Desperate Journey

Warning: Since this article was written, Daimyo Edition was released. Be advised that Desperate Journey is a First Edition product. The profiles contained in the book have been superceded by those released in DE, and the scenarios are using first edition pricing and profiles, as such they will have to be updated to use with DE rules.

The first of the CW suppliments has been available since late March, but this is the first opportunity I have had to write a preview of it.

It is 64 pages, 16 of which are color. It retails for $17.95 and advances the CW storyline up to the attempt to destroy the Anvil of Despair. This is the event that lead up to the Desperate Journey storyline tournament, where the Phoenix clan recovered the prophecies of Asako Yorito. In addition to the 11 pages of fiction, there are 5 pages containing 11 force profiles (see below).

There are 5 pages devoted to a new element of play for Clan War called Regions of Rokugan. There are two such regions detailed, The Shadowlands and Shinomen Forest. Each of these regions have special information regarding setup and advantages and disadvantages for native armies versus non-native armies. While I would not use these in every battle, they do form the basis for some interesting scenarios, and a new and different tactical challenge for players.

There are 3 scenarios. The first is 4 pages, and describes a battle between the Unicorn and the Crab. The second is 7 pages (all in color) and describes a desperate battle between Phoenix forces with the Anvil, and a Shadowlands army. This scenario takes place in the same spot as the storyline tournament, but uses the new Shadowland region. The last scenario is 4 pages and uses the new Shinomen Forest region, and details a battle between the Scorpion and the Naga.

There are 7 pages dedicated to an introduction to preparing and painting your figures. These pages are all in color, which may or may not be a good thing. It is a good introduction to what you will need to paint your figures, with a discussion of all the steps involved. It even covers some more advanced techniques such as washes and highlights. Unfortunately, some of the colors chosen for the models used in the examples are less than attractive. I do not know if this was due to a problem with the printing process or just poor color choices. Considering the differences in ground-cloth colors and other fluxuations, I am hoping it is the former. Still, this section is very helpful overall, especially if you are just starting to paint figures and would like some pointers on how to make them look great on the table. Oh, and it includes a picutre of Togashi Hoshi and Oni no Yakamo, for those that are still wondering what those figures look like.

Perhaps the most important section of this book is a 16 page section of collected rules from some of the Army books. For those that already have the books in question, be aware that there are some changed in these rules. (I will post pointers in the next version of the FAQ.) The rules detailed include Skirmish Formations, Special Items (the rules, not a list of the items), Flight, and Command Groups. Force profiles for the Hatamoto, Signal Corps, Courtiers, and Yojimbo are also included.

Last but not least, there are 2 pages detailing a sample Phoenix army.

Well, that covers the contents of this publication. It has a lot of information, some interesting scenarios and cool new optional rules. There is a page advertising the new terrain available from Amorcast under license, which can add greatly to your battlefield. The price may seem a little high for a 64 page book, but the color pages add a bit to the cost. The scenarios included use many of the new force profiles included in the book, and are a lot of fun to fight. The only real detractor is the color pictures of some of the figures. Hopefully, the color plates will improve with practice.

Profiles Added

Name	Faction	Notes
Oni no Yakamo	Crab	Experienced. The "Hida" was dropped from the oni's name.
Hida Amoro	Crab	Experienced. Now he is undead.
The Nameless One	Phoenix	Experienced.
Isawa Tomo	Phoenix	Experienced 2.
Isawa Sakuno	Phoenix
Otaku Natsuko	Unicorn
Mokoto	Toturi	One of the 12 Ronin. This is a winning entry by Don Arganbrightin the Name the Twelve Ronin contest.
Takuan	Toturi	One of the 12 Ronin.
Ginawa	Toturi	Experienced. One of the 12 Ronin
Ropp'tch'tch	Unaligned	Nezumi (ratling)
T'chickchuck	Unaligned	Nezumi (ratling)