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!)

It was a short & very bloody Skirmish.  My Peasants advanced down the centre of the board, to the crossroads, while the Yakuza deployed in two groups, & swept round each side of the large house.  The warrior monk Bokusui led the way through the crop field on the left, racing ahead of his charges to confront the lead Yakuza thug.  He was trailed by two peasants, one with the yari; while the remaining three peasants swept in to block the rest of the Yakuza from piling in on Bokusui.

This tactic of preventing a pile-in on my one decent fighter worked well initially, with the peasants briefly holding their own against the thugs at the crossroads.  Bokusui was soon joined by the two peasants who had followed him through the crop field.  However, while Bokusui & the peasant with yari combined managed to kill the Yakuza leader, the rest of the thugs quickly cut through the other peasants, then killed those who were aiding the warrior monk, leaving Bokusui alone fighting three foes.  The brave monk managed to deal a Grievous Wound to one of his opponents before being Grievously Wounded himself, & then cut-down by three swords.  Meanwhile the last remaining peasant at the crossroads who had been exchanging blows with the cudgel-armed Yakuza ruffian eventually succumbed to the assault.

Final score
Yakuza:  5.5 Victory Points
Peasants:  2 Victory Points