Portuguese in Ronin

[Drachenklinge]

Hello fellow Ronin players,

since I so loved the TV series of Shogun I miss at least some small Portuguese faction ... so I tried somethin' ...

I think that the Portuguese would be hilariously outmatched in close combat to the ferocious Samurai, and since most fights (in Ronin) might be close combat I added no rank 5 profile.
However, I think that Portuguese had easier access to more and better muskets. So, to display that I gave a special reroll the marine and the new option "pistol". To much? overkill?

Portuguese
Rank 0 ordinary seaman (Leichtmatrose)*, 4p
improvised weapon, no armour, profile like peasants

Rank 1 able bodied seaman (Vollmatrose), 10p
Cutlass (katana), no armour, profile like monto
options
> + 2nd weapon +3p, +1 to attack roll
> + light armour, +3p

Rank 2 marine (Seesoldat), 18p
halberd (naginata), medium armour, profile like ashigaru-gashira
Options
> exchange halberd for pike (yari), no cost
> exchange halberd for musket (teppo), +3p, max 50%
> reroll (hojutsu), +3p

Rank 3 Officer (Hauptmann), 24p
Rapier (katana), commander, light armour, profile like samurai
Options
> Pistol, +3p
> reroll (hojutsu), +3p
> Fencing (kenjutsu), +3p
> one additional attribute alltogether

Rank 4 Commodore (Generalkapitän), 29p
Rapier (katana), pistol, light armour, profile like hanshou
options
> additional! pistol, +3p, max 2
> Fencing (kenjutsu), +3p
> reroll (hojutsu), +3p
> two additional attributes alltogether

Banner
for no additional cost > upgrade one ordinary seaman to a Priest, to a maximum of 3
commander, fearless, makes fearless in 3" range
will not attack (will attack last?), profile like peasant
morale 6 for buntai, +1 per priest

Pistol
Range 6", loaded like teppo, can be shot in move-phase, yet attack is possible!
with additional pistol another shot in action-phase (not from within close combat)
When possessing two pistols both are loaded in same turn (see teppo), if needed

Composition rules
> Only one rank 4, max 2 rank 3
> max 50% musket (pistols do not count)
> Max 3 priests
> minimum 3 marines (with or without muskets)
> 1 ordinary seaman for each marine

swords for hire
may hire ninja, max 1


Haven't tried it yet, but will. Need to calculate a bit and check what ugly combinations might be possible.
However, any remarks or warnings so far?

thanks in advance and best wishes
DK

[olyreed]

Looks interesting, what figures would you use?

[Drachenklinge]

For playtesting I thought of using some proxies I already made 1 or 2 years ago for Freebooters Fate out of the milicia box and other bits from GW. Maybe later I will reuse the original Freebooters Fate minisx whixh are really cool, especially the marines.
But there are many good sculpters for that genre anyway.

[Lowtardog]

Foundry's elizabethans swashbucklers by Mike Owen are 25% off at the moment.....just saying

[Drachenklinge]

I think, minis are not the problem ... 

[commissarmoody]

And warlord. Games seems to be making figures that are appropriate to that era in Europe now.

[Drachenklinge]

and what do you think about the rules? Will it work or are they to cheesy compared to the othe factions? Maybe less muskets?

Tried similar?

[sepoy1857]

I like the idea! It would add a new dimension to the game.

[SotF]

You seem to have missed the actual stats for the priest...

[Drachenklinge]

You seem to have missed the actual stats for the priest...

no, he may be exchanged for any ordinary seaman (this info I forgot ^^) for no (additional) cost, so it is 4pts. I thought - again from the TV-series - that this priest would not fight at all. They are not like Brother Tuck from Robin Hood. So he boosts moral, but will erase a fighting figure, to a maximum of three ordinary seaman.
From my experience at our club, we need not to to do many moral-checks (maybe we play it wrong).

Alas, the fearless-giving option is quite a deal ... but then, range and profile makes the priest very vulnarable, so put him to the front is risky.

[drong]

I wrote some rules for the gaijin buntaï
http://roninskirmishrules.freeforums.org/gaijins-buntai-t119.html


and for undead one too.
http://roninskirmishrules.freeforums.org/undead-buntai-t130.html

Working on a shugenja buntaï ...

[Drachenklinge]

wow, thanks, very similar ideas but You were first. Will have a closer look to see what else I may stea ... ahm ... copy.

Have some feedback from my club, already, maybe the pistols should count for range-weapon as well. And maybe my marines should be rank 3 and/or more expensive. hm hm hm ... need to ponder and playtest that.

Did You, Drong, test Your rules?

[commissarmoody]

Very nice, this might be a good base for units fighting in the Low countries and other euro actions of the era. Hell maybe even fighting in North Africa against the ottomans and barber pirates

[NurgleHH]

Interesting thread. One thing to correct: The Crew was from the netherland and the navigator ws english. The fraction of the portuguese was a christian preacher with some christianized japanese (ronin/samurai). So more buntais to make.
Good time to watch it again, I think. I think the attack of the ninjas, where the navogator gets blind is an intersting scenario. Or the escape of the Warlord with the navgator playing an insane.

[Drachenklinge]

yes, You're right, but I wanted to start with the Portuguese "Buntai".
The Netherland/English faction has to come later. One point is, that I do not know what specialty to give them. For now, the Portuguese are in acwas just the early Europeans.

The scene after the prison camp might be interesting too.  Lots of Ishidos men and Ronin. Which were Toranagas men, as it turned out.

Well, wonderful series. ^^