SAGA the Age of Magic or FGU - Bushido RPG

 Fantasy Games Unlimited published two RPG games that I enjoyed playing in the 1980s, Bushido and Daredevil Adventures. I ran a Daredevil Adventures campaign and my buddy Harris ran a Bushido campaign for our group. A few years ago I was able to purchase on eBay a group of figures for the  Clan Wars - Legends of the 5 Rings game. I never played the game, but the figures were very appealing. I thought that maybe one day I would get the figures painted and use them in a Bushido campaign of my own. When I received my introduction to Garry of the Scarlet Lancer Painting Service, I thought it would be a great project to have him look after for me. I may have mentioned I am triaging the mountain of lead, figures I will paint, those that I will have someone paint for me and finally the dustbin of history. The Clan wars figures were shipped off to be painted. I am extremely happy with the outcome.

The above two photographs show the extent of the collection. There are approximately 50 foot figures which I would divide up into three clans, a mix of Samurai and Ronin for each group. Locally it has been suggested that I can also throw together a Warband to use in the local SAGA Age of Magic night. I have to find a couple of suitable monsters that I know I have that would be a fine addition to a fantasy style game.

Oriental Blades (2 Packs)

Earlier this past summer, Le Valet d'Coeur a local game store in Montreal had its annual garage sale. I took the opportunity to pick up two boxes of Oriental Blades by eM-4 Miniatures. 

The figures come pre-painted and include a matching 20-sided die for mini. For five bucks, how could I go wrong. I figured I can always use the figures for Bushito by FGU or some other Japanese skirmish game. The only work I did was to do the bases of the figures. A relatively painless job. I added a metal washer to the bottom of each base for weight and to allow them to be stored on a magnetic sheet.

Men In Black: Japanese Ninjas

Long before Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones took to the screen, there was rumoured to be a secret organization that dressed in black and utilized special gadgets. The ninjas were covert agents or mercenaries in feudal Japan. Their functions included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and assassination, and they used specialized equipment to complete these tasks.

According to Wikipedia, "By the time of the Meiji Restoration (1868), the tradition of the shinobi had become a topic of popular imagination and mystery in Japan. Ninja figured prominently in folklore and legend, and as a result it is often difficult to separate historical fact from myth. Some legendary abilities purported to be in the province of ninja training include invisibility, walking on water, and control over the natural elements. As a consequence, their perception in western popular culture in the 21th century is often based more on such legend and folklore than on the historical spies of the Sengoku (15th-17th Century) period."

I have completed 3 small "hit teams" that can be used in either the Bushito or Daredevil Adventures RPGs by Fantasy Games Unlimited. These were two of my favorite RPG Games. I ran a Daredevil's campaign and my good buddy Harris, ran the Bushito Game for our happy band of tabletop warriors.