This spring I had happened across the Warlord games pre announce of Test of Honour and sprung for their pre-release deal. Yes English spelling, Test of Honor, Honour, whatever.
The lure of a skirmish game set of feudal Japan, what wasn’t to be attracted by the possibilities it might bring. If you think about it, Japan had a period of about 500 some years where warlords ruled the day, clans going back and in forth in many a conflict.
Well there’s the risk of what’s the game going to play like? Figures? Terrain? Quite a lot could go wrong but none the less I plunked my money down in hopes it might be pretty frikkin awesome.
I received my kit shortly after AdeptiCon and unfortunately besides breaking the box open I just didn’t have much time as the figures needed to be assembled, painted and then there was the terrain problem.
Finally this past Saturday Chuck and I gathered at D6 to give it a go.
Thankfully the way the starter info is setup, it expects you to just put together 2 Samurai to run the opposing forces, 6 spearmen and 4 archers. Split that and you have the initial set force for the opening scene.
Next on the subject of terrain I picked up a number of a Sarissa buildings that Warlord sells side by side with the game. They are all MDF, assemble pretty nicely and most importantly give your table that great look of Japan.
So queue up some Kurosawa and we are ready.
Two rival Samurai meet, exchange a few unpleasantries and swords are drawn. Chits are placed in a bag to determinate activation. Activation goes back and forth. Commoners only get 1 activation, Samurai get a number of activations based on their skill. In this case 3. Also with the chits are lightning bolts. Draw one and you pass. On the 3rd, round is over and that determines who gets first draw for the next turn.
An activation can be fire an arrow, attack in melee, move 3″ and fire an arrow, charge and attack, search for something and so on.
Some commoners are mounted 3 to a base. So one action for all 3.
The game has many tests, to swing your sword or fire an arrow, you must do a test of agility. Three dice for commoners, 5 for the Samurai. If on the dice you roll 3 or more swords, it’s a success. If you roll more Xs than swords, it’s a fumble.
The other side if they haven’t used their action can try and avoid. Tho if they did a cautious action they get a free avoid action.
If they don’t avoid, then you do a test to determine if it’s a kill or just a damage (blood drop).
Only if you are a Samurai on a kill result, you do a test of honor, pass and you get a wound card instead.
Great core of simple rules and really makes for a great time.
I approached slowly at first trying to use my bowmen to inflict something as my Samurai and spearmen got closer.
Well, given the Samurai are supposed to be the heros, I finally just dashed in with my Samurai and swords were a clashing. You can just seen next to the temple bell the 2 Samurai and Chucks spearmen.
First to fall was one of Chuck’s spearmen. Then my Samurai decided to pick on one of Chuck’s bowmen, cutting him down. Meanwhile Chuck’s Samurai swinging at me.
When the bowmen fell, everyone in 6″ had to take a test of honor to see if they stay. They all did.
Alas Chuck’s cold dice didn’t last, inflicting an arm wound on my Samurai and then taking him out of this fight which was one of the ending triggers.
After the battle, there are skill cards to draw, wounds to mend and yeah we were instantly hooked.
We didn’t make use of the dishonor cards, YES, they have those. You can give yourself an extra die to roll by taking the path of dishonor, but yeah, it might cost ya.
More when we play our next installment.