After playing a demo game of Bushisdo at Salute this last weekend, my enthusiasm for the game has become even greater! I know, I know you must be getting sick of the Bushido stuff by now but let me bring you back into the fold by introducing the most excellent Master Akari. Here's his script....
The legendary Master of the Temple’s slow and thoughtful nature with his students is the exact opposite when on the battlefield. The diminutive Tanuki is a cyclone of energy, flying between enemies in a flurry of blows, dashing from melee to melee. Nigh impossible to target at range the enemy must close in an attempt to deal with this furry thorn. The Temple do not exclude any who hold the needs of the many and protection of the realm above personal gain as their ideals, Master Akari & Kuma are perfect examples of this mentality.
Master Akari is a Tanuki (Racoon Dog). In traditional Japanese folklore the legendary tanuki is reputed to be mischievous and jolly, a master of disguise and shapeshifting, but somewhat gullible and absentminded.
So for Akari, he is wearing the traditional orange robes with the master's red trim, I have painted the lizard and butterflies that are over him as vividly as possible in order to get them to stand out from the model although the rabbit on the base is brown and blends in a bit more. His muzzle and ears are white with a drop of Vallejo saddle brown to form a creamy colour washed with Agrax Earthsade and darker rings around his eyes helps to give that racoon effect, adding more saddle brown to the creamy mix for the rest of his fur. His base was just made up of some rocks and the flock from my shrubs that i used in the shrine I built, which you can view here
I will be using Master Akari in a fast attack/hold them up role, with his "Dash" and "Perfect Defence" abilities he should be perfect!
hope you enjoy
dGG
my bought figs versus painted has taken a hit since Salute, where I gained an extra 45 minis so the totals stand at....
hope you enjoy
dGG
my bought figs versus painted has taken a hit since Salute, where I gained an extra 45 minis so the totals stand at....
61:41 (-20)
figs bought:painted (difference)
Andy, you can continue your Bushido reviews for as long as you like as far as I'm concerned. This is a game I would very much play and support if time and money considerations did not press so heavily on me. I thought I was quite knowledgeable about Japanese folklore but I must admit I have never heard of the Tanuki before. The resemblance to a raccoon is quite obvious. What a lovely figure and beautifully painted.
ReplyDeleteThank you Bryan, he's a lovely figure and was terrific to paint.
DeleteAnimals and the anthropomorphication of them is prevalent throughout Japanese and Far-East folklore and there are many tales of spirits of animals assuming human(ish) form and creating mischief, a bit like gremlins the Tanuki were blamed for tools and machinery breaking. There is such depth to Japanese folklore and I can't wait to show some more!
On Sesame Street, today's word of the day is...
Deleteanthropomorphication, children! See how often you can include it in a sentence.
Sorry, Andy, I just couldn't help it!
No worries dude, I had to look up the spelling....lol ;-P
DeleteGreat paintjob!
ReplyDeleteThanks HW :-)
DeleteAh, the tanuki - renowned for disguising themselves as household objects and their unfeasibly large testicles! A very, very nice paint job, Andy. And it's your blog, so never apologise for the content.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jez, I didn't know about the testicle thing..... ;-P
DeleteApparently big enough to sit on and play like bongos. Japanese folklore - weird, wonderful and surprisingly grim. Try looking up Inugami on Wikipedia for a good example.
DeleteMakes for great wargaming though!
DeleteWell he is just adorable! When I read 'somewhat gullible and absentminded', I was transported back to my school reports.
ReplyDeleteHaha and me now sir Mike
DeleteWhat a great looking figure, not exactly my cup of tea, but your paintwork has me enthralled.
ReplyDeleteThanks Joe, he's a lovely little chap to paint
DeleteI love the pet/familiar on the ground in front of him.
Deletedoes it have a name too?
I think it's a bit more anonymous Tarot :-)
DeleteMaster Akari is intriguing. Certainly not boring at all. I could read this stuff all day and stay as focused and interested as the moment I started reading. I actually wish more gamers and hobbyists would get into Bushido. I enjoy it too, but I go the anime/chibi route, as it is so conducive in art, tone and look, to the original folk lore.
ReplyDeleteHorses for courses Hil, I think the games are whatever you want them to be and with the consent of the authors who encourage you to make the games your own with very few exceptions...
DeleteI must say I really like Bushido, the miniatures are superb, the game mechanic flows nicely with some good, tactical elements.
I love this, never stop. Actually it makes me want to know more. Tell me about this new Bushisdo?
ReplyDeleteIt sounds so incredibly amazing and almost Water Margin-ish, am I wrong?
Tarot
Bushido is a skirmish level game using a handful of miniatures set in a feudal Japanese type fictitious island and using Japanese folklore blends fantasy elements into the game nicely. I was first attracted to the game for a few reasons
DeleteA) the miniatures, which are frankly stunning
B) the setting, I love Japanese history and folklore
C) who doesn't like fighting monks and ninjas?
D) I love dragons and this game has one......
Thank you for explaining, I actually went and studied it a bit more, and wow am I impressed. Its exactly the kind of game I`d love, especially fits my love of anime/chibi, fantasy and folk lore/mythology.
DeleteI really like the `anima` side of things with familiars and shape-shifting etc (when you think, I even have a set of "Bunnies and Burrows" it all begins to make sense hehe).
No worries T :-)
DeleteIt's got some lovely elements to the game including shapeshifters that can alter form within the game using Ki (spirit/energy) feats as well as monks who can alter elements and use them to boost attacks/defence, fighters who can focus Ki into force bolts and samurai with more mundane but still awesome physical feats.
More importantly the game is a free download! That fits with my budget :-) there is a full game rule book (which I don't own yet) but the download is all you really need...
wow yes I spotted that after you mentioned it (I now have a PDF copy of the rules saved) thanks for that; they look very cool indeed. But am I missing something, I looked for ages but could not find a free copy of any of the cards to go with the rules?
DeleteThe cards come with the miniatures, but if you go into the factions and look at the individual characters when you tap on the photo a copy of the card is with it.
DeleteI`m such a fool, forgive me. How could it be like The Water Margin, that's Chinese and Bushisdo is Japanese. But you know what I mean, right?
ReplyDeleteI do know what you mean - forgiven :-)
DeleteSorry dude I'm out at this point! I just don't do cute. Not enough gore.
ReplyDeleteIt's not all fluffy animals Bob, the next post has a slightly fiercer critter! I'll shortly be reviewing the next faction which is a little less fluffy, which hopefully you'll enjoy more. There is a horror faction of Demons called Oni in the game for your gore fix ;-)
DeleteDon't worry though dude, there is some ATZ goodness in your future too :-)
Wow stuff Andy, absolutely corking paintjob and its clear why people are getting excited about this "Bushido" project of yours. I'm desperately trying to resist and stick with you just costing me for the Teenage Turtles... But you aren't making things easy with these kind of posts :-)
ReplyDeleteHe's an excellent model Simon! When are we going to see then turtles make an appearance on Fantorical?
DeleteWhen my eyes can actually see clearly enough to pin the little devils together ;-)
DeleteVery true mate, they are awkward to say the least ;-)
Delete