Gen Con and more...

Image


Image

Were heading to Gen Con and we can't wait, it will be great to catch up with seasoned Bushido veterans and meet new players as well. We are also hosting a 16 player, 50 rice tournament on the Saturday. We'll have some cool prizes to give away to participants and we'll announce these in the run up to the show. 

Tournament is live, join up now HERE


A Time to Harvest, A Time to Die!

Outside, in a town called Taki, the wind howled and beat against a guardhouse door. Inside, the room was filled with off-duty soldiers drinking, gambling, and carousing with the local Oiran. A sergeant peered at his tiles while listening to the din coming from outside but ignored it the moment he won another hand. His pile of coins grew rapidly; he had won six games in a row and was hoping to make it seven before turning in for the night.

He was feeling lucky; he’d just drawn ‘Iron Samurai’, undeniably the strongest hand in the game and virtually impossible to beat. He slid all his coins through a puddle of sake to take their place proudly in the middle of the table. He was off in his head somewhere, merrily spending the fortune he was about to win; the noise outside merely a distraction. Until it came again, this time louder, more violent; the stout oaken door bulged in the middle, as if something were trying frantically to get inside the fetid room. The sergeant dropped his tiles on the table and drew his sword. The others followed suit.

What is it? What’s wrong?” whispered a soldier when the fearsome banging stopped and the room grew quiet.

I don’t know. Sounds like... I’m not sure what it sounds like,” slurred the sergeant, wishing he hadn't finished that last bottle of rice wine. Some of the ladies tittered nervously in the corner.

Silence!” he barked, holding up his hand. The men watched, and waited. The tension grew when the infernal hammering began again.

I’m going to see what it is,” said a soldier with his back to the door. Before he could even turn, the door exploded in a hail of splinters; masonry cracked and fell to the floor as the intruder forced its way inside...that’s when the screaming started. The beast stood taller than any man; its massive horned head surveyed the room, relishing what was to come. A staff, adorned with an otherworldly skull, glowed an eerie, eldritch green as the beast advanced toward the soldiers.  Its nostrils flared at the repugnant stench of man; then it attacked. 

Afterwards, body parts and coins lay scattered on the floor amid pools of glistening blood. It seemed the sergeant’s luck had run out after all, ‘Iron Samurai’ or not. And so it began... Kokoro the Harvester had arrived.

Got you guessing? Good. We'll have more on this fantastic-looking Oni later in the month but for now here's an interview with his Chris Hale, who got to create him after winning last year's UK Games Expo Bushido Masters Tournament. Remember, if you want to join the hallowed halls of UK Masters Winners, and create your very own miniature, come down to this year's tournament and try your luck. Tickets are still available.

1. How did you discover Bushido and how long have you been playing?

I discovered Bushido at my FLGS when a friend pointed out the awesome miniatures. That was  around 4 years ago and I have loved the game ever since! 

 

2. How many factions do you play? 

Currently I play three factions; Savage wave, Jung Pirates and Cult of Yurei.

 

3. What's your favourite faction and why?

I'd have to say Savage wave are my favourite overall. I love the variety in the range and the options that allows when building lists. I could easily make 4 or more distinct war bands that I would be happy to run at any event. From a tide of Bakemono to an elite Oni war band each and every list brings a really fun and unique play style to the table.

 

4. What's your favourite model/models and why?

Firstly I have to go with Xi-Han And Zoo. Being given the opportunity to develop the concept for this guy was an amazing experience. I really love how the figures were sculpted and also how flexible he is on the tabletop. Being able to set up kills via Berserk mushrooms never gets old! My second favourite is the Goro, I think the sculpting on this model in incredible and he is a real monster in the game with access to both powerful and combo attack with no cost. 

 

5. How did it feel to win the United Kingdom Grandmasters in 2017?

I was super happy to take the title. But more than that it's always great to see and play against friends I've made over the years of attending tournaments.

 

6. What was your biggest challenge vs your competitors on the day?

A Temple of Ro-kan peasant theme list. It had lots of kami and lots of traps. I think Rashka failed his checks 3 times to escape the traps, and when you have a third of your army rice stuck in some ropes things tend to get tricky! It was a very fun game however and the luck swung in my favour in the later turns allowing me to snatch victory. 

 

7. Tell us about your list. Explain the thought process behind your selection.

My list was;

Alpha theme

Rashka

Yusha

Waka the thunder

Oni slave

Oni slave

The lost

The lost

2 x Unearthly rage

Elixir of vigour 

Arashi's fan 

The idea was to layer the defences of the Oni, to allow them to pick and choose who, when and where they would fight. This is achieved by cycling fear 6 onto the different Oni and through placement of The lost who provide the Oni with bodyguard. By making it as difficult as possible for the opponent to engage the Oni, it becomes a lot easier to set up the rock throw for Waka and melee kills for the others. With Unearthly rage and an extra activation from the elixir, the list can put out a serious amount of offence. 

 

8. Even though you won, are there any changes you would make to it?

With changes from the errata such as not having access to the elixir any more, I would look to swap out some cards and to potentially include a Kaihei pack as they are really interesting and I feel powerful on the table. 

 

9. Any lists you didn't want to come up against? If so explain.

I didn't want to play against a Silvermoon Rose theme list. Generally they seek to control models and whittle them down with crossbows. Both of which my list lacked a viable defence against. 

 

10. Plans for this year? Same faction? Or something different?

I do like to represent the wave, although I may have a new list hoping to “rise” to the occasion! 

 

11. Any tips for us non-tournament winners to up our game?

The main thing for me is to learn the scenarios and the victory conditions your list needs to achieve for success. Every list will be weak in one scenario or another, but it's about maximising the points where you can. The great thing about Bushido is you can draw or even lose a game and still win the tournament. It's all about securing VP's where you can. 

 

12. You now have your very own miniature joining the ranks of Bushido, what can you tell us about it? What was your thought process in designing it?

Well, it's a model for Savage Wave, and something we haven't seen before with them. I really like the idea of the Oni gaining vitality from the souls of the dead and thought it would be awesome to crank that theme to 11. I love how the concept is coming along and cannot wait to harvest the souls of the fallen enemies on the battlefield! 


 
yenohoney