AAR: Yume no Bushi

I fell off the blog wagon again...

I've recently had a hankering for some medieval Japanese, skirmish-level gaming. For years, I've owned a light set of rules titled Song of Katana and Ninja by a fellow named Rich Jones. It is based out of Ganesha Games's Song of system, but had too many holes to be a viable platform.

Enter Yume no Bushi. This is the full-blown rules by Mr. Jones based on the aforementioned Song of system. It is a much more complete set of rules and allows you to play with both historical and fantastic Japanese units. It was produced in 2010 by Surf Shack Productions.

Mr. Jones has another system of rules for this period with the same name, but for 42mm miniatures.  While I have a copy of the rules, I haven't played them.

The AAR is actually two weeks worth of gaming. The first session featured my friend, Donnie, and me hashing out the rules and learning the system.  The second session included Terry, Jen, and myself.

Both sessions featured the same plot. Ninja have been hired to assassinate a local monk. The local lord has sent a small contingent of samurai to guard said monk at his temple compound.

Session 1 - July 11th

The first session was an even match in force sizes (60 points). I used ninja. Donnie was the samurai and monk.  These rules utilize some neat special abilities to capture the feel of different units. Samurai are harder to kill and can be very deadly. Ninja can be elusive and can confound their opponents with what we jokingly call "Handwavium"...basically mesmerizing their opponent with seemingly mystical hand movements.

The game table

Another angle

The temple

Ninjas close for the kill

The samurai converge

Long story short: The ninja were successful in slaying the monk, but at a cost of 2/3 of their forces. I was able to keep Donnie's force moving by using Ukemi, the ninja art of moving away from combat with acrobatic flair. There were several cinematic moments by both sides and we had a fun evening.

Session 2 - July 18th

This time, there were two clans of ninjas vying for the honor of killing the monk (poor guy). I played the samurai, while Terry and Jen both played ninja. I was doubled on points, although the monk did cut into that total. Having forgot my green table mat, this session occurred in the snowy Japanese winter.

I like this look better!

They're coming over the walls!

"I'll stop them!" (he didn't)

Target acquired...

Yeah, we can do that!

Long story short: This time around, the game became more of a slog. I was able to hold off both ninja factions for an extended time. The monk's plight was still "up in the air" when we called it for the night. Jen made effective use of both her shuriken and "Handwavium" skills, while Terry's poor dice rolls kept him from making too much of an impact. Again, there were some cool moments and the superior samurai armor made its presence felt a couple of times (to the ninjas' dismay)

Overall impressions of this rule set is that they are very serviceable for the time period, but you really have to utilize the special skills or risk becoming mired in the typical Song of slog. I'll be using these again with some of the more fantastic elements in my collection.

Axles and Alloys AAR

I tried Gaslands by Osprey Publishing in September at Recruits convention. While I wasn't as enamored with the rules as I'd hoped I'd be, there were a few things in the game that I thought I could incorporate into Axles and Alloys (Free rules. If you want a copy, leave a message below). The idea of gates for races was an "Aha!" moment for me. I didn't have time to "pretty up" the gates, so you get to see them "raw" in the photos.

Players: Terry (mustard), Jon Mark (black with yellow stripe), Tim (red), Greg (blue), and me (faded black).

I decided on a somewhat twisted race design where players had to approach the first gate from an acute angle and then could make sweeping turns through gate two to the finish. The only other rule was players couldn't shoot or use dropper weapons until after they'd gone through the first gate. They could ram before that point, though. Boy, did we!

The first casualty was Tim's medium weight vehicle, courtesy of me ramming him into a stone outcropping.

My luck wasn't great, either. As Team Fishbat's medium and Team Steamer's heavy approached the first gate, my car slid a little too far and crashed into the gate's side beam. I guess bald tires and loose dirt don't mix well!

Meanwhile, Jon Mark's light car kept its nose clean and broke away from the pack.

The Rhino (back left) was searching for a target.

It found one in Greg's medium car. While it destroyed the smaller vehicle, the flames from a passing flamethrower finally killed Rhino's driver. He died, struggling to evacuate the vehicle.

Team Fishbat, round through the second gate...

...and easily making it through the finish for the win!

It was a great night of racing, with the usual A&A antics on full display. I really like the gates and have since finished painting them as well as adding another portal to the mix.

Thanks for reading!

Creating something from nothing...

It has been a long while since I last blogged. Real Life has a way of derailing playing time. I've been gaming, just haven't been posting.

I'd bought a Skylanders: Trap Team portal for the kids, but it was a dud.  Since I'd only spent a couple of dollars on it used, I wasn't too upset.

Looking at it, I really liked the icy surface and immediately thought "I can use that". I decided I'd see how much terrain I could build with what would otherwise go in the trash.

I spent the time taking the portal apart (they're well-built!) and wound up with two components: The "icy" plastic surface and three hollow, open-sided rune-etched rocks.

Build #1: Pools

Your party quietly crept down the corridor, ears straining to hear the sounds of enemies or...anything. The passage opened to a vast room. In the center of the room was a pool, its liquid placid, but emitting a glow that illuminated the entire room.

I've long had a thought of creating pools from small picture frames. I didn't know if it would work or not (i.e., I didn't want players saying "Hey, that's a picture frame!").

1. Buy the frames.  I bought two, 2"x3" frames from Dollar Tree.
2. Cut out the surface. I used my rotary tool and cut out two 2"x3" rectangles to replace the glass in the frames. The plastic is thick, so I had to deburr the edges with a sharp blade and my rotary tool.
3. Create, print and cut out liquids. I chose two types of water, ice, lava, and swamp patterns to place inside the frames. These I resized in MS Word and then printed and cut out.
4. Texture/paint the pools' edges. Both pools needed to look like they were made of blocks, so I used either a sharp blade or my rotary tool to cut out the patterns I wanted. The first pool was made to look like gray stone. I used stone texture spray paint and then repainted it. The second pool was painted to look like white marble.

I am happy with the results. I think they are passable as small pools, and with the different liquid options, are very versatile.

Build #2: Way Markers

The path through the Dwarven tunnels was illuminated by large stone way points. The runes etched into the stones glowed with an inner light; illuminating your way through the catacombs.

1. Fill the Sides. Since the sides of these things were open, I cut out egg carton and used a hot glue gun to attach pieces to the markers. I made sure to feather the edges to maintain a cohesive stone look.
2. Buy the lights. Again, Dollar Tree to the rescue! I originally was going to use the larger tea lights that flicker, but didn't like the aesthetic. DT carries a second line of tea lights that are smaller in diameter and are LED. 
3. Alter the lights. I used egg carton to warp the sides of the lights, being careful not to glue the two halves together. The tops were already textured, so I didn't apply carton to them. I then used Sharpies to color the bulb covers orange, purple, or green.
4. Attach the pieces. I used Goop! glue and attached the markers to the bases.
5. Paint. I painted all three to look like gray stone. 

I like these, although they are taller than I'd really wanted. I can't get around that, as the lights I used are what give them their height. The lights are a little dimmer than I'd like, but workable.

Build #3: Ice Walls

The wizard's breath plumed in the frosty air, the words in an almost forgotten, long dead language. The snow-covered ground shook, then split. Jagged pieces of ice erupted from the fissures and grew in front of the wizard. Soon, a wall of thick sheet ice separated him from the Polar Bear. It rammed against the barrier, but was unable to penetrate its layers. It soon gave up with a final, frustrated roar.

I had leftover platform bits, so I decided to make ice walls.

1. Break up pieces. Using pliers and force, I broke the pieces into shards.
2. Create foundation. I used EPVC (Extruded PVC) for the bases and rounded the edges. EPVC is as thick as foam board, but is more dense and won't flex as much. It also takes paint very well. Scraps can usually be found at sign-making shops. I get mine for free.
3. Attach ice. I hot glued the shards to the base, making sure the pieces overlapped.
4. Flock. I used snow flocking for this. The EPVC is white, so I simply spread PVA glue (i.e., Aylene's or Elmer's) over the surface with an old brush and applied the flocking. Make sure to get flocking in between the ice layers to make it really look like they erupted from the ground.
5. Seal. Making sure to not get too much on the ice shards, I sealed the flocking to the base with matte spray sealant.

These are tall enough where they should provide "full protective coverage" (the Heroclix minis are on extra thick/tall bases), but there are some slightly lower points. You can discuss it with your mates on how they can be used in whatever rules with which you're playing.

Final Takeaway

I'm happy that I made three terrain projects from one broken piece of electronics! As an added bonus, I feel that all three are table-ready. Not bad for spending roughly $5 and using supplies I already had around the house. I really don't have a use for any of them at this point, but someday...maybe.

The Upton Chronicles #3: The Old One Returns!

The Crew

Ken and I played the cultists/Old One.  Greg, Jon Mark and Terry played the heroes.

The Plot

Our heroic adventurers, fresh from the fight at the cultist temple, deposited the injured Fire Marshall O'Leary and Sal back at Upton Manor and scooped up Jimmy, Airman Jones and Detective Doyle.  On the way to Ctesiphon, Doyle radioed in some police officer support for back-up.  Would they be in time to stop the cult from raising an Old One from another dimension?

The Game

Ctesiphon

Surrounded by pine woods, Ctesiphon sat atop a rise in the landscape.  The cultists began their ritual as soon as the gibbous moon was seen in the heavens.

The scrub cultists attacked our heroes on sight.  The adage "Never bring a knife to a gun fight" held true, as they were blasted from all sides.

The cultist guards, smarter than their neophyte brethren, stayed atop the rise, forcing the good guys to come to them.

 Matron Mother, on the other hand, decided to be a stall tactic, forcing the heroes to account for her before rushing up the incline to the summit.  She died, but her efforts weren't in vain.

Eventually, our heroes made their way to the top of the plateau.  They were met by quite the spectacle.  The head cultist, aware of the urgency to complete the summoning ritual, continued to babble in Sumerian while his guards and a lesser demon occupied the 'good guys'.

Finally, success!  The Old One was summoned!  To the lead cultist's surprise, the creature didn't go after our heroes...it tried to eat him!  His sanity finally snapped, the leader leapt off the edge of the plateau to his death.

What ensued was a mixture of both comedy and horror....if gallows humor can be considered comedy.  Poor aim, primarily by Airman Jones, took out most of the remaining police officers.  Without their fire support, our adventurers were forced to engage in melee combat with the Old One.  This proved to be a fatal decision.

 In the end, our heroes fell.  The cult, also obliterated, did not even get the chance to gloat in their success.  The Old One, now left to its own devices, scoured the countryside looking for food.  It was up to a grieving Sir Upton, with the aid of numerous others, to get rid of the menace.  Indeed, they found that while they couldn't kill the beast, they were able to herd it back to Ctesiphon.  It begrudgingly was driven back through the gate and disappeared.

The Old One roamed the countryside, looking for sustenance...

That ended this cycle of the Upton Chronicles.  This three-part arc ended in tragedy, but be rest assured this is not the last time you'll see these characters in action.

Thanks to all who played and helped us hammer out how to correctly use these rules for evenings of fun and daring-do.  

Also, thanks for reading!

The Upton Chronicles #2: That's an Odd-Looking Idol..

The Crew

Terry, Jeff and Greg played the Uptons and their crew.  Ken and I played the forces of evil and chaos.

The Plot

Our heroes, having learned of the nefarious human trafficking and sacrifice enterprise from the freak show's ringleader, race to an abandoned monastery outside of town.  Little did they know that the catacombs beneath the dilapidated ruins would house such horrors.

The Game

Our heroes quickly found the entrance to the catacombs and opened the door.  A blast of stale air, heavy with the scent of cloying incense and the unmistakable coppery odor of blood, greets their nostrils.  

A couple of columns support the ceiling in the small room before them.  Stairs leading up to another level are on the right, while a giant statue of a squatting tentacled creature leers at them with ancient, stony eyes.  Faint chanting can be heard coming from the dark opening at the top of the stairs.

Sir Upton was the first up the stairs.  His practiced eyes scanned the room, taking in everything with scarcely a thought.  

To his left was a huge cistern, replete with ancient Meso-American  glyphs and carvings.  A thick, viscous fluid...blood?...slowly bubbled in the reservoir.  

The chanting was coming from a purple-robed priest, his arms raised in supplication.  Sir Upton realized that the chanting was in ancient Sumerian!  As he looked on in a slight stupor, the ritual was completed and the man fell silent.  Only then did Sir Upton realize that there were others in the room.

Two acolytes rushed forward to meet the intrepid adventurers and the scrum began.

 
A few minutes into the fight, a blubbery creature heaved itself from the pool of ichor and attacked Sal Jackson.  They fought intensely and managed to defeat other simultaneously.  Sal, grievously wounded, sank to the floor and would have slowly bled out if not for the timely ministrations of Professor Edelstein.  Indeed, Edelstein kept both Sal and Fire Marshall O'Leary in the fight (repeatedly in O'Leary's case). 

With the defeat of his summoned creature, the high priest finally succumbed to the blows from multiple attackers.  In a rather funny (irony, not ha ha) twist of fate, Captain Everhardt, firing at the priest, managed to drop the acolyte behind the shifty leader with a head shot.

After the battle was won, the heroes didn't know where to go or what to do.  They'd felled all their foes and the creature now floating in the pool of nastiness wasn't going to give away any secrets.  A thorough search uncovered nothing until Detective Jones and Sid Jackson found a hidden door around the far side of the cistern.

A couple of hallways and ransacked rooms later and a single clue was found.  A torn slip of paper simply had written in a spidery crawl "The Old One will emerge from the gate victorious and devour the world!"  A secret back door was found as well.  How many cultists escaped?

Sir Upton, using his historical knowledge of the area, quickly put two and two together and came up with only one choice: Ctesiphon.  Modeled after the arch found in ancient Mesopotamia, which had once been called Sumer, Upton knew that any evil doings would stem from such a locus of mystical power.  The group made their way to Upton Manor to both drop off the recovering O'Leary and Sal and pick up Jimmy, Airman Jones and Detective Doyle before heading to Ctesiphon.  

Don't miss the exciting conclusion to this tale:  The Old One Returns!

The Upton Chronicles #1: Strange Things are Afoot...

I decided to go back to a project I'd started several years ago, but unfortunately let fall to the wayside.  It has been quite awhile since the Secondhand Lions have played GASLIGHT and it was time to remedy that oversight!

The Gang

Jon Mark, Terry, Bill, Ken, Tim and I rolled off to see who would play on which side.  Jon Mark, Terry and Tim were the forces of 'Good' (that's a relative perspective, isn't it?), while Ken, Bill and I were 'Evil'.

The Plot

1930s, rural America.  A carnival freak show has come to town and set up shop in a remote pasture.  The townsfolk were excited.  It had been quite a long time since a circus, carnival or other oddity stopped at their town and they flocked to the site.  That's when things became weird...

People started disappearing.  Not many, but enough to rouse the suspicion of the local sheriff.  Since the only thing 'out of normal' was the freak show, he and a deputy checked it out.  Hours later, the sheriff found himself back at his desk, but the deputy was missing.  He knew they'd gone to the carnival and had seen firsthand that it was a legitimate show (the fat lady was truly a sight to behold), but he couldn't for the life of him remember driving back to the police station.  That had him worried...

He called an old detective friend of his, Frank Doyle, from 'the city' and asked for him to check it out.  The sheriff also called the land owner the carnival was inhabiting, Sir Reginald Upton, to see if he knew anything and to coordinate with Doyle's investigation.  Sir Upton sent his son, James ("Jimmy" to his friends) and his lifelong ward, Elisa ("Ellie" to most) to aid in the investigation.  They called their friends and colleagues, forming a pseudo-posse.

Our intrepid heroes met outside the show's tent and prepared to find out what strange things were afoot...

The Game

Jimmy and the Jackson twins stepped to the tent's front, where the carnival's barker awaited.  

He welcomed them inside and soon enough the entire party, minus Airman Jones, were enthralled by the wily ministrations of the Puppet Master.  Little did they know, but they were all mesmerized by this heinous villain and would only see what they are supposed to see:  innocent freak show employees!

 

Eventually, the group continued further into the tent.  As they rounded the first corner, the Fat Lady was seen.  To their eyes, she was gnawing on a turkey leg, but that wasn't actually the case!  Jimmy, drunk before he'd even arrived at the tent, noticed the aberration and stumbled dazedly toward the next booth.  It wasn't until Detective Doyle saw the half-gnoshed human arm that weapons were drawn and the fight began!

"Hey Rube!" was cried by the carnies and demented clown enforcers erupted from hidden places in the tent!  Most attacked Jimmy, sensing that he was too drunk to effectively put up a fight.  They were wrong.  He took his lumps, but roared his fury and gave what he got!

Detective Doyle was attacked from behind and fell, but Professor Edelstein "did some doctorin'" and got Doyle on his feet.  Meanwhile, Ellie used her shotgun to good effect and soon dropped Lester the Carney.  Outside the tent, Airman Jones found that his SMG was barely a match for the barker's razor-edged hats.  He was heavily wounded when the rest of the townies came to his rescue and subdued the carnival's ringleader.  

Little did our heroes know, but Jim the Butcher escaped to warn his Masters of the debacle unfolding within the tent.

It was a tough fight, but the 'good guys' eventually won the day.  The creatures were dispatched, while the others were taken into custody.

Under harsh interrogation, the barker spilled the beans.  The carnival of inhuman and human misfits were a front for their 'Masters'.  The carnies supplied bodies, alive and dead alike, to their bosses for unknown reasons.  Only an investigation of where the bodies were taken would uncover more of the truth.

Jimmy, Jones and Doyle would be holed up in a hospital to recover from their wounds, but the rest of the gang was ready to continue the fight!

Next week:  That's an Odd-Looking Idol...