*
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
March 28, 2024, 08:38:40 PM

Login with username, password and session length

Donate

We Appreciate Your Support

Recent

Author Topic: (COMMERCIAL) Sengoku Monster Hunter, a review  (Read 3467 times)

Offline Slorm

  • Bookworm
  • Posts: 87
    • El Rincón de Slorm
(COMMERCIAL) Sengoku Monster Hunter, a review
« on: April 01, 2018, 05:55:48 PM »
The mythical culture of Japan is a not a well known setting in Europe, Greek and Viking mythology makes a clean sweep of the ancient gods for those of us here… but now arrives Alternative Armies to give us a new rulebook with this Japan setting and plenty of Sengoku mythical monsters and warriors.

The book outlines a Japanese medieval world, were we, the hunters, are hired to hunt monsters to clean haunted forest or to save the honour of fallen from grace samurais… To bring about this task we will be able to hire some specialized followers to help us. Will you dare to fight against the monsters and take up this challenge?

The game is suitable for solo wargamers, or groups of hunters where each player will deploy his hunter and followers, with the monsters moving following an easy ‘silent player’ or A.I system.

Our hunter will is described by a profile with these stats: Actions, Move, Combat, Shooting, Wounds and Resolve; with a value between 3 to 6. Each activation will let us to make as much actions as we have in our Action stat, walking so many centimetres as show the Move stat. The combat, either melee or ranged shot, will be resolved rolling as much D6 as our Combat and Shooting stats put out. Looking for 4+ in each one. Moreover, we must equip our hunter with various typical Japanese weapons like the tanto, naginata or ninjato, and armours.

The hunter will be long to a hunters guild, or will be a warrior monk or a Lone Warrior what will give him special rules and obligations, improving his attack or requiring of the payment of taxes to maintain the belong to the guild. Guilds are central to the hunter.

The enemies are represented by ‘markers’, who move in uncovered until they are in the line of view of the hunter or followers. At this moment the monster is reveal and deployed and it will follow the Monster animal table as followed by him the hunter. Alternative Armies has Sengoku Tokens which are also coins and bases for this use.

The hunt will be developed in a squared 60cm or 80cm for 15mm scale, which represent the lowlands, the hills or the mountains, with at least 4 markers in the lowlands, and 8 markers on the mountains. As much markers, as more experience points are earned, so the hunter wins more awards. The hunt can get bigger!

With all the awarded points, the hunter can improve his skills, the quality of their follower, and more things… because this wargame is outlined as a campaign, where the hunter will be improving his skills to hunt bigger and dangerous monsters. You can take your hunter on a journey of experience.

The book has more than twenty creatures to make life impossible to our hunter, with their stats and special rules, between Oni, goblins, skeletons and the terrible Kasa Obake…..

From my point of view, the rulebook is a great choice for the solo wargamers who are looking for a ruleset to play little encounters with no more than 5-10 miniatures per side, with a hero bearing all the weight of the scene. The book is suitable for the Japanese mythology neophyte, because avoids a lot of Japanese terminology, using European terms for the weapons and armours. Besides, the monster stats are suitable for other mythological monsters, so the rules are suitable for the Greek or Viking mythology, or other settings like a Fantasy game where a hunter is hunting witches in the middle of the 16 century. From my point of view the metagame about the campaign is very motivating, and inclusive, with the player having to save experience points to pay the food for his followers, or having to quit from the Hunter Guild because he can’t pay the taxes…

To me as a Spanish native speaker the downside is that the rulebook sometimes a little dense in the reading, with some points not too clear to me, or with the information not all in the same part of the book, like, for example the number of markers for each scenario. But I was helped and I got the answers. The thematic style of the book could not be for every wargamer, so these wargamers will miss out on this great and easy wargame. So I say give it a chance and you can be helped if you ask Alternative Armies.

In summary Sengoku Monster Hunter is a must have for all this solo wargamers, who wants to go out with the little guys to hunt some bad demons and creatures from the dark corners….

« Last Edit: April 01, 2018, 10:54:20 PM by OSHIROmodels »

Offline Severian

  • Scientist
  • Posts: 440
Re: [Commercial] Sengoku Monster Hunter, a review
« Reply #1 on: April 01, 2018, 06:59:55 PM »
Thanks for posting this very helpful review. I've been thinking about buying these rules and you may have persuaded me...

Offline Oldben1

  • Mastermind
  • Posts: 1148
    • My Terrain Projects
Re: [Commercial] Sengoku Monster Hunter, a review
« Reply #2 on: April 01, 2018, 10:28:31 PM »
Thanks for the review!  I’m still trying to figure out if I want to buy the physical copy or digital one.  I already have some terrain built.

Offline Oldben1

  • Mastermind
  • Posts: 1148
    • My Terrain Projects
Re: (COMMERCIAL) Sengoku Monster Hunter, a review
« Reply #3 on: April 02, 2018, 07:23:18 PM »
Just bought the digital version!  It's pretty packed with info.  I'm hoping to get a game in tonight!

Offline wkeyser

  • Scientist
  • Posts: 262
Re: (COMMERCIAL) Sengoku Monster Hunter, a review
« Reply #4 on: April 03, 2018, 07:57:12 AM »
Just got the pdf version, these will go great with the Kensie onis and undead range and the monsters from Rising Sun board game which are fantastic. I will be doing this in 28mm.

William

Offline Oldben1

  • Mastermind
  • Posts: 1148
    • My Terrain Projects
Re: (COMMERCIAL) Sengoku Monster Hunter, a review
« Reply #5 on: April 03, 2018, 03:49:57 PM »
I read the rules last night, pretty impressive.  There is a lot more game here than I initially realized.  I need to spruce up some terrain and buy a couple of Ronin miniatures to fill out my forces.  I also need to get some token or coins for the encounters.

I've already started a thread on some of my 15mm terrain:
http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=107967.0

Offline Severian

  • Scientist
  • Posts: 440
Re: (COMMERCIAL) Sengoku Monster Hunter, a review
« Reply #6 on: April 03, 2018, 04:01:18 PM »
I succumbed as well, but went for the hard copy (too much time looking at a screen as it is...).

Think I'll also try this in 28mm first - I have some Perry monks & samurai &c both painted and unpainted, and enough random monsters of one sort or another to be going on with... (well, that's what I'm telling myself, but then again I might need a few more just to make sure...)

Offline Juxt

  • Scientist
  • Posts: 230
Re: (COMMERCIAL) Sengoku Monster Hunter, a review
« Reply #7 on: April 03, 2018, 05:21:19 PM »
Could anyone with a copy let me know what yokai/monsters are included in the rules please? I'm tempted to get a copy but want to know how many models that I already have can be used  :)

Offline Oldben1

  • Mastermind
  • Posts: 1148
    • My Terrain Projects
Re: (COMMERCIAL) Sengoku Monster Hunter, a review
« Reply #8 on: April 04, 2018, 01:58:14 AM »
I’m reluctant to post any pics of the book  but there seems to be profiles for all of of the miniatures they offer in the range, including the humans.  They have scenarios in the book but you can tailor the types of  monsters you encounter.  I was surprised how prevelant goblins are.  I don’t have any 15mm goblins to use :(

Offline 3 fingers

  • Mastermind
  • Posts: 1246
Re: (COMMERCIAL) Sengoku Monster Hunter, a review
« Reply #9 on: May 27, 2018, 03:10:01 PM »
Just got the pdf version, these will go great with the Kensie onis and undead range and the monsters from Rising Sun board game which are fantastic. I will be doing this in 28mm.

William
How did you get on converting it over to 28 mm?

Offline DivisMal

  • Scatterbrained Genius
  • Posts: 3216
  • Ghazkull‘s Favorite Brainboy
Re: (COMMERCIAL) Sengoku Monster Hunter, a review
« Reply #10 on: May 27, 2018, 04:32:55 PM »
Thank you so much! I was prowling around this book for a whil, but now the decision is made and I’ll order it.
Probably for usw with my Rising Sun / Confrontation 32mm collection.

Offline Oldben1

  • Mastermind
  • Posts: 1148
    • My Terrain Projects
Re: (COMMERCIAL) Sengoku Monster Hunter, a review
« Reply #11 on: May 28, 2018, 02:15:29 AM »
There is a ton of great 28mm Japanese miniatures.  I’m a 15mm man myself so I went that route.

Offline Emphatz

  • Bookworm
  • Posts: 71
    • My Miniatures Blog
Re: (COMMERCIAL) Sengoku Monster Hunter, a review
« Reply #12 on: June 22, 2018, 03:30:31 AM »
Hi oldben,
Since you say your a 15mm man, have you seen the new Kickstarter that’s come out.....15mm Samurai Fantasy Kickstarter? The minis look real good and there are some Dai Oni and undead that form part of the Kickstarter.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/667107108/samurai-fantasy-skirmish-and-wargames



Offline Oldben1

  • Mastermind
  • Posts: 1148
    • My Terrain Projects
Re: (COMMERCIAL) Sengoku Monster Hunter, a review
« Reply #13 on: June 22, 2018, 04:13:45 PM »
I have!  Unfortunately I steer clear of Kickstarters.  I have quite a few miniatures already to paint.  They look great though!