Naginata - Samurai Skirmish, 1180-1600

Samurai history includes many epic events ranging from the Genpi War between the Taira and Minamoto clans in the twelfth century, through the repulsion of the Mongol invasions a hundred years later and up to the battle of Sekigahara in 1600. The latter was one of the most important and decisive battles in the history of Japan, leaving 30,000 dead and establishing Ieyasu as one of the most significant figures in Japanese history. This battle is also seen by some authors as the event which closed the 'golden age' of the Samurai. However, the background to all of these momentous events was colored by numerous localized feuds, endemic livestock rustling, bandit activity and minor revolts.

The following game system is designed to reflect these countless, comparatively small scale actions, which were such a large part of the samurai experience. It enables players to recreate historical actions between a wide variety of opposing forces, or to enact hypothetical situations limited only by the scope of their knowledge and imagination. It is even flexible enough to allow table-top enactment of scenarios inspired by the popular media, such as the action in Kurasawa's justifiably renown film, the 'Seven Samurai'.

Naginata is based on the popular 'Spear Song' system, though great care has been taken to make sure that it embodies the more salient aspects of samurai warfare. As a result individual models can cause a halt in the general flow of action whilst they sort out personal challenges. Similarly, the somewhat unusual psychology of the samurai battlefield is also considered, particularly in relation to troop reactions. The inclusion of rules for the arquebus enables the turbulent, and historically significant period of sixteenth century Japan to be explore. Where possible, the system attempts to link with the historical background that gives samurai warfare its unique flavor.