Jwar Tales part 4

Once again Akari delved into the silver laced streams of Ki, determined to find a way to disrupt the plans of the Prefecture and Ito and divert the threat to the Balance.  Once again, a telltale flash of red fur in his peripheral vision indicated the presence of the Kitsune.

Further and further, the Tanuki master pushed back along the thread, looking for the point that could break the alliance between the two powerful houses.  Tracing the long journey back to it's origin, Akari found himself in a plaza, near the Takashi palace.  Under the cover of darkness, the Takashi lord - Hiro was gathering his retinue together.  

"Aha" the Tanuki chittered to himself, clearly the lordling was acting furtively and doing a terrible job at it too.  Akari sympathised (nearly), the young samurai held to his honour and found any attempt at subterfuge distasteful.  

"Maybe this is a better chance" he muttered.  "A little push here could dissuade the Dragon clan from allying with the Snakes of Ito"  Looking around he was unsurprised to see the Kitsune manifest next to him. With a nod, she indicated her approval and promptly dissipated from his senses, only to reappear in the plaza in fox form.

Once again the Tanuki focused his will and the images of his righteous warriors appeared in the inky shadows of the plaza. With a nod to the Kitsune as she lined up alongside his brothers and sisters, Akari started the thread once more.

With a comical jump of surprise, Hiro spun to face the sudden arrival of the band of monks. Drawing in a giant gasp of air he bellowed like a parade ground Gunso - "TO ARMS!"

The sound of  drawn steel filled the air like the hissing of many vipers, sending a shudder down Hiro's spine.  Already sceptical about the upcoming alliance with the duplicitous Snakes of Ito, the young lord nerves were on a razors edge, as he half expected to see the scaly hides of the hebi-samurai slithering out of the darkness.  He was therefore very surprised to see the furry features of some Ro-Kanese monks. What they hell were they doing here? and why the hell were they in the company of some very young looking children?

Whatever the reason, they were obviously intent on intercepting the Takashi delegation.  Hiro shrugged his armour clad shoulders, his fathers orders were explicit - convey the offer to the Snakes, secure the treatise and between the two clans, the threat offered by the Jung pirates would be neutralised.  Honour dictated that he complete his mission, but the back stabbing nature of the Ito offended him and his honour  as did the manor in which this mission had been organised.  

While he understood the political wrangling behind the scenes and the precarious grip of the Dragon clan on the reins of authority within the region, he despised the need to hide a treaty that was supposedly meant to protect the innocent inhabitants of the Jwar coastlines from the Jung deprivations. If this treaty was supposed to bring stability to the people then why not shout it from the rooftops? Why not march openly to meet with the Snake delegation and send a message to the pirate clans?

The argument between Hiro and his father regarding the mission had gone on for some time before the Daimyo had simply ordered his son to obey him.  Hiro seethed as the memory of the shame he had felt at being reduced to a little boy once again burned through him.  Almost gleefully he ripped his razor sharp katana from it's smooth, lacquered sheath.  At last he could regain some honour in a straight forward fight!

With a banshee-like shriek, Mizuchi launched himself into the air, stretching his elegant neck to gain height before crashing down in front of the great ape dressed in crafted armour and who easily swung a brass shod club that a muscular human would struggle to even lift.  Like a lightening flash, the dragon flicked his muscular tail at the orangutan like a bull whip, delivering a stunning blow that opened a line of bright red blood across the thigh of the powerful simian monk.

Undeterred by the agonising wound, Kosuke grabbed the stunted forearms of the giant serpent and pulled the surprised dragon closer.  With a twist of his barrel shaped torso, the red haired ape launched the juvenile beast clear across the plaza, narrowly missing the charging form of the Takashi ward - Iiju Makoto.  The great ape, panting from the show of immense strength in throwing the dragon, barely had time to raise his club before the scion of the Hare Clan cleaved through his pitiful armour with his No-Datchi.  With a sigh the Temple monk slid to the floor, a terrible, jagged wound across his chest.

Iiju Makoto allowed himself a nod of satisfaction as he wiped the simian blood from the broad blade of his two handed sword.  The orangutan had been dangerous, immensely strong and skilled, it was good that he had put down that beast.  That sense of accomplishment dissipated as he felt an even bigger hand thump down on his shoulder.  With a nervous twist of his head, he barely caught sight of the enormous leathery face of a silver backed mountain gorilla before being launched sideways with an incredible show of power.  With a crash, the heavily armoured ward clattered into lord Hiro, throwing both samurai to the plaza floor.

oops Damon's fingers...

More bestial roars filled the air as Kuma, the giant panda warrior monk of Ro-Kan powered into the fight.  With brutal efficiency he charged the slight figure of the female messenger, intent on ending the threat contained within her bag. Drawing her katana, Bachiko tried desperately to block the flurry of blows from the enraged monk's Bo-staff.  However, her vain efforts inevitably weakened as the onslaught continued unabated and with a final horrendous crack, the sturdy oak staff clubbed her to the ground.

Mizuchi the dragon subtly shifted his coils as he slowly fought through the haze in his head.  He had landed hard after being thrown by the enraged orangutan, his skull connecting with the pillar of an ancient Tori Gate.  Cracking his eye open, he glanced around the battlefield looking any immediate dangers.  Spotting the fallen body of the red haired primate, he snorted with glee (and a little relief) at seeing his enemy laid low.

Feeling stronger by the second the young dragon raised his head, only to find himself face to face with a young girl.  Mizuchi was unable to put an age to any human, they lived such short, fleeting lives but she clung to an old stuffed bear for comfort and had to be pre-pubescent.  Shifting his sight from the mortal world she virtually shone with the flow of Ki that penetrated her every fibre.  She was far to precious to the Balance and the Kami to destroy, but she did represent a threat to his warband.  Mizuchi pushed his gargantuan frame higher and higher, towering over the diminutive figure of the child, who was frozen in terror at the uncoiling beast.

Far across the plaza, the giant gorilla known only as Aiko's Guardian felt her fear.  With his hand still clutching the ankle of Prefecture samurai he turned, desperately searching for his tiny companion. Flinging the unfortunate soldier away, the mighty simian beat his chest with his huge fists.  Canines flashing in the failing light he roared his challenge to the dragon as it unfolded its muscular coils to tower over his diminutive charge.  Rearing to his full height, he goaded the powerful serpent into attacking him instead, to no avail as Aiko fainted dead away, leaving herself very vulnerable to the dragon.

The Guardian, seeing Aiko fall, blinked in confusion.  He could still feel their bond, but she lay stock still in the manicured lawn of the Tori.  Hiro Takashi, taking advantage of the giant ape's distraction, stepped behind the huge primate and drove his katana deep into the spine of the beast.  With a grunt of surprise the gorilla crashed to the floor and lay still.

Seeing his brethren fall, Kuma piled into melee with a yari armed samurai.  The human used the length of the weapon to try and keep the enraged bear at bay and almost succeeded, until he felt a razor cut through his hamstring dropping him onto one knee.  The Kitsune danced back away from the retaliatory swipe of his spear, lightly stepping over the weapon and offering an apologetic shrug before skipping away as Kuma lifted the human into a bone snapping bear hug, that crushed his spine.

Master Akari rifled through the documents that seemed to be so vital to the Prefecture retinue. "Ah" he muttered to himself, noting the details of the treatise and the promises made from the Lord Takashi.  "Right then, enough of this violence" he continued. 

With a shift of focus, the scene stilled.  Akari walked the perimeter of the plaza, noting with sadness the broken forms of his fellow monks and their companions.  "This will not do either" he chittered in the secret Tanuki language.  Spotting the Kitsune, he carefully picked his way over to the trickster Yokai and bowed deeply.  

"My thanks sister, for your aid in determining the path that we must follow.  The Balance as always remains on a razors edge and could go either way if we follow the path of blood.  Perhaps then we can employ a different stratagem and follow the path of guile?"

The Kitsune nodded her agreement, the alliance would fail before it began, she would see to it personally.  

This concluded the first two games between the same two factions, with Damon playing Prefecture and me playing my beloved Temple of Ro-Kan.  We then played a further game but I changed it up a little by playing another faction.  Part 5 will pick up the story from there.  However now writing these stories up, I'm a little dissatisfied with the abrupt ending here - what did the Kitsune do? The trickster Yokai has a mission still and all the tools she needs to complete it.  I think I may have to come up with a set of rules to cover the infiltration or I could use the "Rise of the Kage" rules by GCT.  Either way, expect a "spin off" adventure....

hope you enjoy

dGG

Jwar Tales part 3

Hi all

over the last couple of weeks I have been laying the groundwork for a short series of games of Bushido.  The games, played by Damon and I aren't particularly linked but I have taken them and turned them into a narrative AAR.  There won't be any rules or "he threw a double 6", just a short story each week that gives you a flavour of the games played (or how I remember them!) in, what I hope is an entertaining way.  

I hope you enjoy

dGG

Master Akari drew deep on the Ki that flowed through him and slowly the images became clearer and more focused.

His band of Righteous Warriors took shape until he could picture them clearly. The stalwart Kosuke, a visiting monk from the distant reaches of the Empire. The child Shugenja, Aiko and her powerful Guardian, a huge silverback mountain gorilla. The orphan boy, Koji and his pack of villainous monkeys and lastly Kuma, the giant Panda warrior.... "wait, was that a flash of red fur?" the Tanuki mused as a sleek creature streaked out from under some foliage.

To his surprise (particularly as this was HIS probability thread), the shape coalesced into the form of a Kitsune, who stood ready to fight alongside his fellow monks.  The enigmatic yokai often had their own reasons for lending aid to the Temple, but it was always welcomed, albeit with a sharp eye kept on them...

Akari recognised the young lordling that led the retinue, Hiro, a scion of the ruling family Takashi.  He was beginning to make quite a name for himself, both as a warrior and a general.  With him was a ward of the Hare clan - Iiju Makoto and a couple of retainers from House Takashi. Most impressively though, the samurai had managed to persuade the juvenile dragon Mizuchi to join him on the expedition - clearly the messages contained in that bag were pivotal!

Akari sat back, figuratively, on his haunches and watched to see how the encounter would unfurl.

With a huge snort through his simian nostrils, Kosuke lumbered forward.  His waddling gait belied the speed that he moved over the rough ground of the forest floor and he soon crashed into the armoured form of Hiro Takashi.  Swinging his huge club in a low arc, easily avoided by the young samurai, Kosuke followed through with a series of feints that used the handle and head of the great weapon in tandem to keep the lordling on the back foot.  Finally he finished his sequence with a flourish, pivoting on a single leg he grabbed the surprised Takashi with his other foot and using the weight of the giant club to gain momentum flung the samurai to the floor several feet away.

Both warbands rushed forward, the Takashi retinue keeping tight around their messenger and the juvenile Dragon taking to the air with a triumphant scream.  Aiko's Guardian responded with a huge roar that shook the trees around them, beating his mighty fists against his enormous chest. 

The powerful gorilla leapt forward and grabbed the dragon by it's tail disrupting its flight and bringing the creature back down to earth.  Matching the ferocity of the giant primate, the dragon ripped at the beast with it's talons drawing red furrows into his hide. 

Aiko, watching her mighty protector taking hideous wounds drew on her Ki, with a wave of her delicate hand she sent a stream of spirit energy toward her burly companion, easing his pain and partially healing the grievous wounds.

Buoyed with renewed vigour, the Guardian pounded on the muscular flanks of the dragon, dislodging scales and winding the powerful creature. In retaliation, Mizuchi latched onto the massive arm of the simian and drove it's dagger length teeth to the bone.  Too late the young dragon realised it's mistake as the gorilla with a roar of defiance simply smashed his arm into the earth with a jarring crunch that stunned the magnificent serpent. 

With incredible speed, the Kitsune shrunk into fox form and dashed forward. Ducking under the flailing dragon, locked in it's struggle with Aiko's Guardian, she emerged next to the struggling behemoths.  With a brief shimmer, she once again regained humanoid form and lunging forward with her sword, tore a long and mortal wound down the length of Mizuchi.

Iiju Makoto, cried out at the loss of his adopted clan's kami and charged forward intent on severing the tricky Yokai's head.  Sword held high, he slashed at the Kitsune, only to stumble to the ground when the magnificent blade failed to connect.  Shaking his head in puzzlement, the Takashi ward looked around only to find the Kitsune yards away, a smirk upon her fox-like features.  The mirage of her slowly fading away as Iiju screamed his frustration at the mischievous creature.

So far so good, Akari muttered to himself with a small satisfaction.  The dragon had been neutralised and his warband were in position to intercept the messenger, disrupting the plans of the Prefecture and the Ito and their disastrous impact on the Balance.  

Hiro shook his head to clear his vision, further aided when he adjusted the tilt of his helmet.  Skittering away from the powerful orangutan, the samurai adjusted his grip on his katana ready to re-engage the simian monk.  Before he took one step however, he was confronted by a small, wiry boy armed with a Bo staff. 

With a wave of frustration, he motioned for the boy to move aside.  To his amazement, the boy not only shook his head but with a wry smile stepped forward and levelled the staff at the astonished samurai. Shrugging his shoulders the Takashi lord readied his sword and took stance.

Before he could engage, the boy pursed his lips and gave an odd little whistle.  Another step was all Hiro managed before two brown bullets shot from the dense undergrowth of the forest trails and flung themselves at the lordling.  Two mature macaque monkeys clung to his arms, interrupting his movements and causing him to slow and drop his guard.  In a flash, the boy darted forward and swung the Bo in a hefty blow that rang Hiro's helm like a bell.  Stumbling backwards, Hiro almost crashed against the stocky build of the Temple monk Kosuke…

Hiro shook his head again to clear the fog from the child's blow, enough was enough! With an armoured gauntlet he reached across and in a swift move, snapped the neck of the macaque dangling from his arm.  With his sword hand free he parried the incensed boy's attacks.  Calmly, he stepped aside as the giant brass shod club thumped to the ground beside him.  With a swing of his other arm he threw the remaining monkey away from him, the tiny macaque colliding with a tree trunk with a bone crunching crack.  Once again he parried the increasingly erratic swings from the grieving boy, before stepping in and delivering a stunning kick that propelled the boy backwards to land in a crumpled heap.  Finally free from the annoyance of the child and his pets, Hiro faced the powerful orangutan.  Wise to the four limbed attacks of the beast now he drew deep upon his Ki and cleansed the fatigue from his limbs.

Narrowing his eyes, concentration at peak, Hiro launched a series of blows and feints that defied the laws of physics.  His katana flickered faster than a serpents tongue, cutting and slicing, forcing the simian's defences further and further away from his body until the precise moment came. With Ki boosted strength he powered the blade through the bronze chest plate of the ape and split the creature's heart in two.  With another sigh from his simian nostrils, the great ape slid to the floor.

Barely had he drawn the long blade from the orangutan's body when the air was shattered with the bestial roar of the giant panda monk.  Kuma - his fang lined snout pulled back in a snarl, sprang forward... to be met with a sweep of Hiro's katana. Stepping nimbly to one side, despite his cumbersome armour, Hiro drew his magnificent blade back and sheathed it in a single motion.  The monk stumbled forward for two more steps before crashing to the ground, his throat opened wide pouring his blood into the earth...

"No more!" shouted Akari as he withdrew his consciousness from the thread.  Slowly the picture unravelled as he once again became pure spirit energy.  The cost was too high!  The loss was too much to bear.  There had to be a better way and he had to find it now.

Jwar Tales part 2

Akari, Master Monk of the Temple of Ro-Kan, held up a furry paw and chittered softly in the secret Tanuki tongue into the wind.  The whispered plea, buoyed by a thread of the master’s spirit energy -Ki, spread out among the ancient boughs of his forest sanctuary. Akari rested back into a meditation pose, cross legged on the gnarled tree stump that had been moulded to his diminutive frame. Moments later, a pair of tiny birds, their bright plumage flashing in the weak light of the glade, flitted over to his outstretched arm and came to rest. Solemnly, the ancient Master addressed his avian messengers.

“Little ones” he began, once again reinforcing his words with gentle whispers of his Ki, to settle the nervous nature of the wild creatures.

“Fear not, we face a challenge to the Balance and you must carry my words to the others in my stead. We have little time and I must determine the truest path for us to follow. Gather the younglings, bring them to me, the children of Ro-Kan and their companions will be our instrument, their innocence will counter the conniving political wrangling of the Prefecture and will restore the Balance.”

The birds, their feathery breasts puffed out with the importance of their mission, bowed their heads and spreading their wings darted off into the forests surrounding the Temple grounds.

Akari nodded his satisfaction and returned to his prayer pose. Opening his mind to the shining streams of Ki, he gently pushed his spirit out once more, hoping to determine the best course of action to prevent the pride of the Prefecture from pushing them closer to the darkness that threatened to overwhelm the Jwar Isles.

Following the tiny thread of probability that he had discovered, he attempted to unknot the twisted skein of possible events that led to the upsetting of the Balance.  Satisfied that he had found the right thread he tracked back toward the nexus point – the crucial moment that tipped the Balance. 

“There!” he muttered to himself

“that point there”.

In his mind, he saw a powerful samurai clad in full battle armour surrounded by a small band of Ryu retainers.  The samurai, clearly a member of the ruling house – Takashi, handed an important looking scroll, dripping with seals and ribbons, to a human female and bade her to guard it with her very life. 

The retainer bowed deeply to her lord, clearly pleased with the honour of bearing such a prestigious document.  Placing the scroll into a leather bag and slinging it across her shoulder, she adjusted the large katana at her waist. With that, the retinue moved off setting a fast pace, clearly at haste to deliver the message.

Akari, with a quick focus of Ki, moved along the thread a little further, tracking the party across the cultivated lands of the Ryu clan and into the foothills that marked the border with Ro-Kan.  Here in the southern reaches of Akari’s adopted homeland the samurai drew his party to a halt.  A gentle nudge of Ki and the timeline edged forward a few hours to the point where a small group of green clad humans approached the Takashi lordling. 

“Ito Clan” the Tanuki chittered

“what brings the Snake to parley with the Dragon?”

Whatever it was, it signified a shift in the Balance and that needed to be addressed.  Akari reached for his Ki and shifted the timeline back to the arrival of the samurai and his band. Drawing on his spirit energy he created a replica of himself and his companions and inserted the band of monks into the probability thread.  With that done, he drew back on his view until he could watch the events unfold.

Unbeknown to the ancient Tanuki, a small flash of red fur streaked across the unfolding conflict, ducking in between the twisted trunks of the woodlands and peered out from the thick undergrowth. 

Jwar Tales part 1

High in the jagged and heavily forested mountains, the monks of Ro-Kan tended the sprawling gardens of the temple.  Simply clad acolytes flitted here and there, running errands for the elders or sat in clusters, studying the lore of the Great Kami under the close tutelage of the Masters.

In among the deep shadows of the dark woods, a small gap in the trees opened to the thin mountain air, allowing weak sunlight to gently illuminate the secret glade.  Master Akari sat atop a small ancient tree stump, contoured from thousands of hours of meditation to perfectly accommodate the mysterious Tanuki’s unique physiology. With barely a twitch of his sensitive nose and swish of his lustrous bushy tail, the Master sat in a comfortable prayer pose and allowed his mind to drift down familiar conduits.  The Balance is all, the Balance is key, the Balance must be maintained at all costs.  Ying and Yang, night and day, all must be in perfect harmony or the Jwar Isles and their unique place in the world would be lost.

Further and further, Akari allowed his spirit to wander the ethereal realm of the Kami.  At times soaring among the cottony clouds with the carefree lesser Air Kami, then diving into the sparkling oceans of the playful lesser Water Kami. Carefully he ghosted through the fiery intensity of the blasted lands of the lesser Fire Kami and conversed with the serious golem like lesser Earth Kami.  All around him he felt a vague disharmony, a slight disjointing of what should have been perfectly balanced.  A putrid darkness gathered again at the edges of the real world and bled its poison into the unreal realm, threatening to destroy that which he held dear.

Casting his mind deeper than he had for many years, he probed the darkness, searching for the tiniest thread of probability to follow, a small series of incidents that would lead to the coming darkness gaining ground. Deliberate or not, all actions have consequences, all decisions determine a path that can change people, places or even the very fabric of reality/unreality.  There! The barest hint of shadow, twisting and winding like a coiling viper. Akari, concentrated his formidable mind, focusing his Ki on the darkness in an effort to gain some insight into the cause of the disruption. 

Slowly, very slowly the knotted skein of shadow unravelled until…

Withdrawing his mind, with a degree of effort, the Master snapped back into his body with a minor jolt and sighed. Drawing his plain, homespun robes around his diminutive frame, he picked up his gnarled Jo staff and rapped it loudly on the tree stump three times and sat back down to wait. 

Minutes later and with the barest whisper of rustling leaves, a large and powerfully built orangutan moved into the glade.  Clad in armour and dragging an enormous brass club, Kosuke a monk from the distant Empire moved with a grace that denied his size and heavy equipment. Settling into a crouch with a heavy snort from his simian nostrils, the giant ape grunted a question to the Master.

“Yes, my brother the Balance is in peril once more.”

Another huff, another question…

“Ah this time it starts with the children of the Dragon”

Kosuke

hi all

My love for Bushido, the skirmish game from GCT Studio is well known among those who follow this blog. Despite my lack of mojo over the last few months and the distraction provided by the development of B,S&H, Bushido and the fabulous minis from their range is never too far onto the backburner.  This year at Salute, I hit the GCT stand first (as always!) and although I didn't smash my debit card, I did pick up some awesome models to bolster my factions.  Chief among them was Kosuke...

Kosuke hails from the mainland of the Empire. He fights with all four limbs, strength and skill are indistinguishable between arms and legs, hands and feet. He comes in aid of his fellow monks of the Ro-Kan and the prowess he shows on the battlefield will be well received by those he fights alongside. However his presence has caused disquiet amongst the Masters of the Ro-Kan. What message does Kosuke’s presence herald? 

I think you can probably understand why I wanted this dude!!!  Sculpted by the talented Ban Calvert-Lee of Master Crafted Miniatures, Kosuke is a must have for me and my Temple of Ro-Kan warband. But not only is he an awesome sculpt, this ape can kick ass....

While his melee dice is 3, not bad but not as high as other Monks, Kosuke benefits from armour (1), unusual for Ro-Kan, he's Brave, and can force an opponent to reroll an attack dice with feint. He's gonna attack first due to his first strike ability and cannot be outnumbered easily.  What is best about this King of the Swingers though is his Ki Feats and Unique Effect, allowing him to use both a special attack and special defence, meaning that this mean ape is gonna pound on you and then throw you into the dirt!  I literally cannot wait to get this bad boy on the table...

 And here he is (sorry about my blurry photos)

I stuck to the artwork colours as his orange hair more or less fit my faction colours anyway lol.  The base was made from Das clay and pressed with a roller from Green Stuff World.  Not my best work but seeing as it's my first mini in weeks, I'm fairly pleased.

Kosuke will be a must have in my Ro-Kan warband and he will join what I hope is a relatively useful "Kids & Critters" line up.

L-R back row- Kitsune (human form), The Guardian, Kosuke, Kuma.

middle row - Kitsune (fox form), Koji's macaque, Koji, Master Akari.

front row - Aiko, Koji's macaque

Kosuke will join Kuma and The Guardian as my warband bruisers, big powerhouses who can throw down with most others.  Master Akari and Kitsune are my speedy objective grabbers, darting in to win scenario and gain VPs.  Koji is my scout and with his monkeys can fend off enemies and protect the big guys from being surrounded. Aiko will sit back and use her Ki feats to buff my fighters.

I hope to get them onto the table soon and start working toward some more competitions.

hope you enjoy

dGG

How to create a Bushido warband

Hi all

despite the grandiose nature of the title, I haven't really got a great deal of insight to impart.  An average player at best, I still struggle to come up with winning combos but it did strike me that every time I showcase a new addition to my factions no matter which one, I do so in a kind of isolation and not really how that model would fight alongside his/her mates.

So I thought why not talk through my thoughts on how I've put together a 50 Rice (points) warband that I would happily take to a competition and my reasons for including them.  For this I thought I would take my most favoured of factions - The Temple of Ro-Kan.

I think the best place to start is to try to understand the nature of the faction.  What are the defining characteristics that create the unique nature of your chosen faction.

This is the official line from GCT Studios....

The serene martial artist masters of the Ro-Kan have long viewed themselves as above all mortal and mundane conflicts. Now, following the Han civil war, the rise of the Cult of Yurei, and the incursion of the Savage Wave, the monks of Ro-Kan are being dragged into the clandestine wars of universal balance – a war in which they will reluctantly turn out to be key players. The monks follow an age-old path and know the secrets of Ki better than any others, but they are few and divided – will they be able to unite and join forces before it is too late?

so what we have are a bunch of spiritual warrior monks with access to a boat load of Ki.  It sounds like you're never going to outnumber your foe but you should be able to outfight them.  They should be able to perform Ki feats every turn and stretch an opponent's resources while maximising their own.  There isn't going to be a lot of armoured samurai (or any in fact....) but there will be a certain "Airbender" type monkish action going on.

So onto the selection criteria and I've kinda broken it down into the following categories.

• Themes
• Master Monks
• Monks
• Support
• Kami
• Peasants
• Yokai
• Special Cards

I suppose the important thing to decide is what you're looking for in your warband? what appeals to you most?  do you want a shooty warband (in which case pick another faction as the Temple like to be hands on!) do you want a heavy fighter based warband, do you want a special Ki feat heavy warband?  do you want a mix of these things?  which models appeal to you the most? does this matter much to you?  this leads us very much to my first selection - Themes

The type of warband you want will often determine whether you choose a certain theme over another or whether you want a balanced theme.  Themes are found in the special card packs that you buy for your faction and give bonuses to your warband based on your chosen theme, this comes however with restrictions on the type of models you can select. With the Temple for example, they have two faction specific themes and a generic theme available to all factions and used in tournament gaming (which I will get into at another time), of course you can always go "themeless" which allows you access to all types of characters with no restrictions only rice (points) cost. The first faction specific one is called "Bastions of the Mountains" and gives extra special cards to the warband as well as other effects but you are restricted in your model selection and cannot take "Monk" types.  As I love the idea of a monk based warband I'm going to go with the second theme "Righteous Warriors".  The restrictions for this theme are models chosen from -

• Monks
• Kami
• Animals
• constructs

this means no Peasants and no Yokai, which is a real pity as I lose access to the Kitsune!  But I do get some of my favourite miniatures.  The bonus elements of the theme more than compensate me for the loss of the Yokai and the Ki boosting effects of the peasant models. These are:

Nominate one model in the warband, they gain "Channel/Leech (3)" this means they can distribute Ki from one model (Leech) to another (Channel) within 3" of the named mini. This ability enables you to boost the abilities of the monks who really need it!

Choose a Kami worth 4 rice and add it to your warband at no cost. SCORE! - free Kami, I was going to pick one anyway and now I don't have to pay for it!

All monks that are within 3" of another gain "Iron Mind (1) or +1"

So Theme chosen now to move onto our Master Monks - These are the deFacto leaders of the Temple order and some of the most powerful monks in the faction, arguably some of the most powerful in the game!  They also come with a corresponding high points cost and each of them offer something a bit different from the others.  Due to the cost I can only justify putting one in the band although you can technically take the lot and they will fit into the 50 rice maximum with a little to spare.....

Master Po is a melee monster, Enos is an elemental manipulator, Ekusa is a Ki battery but by far my favourite is Master Akari.  His speed, vitality and defensive expertise is absolutely essential to my warband.  I use him to frustrate my opponents, running rings around them in melee before disengaging and dashing for objectives.  He is an ideal ViM, evading the enemy with ease before breaking for their deployment zone and scoring VPs.  I'm not expecting him to damage many people but that's not what he's for.

That brings me onto the next bit really,  I'm going to need a couple of heavy hitters in order to cause that damage, to reduce the enemy model count or just to distract my opponent while my other guys score VPs and generally get on with the scenario.  I also need some people to hold control zones, create a nuisance and protect my support element.  Bring on the bulk of my warband - the Monks.

These are gonna form the core of the warband, the guys that get stuff done.  First up I need some guys that are gonna hit folk and make sure they stay hit! I've got just the fellas for the job.  To this end I will call upon Kuma, I recently showcased Kuma on this blog and went through his profile card, suffice to say that this Kung Fu Panda is gonna be shouldering a lot of the melee burden.  Not quite as skilled as some of the others, he more than makes up for it with his brutality, power and animal nature.  I expect him to be in combat for the majority of the game, particularly against those opponents who have already been exhausted from other fights.  His "Fear (4)", stun marker combined with the exhausted status of the enemy could mean them rolling single dice in melee and Kuma rolling a handful!  He also can use his animal token to become "Aware", handy for smoking out those pesky ninjas!

I'm gonna pair Kuma up with another bruiser - the Guardian.  This giant gorilla can only be taken with Aiko, who I'm very happy to include and will explain why later on.  The Guardian is also not a monk (but he is an animal and therefore allowed in the theme) but I had to have him, he is one of my favourite models in the range and finds his way into most of my lists.  Not only is he cool looking, he ain't too shabby in a scrap either - average MS of 3 but he has "Brutal (1)" meaning he adds +1 to his highest attack dice.  He has +2 damage which means when he hits you, you damn well know about it!  He's also very decent at throwing his opponents around, meaning they end up in a heap far away from where they want to be....

I always upgrade him using the Special Card - "Silverback" meaning that he causes "Fear (5)" and often causes enemies to lose dice in melee, if they pluck up the courage to charge him at all!

So those are my big, scary beasts, designed just to get in and tear it up a little (well alright then, a lot!!)  Who else needs to make the roster,  well that would be Yuuki.  Yuuki is a little like a cheaper version of Akari so you may wonder why I need another? Well why have one, when you can have two....  but actually she has a few differences that make her an include.  I recently showcased Yuuki as well so I won't go through the profile card but the highlights are her "Vitality", like Akari, this gives her an extra activation, although she doesn't have as much Ki as the little Tanuki Master so doesn't fire it off as often.  However she is also a bit tougher than Akari and can actually deal a little bit of damage too so she can cover quite a few spots in the roster - she can run and she can fight!  She can even take on the ViM role if I want to release Master Akari back into the mix.


A couple of monk choices to go then, next up is a bit of a quandry, there are a couple of choices for the spot of auxillary monk, one that I need to fulfill those tasks that need to get done, to compliment my fighters or fend off the enemy, exhaust them and waste their activations.  Both choice that I have in mind cost the same  but work in totally different ways, the first is Riku.

Riku is a great utility monk, one that hasn't featured regularly in my lists for some reason.  He has a high melee score which is obviously useful, he can trade a dice in for "Counter Attack Defence" and go all defensive and still cause damage.  Talking of damage he adds +1 to his damage rolls.  He can push people out of control zones or off scenario objectives but by far his best attributes has to be his manipulation of water.  His Ki feat "Wall of Water" is useful to cover the advance of my monks from ranged attacks and "tsunami" has the chance of pushing weaker models away and proning them.

Alternatively I could take Koji and his Pack.  Individually much weaker than Riku but their strength comes in their unity.  Group attacks wear down the opponent before the coup de grace from a more powerful fighter - Kuma or Gorilla.  Alternatively you can use their animal senses to bodyguard another character from the sneakiness of ninjas or bakemono who use camouflage to hide from my monks.  They are also useful as "ablative monkeys" at 1 rice each you can afford to let them take a hit instead of your more expensive monks.....hmm something to ponder then....

Their group activation is a bit of a drag, meaning they all have to act at  the same time but this can be an advantage when they all pile in on a hapless minor character!  As for Koji himself, his Ki feat is good, "Order" will give your exhausted monkeys another activation, but what I use him for is a Ki battery for my next choice - Aiko.

Aiko is my last monk and also my only real Support model.  She will also be my main "Leech/Channel" model (taking Ki from Koji primarily) and either supplying Ki to my other monks or buffing them using her amazing Ki feat "Blessing of the Kami".  This, apart from granting use of the Guardian, is why I pick her because in every other sense she is useless.  She's slow, cowardly, weak and she can't fight....but what she can do is -

Heal 2 wounds - herself or another mini within 12"
Speed up - she can add +1 to a move and "light footed" (ignores terrain) to a mini within 12"
Armour- she can add +2 armour to a mini within 12"
Flame on - she can add +1 dam to a melee attack and cause fire damage to a friendly in melee within 12"

for the princely sum of 4 rice, this stuff is priceless and she gets included everytime.

Lastly I get to add my free Kami and this is the really tough pick because Kamis can buff your monks and fight in their own way and the type of Kami defines the kinds of buffs you can get.  The Temple has access to all types of Kami, unlike other factions so I umm and ahh and never make a decision.  Here's the choices:

Water - can heal your warriors in base to base (btb) contact at the beginning of the turn
Fire - can grant +1 melee strength and cause fire damage for one of your warriors in btb.
Earth - grants armour to one of your warriors in btb
Air - can grant +1 move and "lightfooted" to a warrior in btb
Reflection (void?) - can protect your warriors from psychic intrusion within 6"


Personally I'm torn so I'll give all of them a go at some point, although I have used Fire and Earth to good effect all of them have merit!


So thats it then.  the provisional line up and the reasons why I chose them (initially).  All of them subject to change but I thought you might appreciate the reasoning behind certain choices and how their expected to link up with the rest of the team and fulfill certain roles.  So all that remains is a team pic of the first incarnation with a couple of guys waiting in the wings to see if they can't claim a spot.  Of course I haven't even considered the reserve, reserve chaps, yoou know the chaps who are awesome but haven't had their moment to shine like Shisha, Master Po, other themes etc - its a long time till next years Masters and only time will tell.

initial line up from left to right - Riku, Kami of reflection, Kuma, Master Akari, The Guardian, Aiko and Yuuki

hope you enjoy

dGG