After the Bandits, the Koryu, and the Ninja, I’ve now got a fourth buntai… the Sohei. Usually, I prefer to create and employ my own colors for factions, so this may be the first time I’ve simply gone with the faction colors as presented in the rulebook’s samples. I kinda like the black and white Sohei model in one of the pictures in the Ronin rulebook, but my other three factions are in darker colors, so for these warrior monks, something colorful to contrast was ideal. The traditional orange and yellow work. I used AK colors with a Seraphim Sepia wash for shading. not a perfect shade, but works for me!
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Ronin: Swords for Hire
A pair of Ronin and a Shugyosha looking for work. Any of these models could be used as either a Ronin or Shugyosha, but in my mind while painting, the two on the left were Ronin and the Ryu-looking model on the far right is the Shugyuosha looking to test his skills against the greatest warriors of my dining room table. The center model with yari (or nagae-yari) is from Warring Clans, the other two are from Bac Ninh Miniatures.
Ronin: Dragon Rampant Warband
The Rampant series from Osprey is another ruleset I’ve become enamored with in recent years. While painting Ronin models, I’ve kept an eye on what could be combined into a larger force so I could flex the same models between both rulesets. So, without further ado, here’s the 24point Dragon Rampant warband using three Ronin buntais and three mythological creatures, the Yami No Taiyo (or the Dark Sun). Starting with the Jorogumo and going clockwise:
- Lady Kage (Leader): Light Riders (Single Model Unit – 4pts)
- Shuten-Doji & the Amanojaku: Bellicose Foot (Reduced Model Unit – 4pts)
- Shadow Dancers: Scouts with Invisibility (5pts)
- Bandits of the Dark Sun: Light Foot with Mixed Weapons (5pts)
- Hypnotized Swordsmen: Elite Foot (6pts)
Even though Jorogumo don’t work with Bandits, officially, in Ronin, I painted them in similar colors knowing they were going to be her general foot troops in Dragon Rampant. As shared last post, Jorogumo can lead Koryu by entrancing them. Here, I’m using them hypnotized as her elite guard. The Oni, Amanojakuo, and Ninja…well they’re up for working in her employ for their own shadowy goals.
Ronin: Mythological Creatures Part II
One of the advantages of Ronin, besides being a killer ruleset for small-scale skirmish gaming, is that it has a low model count. This makes collecting all the Swords-for-Hire or optional Mythological Creatures easy and affordable. Previously, I’ve painted up the Oni, Amanojaku, and Kappa. With the three above (L to R: Kitsune, Jorogumo, and Tengu) I’ve finished the other three types and completed all the creatures for hire in the world of Ronin.
Continue readingRonin: The Ninja
Five Perry ninjas led by a Shadow Warrior from Bac Ninh. There’s a scenario in Ronin where one side faces six ninja. Looking at the rules in that scenario, plus the Ronin point build guide author Craig Woodfield has shared, this group can also be run as its own, individual Buntai.
Continue readingRonin: The Villagers
Quick post on eight Perry Miniatures villagers used for scenarios in Osprey’s Ronin. Despite my hesitation, I attempted an easy pattern on one of the lady’s yukata . It was basically a white circle with a red line drawn through. Even then, it didn’t come out great, but looks good enough on the table. As usual, looking at one of these posted photos…several fixable errors jump out at me. My next paint session is going to involve a little cleanup with this set. Still, they were easy to paint and fit my little village well. On to the next set…
Ronin: The Koryu Buntai
Last summer, I completed a Bandit Buntai for Ronin to face off against James’ Sohei. Though my Bandits weren’t very successful, the game Ronin itself is a lot of fun, and after those games I knew I’d want to expand my collection. Seven months later or so, I finally got around to painting that next buntai, The Koryu.
Continue readingRonin: Sohei Monks
In preparation for our Ronin Showdown, the pious mountain philosophers have taken up arms to defend their mountain shrine against a band of rampaging bandits and other various unscrupulous characters, Usually I would be the one to run the bad guys in this scenario, but for some mystical reason it’s my turn to play the morally upright faction with these fine Test of Honor models. Continue reading
Ronin: Bandit Buntai
Per my last post, I’ve got a few mythical swords-for-hire painted up, but who’s gonna hire them? The Bandits is the first of my two buntais on deck to paint since I’ve got some games scheduled for nest weekend against my opponents Sohei. So, let’s see how this buntai turned out.
Continue readingRonin: Mythological Creatures
The core Ronin bluebook is based on historical gameplay, but there is a pdf resource on the Osprey website by the author Craig Woodfield that includes some fantastical creatures from Japanese lore that can optionally be included in games. I picked up a few that looked easy to paint, so went on a little side quest before painting up my buntais.
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