08.03.29 WEB Daimyo Furi

The Battle of Red Tori Forest

A 25mm wargame fought on Saturday, 29 March, 2008


	For years the Lesser Daimyo had lived in peace, secure in the non-aggression philosophy of their Toda Lord, a man distinguished in wisdom, art,and battle. But their Lord was killed, and his eldest son became the heir. Here was a young man cut from different cloth—cunning where his father was wise, ambitious where his father was content. The Young Wolf realized that his father had assembled a powerful army to protect the family’s holdings. Why not, he reasoned, now use this instrument to enlarge the Toda name by absorbing the smaller holdings adjacent to his own? The Lesser Lords were picked off one by one, by treachery, intimidation, or internal weakness. The survivors coalesced into two forces, the Western Righteous Rebellion Army and the Eastern Righteous Rebellion Army. Honorable Succession Army assembled to strike the root out their resistance, and successfully destroyed the first group of Rebels. The region’s monasteries attempted to remain above the fray; soon they realized that Young Wolf would reward the Ronin and his allied Vassal Lords with grants of land, which could only be monastery land. Belatedly they don their armor, organize their peasants, and rush to restore the balance of power in the province. The battle opens between half of Young Wolf's Honorable Succession Army (HSA) and the Eastern Righteous Rebellion Army (ERRA). Below you will see photos of this fictional battle, as fought by the Gourmet Wargaming Club (GWC) using 25mm miniatures and a variant of the Fire & Fury wargaming rules appropriately named Daimyo Furi.		Haikus composed for this event: A pale moon rises in the winter’s icy sky. My bright spirit fails. Brume de Sommeil le Matin, Un jour comme dans un rêve Sommeil éternal le soir… (Mists of sleep at morning. The day passes as in a dream. Sleep eternal at evening…) Your death advances in a cloud of dust and hooves. Your wife will mourn you. Betrayed by the son, Young Wolf gnawing my vitals. I shall seek revenge. Fortune the school marm. Soldiers mock her warning glare. Boys are not so smart. Many ways to die. Spear, sword, the arrow’s quick kiss. I fell off my horse. Young Wolf run away Maybe fight another day Next time, I kill you Back as cherry tree. I shed my petals on heads of passing maidens. The roar of laughter Descends on little lead men. We are their heaven.
	Click here to download a PDF of the full battle text. Click here to download an Excel file of unit labels.

The field of battle. Red Tori Forest is farthest from the camera, at top center.	Officers of the Eastern Righteous Rebellion Army. Note Red Tori Forest in front of them.	Across the table we see the officers of the Honorable Succession Army. (Young Wolf holds the camera.)	The battle opens in the center with both sides spotting enemy movements.	HSA forces in the center at the outset.
HSA forces are discovered moving on the far right flank. 2 units of Ashigaru Arquebusiers sneak into the town without being spotted by the enemy.	On the far left, a victorious HSA force enters after having crushed the Western Righteous Rebellion Army.	On the same flank, ERRA forces wait in a copse.	In the center, ERRA forces demonstrate on the hill.	Suddenly, a force of monks from the monasteries of the region arrive to engage the HSA's right flank.
The monks bring a sizeable force of angry peasants to back them up. Young Wolf is in for a fight.	A spirited but impetuous charge by ERRA cavalry is rebuffed by HSA infantry.	HSA infantry mass in the center, preparing to move out.	The enemy cavalry are swarmed by HSA infantry, and wiped out.	More HSA infantry on the far right flank prepare to engage the monks and peasants.
More Rebels move up to meet Young Wolf's left flank.	Rebellion forces attack from the cover of the woods.	The battle on Young Wolf's left is furious, with units intermixed as the fighting sways back and forth.	A close-up of the battle on the left.	Both sides take casualties on the HSA's left flank.
The HSA launches a general attack in the center of the field. The cavalry are committed.	The charge in the center hits home, but the HSA forces are knocked back.	ERRA troops from the hill counter-attack and slam into the HSA center.	HSA Arquebusiers on the right flank occupy the town, and open fire on the peasants as they cross the river.	Another unit of HSA Arquebusiers charge out of the town to try to gun down the monk cavalry.
An overview of the battle at the halfway point. Young Wolf is at left, the Rebels at right.	HSA units on the left are fighting for their lives, and taking heavy losses.	Young Wolf's left flank is starting to be overwhelmed by Rebel forces.	The officers break for a traditional Japanese meal while their tiny lead subordinates eat each other for lunch.	A tasty Oreo pie is washed down with sake and plum wine.
The HSA center attacks the hill with a ferocity that cannot be denied.	ERRA units fall back in the center.	One last band of plucky Rebel samurai fights to the last--and counter-attacks to hold the enemy cavalry in place as long as possible.	The battle on the HSA's right continues.	Monks, peasants, samurai, and ashigaru mix it up.
Generations of men are sucked into a maelstrom of gaming.	The HSA forces on the left are simply remnants. They can do little to harass the enemy now.	Rebels forces now freed from Young Wolf's left flank head to the battle's center.	Peasants flood into the town on Young Wolf's right flank. The only unit facing them decides to stand down--the second of the HSA's units to do so during the battle. This hastened the unraveling of an HSA victory.	Whatever the outcome, we accept our fate as armchair soldiers with decorum.
Young Wolf is doing well in the center, but cannot clear the hill.	HSA's left flank is finally wiped out, and ERRA forces stream towards the sounds of battle in the center and right.	Both sides trade blows across the river on HSA's right. A Rebel victory is certain!	Too late, Young Wolf emerges to take part in the battle to try to salvage a certain defeat. You might say he lost his head. Heh.	Officers and the Honorable Chef (praise her!) meet at the edge of the forest. Only sake, chicken, and pie were truly casualties of war--and they felt no pain.