SBVT08 Lesser played scenarios

Round 4 USA Renaud / Tokugawa / 7 banners / 22 blocks lost vs Jim D / Takeda /  6 banners / 34 blocks lost (+3 seppuku) A much delayed AAR. As the Tokugawa I started with a near perfect card combo of Hold and Shoot and Fire Arrows. Got 4 hits and 3 retreats out of it, not too bad, not great. Jim replied with a Hold and Shoot of his own and got 5 hits! With Ninja Thief I got my Fire Arrows card back and played it in combo with Flying Geese and got 5 hits and 2 retreats (including his SBC taking 2 and moving behind the hill on his right. Jim then played Infantry Onslaught on his left going after my forward SB an AA. A few hits, no kill. I countered with Advance Right, but kind of botched it, especially as he played First Strike on my SB with his leader-inspired-SS and I forgot to play the card that would force him to re-roll… Fortunately my SB was on a hill, he scored 1 hit and I scored 2 on the battle-back, leaving both units down to 1 block. My AA scored 1 on his other SSp, and got hit with 3 and a flag on the battle-back… Next, he killed 2 of my units (AA and Asp) on that flank, but failed to kill the SB. Never mind, my attack on the next turn failed to kill his 1-block SSp and got my SB killed….. I was down 0—4 at that point, Jim having killed Sakai Todakatsu before. Fast-forward a few turns, and I positioned for the tale to be told centuries later: Tokugawa Ieyasu’s death ride. In the meantime, I spoiled Jim’s Cavalry Charge with Wild Winds and that probably was a critical play as I then used a Serpent Command to move most of my line out of charge range. Jim dressed ranks and pulled back for the most part with 3 1-block units here and there. The death ride started against his forward SSp under Naito Masatoyo, the unit that had killed 2 of mine and one of my leaders. His SSp died and Naito San committed seppuku. 1-4. A couple of maneuvering turns later, the death ride continued against the Takeda left. I killed his remaining 1-block SSp, forcing Obata Masatoyo to retreat, then I killed his 3-block SB unit. 3-4. Jim played Shogun and piled on against Tokugawa, bringing down to 1 block! Tokugwawa persisted, killed a Baba Nobuharu’s 2-block SB unit and forced him to commit seppuku, then followed up and killed Obata Masatoyo’s 2-block AB unit and forced Obata to commit seppuku too! 5-4. Jim then played his cavalry charge, but was only able to send his full strength SBC against Tokugawa. He failed to kill him, and lost 2 blocks. Tokugawa’s death ride continued… for a brief while. He killed an AA unit, but failed against an ASp unit, and the battle-back took his unit out and him! 6-6. Sayonara, Tokugawa-sama! You scored 6 banners on your own. .  Next turn, I used my SB and SBC units to shoot at Takeda K’s SB unit and killed him! 7-6. Phew….   

Round 3 - European (and Australian!) Group

G34 TAKAKURA CASTLE 1585 AD 

goshublue (Allies) Banners 9 Blocks lost 28 

mk20336 (Date) Banners 7 Blocks lost 33 

A long, complex and enjoyable battle, as befits this odd scenario, which I’ve played a couple of times before. It obviously heavily favours the Allies but it’s Samurai Battles, so that’s not always the case. Contrary to usual play, all of the initial action happened on the Allied left because that’s where I had the cards. Knocked the Date completely out of that flank but they killed both cavalry there in return and were able to Serpent Command all their forces across the Seto Stream. The Allies were able to use Move as the Wind to take the bridge banner and kill off the Date greens defending it and moved on the right to take the castle with all the goodness that provided. Nevertheless the Date counterattacked strongly to take 3 quick banners for a very respectable result…..despite finishing the battle with 2 command (thanks to the castle loss and seppukus) and no leaders remaining. The Arai village banner was never won. 

Well done, Michal, and thanks for a fun game. 

Brent.[