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 500
Koku Starter Armies
By Andrew Kluis (addendum by Shosuro Josai)
These armies are specifically designed to use half of the
models included in the Daimyo Edition Boxed Set. It is my intent
that the following armies be used by a pair of players who are
splitting a boxed set, someone wishing to get a good feel for
each clans' style of play, or anyone who just need a good starting
point. All units are composed of troop types listed in the Basic
Rulebook included with the boxed set. This does not mean that
they are limited or in any way inferior to 500 koku armies designed
with unlimited access to units and models. Experienced games
will recognize these armies as well balanced and capable foes
for small and quick games.
The majority of the armies are composed of an infantry element
and an archery element. The archery elements here usually are
lead by Leadership Packages, which are promising troops with
a little extra training, they don't have all the skills and force
of a true personality, but come at a much lower cost. Remember
that even though your archers are not skilled in combat, if they
don't have anything to shoot at, they can be used to attack an
enemy in the flanks or rear, especially if that enemy is tied
up fighting.
The following armies are designed so that each player takes
half the infantry and half the archers from the Basic Set. Each
listing in this section includes suggestions on what to purchase
next if you find that the army fits your playing style:
The following armies are designed to fight each other, using
one set of figures in the Basic Set. They do not split up the
models evenly as the previous list did:
Determination -
a 500 Koku Crab Army
10 Hiruma Archers @ 185 Koku
Crab Chui; Battle 2; Leadership 2; Defense 3; Stalwart Defender;
Skills;
Defense 3; Traits; Infantry; Equipment; Light Armor; Yumi
11 The Damned @ 315 Koku
Skills; Defense 3; Traits; Fearless; Infantry; Tainted; Equipment;
Light Armor; Two-Handed Weapons
Lead by Hida Tampako @ [128] Koku
Unit Commander; Skills; Battle 2; Defense 4; Leadership 3; Traits;
Infantry; Equipment; Heavy Armor; Tetsubo
Total Honor: 4
Total Army Cost: 500
The crab army is a stalwart, heavily armored affair. The damned,
when lead by Hida Tampako, are able to withstand large amounts
of damage without faltering. Let the enemy come to you, harassing
with your archers, but keeping The Damned close. Slip the archers
away and let your opponent engage the The Damned, as this is
when they are at their best. The damned stand up well to ranged
attacks, but still keep them away from enemy archers as much
as possible.
Special Rules
Remember that both The Damned and Tampako have
defense, which works in conjunction, plus The Damned ignore the
first wound in close combat (but not ranged attacks) This means
to cause a single wound against The Damned your opponent must
roll 27 damage! (if he rolls 26, subtract 7 for your defense,
leaving 19. Remember that you need to do a full 10 points to
cause a wound, and extra does not carry over. That 19 remaining
causes only one wound, and in close combat, The Damned would
ignore that wound!) Additionally, Tampako's ability causes the
enemy to suffer - 1 to all the attack rolls on the turn when
they engage your unit of The Damned. Don't forget that The Damned
get a moral bonus when in close combat.
What figures should I get next?
12-16 Crab Heavy Elites are the best bet for the aspiring Crab
General. Every crab army I have seen in tournaments have included
at least some of these outstanding troops. They have tremendously
thick armor, better than any other Crab unit, making them nearly
impervious to your enemy's katana and yumi fire. The unit is
able to deal out large amounts of damage, and has strong training
and moral. Finally, this is a two wound unit, giving it great
staying power. With all their abilities, this troop type has
a higher koku cost than most of your clan units, but they are
worth every grain of rice! This has the added benefit of getting
the most koku of troops for the least investment of dollars.
Left Hand of the
Emperor - a 500 Koku Crane Army
7 Empress' Guard @ 281 Koku
Skills; Traits; Infantry; Equipment; Light Armor; No-dachi
Lead by Doji Chomei @ [162] Koku
Unit Commander; Skills; Battle 3; Defense 3; Iaijutsu 1; Leadership
3; Traits; Infantry; Equipment; Light Armor; Katana
12 Crane Elite Archers @ 219 Koku
Generic Gunso; Battle 1; Leadership 2; Defense 1; Skills; Traits;
Infantry; Equipment; Light Armor; Yumi
Total Honor: 8
Total Army Cost: 500
The Crane Clan is known for courtly honor, dueling and archery
skill. Archers are one of the strong points of this Crane Army.
The Crane Elite Archers have a +2 ATT modifier to their ranged
attack rolls. This negates the long-range penalty, so as long
as the unit does not have to move, many of their arrows will
strike true. During army setup, place the archers last, across
from your target unit. Pay attention to 'lanes of fire' clear
paths through the terrain, which the enemy will try to advance
up. If you are not able to get a good placement, move your unit
quickly and early so that you do not have to move on turns where
it will affect your firing. Remember that the enemy will have
to come to you. The Crane Elite Archers should be able to weaken
the enemy forces enough for the Empress Guard to finish them
off. Even though the Empress Guard is a smaller infantry unit
that employed by the other armies, the moral of this unit is
outstanding low. The Empress Guard will stand and fight to the
bitter end, or long enough that the enemy's moral will fail.
Special Rules
As long as the Empress Guard is not under duress
(unformed, flanked, broken, or spent) the unit gains +1 ATT and
+1 DAM for one turn when an enemy engages your unit with either
the charge ability or charge card.
What figures should I get next?
12- 16 Daidoji Iron Warriors are the cream of the crop for the
aspiring Crane General. The troops are equipped in heavy armor
and armed with yari. Yari allows the unit to strike first on
the opening turn of an engagement. Casualties are removed before
the enemy can even strike back. This powerful unit is able to
deal out large amounts of damage, and has strong training and
moral. Finally, this is a two wound unit, giving it great staying
power. With all their abilities, this troop type has a higher
koku cost than most of your clan units, but they are worth every
grain of rice! This has the added benefit of getting the most
koku of troops for the least investment of dollars.
Heart of the Mountain
- a 500 Koku Dragon Army
10 Dragon Flame @ 170 Koku
Dragon Gunso; Battle 2; Leadership 2; Defense 2; Skills; Traits;
Infantry; Equipment; Light Armor; Yumi
13 Dragonscales @ 330 Koku
Skills; Traits; Infantry; Equipment; Heavy Armor; Daisho
Lead by Mirumoto Taki @ [122] Koku
Unit Commander; Skills; Battle 3; Defense 2; Iaijutsu 3; Leadership
2; Traits; Infantry; Equipment; Heavy Armor; Daisho
Total Honor: 5
Total Army Cost: 500
Most armies to a few things extremely well, whereas the Dragon
Clan is strong in all areas. This is a well-rounded army, as
both the Dragon Flame and the Dragonscales are on par with the
best archers and infantry in the game. This leaves you with few
weaknesses for your enemy to exploit. Sit back and allow your
enemy to give you an opening. Whatever the opponent does best,
do the opposite. If the enemy has strong infantry, use your archers
to weaken him. If the enemy has strong archery, engage them with
your Dragonscales. One of the hallmarks of the Dragon Clan is
Daisho Technique, which gives the unit better armor when in close
combat. Combine this with the heavy armor and combat skill of
the Dragonscales, and they are very potent infantry. While the
Dragon Flame don't have quite the attack modifiers of the Crane
Elite Archers, they do have damage modifiers, which allows each
shot to deal out more damage. Weaken the enemy infantry, then
turn your attention to the opposing archers after the Dragonscales
have engaged.
Special Rules
The Dragonscales have split ATN, the higher number
is used in close combat only
What figures should I get next?
The best choice for the enlightened Dragon General is 12-16 Ise
Zumi. These are the martial arts monks of the Dragon Clan. Arcane
tattoos heighten the ability of these troops. By activating tattoos
these units can run faster than a horse, strike with the strength
of ten men, or even breath fire. This unique unit is able to
deal out large amounts of damage, and has strong training and
moral. Finally, this is a two wound unit, giving it great staying
power. With all their abilities, this troop type has a higher
koku cost than most of your clan units, but they are worth every
grain of rice! This has the added benefit of getting the most
koku of troops for the least investment of dollars.
Blood of my Ancestors
- a 500 Koku Lion Army
15 Lion Heavy Regulars @ 395 Koku
Skills; Traits; Infantry; Equipment; Heavy Armor; Katana
Lead by Kitsu Motso @ [155] Koku
Unit Commander; Skills; Battle 2; Charge; Iaijutsu 1; Leadership
4;
Tactician 1; Traits; Infantry; Equipment; Light Armor; Katana
9 Medium Infantry w/ Yumi @ 105 Koku
Generic Gunso; Battle 1; Leadership 2; Defense 1; Skills; Traits;
Infantry; Equipment; Light Armor; Yumi
Total Honor: 9
Total Army Cost: 500
The Lion, like the Crane, are a clan of great honor. Unlike
their hated Crane counterparts, a Lion Samurai believes honor
resides in one are, the battlefield. The Lion have an impressive
array of infantry, but have no archers in the clan. Instead,
the Lions recruit ronin archers or rely on ashigaru, or trained
peasants, when archers are needed. This Lion army is designed
with a small contingent of archers to give cover fire, but the
key to a Lion victory is to race across the field and charge
into the enemy. The enemies' plan is to kill as many of your
samurai as possible before the Lion are close enough to use katanas.
The Lion Heavy Regulars are thickly armored to get them to the
enemy, and are lead by the outstanding Kitsu Motso, whose great
leadership will pull his already strong unit though the toughest
moments.
Special Rules
Most Lion leaders, including Kitsu Motso have the
skill Charge. This allows up to +4 inches of movement when engaging
if a charge is declared. If you are playing with tactical cards,
the Charge Card can be used to boost the movement to +8 (or will
give a standard +4 to a unit who does not have charge). Additionally,
charging gives bonuses to ATT and DAM. However, a charge that
falls short will leave you very vulnerable. There are also cards
that allow the enemy to back up a few inches in the face of an
incoming charge. If the enemy does not have any tactical cards
in his hand, charge when you are an estimated 6-7 inches away,
to give yourself a little buffer zone. If you fear he has cards
that will allow him to retreat, come to as close to four inches
as possible. The enemy may wish to engage but then they have
the risk of falling short by a quarter inch, and you most likely
will be able to make contact even if he does retreat.
What figures should I get next?
For the Lion General, there are two candidates, Lion Heavy Elites
and Akodo Deathseekers, 12 -16 of either would be a great place
to start. Lion Heavy Elites are heavily armored and fierce fighters.
They have as strong of moral as any other clan's elite units,
and outstanding training. No Lion commander can go wrong with
these troops. Deathseekers are in some ways the opposite of the
Lion Heavy Elites. They have no armor, so a general must be careful
to avoid arrow fire as much as possible, and they will suffer
greater losses against heavily armed infantry in close combat.
Without armor, how can they be better? The Deathseekers will
stop at nothing and fight with inhuman fury. They have the strongest
moral in the game, and will fight for the general to the bitter
end. A single remaining Deathseeker will stand and fight when
even the most elite troop would turn and run.
Both of these troops are two wound models, giving the unit
great staying power. With all their abilities, this troop type
has a higher koku cost than most of your clan units, but they
are worth every grain of rice! This has the added benefit of
getting the most koku of troops for the least investment of dollars.
Arcane Fury -
a 500 Koku Phoenix Army
10 Heavy Infantry @ 120 Koku
Generic Chui; Battle 2; Leadership 2; Defense 2; Skills; Traits;
Infantry; Equipment; Heavy Armor; Katana
12 Hurricane Initiates @ 381 Koku
Skills; Traits; Elemental; Infantry; Equipment; Light Armor;
Yumi
Lead by Isawa Uona @ [213] Koku
Unit Commander; Skills; Magic 5; Battle 1; Iaijutsu 4; Leadership
2;
Traits; Infantry; Equipment; Wakizashi; Yumi
Wind Borne Speed [15]
Tempest of Air [20]
Fury of Osano-Wo [10]
Total Honor: 8
Total Army Cost: 501
The Phoenix is the Clan of the masters of magic. They have
integrated the shugenja of the clan into the military, often
in the roll of unit commander. Without such leaders, the Phoenix
Clan's small army would soon fall to aggressive neighbors. The
Ronin infantry are included to give some protection to the rather
fragile archery unit. Under normal circumstances, the Hurricane
Initiates have a few inches greater range than normal, but with
Uona leading, they have nearly unprecedented ability to strike
at the far corners of the table. The key to this army is to do
as much archery damage as possible, tie up the survivors with
your ronin infantry, and move to a better position to finish
off the enemy if they destroy the ronin. The infantry is still
a strong force and may even be able to defeat a weakened clan
unit.
Special Rules
Isawa Uona is a shugenja capable of leading her
clan's forces into battle. As a Shugenja, she has access to spell
scrolls. A shugenja can cast only one spell per turn.
Wind Borne Speed: Isawa Uona may cast this spell 7 times.
This takes place in the special action phase. Uona gives one
unit the cavalry trait. For one turn, they may move in the cavalry
phase in addition to the infantry phase. Use this spell for quickly
moving your ronin infantry in, or your archery units out of harms
way quickly.
Tempest of Air: Isawa Uona may cast this spell 7 times.
Target an enemy unit within 18". The unit must roll a 7
or better (modify the dice roll by +1 if it has a leader with
an Earth Ring of 1-2, +2 for 3-4, and +3 to the roll for 5-6
) If the target unit fails the roll, the unit's movement rate
is reduced by ½ until the end of the turn. (If the targeted
unit has movement increases such as +4 for charge, which is unchanged)
Use this spell to keep the enemy back so you have more time to
launch your arrows.
Fury of Osano-Wo: Isawa Uona may cast this spell 3 times.
This takes place in the ranged attack phase. This spell is a
ranged attack, with 30" close range, no extended range,
and you get 3 attack dice, at +1 ATT a die of damage for each
of those that successfully hits at +1 DAM. If Uona casts this
spell, she cannot use her bow.
Uona increases the range of the archers (and herself when using
her bow) to 21" close and 37" extended.
What figures should I get next?
The aspiring Phoenix General would do well to consider 12-16
Avalanche Guard for his first combat unit. Phoenix troops are
associated with one of each of the five elements, and the Avalanche
Guard tap the strength of the earth. Even though they wear no
armor, they are as invulnerable as the hardest crab unit. These
are two wound troops so they have good staying power. With all
their abilities, this troop type has a higher koku cost than
most of your clan units, but they are worth every grain of rice!
This has the added benefit of getting the most koku of troops
for the least investment of dollars.
Fleet of Foot
- a 500 Koku Unicorn Army
15 Striders @ 321 Koku
Skills; Traits; Infantry; Equipment; Light Armor; Katana
1 Shinjo Mosaku @ [156] Koku
Unit Commander; Skills; Battle 3; Countercharge; Defense 2; Iaijutsu
2; Leadership 3; Traits; Infantry; Equipment; Light Armor; Katana
12 Otaku Archers @ 176 Koku
Skills; Traits; Infantry; Equipment; Light Armor; Yumi; Generic
Chui;
Battle 2; Leadership 2; Defense 2
Total Honor: 5
Total Army Cost: 497
Unicorn is predominantly a cavalry army, but all size unicorn
armies require a core of infantry models. As no cavalry models
are included with Daimyo Boxed Set, this army is set up totally
with standard infantry and archers. With the Unicorn's faster
units, this army should be able to move quickly and decisively.
Force the enemy to react to you. In all other aspects, this army
will play like any other
Special Rules
When an enemy unit declares an engagement against
Mosaku's unit, you may countercharge. This gives your unit a
+1 ATT the first turn of the fighting. If your unit has not moved
yet, move it up to 2" toward the enemy. You are still considered
the defender. All Unicorn models, whether Cavalry or Infantry
based, get 5 inch movement, instead of 4 inch movement.
What figures should I get next?
Cavalry! The single most expensive unit in Clan War are the Otaku
Battle Maidens. These women warriors are the terror of infantry.
With charging steeds, thick armor, and two wounds, they spell
disaster for whichever unit receives their charge. They are one
good choice for the aspiring general, but many large armies do
not include them because the koku cost is so great. The most
commonly seen Unicorn unit is Shinjo's Thunder. They are a single
wound unit, but can give a devastating charge, plus have ablities
to foil the enemy's plans. 6-12 of either would be a good choice,
and of course you could get one type and use the models to represent
the other. With all their abilities, this troop type has a higher
koku cost than most of your clan units, but they are worth every
grain of rice! This has the added benefit of getting the most
koku of troops for the least investment of dollars.
Although the Unicorn army above can
be built with half the figures from the Basic Set, it is not
really a representative army for the Unicorn. Below is a more
representative army that is built in the 500 koku limit, but
requires cavalry models to build:
Thundering Hooves - a 500 Koku Unicorn
Army
7 Shinjo's Thunder @ 338 Koku
Skills; Charge; Traits; Cavalry; Mounted; Equipment; Heavy Armor;
No-dachi
1 Otaku Tetsuko @ [170] Koku
Unit Commander; Skills; Battle 3; Charge; Countercharge; Go Master;
Leadership 2; Traits; Cavalry; Mounted; Equipment; Light Armor;
Yari
12 Striders @ 157 Koku
Skills; Traits; Infantry; Equipment; Light Armor; Katana; Unicorn
Chui;
Battle 2; Leadership 2; Charge; Fearless
Total Honor: 7
Total Army Cost: 495
This army is a good representative of Unicorn play style.
The Cavalry can move across the field, and Otaku Tetsuko and
the Leadership Package have the skill of Charge. This allows
up to +4 inches of movement when engaging if a charge is declared.
If you are playing with tactical cards, the Charge Card can be
used to boost the movement to +8 (or will give a standard +4
to a unit who does not have charge). Additionally, charging gives
bonuses to ATT and DAM. However, a charge that falls short will
leave you very vulnerable. All mounted troops get bonuses on
the first turn of engagement, as well as bonuses against infantry
bases (both archery and standard infantry models). Combined with
other special abilities, this gives Unicorn Cavalry an extremely
strong opening hit. However, with only 8 models, the Cavalry
can be fragile and start to falter on the second or third turn
of an engagement. This is where the Striders come in. They are
in infantry which can hold and assist the cavalry in the engagement.
The basic tactic of this army is to race across the table and
smash the opponent. The strong first hit of the Unicorn should
be able to break an archery unit, but if the enemy infantry is
close by, it can catch you in the flank. Another option is to
go for the enemy infantry with the cavalry, and quickly bring
the Striders up for support. A final option is to engage the
enemy infantry with Striders, and flank the enemy with the Thunder.
If the enemy units are positioned right, the Striders can hold
their own long enough for the Thunder to smash the archers, and
then come in to flank the enemy infantry.
Special Rules
Shinjo's Thunder have a special ability that gives
the unit up to +4 more movement if the enemy tries to back up
far enough so your engaging move falls short. There can be a
large buildup of modifiers for your cavalry unit. Shinjo's Thunder
starts out with +1 ATT and +2 DAM. Charge gives your unit +1
ATT and +1 DAM the first turn, in addition to the extra movement.
Otaku Tetsuko's skill of Go-Master gives the unit +1 ATT on the
first turn when the unit is the attacker. All mounted units gain
+1 ATT and +1 DAM on the first turn when they initiate the combat.
All of these modifiers only work the first turn and when your
unit is the attacker. Finally, mounted units gain +1 ATT whenever
fighting against any models on standard size infantry bases,
for the entire engagement. This means that if you charge the
enemy, your first turn of combat you get +5 ATT and +4 DAM on
the first turn. On the second turn, only the bonus for mounted
against infantry applies, so modifiers drop to a total of +2
ATT and+2 DAM.
Don't forget Cavalry advantage. This means that if you
have only cavalry left, the opponent must place two units when
it is his turn. If you have to place first, put your Striders
on the table, then claim Cavalry advantage. The opponent must
place two units before you must place your Thunder.
Crane Vs Lion
Crane and Lion are traditional enemies in Clan War, and
also have very opposite methods of combat. Lions have no use
for archers, while the Crane Clan cannot get enough. The Cranes
have 4 different troop types that use yumi, The Doji Houseguard,
Crane Elite Archers, Asahina Archers, and Crane Regular Bowmen.
The Crane do rely on infantry to a degree, but their most elite
infantry is armed with yari. The Lion are just the opposite,
having no clan aligned archers, but always in need of more katana
armed troops. If two players are interested in Crane and Lion,
splitting a box with Crane getting all the archers and Lion all
the katana armed infantry going to benefit both. Even if both
players get a full boxed set themselves, trading away half of
the archers for katana infantry will still be a great move for
both players.
Blackened Sky - a 500 Koku Crane Army
15 Crane Elite Archers @ 373 Koku
Skills; Traits; Infantry; Equipment; Light Armor; Yumi
Lead by Doji Kimura @ [118] Koku
Unit Commander; Skills; Battle 3; Defense 2; Iaijutsu 3; Leadership
2;
Traits; Infantry; Equipment; Light Armor; Katana
9 Crane Regular Bowmen @ 127 Koku
Generic Nikutai; Battle 1; Leadership 1; Skills; Traits; Infantry;
Equipment; Light Armor; Yumi
Total Honor: 7
Total Army Cost: 500
The maximum frontage of a unit is twelve, so the best formation
for the Crane Elite Archers is 8 frontage 2 depth. The unit can
then go into archer's rows, allowing the back 8 to be able to
fire as well. One large unit of archers is best, as it takes
the most advantage of the fact that damage must be rounded down.
Place the regular bowmen first and slightly closer to your enemy;
place the Elite archers back a little farther where they still
will have clear lanes of fire. The optimal position would be
where both units have a clear lane of fire to the enemy, but
set up so that if the enemy moves to engage one, the units will
be moving away from your other archers. This will give you more
time to fire as he returns towards the remaining unit. If you
cannot place the Elite Archers in a good position, start them
in a frontage of 4 depth 4. You can move around easily in this
formation, and a single maneuver (expand frontage) will allow
you to move to a 8 frontage 2 depth formation.
Special Rules
Duels, the leader of the Crane Elite Archers has
an innate dueling ability. On the second or subsequent turn of
an engagement with his unit, Doji Kimura may challenge the enemy
commander to a duel. (Kimura cannot challenge a Leadership Package)
If duel is accepted, each leader rolls dice equal to the void
ring on their stat card. . Each die gets a modifier equal to
the Iaijutsu skill of the duelist, which in Kimura's case would
be four dice at +3 each. This is how much damage the duelist
does. Each duels then converts the damage to wounds and does
wounds to the opponent, one wound for each full 10 points of
damage. If you do enough damage to kill your opponent, you ignore
his damage. If you both do enough to kill each other, the commander
who causes the most wounds survives unharmed. Don't forget, killing
a leader in a duel will cause a moral check. If the enemy refuses,
the leader cannot roll dice in close combat for the rest of the
battle, but the commander must remain in the middle of the front
rank. The enemy commander is also dishonored, which means all
of his skills and abilities are reduced by the honor requirement
of the unit. The honor requirement is found on the troop stats
under the heading "honor". In the case of Lion Heavy
Regulars, this would be a -1 to the leaders stats (while this
means the leadership of the commander may go down, he is still
allowed to command the same amount of samurai as before.)
Charge! - a 500 Koku Lion Army
20 Lion Heavy Regulars @ 405 Koku
Skills; Traits; Infantry; Equipment; Heavy Armor; Katana
1 Matsu Goemon @ [85] Koku
Unit Commander; Skills; Battle 3; Charge; Leadership 3;
Traits; Infantry; Equipment; Light Armor; Katana
9 Medium Infantry @ 88 Koku
Lion Chui; Battle 3; Leadership 2; Charge; Skills; Traits; Infantry;
Equipment; Light Armor; Katana
Total Honor: 8
Total Army Cost: 493
(one more model of Medium Infantry would bring the army
to exactly 500 points)
While it would be possible to put all the points into an even
larger unit of Lion Heavy Regulars, one unit would leave your
flanks very vulnerable. Even troops as weak as Cane Regular Bowmen
can do damage when hitting your troops in the rear. The unit
of ronin can keep your flank clear just by being a threat. Matsu
Goemon is a very effective leader for his point value. Leadership
3 will help your unit out a lot with difficult moral and maneuver
tests. Both Matsu Goemon and the Lion Chui have the skill Charge.
This allows up to +4 inches of movement when engaging if a charge
is declared. If you are playing with tactical cards, the Charge
Card can be used to boost the movement to +8 (or will give a
standard +4 to a unit who does not have charge). Additionally,
charging gives bonuses to ATT and DAM. However, a charge that
falls short will leave you very vulnerable. The best tactic for
this force is to rush at the archers, and give them as few turns
of firing as possible. Remember that archers cannot fire into
engagements, so if a unit is engaged, it is safe. While facing
this Crane Army, Matsu Goemon may be challenged to a duel. Duels
are the downfall of the Lion. Goemon will not win the duel; he
probably will not even survive. Dishonor would seem to be the
better option, but could any true Lion General allow his samurai
to take such action. The other option is to cause such damage
that the little crane flee in terror on the first turn of engagement.
This is a feat a charging lion army is capable of doing.
Underhand of
the Empire
[Editor's Note: The Scorpion are
a very difficult clan to play, whic is why they are not included
in the Basic Rules. However, this addendum is an attempt to create
a Scorpion army to match the other armies in Andrew's article.
My appologies to Andrew for the liberty I have taken by adding
this army here. - KT]
9 Scorpion Strike @ 117
Traits; Infantry; Equipment; Light Armor; Yari; Poison Weapons
#1
Lead by Shosuro Hametsu @ 124
Skills; Battle 2; Countercharge; Defense 1; Go Master; Iaijutsu
3; Leadership 2
Traits; Infantry; Ninja; Equipment; Light Armor; Yari; Army General;
7 Shosuro Actors with Yumi @ 112
Traits; Infantry Equipment; Yumi; Range: 12"
Lead by Yogo Asami @ 90
Skills; Battle 3; Defense 2; Iaijutsu 2; Leadership 1 Traits;
Infantry; Kolat;
Equipment; Wakizashi;
Ranged Weapon; Gives this personality a ranged weapon equivalent
in all
respects to those used by the unit being led
1 Shosuro Spy @ 50
Total Honor: 2
Total Cost: 493
The Scorpion trade in lies, and so does this army. There are
a lot of hidden elements to this army that most opponents won't
expect. The poison weapon card doesn't get announced until you
use it, same with the Shosuro Spy. I would recommend placing
the spy in a unit you know you can hit with the Strike. Also
the Actors can pretend to be any 1-wound infantry unit, make
them look like Med Infantry with yumi and a gunso. They have
decent range and don't have any penalties in Close Combat. You'll
have to for go using the special MIS with them until you decide
to reveal the ruse and expose them for what they really are.
The best idea for this army is to concentrate on one unit with
everything and break it. Also its important to keep in mind that
scorpion are one of the more difficult armies to play, so don't
be expecting a win every time with them. Some tricks work, some
don't.
Special Rules
Scorpion MIS Ability is a Special Action so make
sure not to forget to use it. Also keep in mind that to use the
poison weapons card you have to decide that in the Special Actions/Orders
phase as well.
What figures should i get next?
Well, definitly get the House Guard, you'll find that they are
a very imtimidating figure and very solid in close combat. One
of there advantages over some of the other clans House Guards
is that the Bayushi HG will rout as long as you aren't spent.
A very important distinction from other HG units whose ability
is reliant on Honor. Also the Scorpion MIS ability is a big help,
letting you help better decide when you want them to move. Two
wounds, Heavy Armor, the Daisho Technique and +1 ATT/DAM will
help ensure they out last most who decide to cross swords with
them. Also one must not forget their Morale of 4, allowing them
to stay when other units around them break and run. Worth the
22 koku a peice to field.
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