A Baka of Bushido

 A Headless Body Production
Venue: On Military Matters Book Store, Hopewell, NJ
Event: April Showers...
Players: Phil Gardocki running Samurai
Dennis Shorthouse running Tuareg
Game System: L'Art de la Guerre, 15mm, 200 points per side.

The Forces:
Samurai, Commanders Larry-san (Brilliant), Darrel-san (Competent) and Darrel-san (Ordinary and Unreliable)
5 Mounted Samurai, Heavy Cavalry Bow, 2 Elite
8 Foot Samurai, Medium Swordsmen, Bow, Elite
4 Followers with Naganinta, Medium swordsmen, Mediocre
4 Bowmen, Mediocre
1 Light Infantry, Bow
1 Light Cavalry, Bow
Breakpoint...23

The Tuareg
Their commanders names are lost to history.
12 Medium Camel, Impetuous, 6 Elite.
4 Light Camel, Impact
6 Medium Sword, Impetuous
6 Light Infantry, Javelin
Breakpoint of 28

Display Conventions: When you see a word bubble like "Ouch!" "痛い" or "Auć!", this implies a disorder from missiles. Letters in parenthesis represent some value change for the specific unit. For commanders it is s for strategist, b for Brilliant, c for Competent and o for Ordinary, u for unreliable. For troops it is e for Elite, and m for Mediocre. Other abbreviations, Hvy Heavy, XB Crossbow, LB, Longbow, Jav Javelin, 2HW 2 Handed Weapons, B Bow, Kn Knight, HKn Heavy Knight, HC Heavy Cavalry, Md Medium, Sgt Sergeants, LC Light Cavalry, Chr Chariot, Cat Cataphract, Pa Pavise, LI, Light Infantry, HG Hand Gun, FKn Foot Knight, Hvy Spear, Heavy Spearmen.

Inappropriately capitalized words are used to highlight terms that are specific to the game. For example Brilliant, Competent and Ordinary have specific game values for the commanders.

"XX" implies a unit killed in that location on that turn.

Deployment: 

The Samurai win the initiative and elect to attack in the Desert.

The Tuareg horde has a balanced set up. 8 troops of Camelry on the right, 6 units of foot in the center.

And 8 more troops of Camels on their left.

Larry-san positions his horsemen on the left.

Brother Darryl-san in the center with his elite footmen.

Other Brother Darryl-san is in a position to take the hill.

Turn 1:

Other brother Darryl-san rolls a 1 for command points and goes unresponsive.
 

Larry-san crosses the brush.

Brother Darryl-san approaches to arrow range.

Other Brother Darryl-san is cleaning the wax out of his ears.

The light camels charge, getting behind the lines of the Samurai horse.

The Tuareg warriors advance into a hail storm of arrows. But they are well covered by their skirmishers.

Noting the indecision of the Japanese right hand command, the camels of the Tuareg left redeploy.

Turn 2:

Larry-san spends two command points to prompt his brother Darryl-san to move.

The main camel force is beyond charge reach, so a Samurai horsemen turns and looses arrows into the brush.

The Samurai foot continue to let fly volley after volley of arrows.

Their flanks covered by their Naganinta men

Darryl-san scratches his butt.

The Light Camelry charges again. The Japanese Light horse is caught just shy of the boards edge.

It is time to push the main force of camels forward.

Samurai archers continue to provide shade to the sun stroked Tuareg

The last of the Tuareg left begin their redeployment.

Turn 3:

The Japanese scouts are defeated. Did they hold up these two troops of camels long enough?

Time for the Samurai horsemen to darken the skies.

Pretty good shooting, eh?

Other Brother Darryl-san, puts down his tea and orders his men forward.

He'll take advantage of the Kyoto-Zimbabwe road to redeploy.

The Tuareg camels charge. Even though they lose one troop on contact, they have already turned the flank of the Samurai horse.

With a great ululation, The Tuareg foot warriors charge. Two Samurai foot are run over.

Tuareg scouts pin down the Samurai flank forces.

Turn 4:

The mounted battle continues. Both lines are flanked.

The foot battle also rages. But the Tuareg have 6 full troops of camelry to throw into the fray.

Other Brother Darryl's forces enter arrow range.

The other half of his forces are finally just getting sorted on the road.

The Japanese have 12 points towards their demoralization level of 23

The Tuareg have 18 points towards their demoralization level of 28

The Tuareg pressures the flank.  One Samurai horse decides it is better to fight and run away.

The Samurai foot line is well penetrated.  A pair of flank charges destroys one unit, disorders another.  In addition, the last camel forces advance, replacing some to the defeated Tuareg foot warriors.

On the right, some desultory shooting makes itself known.

The Samurai are 1 away from breaking.

The Tuareg are 7 away from their break point.

Desperate times call for desperate measures.  Larry-san enters the fight.  His efforts are futile, and he is nearly killed for his effort.

His brother Darryl-san is more effective, taking a Tuareg foot warrior in the rear and destroying it.

Their other brother Darryl-san is looking for spare change for the toll road.

It was a hard fight, but pretty much a Tuareg win from the very beginning.