Bushido: The Brotherhood

GCT Studios haben eine neue Banden-Box der Ronin für Bushido in der Mache, welche bald vorbestellt werden kann.

Hiroto’s companions through his years in exile are an eclectic bunch. Shiho Hiroto was travelling the lands of the Golden Empire when his family seat was usurped. It took months for the news to reach him and, before he could return home, it was all over. For a while, he was still accepted into noble’s houses. Offering a travelling lord hospitality is a duty of every house, great and small. But as his depression grew he found himself living in terrible conditions, only sake able to take away his pain for any time. When he learned the Dragon clan had a price on his head he stopped announcing himself to local nobility and simply went from one tavern to the next, one bottle to the next…

A full telling would take up whole volumes. All the stories of Hiroto being captured by slavers, escaping the fighting pits, conquering the impregnable Scarlet Fortress, defeating the horde of
animated statues on Xiping, sneaking into the Blue Libraries to retrieve his Imperial Record to prove his noble lineage, crossing the western ocean with a pirate fleet and many more tales besides are passed on and whispered as folktales across the empire. Many do not even realise they are about the same man. One constant is that with every tale Hiroto makes new friends and allies, some drawn by his personality, some who owe him a debt and others who still have allegiance to the Eagle clan. Some of Hiroto’s many and varied allies are in the next release: The Brotherhood.

Shosu was a venerable member of the Seishin-na-Goei, known for his ability to cast out evil spirits across the Jwar Isles. His downfall came when he was summoned to the home of a powerful daimyo whose son was afflicted nightly by an evil spirit. In the darkest hour of the night, the whole house woke to the sound of loud wailing. Things that could only come from a young boy’s throat. Panicked at the fate of his son, the daimyo ordered his guards into the room, only to find Shosu with his hands wrapped around the boy’s throat, choking the life out of the boy. In alarm, a servant threw a lantern at the sohei, engulfing him in flames. Shosu lives, having trapped the evil within his own flesh. With the Black Eagle’s return to the Jwar Isles, comes the chance of redemption. Shosu can serve the Shiho once again, and
perhaps find a way to finally send the spirit to Jigoku where it belongs. A way to remove many kinds of Markers is always welcome, but Shosu must pay the price afterwards. He can also help with defence against opposed Ki feats. He is a great model to “Fix holes” in your list to combat specific enemies.

Who knows where the Two Lone Swordsmen came from? They have some training in swordsmanship, but claim no nobility nor is their style recognised. Their armour is not from Jwar and their ability to survive debilitating wounds is unsettling even to close allies. On the Bushido table they are a very resilient duo that your opponent will have to dedicate a significant amount of resources to deal with. They also take minimal set up, to get their abilities going, just gang up on someone!

Khendish is not a clever man and has been exploited and abused through most of his life. He found a measure of peace in a small village, where an old man took him in, and while he used his
strength to help the village build, gather crops, chop wood and the like, they all helped feed the huge brute and look after him. Hiroto, a mercenary at the time, was hired to clear out the village by a local Lord, claiming the villagers settled without his permission and he is to mine under the village for riches. He came to the village with some of the lord’s men and the thugs immediately attacked! Even at his
lowest point, Hiroto was not about to watch innocents be slaughtered but there were too many. By the time he was able to stop them, only Khendish was left alive. Unknown to any but themselves, the thugs were actually cultists and the deaths they caused awoke The Wraith, imprisoned for aeons, below the village. A standoff between Hiroto and The Wraith gives Khendish the opportunity to flee. A long duel of wit and strength ends with Hiroto finally at the mercy of the Kami. As it gloats at its victory taunting the near broken Hiroto, Khendish returns wielding the pole that he usually uses to clear the fields. Together they are too strong and The Wraith retreats, unwilling to jeopardise it’s new found freedom. Hiroto, feeling a debt to Khendish, took the man to a safe place and left him to live there. Khendish was happy again, for a time, until the Takashi came looking for Hiroto. Khendish is deceptively good in melee with his Strongest rule. He can also disrupt what the enemy does though you should take care to mitigate any potential for him to damage your own models next turn!

Batu is a tribesman of the great plains. His family travel far and wide on horses that are bred to be able to run all day, for weeks if needed. Batu’s tribe serve the Tengu like their Hill Tribe
brethren and though some different Tengu are found on the plains compared to the mountains, they are one people. Batu uses the weapons of his tribe but his repeated contact with the Kairai have taught him this new enemy’s weakness.

Tru’pah was honoured among Eagle ashigaru, he carries the clan’s standard into battle. With most of the clan he fought in the rearguard at Sagoya, allowing the oldest and youngest Shiho to escape. Unlike most of the clan he lived. Many of his friends and fellow ashigaru died to keep the banner flying. He managed to survive in the swamps, always keeping the banner from falling to the mud. He learned to hunt the creatures, find water and which berries were poisonous. The big threat was not one he could have imagined. As the dead Shiho rose and walked again Tru’pah thought he was seeing shades sent to torment him because they died so he could live. He was physically attacked and learned to fight back. Learned how to kill them and keep them dead. He continued for years, living, constantly hunted by the dead, thinking himself mad and not wanting to inflict his madness on anyone else. Hiroto found him and showed him that in fact the dead now rise in Sagoya due to the machinations of the Cult. He took him to the camps of the Shiho, still carrying the banner high. He wakes in the night, tormented by dreams of the dead coming for him but, knowing that giving away their position could be disastrous for the clan, he never cries out. He sees them while awake still, though he has told nobody of this. His mind truly shattered. Finally broken by the revelation that he was sane. Tru’pah has a lot of uses to the Shiho and the Brotherhood. He also has a Special Equipment card for his unique banner, similar to the other samurai factions. The way he plays is flavourful, his fear of the visions he sees at odds with his bravery and loyalty to the clan.

The Brotherhood Themed Warband also comes with some special cards to allow them to be played together as a band of Hiroto’s friends and allies.

Some of the cards are there to show how Hiroto has rewritten the book on how to conduct a battle and wage a war. Others are showing how the very different characters work together. Overall this is a crazy set to play together but not ineffective. You can also use any of the individuals as Ronin in their given factions meaning this release probably has something for everyone.

Pre-Order your boxed set this weekend from Saturday the 17th October

Quelle: GCT Studios