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"Anyone remember this set of rules?" Topic


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Personal logo Inari7 Supporting Member of TMP10 Sep 2019 9:02 p.m. PST

It was a one of two page set of Samurai skirmish rules. The better the figure was the smaller the dice used. A Samurai would roll a D4, because in this system you wanted to roll low. A ronin might roll a D6 where a peasant would roll a D10.
Thanks, I hope you have a better memory then I do.

Thresher0110 Sep 2019 9:54 p.m. PST

Hmmm, sound vaguely familiar, and I might even have them, but can't recall the name. Seems like there was a simple set of rules for quick skirmishes, and massed battles, back in the day. Wish I could recall the name.

It's not "No-Dachi" which uses the opposite, with better skilled characters using larger dice.

It is available for free as a PDF, from a gaming club website though, and looks interesting, so perhaps worth checking out:

PDF link

Here's a review listing of various rules, with pics of the covers, in case that jogs your memory:

link

Personal logo Morning Scout Supporting Member of TMP11 Sep 2019 6:14 a.m. PST

A set of free rules "SIMPLE SAMURAI RULES- LATE PERIOD" uses the dice mechanic you describe. The rules can be found on the old freewargamesrules site. No author is listed.
link

Personal logo aegiscg47 Supporting Member of TMP11 Sep 2019 7:03 a.m. PST

I'm pretty sure that you are talking about Katana, which was put out by Westwind Productions through Old Glory. It was part of a range of rules (if memory serves me right) that included sets for Gladiator combat, French Foreign Legion, etc. Katana was a 1:10 scale game that played like a 1:1 skirmish game and used the quality die system that you described above. While the movement and combat systems worked great, the morale rules made little sense, which was at least better than the French Foreign Legion rules which were pretty much unplayable.

4DJones11 Sep 2019 8:02 a.m. PST

Katana. Yes. Written by Stephen Lawrence. The morale rules in the FFL rules (also written by SL) were *rse over t*t: the more elite the Legion were, the more brittle their morale.

These rules ushered in the period of lax proof-reading and poor play-testing; a period still with us today.

dragon6 Supporting Member of TMP11 Sep 2019 3:27 p.m. PST

The morale rules in the FFL rules (also written by SL) were *rse over t*t
What does *rse over t*t mean? … wait.. could the first * be A and the second * i?

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