Jungle scenery

This week my partner Frances made her first piece of wargames terrain - a base of jungle scenery, which turned out amazing!  Incredible detail, & it fits right in with my existing Lustria jungle terrain. It inspired me to model-up a blank hill that I had waiting to be finished - as another jungle piece.  Put together with the rest, I have a decent amount for running small skirmishes on my 2' x 2' Ronin board (I've been thinking of trying Lustria skirmishes using the Ronin stat-builder & my Warhammer Quest figures).  Could do with a bit more variety for this jungle set now - some overgrown ruins, murky pools, & perhaps a river!

Frances's scenery was based on an old CD, which first received a cardboard top, & then several layers of 3mm & 5mm foamboard cut to resemble a slight hillock (the depth was necessary to fit the plant stems into).  The foamboard was slathered in moulding paste to make a smoother hill, & when dry was painted dark brown, with splotches of olive green where the grass would be.  After various flocks & Gamers Grass tufts were glued on, the plastic aquarium plants were glued into holes drilled into the foamboard.

My hill followed the same recipe, but the base was entirely foamboard, with some 2p coins glued into recess in the bottom layer, to add some weight.

Below are some photos of the assembled terrain, with some of the denizens of the Lustrian rainforests lurking amidst the steaming undergrowth.

While I've made no progress on my Lustrian-themed Warhammer Quest dungeon tiles lately, I was pleasantly surprised how much 'above-ground' scenery I already have to hand for the same setting.

Ronin game: Escort

My third Ronin game against Frances - this time, the Escort scenario from the North Star Magazine website, modified slightly to suit the story arc of our trilogy of games.  This will be a pic-heavy post.  In the previous game, Lady Ishida Mitsu's sister, Sakura had been kidnapped by the villainous Yakuza 'Black Hand' gang (played by Frances).  Lady Ishida ('the Red Widow') has used her influence as a member of the Samurai class to rouse the local villagers to one last act of resistance against their Yakuza oppressors.  Sakura is being escorted to the Yakuza hideout for ransom, & my Peasants (with a little help) were to attempt a rescue en route.

We upped the points value to a larger game again - 150pts each this time.  This allowed a bit more variety in our factions, & enough points to hire some mercenary swords for our generally poorly-skilled fighters (especially for my lowly mob of Peasants).  Frances's Yakuza - escorting Sakura to their hideout - consisted of a Lieutenant & five Thugs with a katana (sword) each; two Thugs with a matchlock & katana each; two Ruffians with ararebō (cudgels); plus two hired Ronin, one with a katana, wakizashi (short sword) & Kenjutso (sword skill) attribute, & the other with a nodachi (great sword), wakizashi & Powerful (extra strength) attribute.

Facing these Yakuza, my Peasant force consisted of Lady Ishida & her loyal Yojimbo (bodyguard), each with katana, wakizashi, & Kenjutso; Bokusui the Warrior Monk with bō (quarterstaff), & the Acrobatic & Bōjutsu attributes; two Peasants with bamboo yari (spears); & eight Peasants with improvised weapons (farming tools).  I had also hired a swordmaster, Kuma ('the Bear').  He was a notorious drunkard, but said to be possessed of prodigious fighting skills in the art of Niten ('two swords').

Ronin game: Capture

Another Ronin game against Frances - this time, the Capture scenario.  My Peasants were trying to reach Lady Ishida Mitsu's sister, Sakura, before the dastardly Yakuza 'Black Hand' gang could kidnap her.  Sakura was placed in the centre of the board, & the deployment roll resulted in setup on opposite edges.

We scaled-up to medium-size (100pts-a-side) forces this time.  I deployed Lady Ishida - 'Akai Mibōjin' ('the Red Widow') - On the track leading through the village on the right flank, with her bodyguard beside her.  My peasants were stretched out behind the smaller house, & in the field behind it, with the warrior monk Bokusui leading the left flank.  Opposing them, Frances set-up her lieutenant on her left flank, backed-up by a pair of ruffians with clubs, & a thug with a matchlock. On Frances's right flank, she placed her five thugs with katanas.

Ronin game: Skirmish

This weekend my partner Frances played her first ever miniatures game, against me.  We played Ronin from Osprey Wargames, & she beat me, slaughtering my entire force!

We chose a small-size (50pts-a-side) straightforward Skirmish scenario to begin with.  I played as the upstart Peasants of Sangawe village, who were out looking for a fight with their oppressors, the local Yakuza 'Black Hand' gang.  My 50pts of Peasants were led by the traveling warrior monk Bokusui with a bō (quarterstaff), who has taken a shine to the villagers after discovering the Black Hand gang runs a gambling den in the abandoned temple at the edge of Sangawe.  Bokusui has the Acrobatic, Bōjutsu, & Fearless Attributes, meaning that he ignores Difficult Terrain effects, gets re-rolls when fighting with his bō, & has unshakeable morale.

Bokusui led five Peasants - very feeble fighters, four armed with farming tools (improvised weapons), & one armed with a bamboo yari (spear), the latter at least benefiting from a +2 Initiative bonus from his weapon, increasing the likelihood that he may strike before his opponents.

Frances's Yakuza force consisted of  four thugs armed with katanas (one acting as leader), & a ruffian armed with an ararebō (studded cudgel).  The ruffian is as feeble a fighter as my peasants, but the thugs are a level above them in skill (& properly-armed!)