Kensei/Rules And Tactics/2e

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Tactics for Kensei second edition, released alongside a Kickstarter that added the artillery and Komuso options to the game. Note that due to the second edition rulebook being professionally edited and community reviewed for the English-speaking audience prior to printing, this article will NOT attempt to cover all the rules of Kensei. Instead the following represents a true tactica page in the 1d4chan style.

For those who are unaware, Kensei is a Spanish-made tabletop wargame which thanks to its superior miniatures made by experts in the tabletop miniature sculpting community such as Juan Diaz spread rapidly in popularity throughout Europe and made its way into the collections of fa/tg/uys across the sea as well. The story takes place in a fictional version of Japan where things from throughout real life Japanese history all anachronistically appear at once and sometimes within the same faction and army. Although the game is based heavily on real history and in many ways plays like a historical genre game, there are optional fantastic elements and stereotypes taken from Japanese cinema rather than historical record. To date the game has had two very successful Kickstarters and one Indiegogo campaign to expand their original range.

Kensei plays like most tabletop wargames such as most famously Warhammer Fantasy, although the rules are designed to encourage more complex tactics via more punishing bonuses and debuffs from weapon types, the ability to entire destroy enemies that are surrounded with minimal effort, and a reliance on landscape and terrain.

Edition Changes

The following is the major changes between 1e and 2e that experienced players should factor into retooling their strategies and armies.

• When deciding to play with Supernatural elements, you no longer need to actually field an Onmyouiji or Creatures (meaning you don't have to buy them). Komuso are a Buddhist middle finger to Shinto and represent a single man intending to shut down all of your opponent's monsters and magic (obligatory reference to an Inquisitor, the Inquisition, Witch Hunters, and so forth). When your opponent has invested a lot of money into some Creature models, or has a Kuroi-te army and wants to use their troops as Death Creatures in a different army, you can let your buddy use their tricks without having to dole out cash to match or be NOFUNALLOWED and save your wallet. Strategically Komuso are also a cost-effective way in Koku to match your opponent's magic without having to choose between a beastie or more Samurai.
• On magic, you no longer have to spend Koku to bring monsters onto the table. Instead the Shikigami that came with the Onmyouiji model are always free and taken alongside them and with the exception of Creatures in your army list (so Kuroi-te undead) your Onmyouiji spends Ki that would normally be used to cast spells to instead summon a Creature within 20 centimeters of themselves which permanently remains for the rest of the game like any other unit. Onmyouiji recieve 1 Ki at the beginning of every turn that at least one of their Shikigami is still alive, and can spend one of their two actions to Absorb Ki which adds another point. Ki is kept until spent by Invoking which takes the form of summoning Creatures or casting spells. Every monster costs the amount of Ki that is listed on their profile, and in addition Onmyouiji can take a Wound to add an extra Ki to summon one turn early or even destroy themselves to add two Ki to summon with for that turn. In addition for a Creature to use one of its special abilities the Onmyouiji must spend Ki (so suicide summoning prevents Creatures from using abilities). Creatures come in three categories; you may summon an infinite number of Inferior Creatures, up to three Major Creatures, and only one Colossal Creature, and only as many Creatures as they have gained Ki points (so a maximum of two, four if suicidal, per turn).