Kensei Armies for ongoing story.

Makoto-Do members and local farmers vs Sazama at Hachiman Betsuin.
During the rice wars there were two groups who had heard there was a famous Komuso talking at a local temple/shrine complex and desiring their services the two groups converged. The Sazama for the services they could provide to their overlords and for the Makoto to help a local village try to dispel an oni-baba who kept eating their animals!
Surprisingly when they arrived they instead found two komuso who were on the verge of coming to blows with each other!

Makoto-Do members started to move through the eastern gate slowly while the Sazama rushed through the western. The Farmers with their slingshots moved through in front of their monk allies and spotted the Sazama group advancing while the two Komuso argued.

Using their speed (they’re a quick unit in the kensei rules!) the slingers repositioned position themselves in a good spot knowing they’ll be able to let some stones loose next turn. The monks slowly crept forward into the grounds proper but didn’t take any firm action while the Sazama continue their advance. The Komuso start fighting and one of the loses a couple of wounds!

The Sazama samurai attempt to charge the slingers after receiving a rather paltry volley from them but don’t make it into combat at which point the slingers let loose another volley and manage to take down one samurai and injure another. The monks finally make some headway into the shrine grounds and the komuso are joined in their fight by the Sazama Taisho who proceeds to take a wound for his troubles.

At the start of a new turn the Makoto get the initiative and charge into the samurai who have been left disordered by their failed charge and loss of a member. Doing some damage to the remaining samurai who are subsequently charged into by the slingers reducing their numbers to one! The Sazama Taisho is instrumental in subduing a Komuso who has knocked out the other Komuso but is immediately set upon by the head of the Makoto-Do who takes him down in a single turn!

The Sazama force finds themselves left with 2 members, 1 samurai and 1 archer (whos unit only managed to land a single wound all game!) the archer scarpers but the samurai has no way out and meets a grisly fate.

This game was a test of the Raid beta rules that the creators of Kensei have released and I’ve gotta say they play really nicely. This skirmish was set before the current timeline during the “Rice wars” period of the history of the game which is the time we’ll probably play most of our one shot games in where as our current campaign will be played as part of the current timeline.