天下布武TENKA FUBU

Battles in the Age of Nobunaga

V.1

Introduction

These rules differ from most, if not all, Sengoku Jidai rules in having the sonae as the basic unit. A sonae was a unit of anything from a few hundred men to over a thousand, initially composed of retainer bands led by the sonae commander’s vassals, and later on composed of the more familiar specialist weapon groups of long spears, bows and guns, along with heavier armoured samurai fighting on horse or foot.

There are some advantages in using the sonae as the basic building block for the army as opposed to the more familiar single weapon groups. Firstly, the weapons groups were small units in wargames terms. Even allowing for combining some of them for ease of use, these units are only going to represent a couple of hundred men, and so an army of 30,000 would have over a hundred units, beyond the ability of wargames rules to easily handle. Secondly, using the sonae means that we don’t have to worry about modelling how the various types of unit interact with each other within the sonae, much like Napoleonic rules that use a brigade as the basic unit and don’t have to worry about which battalions have sent their skirmishers out. Lastly, by not micromanaging the constituent parts of the sonae, the player is put in the position of the army commander who is dealing with his subordinate commanders, rather than also having to worry about smaller units that they would have no direct control over in reality.

The rules draw heavily from two influences for their mechanics. The board game ‘Tenkatoitsu’ by Hexasim, and wargames rules ‘For King and Parliament’ by Simon Miller. The former rules are in the public domain but the latter are not, so you will need a copy of ‘For King and Parliament’ to use these rules.

This is a rather rough draft, so apologies for any lack of clarity in explanation. I’m hoping to update them periodically as changes suggest themselves. If you have any questions, you can email me at garethdjb@gmail.com.

Definitions

Taishō: The overall commander of the army.Bushō: A subordinate commander who commands a shū. (Equivalent of K+P colonel)Shū: A group of units (usually from 1-4) commanded by the same Bushō. (Equivalent

of K+P brigade)Sonae: A unit (representing one or more actual sonae).

All units are sonae, there are no other types of unit. Only one sonae can occupy a square.

Orders and activations

Each shū will operate under one of 4 orders which restricts what it can do. At the start of the battle, all shū are given orders. The default order is defend. Orders can be changed throughout the battle. The orders are Defend, Attack, Regroup and March.

Order parameters and restrictions:Defend: No sonae can move except to change facing. May not attack or shoot at an enemy which is on attack orders.Gets defensive shooting before combat.Gets save bonus if uphill or behind defences.

Attack: Sonae must move in such a way as to end at least as close to an enemy unit as it began.

Sonae may not move if it has an enemy in its ZOC, it must attack enemy instead.

March: Sonae move as if cavalry. As well as being able to turn and move one square forward, sonae may move one square forward and turn. Sonae may not move adjacent to any enemy, diagonally or orthogonally.

Regroup: Sonae cannot make a charge actionSonae may move straight backwards as a simple action. Sonae must attempt to leave an enemy ZOC as its first activation if it is in one.May rally if outside enemy ZOC. Only sonae on Regroup orders may attempt to rally.If in an enemy ZOC, must leave it as first activation.Sonae will evade attacks.

The turn structure is different to K+P. Instead of activations by alternate sides, an activation system by drawing chits is used. You will need the following chits (or cards if you prefer)

‘Defend and Regroup’‘Side A attack’‘Side B attack’‘Initiative’‘March’These 5 are the obligatory chits.And one chit per Bushō, identified by letter or number or even name...

At the start of the turn a number of chits are put in to a cup. The 5 obligatory chits are always added. Taishō may add a number of Bushō chits depending on a die roll/card at the start of the turn. Bushō chits can be used to change orders for that Bushō’s shū, or to get them to have an extra activation for the turn.

Taishō orders per turn:

1-4 15-8 29-10 3

The turn ends when all of the 5 main chits are drawn. If there are Bushō chits left in the cup at this point, they are dealt with by the lost messenger table.

Examples of the 5 permanent chits and 2 Bushō chits. I’ve used Mōri and Oda for the two sides.

ActivationWhen one of the 5 main chits are drawn, any shū with the corresponding order will

activate. For ‘Defend and Regroup’ and ‘March,’ roll a die each and the higher roller activates one of his shū with that order. Then the opposing player activates one of his and so on. The ‘Attack’ orders are carried out by the player/side specified on the chit.

For these chits, Defend/Regroup, March and Attack, the activation sequence is the same:

1. The Būsho figure may move up to 2 spaces in any direction. A Bushō may not move through a square occupied by an enemy sonae or a friendly sonae from a different shū.

2. The Bushō may attempt to issue a temporary order (see below) to an individual sonae.

3. If the Bushō does not attempt this, they will have the ability to reroll a failed activation for their square.

Note the Bushō cannot attempt to change the overall order for the shū on the drawing of these chits

Bushō move with the unit whose square they occupy. Activation proceeds as normal with K+P, that is, when an activation is failed, that activation round is over for that particular Bushō. Note that a shū may activate multiple times in a turn.

When the ‘Initiative’ chit is drawn, any shū on ‘March’ or ‘Regroup’ orders who have a unit in an enemy’s ZOC may attempt to change their order. Also, each side may select any ONE other shū to activate to change an order. Each player rolls a die and the highest activates one of his shū first. If a shū that is not on Defend or Regroup has been chosen, this one must be the shū that is activated first. The sequence is:

1. The Bushō figure may move up to 2 spaces in any direction. A Bushō may not move through a square occupied by an enemy sonae or a friendly sonae from a different shū.

2. The Bushō MUST attempt to change the order for the shū.3. If the Bushō is successful in changing its order, the shū carries out an activation

under the new order. If they fail, it does not and the activation ends.

When a Bushō chit is drawn, the relevant Bushō and their shū will activate. The sequence is:

1. The Bushō figure may move up to 2 spaces in any direction. A Bushō may not move through a square occupied by an enemy sonae or a friendly sonae from a different shū.

2. The Bushō MAY attempt to change the order for the shū.3. If they choose not to attempt this, the Bushō may attempt to issue a temporary

order (see below) to an individual sonae.4. If the Bushō did not attempt either type of order change, they will have the ability

to reroll a failed activation for their square.

Order change table:New order:

Current Order: Attack Defend March RegroupAttack - 7 5 6Defend 6 - 5 4March 4 5 - 4Regroup 7 6 6 -

Temporary ordersA Bushō may attempt to issue a temporary order to an individual sonae. If

successful, that sonae acts as if it were under that order rather than the order of the shū. It will still activate along with the rest of the shū according to the main order of that shū. This will be the case even if the shū only consists of a single sonae. The Bushō needs a 7 or more to succeed and the sonae acts under the new order until the end of the turn whereupon it reverts back to the same order as the rest of the shū.

Temporary orders allow a degree of flexibility. So, for example, a shū on defend could change one sonae to ‘attack’ to launch a counter-attack, or to ‘march’ in order to relocate a sonae. A shū on attack could change one sonae to regroup to bring it out of the fighting to rally, etc etc.

Order markers for the shū can be put next to the Bushō, temporary order markers can be put next to the sonae and removed at the end of turn.

Messenger DelayAny Bushō chits left in the cup after the last of the 5 permanent chits are drawn will

be delayed.Roll on table: 1-2: Messenger lost, return chit to honjin3-6: Messenger delayed, place chit on delay track 17-9: Messenger delayed, place chit on delay track 210: Messenger delayed, place chit on delay track 3.

At the start of the turn, when all chits are put in the cup, add any Bushō chits on delay track 1 to the cup as well, then move all chits on track 2 to track 1, and all chits on track 3 to track 2. Here’s an example of a honjin card:

The Battle Rules

This section will deal with exceptions and additions to the usual King and Parliament rules.

UnitsAll units are sonae. Each sonae occupies a whole square. Sonae are rated for guns,

command ability and military ability.Sonae have a gun rating of either 0,1 or 2, though 2 would be applicable to the post-

1590 period. In the Age of Nobunaga, units will usually be either 1 or 0.Command ability may be good, average or poor. This represents the internal

structure of the sonae and how efficient it is. Early on, many units will be poor due to consisting of retainer bands, rather than more organised units. Good command units have the +1 activation bonus that veteran troops have, poor command units have -1. This modifier will also apply to any Bushō attempt to issue a temporary order to that sonae.

Military ability may similarly be good, average or poor. Good military units have a +1 save, poor units have a -1 save.

Essentially, the attributes of Veteran and Raw units have been separated into 2 abilities.

Example of a sonae with stat counters added. The ‘B’ indicates which shū the sonae belongs to. The dot above the 2 on the second counter indicates that the sonae has a gun rating of 1. The ‘2’ indicates an average rating for command and military (as opposed to 1 for good and 3 for poor)

Terrain

*Fields and villages: Areas defined as fields and villages can be moved through at normal speed. Any fighting into a field and village square gives a +1 save to sonae on both sides.

* Low hills: Sonae on defend orders that are being charged get a +1 save.* Rough ground and rocky hills: These are entered as a difficult activation.* Woods: These are entered as a difficult activation. Sonae in woods get a +1

save against shooting. * Forest: Dense woods that are impassable.

ActivationsSonae count as ‘units that began the battle with 1 or 2 hits.’ So there is a -1

activation penalty for moving diagonally etc.

Zones of ControlIn addition to the ZOC to the unit’s front, a sonae has 2 secondary ZOCs on its

front two diagonals. This is to restrict movement close to the enemy. So a sonae on attack, with an enemy in one of its front diagonal ZOCs must attack that enemy rather than move past it. A sonae must attack a unit in its main ZOC to its front in priority to attacking any enemy in its secondary diagonal ZOCs.

Diagonal MovementAs an exception to making a diagonal move between two units, or a unit and

impassable terrain, a sonae on regroup orders may move diagonally backwards through such a gap.

Flank AttackIn order to claim a flank attack, another friendly unit must also have the target in

its ZOC and be able to charge the target. Otherwise, it is a normal attack and though the target will not be able to shoot, it can battle back. If the target is engaged by another friendly unit, then a flank attack gains one extra to-hit card and the target can neither shoot nor battle back.

ShootingSonae with a gun attribute may shoot. The range is one square, the box straight

ahead and each diagonal. There are no ammunition rules. On a successful activation, the unit needs a to-hit card of 8+ to inflict a hit (whether disordered or not). The base save for the target is 7. A target on defence will return fire with a free shooting action after it is shot at.

Sonae on regroup orders cannot shoot.Sonae on defence cannot shoot at targets who are on attack orders (it is

assumed they cannot safely advance into range).

MeleeThe melee sequence depends on the order type of the sonae involved.

Any charging sonae vs. Sonae with Regroup orders:The sonae on regroup will attempt to evade, needing 5+. It can evade

straight back or directly away from the charger. If it is unable to do either, it may not evade. If the sonae fails to evade, or cannot evade, the charger gets 2 to-hit cards if on Attack, and 1 otherwise. The sonae on Regroup does not battle back. If the sonae successfully evades, a charging sonae on Attack orders will occupy the vacated square and may turn to face any direction, but only if they do not have another enemy sonae in one of it’s front 3 zones.

Charging sonae vs. sonae on March orders.The charging sonae attacks first, 1 to-hit card for sonae on Defence or Move,

2 cards for sonae on Attack. The defending sonae then battles back.

Sonae on attack versus other sonae on attack.The charging sonae makes one attack, then the defending sonae battles

back. Then the charging sonae attacks again, and the defending sonae battles back again.

Sonae on attack versus sonae on defend.If the defending sonae has guns, it first shoots on an 8+.Then the sonae on Attack orders makes one attack, the defender battles

back.Then the sonae on Attack orders makes a second attack, and the defender

battles back.

To hit numbers in melee are 6+ for any sonae with no hits marked, and 7+ for any sonae with 1 or more hits.

Hits, disorder and rout testsSonae take 4 hits before they are destroyed. If a sonae is destroyed, all

friendly sonae in orthogonally adjacent squares must take a rout test. As must all sonae of the same shū, whether adjacent or not. The rout test is a basic rally attempt (one attempt). Sonae only make one test per (combat caused) incident, so if a sonae is destroyed by failing a rout test, it may trigger further rout tests on adjacent friendly sonae, but sonae which have already tested need not test again.

RallyOnly sonae on Regroup orders may rally, and not if they are in any of an

enemy sonae’s ZOC. A rally action allows the sonae to make a save roll and to recover one hit if successful. If the sonae’s Bushō is in the same square, there is a +1 bonus to the rally roll.

Battle Plans and special ordersBefore the battle begins, each player can select 5 ‘special orders.’ These are

any combination of the 4 orders that a shū may have. E.g. ‘3 Attack, 1 Regroup, 1 Defend.’ A special order is a replacement for a Bushō order. Either make special order chits, or just note down when a Bushō is to receive a special order when their chit is put into the cup. Each special order may only be issued once and is then expended.

A special order is the same as a Bushō order except that the order change happens automatically, no roll is necessary. Also, the Bushō may also issue a temporary order or retain their re-roll. Any special orders still in the cup after the last of the 5 main chits are drawn take effect anyway. They do not roll on the lost messenger table. Note that if the Bushō has somehow changed their order during the turn to match the special order, nothing happens, the order is expended with no effect. The Bushō must change order in order to get an activation.

The 5 orders can be viewed as representing a basic battle plan. So an attempt to outflank the enemy may have 2 Moves, 2 Attacks and a Regroup. A plan to launch a determined attack may have 4 attacks and 1 Regroup etc.

Warfare in the Age of NobunagaThe 16th century in Japan was a time of great social and political change, The

century began with a breakdown in central and local authority, with many provinces riven by the rivalries of feuding petty warlords, and ended with central authority restored and a (theoretically at least) rigidly ordered society that would last for 250 years.

Inevitably, there were military changes too, and Nobunaga not only witnessed these, but influenced them as well.

The introduction of European style matchlocks around the 1540’s hugely impacted Japanese warfare. The Japanese wholeheartedly embraced the new weapon. The matchlock gets a bit of a raw deal in some wargames rules, but in reality it was capable of incapacitating even an armoured man at much greater range than a bow. Guns were especially good on defence as was demonstrated in some of Nobunaga’s rearguard actions, famously at Nagashino, and several times in the war in Korea. Nobunaga was well placed to take advantage of his proximity to some of the biggest gun manufacturing areas in central Honshū

An organisational change occurred around the 1560’s with the shift away from sonae organised by ‘retainer bands’ where all of a vassal’s men would fight around him, to ‘weapons groups’ where each vassal’s infantry would be

collected together into units of long spears, bows and guns. This change originated in Eastern Honshū and spread throughout the country.

The last change was under way at the end of Nobunaga’s life, and was eventually completed by Hideyoshi. This was the separation of social classes and the removal of warriors from the countryside to be concentrated in castle towns. This effectively ended conscription and saw the end of the part-time warrior.

These developments happened gradually and at different rates throughout the country, and there isn’t the information available to make the kind of exact definitions that wargamers would like. One of the advantages of the sonae-based approach is that we can avoid having to directly model these developments. So a sonae’s gun rating represents the effectiveness of its guns without having to deal with modelling the individual units. More usefully, a sonae with retainer bands may be classified as ‘poor’ in command terms to represent its more unwieldy nature, while a unit that has fully transitioned to weapons groups composed mainly of professional warriors may be classed as ‘good.’

Notes on the rulesIf you have played ‘K+P’ before, you’ll notice that the ‘to hit’ numbers for

combat are much more generous in ‘Tenka Fubu.’ If you find combats happen too quickly then you may want to change those numbers. At the moment, it feels right to me, but I haven’t played enough games to be certain.

Optional rule could see larger or smaller sonae modelled that take 5 or 3 hits respectively.

I would like to do stats for generals, though this may slow the game down a bit as it’s not going to be possible to record the information on the general’s base. However, and despite the historical information on individual generals’ personality and ability being rather lacking, I think it’s an important thing to model.

It’s difficult to force mandatory moves within the activation system, but you could specify that a shū on attack orders must use its first activation to make a charge action if one is possible at the start of its activation.