I finally bit the bullet and picked up Test of Honour from Warlord Games. Well, not all of Test of Honour, just this interesting side set based on ninjas.
This is the “Dojo Assault” set that is a bit weird in that it seemed like it was a small starter kit for the game but it really is just a combination package of several of their separate kits. It includes the Dojo MDF scenery kit and the Ninjas of Iga set, both of which can be purchased individually, and finally, a single Samurai figure that isn’t available elsewhere.
I was confused by the product because the description made it sound like getting this kit was all I needed but after confirming with the publisher, it is really just a large expansion. You will still need the cards and dice and whatever from the core set. Since my friend has that material, luckily we’ll be ok. The last thing was that the contact from the publisher confirmed that there was a scenario that featured all the elements in the kit and did not need anything else.
Sadly, that is not the case. It really only includes the Ninja box, the extra Samurai, and the Dojo. A real missed opportunity here to create a little mini-scenario to go with the kit but I guess that task will fall to me. Shouldn’t be too hard as I really don’t want to create a big collection of these figures and try to have yet another large scale minis game on my hands. I really only want to make a fun one-off set up to pull out now and again. Of course mine will eventually look a little different.
After some thought (really none at all), I’ve decided to continue exploring the depths of monochromatic painting with this game as well. I think this mainly comes from my love of Akira Kurosawa’s fantastic Samurai films. This game seems to capture quickly and easily the old film stories I’ve watched countless times.
master swordsman samurai Kyuzo in Seven Samurai
I know that his later films like Ran went into full and glorious color but its his classic films like Seven Samurai, Sanjuro, Yojimbo, and Hidden Fortress that really exemplify his masterful film technique. I can’t wait to get started as it means I’ll likely paint with these films on in the background. Funny enough, I likely won’t even need the subtitles (even though I can’t understand Japanese).
In other news, I randomly found some oversized foam dice at Walmart for cheap.
My Dropzone friends all have these nice, large acrylic d6 to use as the round counters. It’ll be nice to troll them with my overcompensating addition.