Wednesday 27 January 2016

Ninja All-Stars Review part 2

Last time I posted a very comprehensive review of the Ninja All-Stars board-game. This time I want to show you all the add-ons that came with the Kickstarter package.
This is my box, which is full of miniatures. How many miniatures are in there? That'd be 186, not including my two trophies. How long will it take to paint this lot? God only knows. My plans for painting them are as follows - paint the 6 Clan teams first, (most likely starting with Clan Tora), paint the lanterns, shines and samurai sentries (in that order), then the Ronin and finally, the 6 Shrine teams because they're the least likeliest to get used. Of course, things may change but at least I have a plan.
Last time I showed you the six Shrine teams. Now I'd like to show you the six Clan teams, who are of a vastly superior quality. I have listed them alphabetically.
Clan Ijin have affinity with the Void element and they are the most demonic looking of the clans. Their tribal totem is a horned demon and all of these figures have a pair of horns. The Ijin value strength above all else. Their clan is founded on the belief that might makes right. In the front row, from left to right, are the Chunin (clan leader), 2 Heroes (Bomechan and Yobuko (Clan Heroes are very powerful allies but they can never gain experience points, meaning their stats and abilities remain fixed) and 3 Kaiken (foot soldiers). In the middle row, from left to right, are 2 Yajiri (archers), 3 Kunoichi (female scouts and my favourite figure from this clan because she so reminds me of Lady Demon, the evil alter ego of Lady Death) and 2 Madoushi (mystics). Right at the back are a pair of fearsome Oni (demons). It is suggested that players start with 100 Koban (KB - the monetary unit of the game) to build their teams. Note that Clan team members come with 4 stats, Movement, Attack, Defence and Koban cost. The two Heroes come with separate stat cards (not shown). When designing a Clan Ijin team, the player must choose 1 Chunin, 1 Kaiken and 1 Kunoichi, totalling 41 Koban.
Clan Ika have affinity with the Water element and their tribal totem is the octopus. In a land where paranoia and insularism are a way of life, the Ika are famous for being even more secretive, cryptic and distrustful of outsiders than usual. In the front row from left to right, are the Chunin, 2 Heroes (Akkorokamui (my favourite figure of this clan) and Mizuchi), 2 Kunoichi and 2 Madoushi. In the centre row, from left to right are 4 Kaiken and 2 Yajiri. Standing at the back are a pair of Oni, looking like avatars of the great god, Cthulhu! When designing a Clan Ijin team a player must choose 1 Chunin and 2 Kaiken, totalling 39 Koban.
Clan Kitsune have affinity with the Spirit element and their tribal totem is the fox. All possess big bushy tails and either have fox-like faces or wear fox-like masks. For many on Kagejima, the difference between the Kitsune and the kami inhabitants of the dark forest is non-existent. In the front row, from left to right are the Chunin, 2 Heroes (Uzumaki and Tamamo No Mae) and 3 Kaiken. In the centre row, from left to right, are 2 Kunoichi, 3 Yajiri (armed with blowpipes) and 2 Madoushi. In the back row are 2 Oni (giant foxes and my favourite figure from this clan). When designing a Clan Kitsune team a player must choose 1 Chunin, 1 Kaiken and 1 Yajiri, totalling 41 Koban.
Clan Tanchyo have affinity with the Air element and their tribal totem is the crane. They are renowned for their archery skills and possess more archers than any other clan. The Tanchyo have close ties to the many spirits of the air and earth that they share the great forests with. In the front row, from left to right are the Chunin (so close to being my favourite figure from this clan) 2 Heroes (Karura and Zenyo Ryu (my favourite figure from this clan. Look, she's firing 3 arrows at once!)), 2 Kunoichi and 2 Madoushi. In the centre row, from left to right are 2 Kaiken and 4 Yajiri. The 2 Oni at the back are hybrid crane-like creatures. When designing a Clan Tanchyo team a player must choose 1 Chunin and 2 Yajiri, totalling 37 Koban.
Clan Tora have affinity with the Fire element and their tribal totem is the tiger. The Tora are much like their tiger totem, a proud and haughty people, always ready to pounce, taking the initiative or advantage. I must admit to liking this clan the most. When I ran my Bushido RPG campaign in the 1980's, my players were all members of Clan Tora. A pure coincidence as they were all samurai. In the front row, from left to right are the Chunin, 2 Heroes (Byakko (who bears a striking resemblance to Wolverine of Marvel Comics fame. Not surprising he's my favourite Clan Tora figure!) and Ryu), 2 Kunoichi and 2 Madoushi. In the centre row, from left to right are 4 Kaiken and 2 Yajiri (armed with flintlock rifles). In the back row are 2 Oni, looking like a really cool pair of Samurai Warriors. When designing a Clan Tora team a player must choose 1 Chunin and 2 Kaiken, totalling 40 Koban.
Clan Yamazaru have affinity with the Earth element and their tribal totem is a mountain. The Yamazaru are hardy, fierce, spiritual and good natured people, capable of feats of toughness unmatched by other clans. In the front row, from left to right, are the Chunin (my favourite figure in this clan), 2 Heroes (Mizaru and Son Goku), 2 Kunoichi and 2 Madoushi (who are excellent healers). In the centre row, from left to right, are 4 Kaiken and 2 Yajiri. Finally, are two Oni, who appear almost ogre-like with tails that prevent back strikes against them. When designing a Clan Yamazaru team, a player must choose 1 Chunin and 2 Kaiken, totalling 44 Koban.
Players may also hire Ronin (clanless mercenaries) to their teams. Just like Heroes, Ronin cannot earn experience points and their stats remain fixed throughout a campaign. Ronin have a Koban cost to hire, but if a player wishes to retain them on his team, he must pay an upkeep cost per game after the first. The upkeep cost is roughly 25 to 35% of the initial purchase cost. A Ronin may be retired at any time. There are currently 26 Ronin to choose from and I have them all. I'm listing them alphabetically apart from Candy and Cola, who deserve special mention. 18 Ronin are listed in the rulebook but all have their own stat cards.
In the front row above, moving from left to right, are Arashikage (MV6, AT5, DF2, KB23/6, Fire and Water Affinity), Bakusho Mondai (MV6, AT3, DF3, KB19/5, Fire and Spirit Affinity), Benkei (MV3, AT3, DF4, KB16/5, Earth Affinity) and Blind Swordsman (MV5, AT3, DF2, KB16/5, Air and Spirit Affinity).
Behind them, from left to right, are Dark Kitsune (MV7, AT2, DF2, KB15/5, Spirit and Void Affinity), Goemon (MV6, AT4, DF3, KB23/7, Earth and Water Affinity), Hanzo (MV5, AT4, DF4, KB25/7, Air and Fire Affinity) and Howl and Yip (who are based on the Manga heroes, Lone Wolf and Cub, MV5, AT3, DF4, KB23/5, Earth and Fire Affinity).
In the front row above, going from left to right, are Inu Clan Kaiken (MV6, AT2, DF2, KB13/3, Earth Affinity), the giant spider demon, Jorogumo (MV5, AT2, DF2, KB16/5, Void and Water Affinity), Kappa (MV4, AT2, DF4, KB20/5, Earth, Void and Water Affinity) and Komuso (MV5, AT1, DF2, KB13/5, Earth and Spirit Affinity).
In the back row, from left to right, are a real life Japanese hero, Miyamoto Musashi (born in 1580 and possibly the greatest swordsman to have ever lived. He was also author of the famous Book of Five Rings. MV5, AT4, DF3, KB20/6. Fire Affinity), Mochizuki (MV6, AT2, DF2, KB18/6, Air, Fire and Water Affinity), Momotaro (MV5, AT5, DF4, KB21/6, Earth and Fire Affinity) and Moon Princess (MV7, AT2, DF2, KB18/6, All 6 Affinities!). Moon Princess is the current ruler of Kagejima, the Land of the Moon, which is the setting of Ninja All-Stars. It was she who organised the various challenges between the six main clans that take place at the Moon Castle once a year during midsummer. The Moonlight Tournament lasts from one full moon to the next.
In the front row of the photo above, going from left to right, are Ondori Clan Kaiken (MV6, AT3, DF2, KB14/3, Air Affinity), Onibaba (MV5, AT2, DF2, KB14/5, Void Affinity), Onryo, (MV6, AT2, DF2, KB16/4, Air and Void Affinity) and Shojo (MV6, AT2, DF2, KB16/6, Earth and Water Affinity).
Bringing up the rear, from left to right, are Sun Empire Wandering Samurai (if Kagejima represents a fantasy version of Japan then the Sun Empire represents China. Eleven Sun Empire armies who tried to invade Kagejima have been repulsed so far with none succeeding in taking the Land of the Moon. Nowadays peace reigns between the two nations, thanks to the machinations of the Moon Princess. MV4, AT4, DF4, KB22/6, Earth and Fire Affinity), Tengu (MV8, AT2, DF2, KB14/5, Air and Fire Affinity), Yagyu Jubei (MV5, AT5, DF4, KB24/6, Air and Earth Affinity) and Sumo Wrestler, Yokozuma (MV4, AT5, DF4, KB24/6, Earth and Water Affinity).
The last two Ronin are Soda Pop Miniatures' mascot pair, Candy and Cola. I love Candy and Cola and so I was delighted to see them making an appearance in Ninja All-Stars. Kunoichi Candy has stats of MV8, AT3, DF2, KB18/4 and Spirit and Water Affinity. Her best friend/pet familiar, Stealth Cola, has stats of MV7, AT2, DF3, KB16/4 and Earth and Void Affinity. Stat cards for using them in Super Dungeon Explore are included. Interestingly enough, Stealth Cola is considered by many to be the most powerful Hero in SDE. I've never used this version of him yet, so can't comment, but others present a compelling argument for why this should be.
These are lanterns (front row) and shrines (back row), which were a stretch goal to replace the card counters. Lanterns are obscuring terrain that cannot be moved across. If a model in Stealth moves within one space of a lantern, it loses Stealth due to the lantern's light. Shrines are also obscuring terrain that cannot be moved across. When a shrine is placed on the board, the player chooses one of the status effects that the shrine radiates: Haste, Lucky or Protect (all beneficial) or Curse, Poison or Slow (all detrimental). When a model moves within one space of a shrine with a detrimental effect it must make an Affinity test. If it fails it receives the status effect shown by the shrine. When a model moves within one space of a shrine with a beneficial effect it may spend one action to make an Affinity test. If it succeeds it it gains the status effect shown by the shrine. A maximum of 6 lanterns and 4 shrines may be placed on the board before play begins and a minimum of 4 of either type must be placed.
And finally are a pair of Ninja All-Stars large trophies. They measure 11cm tall and their bases are 5cm square. These play no part in the game but can be awarded at the end of a campaign to the winning team. So, why do I have two of them? Well, they were a free stretch goal, but it appears that everyone who backed the game on Kickstarter received two trophies per box they ordered. Cool! I may leave one gold and paint the other as a Giant Ninja to use in a unique challenge.
There are so many fantastically sculpted figures amongst the ones I've shown in my two posts. I've mentioned a few of my favourite figures but do I have one figure that I like the most? Yes, I do. It is the Clan Tanchyo Hero, Zenyo Ryu. She's cute and deadly and anyone who can fire three arrows at once earns my respect. I leave you with this picture of her, expertly painted by Minx Studios so you can really appreciate the quality of this superb figure. I think she's the coolest Chibi miniature I've ever seen!

26 comments:

  1. OMG that's a truly staggering number of Chibis to paint Bryan. I don`t think I envy you there. Super Dungeon Explore, expansions, Legends kick starter expansions, Forgotten King, Impact Miniatures (the ENTIRE range) and Ninja All Stars.... do you plan on sleeping..... like.... ever?

    Really cool review of the game Bryan. Really drool worthy stuff there. Mightily impressive.

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    1. I keep on saying there aren't enough hours in the day! Too much to do and too little time to do it in. Maybe I should sleep less! Anyway, thanks for your comments, Steve.

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  2. You know what really catches my imagination Bryan? Imagine if we just forgot SDE.... forgot Ninja All Stars... forgot all those rules... and just combined the entire collection (Impact Miniatures oriental chibi range as well) and simply played "The Water m Margin" as an anime rpg instead hehehe.

    Have you ever seen the Water Margin rpg game... truly staggering, and it plays solo too.

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    1. Sad to say that I haven't seen the Water Margin RPG. I didn't even know such a thing existed! I do, however, know all about the Water Margin TV series. I used to love watching it when it first aired in the 1970's. Happy memories!

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  3. Wow thats a lot of figures! No i'm super envious they all look fabulous. Good plan and I wish you luck!

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    1. Many thanks, Simon. It sure is a lot of figures!

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  4. Now that is a mouth-watering collection Bryan, and easily surpasses the first part of your posting in both quality of minis and Wow factor. Some of those Chibis are breath-takingly good, and I'm very envious of you for having bought such an impressive horde. I do have one question though... How's The Rum'N'Bones coming along ;-)

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    1. Thanks, Simon. I really was staggered at the quality of these sculpts. SPM have really surpassed themselves.

      Rum and Bones is waiting its turn to appear in the spotlight. It is a game I truly love and I so want to do a batrep for it with painted minis. I've been playing solo games of it with my unpainted minis, which is fine for me but not for a batrep that I'd want to post on my blog. However, as I said to Steve above, there just aren't enough hours in the day to get done all I want to do.

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  5. {{as I said to Steve above, there just aren't enough hours in the day to get done all I want to do}}

    I envy the likes of gentleman wargamer Peter Cushing (famous for his enduring roles Grand Moth Tarkin in Star Wars, and Van Helsing in the old Ealing Studios Hammer Horrors "Dracula" films). He played wargames all his life, often made his own moulds and cast his own lead figures, wrote his own set of rules, and stuck with ONE wargame subject his whole life, painting, terrain making, embellishing, adding rule details, creating rules for siege warfare, engrossing in solo play as well as playing with his good game friend Christopher Lee, playing campaigns, writing campaign journals, drawing intricate maps... hell, this man even cast his own home made smooth metal dice. I so wish it hadn`t all died with him, and that just ONE of his family or a friend could have written a book about his life time hobby and passion. His VAST collection of 18th century figures and terrain now sits unused, unloved in a spare room of his old (red oak wood panelled) man cave.

    Oh to have just one subject for life.... I feel like Darth Vader when Luke asks him to "come with me father"... "Its too late for me, son" Darth utters with deep regret.

    hehe. Ah the joys of gaming.

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    1. I agree with every word you said about the late, great Peter Cushing. He was an inspiration to us all.

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  6. Oh, I thought it would be nice to note that the Ninja Cola SDE stat card included in this set is slightly different, indeed nerfed, from its original counterpart. He lost the ability to make innate DEX attacks,but gained the Frosty Cola Bomb Potion. All in all, he dropped from his overpowered state, but his new Potion keeps him up there as one of the best Heroes in the game.

    Oh and fantastic review. I'm waiting for my pledge to come in the mail; it should arrive soon. I'm actually quite sad I didn't order the Tora clan; they didn't quite interest me durring the KS, but they do now.I also didn't order all the Ronin, but that was due to monetary constraints. A good thing SPM don't do KS exclusives!

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    1. Many thanks for your comments, Austin. I honestly had not noticed that Stealth Cola's SDE stat card had been changed until I saw the thread about him on the NAS forum.
      I hope you enjoy your copy of NAS as much as I have and hopefully, it'll be with you soon. I agree, it is a good thing that SPM don't do KS exclusives.

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  7. Wow! That's a lot of Oriental Chibi goodness. I can see why you prefer the clan teams to the shrine ones. This is one I'm seriously tempted by - if they've got a demo running at Salute, I might get a chance to give it a go. Imperial Assault or Ninja All stars? So many cool games, so little money... :-(

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    1. That's a tough choice, Jez. I must admit that I, too, am very interested in Imperial Assault but I'm worried about how much it'd all cost (I'd want most if not all the add-ons) and then there's finding the time to paint another load of new figures. Hmm, what to do for the best?

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    2. Thanks goodness no-one is currently painting up any "Imperial Assault" minis to tempt you guys ;-)

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    3. Yes, that is true, Simon! Just imagine if someone was painting Imperial Assault minis right now how persuasive that could be, he says with a wry smile!

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  8. That's a lot of miniatures, isn't it? Also a very detailed background...

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  9. More Chibi madness?!? (Shakes head in disbelief). That is a truckload of mini's to paint Dude, good luck.

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    1. But... but... they're so cute, Bob! I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree about Chibis.

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    2. Sorry Bryan, I don't want to be negative but I just don't seem to "get it" when it comes to Chibis. Yes they are cute, maybe that's my problem with them?

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    3. I like Chibis because they are so different. For sure, they are not in any way realistic but that doesn't bother me. Our opinions probably do differ because you don't "get them" whereas I do. Live and let live and vive le difference!

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  10. I think Bob, you are maybe confusing Chibi cuteness (and excusably so) with the huge influx of westernised childrens` tv shows which flooded the American market, starting back in the 90`s and continuing (in hybridised form) even today: to name a few of the more disturbingly yucky cutesy cutesy icons of the genre: Sailor Moon, Yu-Gi-Oh, Pokémon, and Bleach! What is disturbing is the sexual undertones of acceptability in underage kids dressed in revealing skimpy clad costumes with big blue eyes, fluttering eye lids and huge cosmetic breasts which would put Pamela Anderson to shame. To understand Japanese (and generic eastern) sexual philosophical thinking will lead you emotionally into a whole world of hurt, where the age of consent is frighteningly low, and abuse in many MANY forms co-exists throughout the every day strata of that society with an alarming almost covert blindness. America buying up all these `kids` shows... on the cheap, as always happens, from Neighbours, Home and Away, Ocean Girl, etc etc etc, these images become so ingrained in our heads that we barely even notice them any more... except perhaps, with a slight disdain at the sheer `pap` being fed to us. With the more mainstream Chibi Manga, and barely concealed Hentai imagery of Chibi anime being shown on tv nowadays, one could easily be forgiven for being slightly jaded and `disturbed` by it.. probably without even knowing exactly why.

    However, the true Chibi genre is far more palatable, not at all cute, and often rather disturbingly macabre.... and extremely complicated in its interwoven plot line arcs and `side quest` mentality. Fascinating stuff at its purest root source. The closest to this you will find (outside of genre specific sections of better bookshops or on line, sold at high prices by specialists) would be PC games like the "Final Fantasy" franchise, "Helsing", and "Dance Macabre"; all of which will show you a far richer, deeper, grittier side to the whole subject. Disturbing images easily on par with the likes of Sarah MichelLe Gellar`s "The Grudge" or Gore Verbinski`s "The "The Ring".

    Chibi big blue eyes and winning innocent smiles actually, and should, remain with the unwholesome crass of Sailor Porn... ooops, I mean Sailor Moon, and Pikachu. REAL Chibi imagery does still have the huge eyes and over exaggerated facial expressions (goes back to the days when animation wasn`t very good, and you needed to OVER state the faces just to make them recognisable), but those Chbi characterisations SHOULD be replaced with grim, hauntingly marvellous expressions of unearthly, slightly fantastical visages equally at home in a Kirkman comic. Think of the huge heads as an artists palate upon which to create stunningly atmospheric masterpieces, more in line and keeping with dungeons and dragons, than with stickily sweet unhealthy over statement of young girls in school uniforms cavorting about the screen in outfits which Brittany Spears would be happy to wear on stage.

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    1. Steve, I found your comments utterly compelling and more eloquently put forward than I could have done. You speak with the voice of authority on a subject you clearly know extremely well. I'm just a relative newcomer to the world of Chibi miniatures but I "got" what they were about immediately and they just struck a chord with me. Well said, my friend!

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  11. You paint your Chibis with a skilled and knowledgeable hand mate.

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    1. Shucks! You're too kind. What I love about painting Chibis is that you can put so much detail into their over-sized heads. A real boon for a painter.

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