Historical Background
The first charge on Takeda's right flank was led by the experienced Baba Nobufusa. In the north of Shitaragahara Plains, the Oda army constructed Fort Maruyama, a defensive structure in front of the first layer of barricades.
Sakuma Nobumori and 6000 Oda soldiers were stationed there anticipating a Takeda attack. Baba Nobufusa's 700 elite men were significantly outnumbered but they launched a swift and efficient attack against Fort Maruyama, putting enormous pressure on Oda's left flank. The cautious Sakuma Nobumori realized that the fort would not hold and decided to retreat to minimize losses. The fort did not function as well as he had hoped and he went back to the original plan of stopping Takeda at the first barricades. After the retreating Oda forces set up defense along the palisades, the situation stabilized and Baba's forces lost its initial momentum, waiting for the arrival of Takeda's second wave reinforcements before they could break the first layer of barricades.
The stage is set, the battle lines are drawn, and you are in command. Can you change history?
Optional Campaign Rules:
• If Torii Suneemon escaped in scenario 01, Takeda player starts the game with -1 command card.
• If both forts were majority-occupied by Oda-Tokugawa at the end of scenario 02, Tokugawa player starts with +3 H&F tokens.
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| 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
Takeda Army
6 Command Cards
2 Dragon Cards
5 H&F Tokens
Move First
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| 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Oda Army
5 Command Cards
1 Dragon Cards
2 H&F Tokens
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| 5 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
Victory
7 Banners
• Takeda gains a banner as long as he has majority control of Fort Maruyama (more units on hill hexes than enemy).
• Takeda unit reaching any of Oda's baseline hex gains Takeda player a permanent Victory Banner. Only one Banner can be gained this way.
Special Rules
• When friendly units attached to or adjacent to Baba Nobufusa initiate close combat, units being attacked cannot battle back.
• Fence terrain hexes are palisades.
• Rengogawa River is fordable.
Yuki's Post-Battle Notes and Trivia
• Sakuma Nobumori (PMPUM served both Oda Nobunaga and Nobunaga' s father. He was one of the high-ranking Oda generals with the most seniority.
• His nickname was "Noki Sakuma", or "retreating Sakuma" Counterintuitively, this is not a comment of his cowardice. The nickname refers to his cautious personality and skills in organizing efficient withdraw' from the battlefield. Situational awareness is crucial in battle and Sakuma Nobumori, historical and modern portraits knowing when to advance and when to preserve resources is often key to victory. Modern media tend to depict samurais and their soldiers as honor-hungry maniacs who would always advance like brutes, but in reality Sengoku period warfare was very nuanced and efficient retreating maneuvers were proven far more valuable than valorous charges . Sakuma Nobumori was also known for his enormous success as rear guard (shingari, stopping enemy pursuit after the loss of a battle), a role that is necessary but often left unthanked.
• In the battle of Nagashino, Sakuma Nobumori was in charge of Oda left flank. Upon realizing the inefficiency of Fort Maruyama' s defensive capabilities, he immediately gave up the location and restationed his men at the first barricade, minimizing losses and stabilizing the left flank. Despite his numerical advantage against Baba Nobufusa, he was very well aware of Baba' s reputation and capabilities and knew that a direct confrontation would become costly and wasteful, regroup at the first barricade.
• There are some theories that claim the loss of Fort Maruyama was intentional. The story is that Sakuma Nobumori reached out to Takeda before the battle, promising to work from the inside of Oda camp and leave the left flank open, with his real goal of entrapping the advancing Takeda forces. These stories are not very believable given that the retreat from the fort did not seem very premature by Sakum standards. Furthermore, Baba Nobufusa' s control of the battlefield in the northern sector in the later parts of battle did not seem restrained, so whatever trick Sakuma tried to play on him, if any, did not work.
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