Pikemen's Lament

[Captain Brown]

Very nice mikos khan.

Cheers,

CB

[mikos khan]

Last Friday we had another Pikemen's Lament game pitting the Japanese (wako pirates) against a western pirate force along with a couple of units of Cossack mercenary cavalry.  Once again due to a lack of cavalry I fought defensively but I fielded a different mix of troop types (no pike and more skirmishers plus a cannon) than the first time.  The game began with a general advance of the western pirates (i.e. the Baristas) who were held up on my right flank by a couple units of skirmishers who took refuge in a swamp.  The advance then shifted to the center where my musketeers won a series of incredibly lucky combats and actually managed to repulse a couple of (weakened) pike units.  Although one of my Forlorn Hope units rashly charged a pike unit and was pretty thoroughly decimated.  On my far left I sent my second Forlorn Hope unit  on a flank attack and it also won a series of incredibly luck combats.  One against a Cossack cavalry unit and the other against a musketeer unit.  We called the game when the western pirates had one musketeer unit left on the field, however before they withdrew they shot Commodore Barry and left him on the field. 

Before the game my good friend Vynnie provided the players with following background for the game.  Check it out - it's pretty good. 

In 1853, U.S. Navy officer Commodore Perry opened Japan to trade by sailing a gunboat into Edo Bay.  Shortly thereafter, in a less-documented event, Japan was visited by the pirate referred to as "Commodore Barry" (mostly by himself) in an attempt to open it to pirate trade.  Commodore Barry did not actually approach the Imperial Palace in Edo, but instead went to the marketplace to talk to people.  He had not bothered to learn Japanese, so the people had no idea what he was saying, but he followed them around babbling interminable monologues at them anyway.

Matters came to a head when Commodore Barry encountered the Shogun's newest concubine in the marketplace and, for reasons known only to him, dropped a grape into her cleavage.  Far be it from us to comment on the physical endowment of the Shogun's concubine, but it made her look like she had three boobs.  Scandalized, she ran back to palace.  She was so sensitive about the event that the other concubines found they could reduce her to tears just by flashing three fingers at her and murmuring "san."  Concubines being what they are, she has been crying in her room pretty much consistently since the incident.

The Shogun was furious, and dispatched the nearest troops to invite Commodore Barry to leave Japan permanently.  We join them upon first contact with the unwanted guests.





   

[mikos khan]

The Baristas advance in the center

[mikos khan]

The melee on the left

[mikos khan]

Flanking attack

[mikos khan]

The Cossacks advance

[mikos khan]

Here we see the intense fighting on the Wako left flank

[mikos khan]

Barry gets his comeuppance for the "Grape Incident"

[traveller]

Wow! great looking game. Thanks for sharing!

[Bloggard]

yep, excellent stuff.

[KD47]

Lessons to be learned:

Learn Japanese
Don't be a nuisance in the marketplace
Don't throw objects of any kind into women's cleavage!    You'll rankle the IBTC (That doesn't stand for International Brotherhood of Theatrical Concubines) and they will lobby the Shogun to GET RID OF YOU.

Well painted stuff and table terrain too.

[leadfool]

Great write up. 

[mikos khan]

This last Friday we tried a larger scale (46 points on the Arab side and about 36 for the Africans) game of Pikeman's Lament.  The scenario was supposed to be an ambush by an African tribal force against a force of Arabs as they withdrew from enemy territory after a successful raid.  However, it turned into what was basically a forced march through hostile territory while protecting a supply column (we need to rethink our ambush rules).  It was tough fight but eventually Arab numbers and firepower proved decisive and we called the game once it became apparent that the Arabs would prevail.  Photos below.     

[mikos khan]

The opening moves.

[mikos khan]

The African flank attack