Ka-Caw!

Experiments with Wind Watchers are finally concluded unless GCT release another tengu profile I didn't know about.  I'm pretty happy with how the warband now functions and how it performs.  I do suffer from being out-activated however, but then again I can completely ruin someone's day: we're talking serious Negative Play Experience here.  So I'm loving it from my side of the table of course.  I expect some form of errata will hit it eventually.

Theme: Wind Watchers

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Hokibo
Kotenbo
Tarobo
Zephyr Guard x2
Air Kami x2 (maybe swap one for an Earth Kami)

Deflection
Spiritual Harmony

Basically I run around killing stuff with Hokibo and Kotenbo with little or no consequences.  It's glorious.  I'd like to test out the warband against a few other factions, namely the Ito Clan is the one that concerns me.  Mark Bonatti surprised me when he brought along the Shadow Wind Clan last time we played, but that was in the previous iteration of the Wind Watchers warband, which didn't bring Kotenbo for the extra hitting and staying power.  I have a vague concern about ranged attacks, but it's nothing I don't think I can handle.

The warband does want to get an advantage early and try to keep it before it runs out of steam, but that's more of a reflection on myself as a player.  It's how I like to play most games.  It's very different to my White Mesa theme warband which likes to grind its way through the enemy warband, but uses the odd sneaky trick to appear in strange places.  There's a couple more iterations of the White Mesa I'd like to try out before the UK Masters regardless.

Jim's going through various iterations of Cult of Yurei stuff, though he's not enjoying how the Tengu Decension *will* get to your support models, and very quick too.  I really wish I'd brought the camcorder with me for our last game, that would have been an amazing soundbite to have on hand.  So instead I get heaps of chaff to wade through most of the time, not something I particularly relish, but it does help me identify the weaknesses of the warband.

Going back to the Shadow Wind clan though, it was very educational seeing them in action with the full special card treatment.  I think House of the North Star (is that right?  The one that gives out free enhancement and soulless) is going to be the default theme, but not owning the cards myself, I can't say that with utter certainty.  Soulless and disguise is pretty bloody potent though, especially in VIM scenarios just now, but I'm still waiting on the errata concerning VIM animals, disguises, and flank to be released.  That would solve that particular thorn.  Katsumi and Kerasu are both pretty scary to fight against, as they're MS 4 profiles with Brutal (1), but I didn't find the rest of the ninjas worth worrying about as the tengu have plenty of Sixth Sense to go around.

UK Masters Announced!

Finally, the Bushido Grand Masters tournament has been announced for the UK Games Expo!  This year I'm heading down with a few more friends, and the Expo looks like it'll be a lot of fun - I assume the tournament will be fun too.  A little part of me is really hoping I can get hold of the Jung Pirates quickly enough to use them in the tournament, but it's not likely.  I'm going to decide between the White Mesa warband using Sojobo, Kanut, and Taliriktug, or the Wind Watchers warband that makes people ragequit.  Personally I like the ragequit Wind Watchers warband more, but it may depend on model releases before the tournament and my painting schedule.

In non-Bushido related news I've been on a crazy D&D bender and put some serious work into the campaign I'm running.  I was rather inspired by watching a few episodes of Critical Role, a D&D game run and played by voice actors.  It has ups, it has downs, there are emotional rollercoasters, and really, I wish my game was this good but I'd like to think my game will improve dramatically over the next few sessions (I only run it about once a month, so looking for instant results is difficult).

Enough of that non-Bushido pish though!  Tomorrow I'll try out the Wind Watchers warband against Mark Bonatti's Ito Clan.  I'm really looking forward to seeing how Wind Watchers performs versus poison, it's not a match up I've tried before.