Chance cards and a Samurai game

I am continuing my messing around with chance cards and using a slightly different approach for a Samurai game set during the 1550-1615 period. The rules used are a One-Hour Wargame variation and can be found in one of the links at the top of the blog.

A samurai game in progress.

In my previous post,  I described a method for using chance cards in wargames. Each player has 8 negative chance cards and 8 positive chance cards. Players shuffle their negative chance cards, then draw 5 of them unseen. They do the same with their positive chance cards. These cards are then added to the 5 "no event" cards and shuffled to create each player's chance deck. This method creates an element of uncertainty about the types of good or bad luck a player could experience, rather than having a known set of fixed events.

For the samurai game, I decided to use a slightly different variation of the above approach. Each player can select 8 cards from the following list, but no card can be selected more than 4 times:

Initiative: A free action for one unit to move, shoot, charge, or a round of hand-to-hand combat.

Rally: One unit can remove D6 hits.

Feint: One unit not within 12 inches or line of sight of an enemy unit can have an unlimited move, but can never move within 12 inches of an enemy unit during its movement on the tabletop. This makes skirmishing units particularly useful to block surprise appearances of a unit on the opposite flank or exposed flanks.

The limit of 4 cards helps to create a variety of cards, but allows players to gear their selection to suit their planned tactics for the game. Stacking the deck so to speak. For example, if defending, they may well choose 4 rally cards and a couple of feint cards to enable counterattacks, with the remaining 2 cards being made up of initiative cards.

The 8 selected cards are shuffled and 5 cards are drawn unseen by the player. These 5 cards are added unseen to 5 "no event" and 5 negative cards (which are fixed) and shuffled to create a player's chance card deck for the game.

A balanced 3 initiative, 3 rally and 2 feint cards are selected

The 8 selected cards are shuffled and 5 selected unseen and the remaining 3 discarded, again unseen by the player. All the positive, negative and “No event” cards are then shuffled and become the player’s chance card deck.

The Game…

The game has Blue and Red armies positioned on hills facing each other. Both armies are trying to capture the opposite hilltop or eliminate the enemy by reducing their number to 1 unit.

Tabletop setup with the two chance card decks in the foreground.

The orders of battle use 7 units because I am only using only 3 units types. This allows for a unique variation for each score on a dice.

A random force selection table

Order of Battle…

Blue Army:

• 3 x Samurai units
• 1 x Samurai Skirmisher unit
• 3 x Ashigaru units

Red Army:

• 4 x Ashigaru units
• 2 x Samurai units
• 1 x Samurai Skirmisher units

Note: in the photographs the samurai skirmishers have 4 bases a mix of mounted and foot bowmen, while the other samurai unit have 6 bases with a mix of mounted samurai and foot samurai with swords and pole arms.

A Brief Battle Report…

The battle commenced as the Red forces initiated an advance, directing their Ashigaru units forward along their right flank. Simultaneously, on the opposing flank, the Blue army moved forward, deploying their skirmishers and samurai. The Daimyo leading the Blue forces then chose to advance in the centre. At this phase of the battle, both sides engaged in ranged combat, employing their muskets and bowmen. Blue then executed a feint manoeuvre by transferring a samurai unit from their right flank to the left, reinforcing an assault on Red's right flank, which had been gradually gaining the advantage.

As the centre of the Blue forces began to waver, the Daimyo of the Red army made the decision to push forward with their central units while repelling the flanking threat posed by Blue’s samurai. The centre of the Blue army began to crumble, prompting some units to retreat towards a hilltop position with the aim of  establishing a final defence. Despite their battered state, the Blue forces managed to rally and effectively withstand Red attacks. The battle outcome was an honourable draw.

Red Ashigaru push forward on their right flank.

In the centre both forces exchange fire.

The switch of a Blue samurai unit to the opposite flank creates a threat for Red forces to deal with.

Blue’s centre has collapsed and the remaining forces retire to defend the hill.

Blue forces recover sufficiently to hold the hilltop and achieve a draw.

I found the game enjoyable using this method of choosing favourable cards and stacking the deck to align with the tactics planned for the battle. Building upon this approach, I am planning to create a set of predetermined card combinations, each consisting of 8 cards. These combinations will be based on the various historical battle formations, using their poetic name, such as "Ganko - Birds of Flight." Additionally, these prearranged selections will have specific restrictions regarding the deployment of units, adding a layer of constraint to the gameplay and battle narrative.

Battle formations

The formations were found in this book.

I think there will be a samurai campaign soon. Anyway that is all for now and I can ponder the campaign while gardening. There are just too many chores to do in the garden after being away and some recent wet wintery weekends.