The lists below represent the armies at the time of Kurikara, without claiming to be accurate OoBs by any means.

The total number of stands is the key to designing an army list. One could use figure counts, but the feeling here is that they are more daunting to use; besides, MW was written to appeal to a wide range of gamers, regardless their figure basing schemes, so using the stand as the benchmark is the best way to calibrate armies. Ignoring artillery, generals, supply units and ships there is a maximum of 186 stands in list 46. MW has a nominal figure scale of 40 – 80 men per stand, which rounds off to a range of 7,000 to 15,000 men for a large early Japanese army per the list. Reported numbers in the source texts on the Gempei War are greatly exaggerated, sometimes numbering in the 100,000s. The lists below use a figure scale of 50 men per stand of samurai or retainers, 100-200 per stand for peasants, but any implied totals are not meant to be taken as accurate counts. Counts for scale purposes do not include generals, heroes, supply or ships (or flaming-horned cattle).

Stands	Description	Arm	Morale	Training	Weaponry	S	P
1	Kiso Yoshinaka CinC	HC	Elite	Irregular	LB&Axe	3	54
0-1	Tomoe Gozen	HC	Champio	Irregular	Lance		25
1	Minamoto Yoshiie General	HC	Warrior	Irregular	LB&Axe	3	39
0-4	General	HC	Veteran	Irregular	LB&Axe	3	39
4	Samurai Duelists	SC	Elite	Irregular	LB&Axe	3	6
6-8	Mounted Samurai	HC	Veteran	Irregular	LB&Axe	3	12
any	convert to Fanatic						+2
any	Dismount Samurai						-6
*1-2 per HC stand	Retainers	LAI	War	Irregular	Halberd	3	3
12-48	Rural Samurai	LAI	Wb(F)	Irregular	Halberd	3	3
Any	Upgrade rural samurai to HI						+1
0-48	Peasant Levy	UI	Poor	Irregular	Various	3 4	1 2
Any	replace peasant Various with Long Spear or Halberd						+0
up to 4	Stampeding Cattle with Flaming Horns					2	16?
0-1	1st Supply Unit					1	15
0-4	Additional supply					1	10
Max 132	6600 troops at 50 per stand (one could assume peasants come in at a much higher figure scale, 100-200 men per stand, or 9,000 to 14,000 men total)

*If any retainers are used, they must be used in the suggested fixed proportions, 1-2 stands per stand of mounted/dismounted, but not rural, samurai (not counting generals or heroes).

Notes

• Kiso Yoshinaka is a Brave general., his 2^nd in command, his (treacherous) uncle Yoshiie, is rated a Buffoon. Unfortunately, Yoshiie is a required buy.
• As per MW optional hero rule, if Tomoe Gozen is purchased, her cost is added to the cost of the stand designated as the "hero stand". This must be a HC samurai stand; the stand counts as armed with lance (the naginata wielded as a lance).
• See Flaming cattle rule below for the details of that option.

Flaming Cattle: Special House Rule

Yoshinaka used a very clever strategem to panic the Taira at the Kurikara pass, namely cattle maddened by flaming torches attached to their horns were loosened upon the sleeping Taira "host" encamped in the narrow confines of the pass. The flaming torches also helped panic the Taira, as the total effect may have been mistaken for an impetuous charge by a pack of frenzied demons!

Rule: Flaming-horned cattle count as a "weak elephant". They are close order for movement and terrain effects, moving and fighting the same as elephants—affecting horses, too -- but at strength 2. They are fanatics until the end of their first round of combat (reverting to poor thereafter); they are killed in place as soon as they lose their frenzied marker. If they die, no one checks morale.

Oyoroi: Special House Rule

The oyoroi was especially designed to protect its wearer from missile fire, particularly the long bow exchanges in the rituals of samurai duels. The two sode shoulder guards and the four heavy kusazuri tassets were basically square shields of iron. The helmet shikoro skirt was constructed the same way. Thus, a samurai was shielded in all directions except against very accurate shots at relatively small vulnerable targets (the hole in the top of the helmet, the space between the sode in back, the face).

Rule: A samurai never counts shieldless. This rule does not apply to Minamoto rural samurai.

*If any retainers are used, they must be used in the suggested fixed proportions, 1 stand per stand of samurai (not counting generals or heroes). There are fewer Taira retainers in proportion to the samurai, as I’m assuming the ranks of the samurai are inflated with promoted retainers.

• Taira Koremori is a Buffoon general., his 2^nd in command, uncle Michimori, is also rated a Buffoon. Unfortunately, both are required buys. Please, roll up some good subordinates!

Part 2 of this article will cover the deciding actions of the wars and present additional army lists.

Gempei War 1180-1185

Introduction
Outline of Medieval Japanese History
Lists
Figures and References