of a given type of army thru a specific time period.
This stated progression was natural and cumulative in a country where wealth was based on agricultural progress and the gain of fertile land.
The main subsistent crop was rice - one Koku of rice was the measured amount needed to keep one man alive for one year. Thus, the amount of Koku one owned was in direct proportion to the amount of retainers supplied to the chain-of-command for campaigns. The Japanese were/are a meticulous people; numerous records exist that allow the historian to track the size and composition of various forces thru the majority of our period.
With this very basic understanding, we will now focus on an overview of the three Army Lists, their historical foundation and the relative importance of the units contained therein via the TACTICA rules set.
EARLY JAPANESE
A small compact army comprised of several clans (inter-related families). The first clan actually represents the ruling mix of nobles and leaders who would decide all military/agricultual/domestic matters. This army represents the combined military might of several provinces or the small standing army of an early ruling family. The second thru sixth clan are lesser nobles and retainers who owe allegience to the first clan or ruling family. Note the extremely small amount of infantry in this army. This period stressed the importance of the mounted arm over all others; complete mobility was seen as the key to success in battle. The early records indicate the need for mobility as compared to infantry in order to shock the enemy and that fact that the early opponents for this type of organization were Ainu (primitive) tribesman who could easily be run-down (they had no mounted equivalent).
The first Foot Samurai unit are nobles who could not afford, either based on lack of land holding or status - the horses and associated grooms and equipment. The reader is cautioned not to assume that due to their lack of mobility - that these troops were inferior. Notice their high Fighting Value (6). The last unit is the lightly armed, highly mobile Light Infantry; a formidable unit not to be confused with light Peltast types. The new player will note that this army is defeated when only the one Heavy Infantry unit is broken. To the "gamer", this, at first glance might seem unfair to an army whose composition is a mix of high Fighting Value - high morale units. Regardless of period, it always requires trained infantry to hold the high ground and this reason coupled with the high degree of uncontrolable behavior of the noble cavalry units (as reflected in the rules) in this period is precisely what leads to the the demise of this type of army and the eventual integration of combined arms units by Japanese commanders; the movement to the, next list.
MIDDLE JAPANESE
These armies (all three) were designed to allow the player to experience the obvious differences in tactical employment and the continued emphasis on utilizing trained provincial troops to contain enemy cavalry which would allow foot samurai units to exploit any break in the enemy line and roll-up from either flank. A new player's first exposure to these concepts can be found in our second list.
The Middle Japanese army introduces two new types of units: four Ashigaru (Light Infantry) units and an allied Monk unit. Ashigaru units represent trained conscripted troops which were starting to appear in this period (Edo Period). The literal english translation of Ashigaru is "Light Feet." Some western sources interchange the words Ashigaru and Peasant. My own research and that of other historians (both western and Japanese) provide a quite different picture. The Ashigaru as a class or type had their origin as trained workers of Daimyo; i.e., grooms, maintenance workers, armourers, etc. These were men picked for their ability to work effectively on the large estates of the ruling class.
Eventually, as need for more trained troops increased - these men were placed in units of light infantry and would become known as Chugen; a straight translation would be "squad leader"; Chugen would now be responsible for the training of the Ashigaru as a Daimyo's units swelled with more rank-and-file. The men trained were the farmers and small landowners who leased land from the Daimyo. Thus, a wise Daimyo would have a ready pool of trained troops to call up in time of war; men who, when trained to a reasonable degree of military proficiency would be free to return to their 'civilian' occupations; a ready reserve force in the true sense of the term.
There were inherent problems here: a Daimyo had to strike a fine balance between the amount of available Ashigaru and the possibility that crops could not be harvested in time of war, or if the province concerned could economically support the impending recall? Were the various provinces potential areas of flank attacks from the enemy? How many troops to deploy, etc? A ruling Daimyo was expected to be more than an excellent military leader: a delicate sense of politics was also required. The typical Ashigaru/farmer (in this period) could easily relocate his family to the next province and work/swear loyalty to a neighboring Daimyo. Of course, this was based on how well treated, how carefully the civil rights of the common workers were respected. Given the strict judicial code that permeated this period, a Daimyo could easily abuse his subjects; those that did were usually beset by mass desertion before battle or having his light infantry units defect to the enemy.
Therefore, a solid corp of loyal samurai meant nothing without a highly disciplined and equally loyal corp of Ashigaru. A good example of this type of military/political unity can be seen in the army of Takeda Shingen (1521-1573). He is credited as the first Daimyo to turn his Ashigaru into an effective fighting force by instilling discipline and the same sense of loyalty to him that his samurai Possessed. He was a firm yet fair ruler who treated his provincial forces with respect; rewarded their bravery in battle and instituted a fair economic system that did not abuse the welfare of the families of his Ashigaru.
We can see that at the Ashigaru rose from a small group of associated workers to a potint, dependable force of trained light infantry who would augment the foot samurai (heavy infantry) and gradually come to out-number them. The true role of the Ashigaru in this period/army is support of the now dominant fighting arm - the heavy armed samurai and the smaller mounted units.
The final "new" unit is the Allied Monk Light Infantry Unit. This extremely small (12 figure) but powerful unit (Fighting Value = 6/ Skirmish Modifier = +3) represents a typical small religious sect allied to the leading family/Daimyo of an army. Religious sects, whether Buddist, Shinto, etc. - were numerous and often based in the outlying provinces (mostly rural, uninhabited areas). The leaders of these sects could count on large units of well trained warriors whose martial regimen and experience often went beyond even the rigorous training the samurai imposed on themselves.
Lightly armoured, heavily armed, they excelled as front line skirmishers and in leading attacks; the vanguard of any exploitive movement toward a weak point in the enemy line. These religious sects would join in campaigns they felt would benefit their cause or beliefs upon conclusion. Political consideration was the prime motivating factor to join with a particular clan or army. Daimyo's were careful to cultivate those sects whose temples and recruiting centers lay within their borders, their han. The larger sects, such as the IKKO-IKKI for example, could call-up it's followers to form a standing army as large as any Daimyo's. An army list for Monk's is now developed and will soon be made available to TACTICA players. This list will allow players to have a standing Monk army or join a large Monk contingent to an existing Japanese army.
Although they possessed highly trained individuals, most sects did not instill a sense of unit discipline as was now seen as a prerequisite for large standing samurai armies. Monks were trained from an early age in all aspects of the martial arts; strategy was taught - but actual command control was not practiced. For this reason, most sects formed alliances and political ties with Daimyo's/clans they felt would advance their religious influence within the ruling government and/or beyond their present boundries. Tax exemptions, contributions, new sites for temple construction, expanded recruiting programs and more were continually under consideration by the shrewd Daimyo in order to cultivate sects both within and more importantly, outside his borders.
Tactical developments during the later part of the Edo Period continued the trend toward smaller cavalry units and increased non-professional (but trained) conscripted units plus an increase in allied (monk) forces. This period, although called the Golden Age - involved the whole nation - most Daimyo's involved in campaigns during this period insured all able-bodied males within their provinces were conscripted. Agricultural work had to continue regardless of war and military campaigns were timed to coincide with the end of the winter season or the completion of the harvest. The mark of a skilled Daimyo would be to vigorously defend his borders, thereby ensuring a sucessful harvest and yet be able to launch offensive action with proper timing.
This strategic scope required a manpower pool of a scale not yet seen on the battlefields of Japan. To illustrate, Hojo Ujiyasu (1515-1570) issued a call-up approximately 1565 which required all males from fifteen to seventy to report for duty - the penalty for failing to report - death.
Late Japanese
So, understanding these changes, we now come to our final list -- the Late Japanese Army. This listing is our largest; we see further reduction in the Cavalry arm and the Foot Samurai units; an increase in the Ashigaru units - these have a substantially increased fighting value (from 3 - 6 to 4 - 6) to reflect the historical emphasis on better training and professionalism. The now widespread utilization of monk allied units is seen in the size of the monk unit in this list (16) over the previous one (12).
Again, the player is introduced to two new, different types of units: the Wakato and the Peasants; both light infantry units of decreasing fighting value, weapons type, morale and skirmish value.
Actually, this list was the most difficult to design; historically, there is an overlap of light infantry types in this period, i.e., Ashigaru, Wakato and Peasants. Yet, extensive research and continual play-testing has proven that a separation of types was deemed necessary to demonstrate to the player, to force the player to recognize the relationship and interdependence required to lead such a large multi-type force to victory; to gain an understanding, albeit a simulated understanding of the potential and problems faced by a ruling Daimyo of this period.
Although large light infantry units (non-samurai) would now contain Ashigaru (Chugen leaders) and possibly a mixture of Wakato and Peasants, mechanically, this would be a burden to replicate on the gaming table and the progressive understanding of the type of units involved would be lost.
The original design idea was to increase the size of the army (list) as happened throughout this period and delineate troop-types via ability (Fighting Value) and morale. Arty and I spent a lot of time on this list and I feel that we succeeded. The Wakato represent a lower class of Ashigaru with a decreased amount of Chugen; a good comparision would be to the concept of the inactive reserve as opposed to the active reserve (Ashigaru). The Peasant units are the lowest level conscripts armed with anything from discarded weapons from old battlefields to pitchforks and sticks. This list can be deceiving due to it's size; it requires a deft hand to win with this army by understanding the relationship between the various units and not wasting the lower valued (fighting value) units on preemptive strikes against the enemy; rather, screen movement with some light infantry and use all types in support of each other to rupture the main battleline of the enemy.
The preceeding has been an extremely light treatment of a subject that thousands of volumes have been written on. My idea was to give the new player with an interest in this period some insight as to how the Japanese armies in TACTICA were designed and to provide a brief basis of fact for the various units.
The second part of this series will concentrate on the make-up of the individual units in detail; armor, weapons, formations, etc.
About the author:
J. P. Kelly is a career military veteran who is currently stationed onboard the USS NASHVILLE (LPD-13) homeported at Norfolk, VA. He is a member of the New York Wargamers Association (NYWA); an original TACTICA playtester; a member of the TACTICA GENERAL STAFF. He graduated from St. Johns University in 1972 with a BA in Japanese Military Studies. He speaks fluent Japanese and has lived in Japan.
Japanese Tactica Army Lists (extremely slow: 439K)
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