How about some more details on the way combat works, ok d6 but that says nothing at all other than GEEE we use d6, which of course tells nothing, is it a bucket full of die per combat is it a couple per combat, so which is it for gods sakes. The blurb sounds like every other game that comes out that promises to be unique, balanced etc etc. But rarely do they meet those promises.
How about details on the turn sequence, the morale system, the combat system, what are these unique character traits and how do they affect the game, how is the difference between the lowly ashigaru vrs the trained samurai handled?
Well, seeing as you asked so nicely...
I've put the turn sequence and an in-rulebook example of combat below. The turn is essential alternating activation within 5 phases. At the start of each turn, the 'lead' player (here defined as the one with 'Priority') is identified, and they activate the first figure in each of the subsequent phases. Melee-wise, each figure has a Combat Pool, which provides a number of counters (modified by wounds etc.) that model has to use in combat. As the example below shows, the player decides how to balance the combat, putting counters into either attack or defence. This is the crux of the combat system – choosing how to fight a certain opponent. All-out attack is great, but leaves you open to retaliatory strikes, all-out defence is safe, but no guarantee of survival, and takes away your opportunity to get in some licks. At the risk of sounding like I'm being sarcastic, the difference between ashigaru and samurai is handled by the samurai having better skills, and more options in terms of weapons and abilities, and more options in combat (larger Combat Pool). Fortunately, the example offers demonstrations of samurai vs. ashigaru, outnumbered combat, and skill usage.
TURN SEQUENCEA game of Ronin consists of a number of turns, each representing a few seconds of actual time. Each turn is further divided into five phases, shown below in the order in which they are undertaken. Generally, play will alternate between players in each phase (beginning with the player with Priority), but in some phases actions are simultaneous.
1. Priority Phase
2. Move Phase
3. Combat Phase
4. Action Phase
5. End Phase
PRIORITY PHASE – The player who will have Priority for the rest of this turn is determined in this phase. The Morale level of each Buntai is also checked if casualties were suffered in the previous turn or if certain other conditions have been met.
MOVE PHASE – During this phase players have the opportunity to move models or use missile weapons.
COMBAT PHASE – In this phase all hand-to-hand combat is resolved.
ACTION PHASE – During this phase models will have the opportunity to use missile weapons again as well as undertake certain special actions.
END PHASE – In the final part of the turn, some tidying up occurs and Victory Conditions are checked.
COMBAT EXAMPLEIn this example, a Samurai armed with a naginata (controlled by Player A) is fighting 2 Ashigaru, one armed with a yari and one with a katana (controlled by Player B).
The first step is to determine the Combat Pools for each side. The Samurai has a Combat Pool Characteristic of 3 and, deciding to hedge his bets, Player A secretly chooses two black counters (for Attack) and one white counter (for Defence). Player B has a Combat Pool of 4 (as both Ashigaru have a Combat Pool Characteristic of 2), and he chooses 2 counters for Attack and 2 for Defence.
The next step is to determine Initiative. Player A rolls one d6 whilst Player B rolls two d6, being careful to indicate which die relates to which of his two models. The Samurai scores a 3 which, combined with his Initiative Characteristic of 3 and a +1 bonus for his naginata, gives a score of 7. The Ashigaru with the yari rolled a 4, which also gives him a total of 7, while the Ashigaru with the katana rolls a 3, giving him a total of 5. The Samurai and the Ashigaru with the yari do a straight roll off with no modifiers, with the Samurai rolling a 5 and the Ashigaru a 2. So the Samurai will have the first attack opportunity, the Ashigaru with the yari the second, and the Ashigaru with the katana will go last.
The Samurai elects to attack the Ashigaru with the yari. He removes a black counter from his Combat Pool. The Ashigaru decides to Enhance his Defence Roll, so he removes a white counter from his Combat Pool. The Samurai player elects to not Enhance his Attack Roll, and so the dice are now rolled.
The Samurai rolls a 4 and a 5. As he has chosen the Naginatatjutsu Attribute, he could choose to re-roll one of these dice, but he is quite happy with his score of 9. Added to his Fight Characteristic of 3 and a +1 modifier for his Naginata, this gives him an Attack Roll of 13. The Ashigaru player rolls a 4 and a 1, giving him a score of 5. He adds +2 to this for his medium armour and another 2 for his Fight Characteristic, giving him a Defence Roll of 9.
The Samurai has caused a wound as the Attack Roll is greater than the Defence Roll. Referring to the Wound Table shows that a difference of 4 causes a Grievous wound. The Ashigaru with the yari will suffer -2 to Initiative and -1 to his Fight for the rest of the game. His Combat Pool is also reduced by 1, and since this takes effect immediately, Player B must discard one counter from his Combat Pool. He chooses to discard a white counter, leaving two black (attack) counters in his Combat Pool.
This completes the Samurai’s attack. The model with the next highest initiative is the Ashigaru with the yari. However, he has already expended a Defence Counter in his futile attempt to parry the Samurai’s attack, and because of the Grievous wound that he suffered, his Combat Pool has decreased by 1. So this model cannot make any further attacks. Therefore, it falls to the last Ashigaru, armed with a katana, to make an attack. He chooses to do so, and removes one black counter. The Samurai player, sensing the desperation of his opponent, elects to Enhance his Defence Roll, and so removes his only white counter. The Ashigaru player now elects to Enhance his Attack Roll, and so removes his last black counter.
The dice are now rolled. The Ashigaru rolls three dice because it is a Enhanceed Attack. He gets a 3, 4 and 6, and discards the 3. Added to his Fight Characteristic of 2, this gives him an attack roll of 12.
The Samurai player rolls 2 dice, getting a 2 and a 3. This time, he elects to use his Naginatatjutsu Attribute and re-rolls the 2, getting a 3. Hardly much better, but when adding this total of 6 to his Fight Characteristic of 3 as well as +3 for his heavy armour, it gives him a score of 12. As the scores are the same, no wound is caused.
The opportunity to make another attack now returns to the Samurai. As he has a single black counter remaining, he declares an attack on the grievously wounded Ashigaru. Player B has no counters left in his Combat Pool, so it is down to the dice rolls. The Samurai rolls a 2 and a 4. He elects to use his Naginatatjutsu Attribute to re-roll the 2, but this time gets a 1, which he must keep. Added to his Fight of 3 and adding +1 for the naginata, this gives him an Attack Roll of 9. The hapless Ashigaru rolls a 4 which, added to his Fight of 2 and his medium armour gives him an 8. However, his Grievous wound means that his Fight Characteristic is at -1, reducing his Defence Roll to just 7. A Light wound has been caused which, combined with the Grievous wound, means that the Ashigaru with the yari has suffered a Critical wound. The model is removed and a Slain marker is put in its place.
Things are looking grim for the remaining Ashigaru, while the Samurai is anticipating the opportunity of collecting two heads for his daimyo...
08 July 2013, 01:26:38 AM