Ninja Seizure : first clash for 2025

 

The first action for this new year saw a fearsome band of ninja, led by a rather rubicund master, setting out with the task of seizing a village held by some rival faction.  The rules used were Test of Honour.  Gareth and I led the ninja band. Jeremy, who had painted all the figures and built all the scenery, would lead the opposition.  He would start with only half his forces on the table, the rest coming on as reinforcements.

The 3' by 3' playing area, boundaries marked by the edge of the table on two sides, streams on the other two, contained three houses grouped around a well, a couple of bamboo groves and a couple of padi fields.  Objective markers were placed beside each house.  To win, either side would have to control two of the three objectives at the end of turn 5, or all 3 at an earlier point.  Jeremy chose the defender's base line, selecting the edge on the right of the picture.  We then rolled to see which side the ninja would come in from, ending up with the side along the stream in the foreground.

First on.  The Ninja master and one of his sidekicks creep on as stealthily as they can in broad daylight - the cover provided by the house making a fair substitute for darkness.

The opposition begins to appear in the form of a bunch of ladies, armed to the teeth - the formidable Onna-Musha. 

The ladies also brought on fire support out on the flank

The main group of ninja entered ready to race between the bamboo grove and the tile roofed house into the centre of the village, hoping to get to grips with the small band of defenders there before reinforcements could arrive, while two of their number headed for the other end of the house where one of the objective markers lay.

The Ninjas had drawn this card as their quest - if achieved on top of the main objective it would provide an added bonus - but we had no idea how to make a stealthy approach and decided just to go flat out for the main objectives.

A swift advance brings the main body up to the passage between the bamboo and the house.  The master and another character have moved forward to where they can start to pelt the enemy with nefarious missiles, while the remaining character, supported by a single follower, is tucked by the corner of the house, out of sight and shot of the archer.

Bird's eye view of the position at the end of the first turn.  The Onna-Musha have managed to bring on most of their reinforcements - only two single followers remain off table - and are trying to concentrate away from the main Ninja force.

The Onna-Musha bring on their last two followers, a banner lady and an armoured sword bearer, only for the latter to be struck dead by a shuriken swiftly cast from the ninja at the corner of the house.

Aghast at the death of the sword lady, the nearby character fails a test of honour and retreats.

Emboldened, the ninja advances from behind the house to seize the objective.  His action is rewarded with success as the archer fails to hit him with her arrows and a band of followers fail to inflict any damage in combat.  The Onna-Musha leader has run into the house to avoid the shuriken being flung by the Ninja leader and his supporter.

At the end of the game we were to find that the Onna-Musha leader taking cover in the house was not an act of cowardice but a cunning plan to lure one of the Ninja into following her, giving her opportunity to fulfil the quest for their side!

Ninja gloating was cut short when their isolated character was cut down in a swift charge by the Onna-Musha character, who had recovered from her shock.

Unable to throw missiles at his counter-part in the house, the Ninja leader had inflicted some wounds on a band of followers, then charged in to finish them off.  Or not - as he rolled a blunder which left him wounded as well!

The Onna-Musha leader now re-emerged from the house.  The isolated ninja follower was facing threats from the archer, a band of followers and the character who had just killed his leader, leaving his chances of holding the objective fairly low.  The wounded ninja master had support from his remaining character, but both bands of followers were showing a marked reluctance to move forwards.  Things were beginning to look a bit sticky for the Ninja master.

The Onna-Musha followers raced in first to try to soften up the Ninja master further before their leader delivered the coup-de-grace, but in an excess of zeal succeeded in slaughtering the red faced Ninja by themselves.

The isolated ninja follower then went down as swiftly as his master

In a last gasp effort, the Ninjas managed to get one group of followers onto a second objective while their last character ran and planted himself on the third, hoping, as they entered turn 5, that the end of turn token might be drawn before anything bad could happen.  It wasn't.  Instead, the Onna-Musha leader, piqued by having had her earlier prey snatched from her mouth by her followers, rushed over and slaughtered him before sauntering back beside the well where she had begun the game, taunting the cowed ninja followers to come and get a taste of her katana.  They declined, one band never having moved beyond its original position by the bamboo grove.

 

All in all, not the most distinguished fight from the Ninja but another fun and furious game, the trade-mark of Test of Honour.