Mimikawa No Tatakai

Mimikawa no Tatakai is the fourth entry in the Sengoku Folio battle game series. It's a doujinshi (self-published) game similar in tone to the early SPI folio games-low numbers of counters, compact map, and an easy-to-learn game system used for all the entries in the series. The full name is Mimikawa No Tatakai: Otomo (Tawara) X Shimazu (Takajogawa No Tatakai) 1578.11.12 (耳川の戦い: 大友 (田原) X 島津 (高城川の戦い) 1578.11.12, Battle of Mimikawa: Otomo (Tawara) Vs. Shimazu (Battle Of Takajogawa) 1578/11/12).

Historically, the battle took place in Hyuga province (in the eastern part of Kyushu, Japan's southernmost major island). The Shimazu's increasingly expansionist ways were making the daimyo (feudal lords) in the north of Kyushu uneasy. Otomo Sorin of Bungo province in northeast Kyushu put together a　sizable army and sent it south to deal with the Shimazu. The Shimazu in turn dispatched reinforcements north to their outpost at Taka castle. Shimazu Iehisa, Yoshihiro, and Yoshihisa consolidated their forces (along with some troops from their allies in the Ijuuin) at Taka, numbering about 50,000. The Otomo forces dispatched to meet them were made up of about 30,000 troops mainly from the Tawara, Takita, Saeki, and Kuwano families. They were commanded by Otomo Sorin's son-in-law, Tawara Chikataka. On the 12th day of the 11th month of the sixth year of Tensho (December 10, 1578) Tawara made an unwise frontal assault on the castle. After some bitter fighting featuring some of the earliest usage of large numbers of arquebus in Japan, the Otomo forces broke. The Shimazu pursued and many of the Otomo were drowned in the rapid waters of the Mimikawa river to the north. The Otomo lost about twice as many men as the Shimazu, probably about 4,000 or so. The Shimazu continued to push the Otomo back in the ensuing months, eventually forcing the Otomo to request aid from Toyotomi Hideyoshi, giving the warlord and his massive army a handy excuse to add Kyushu to his list of conquests.

The battle is played out in eight turns. Victory is determined by both enemy casualties and possession of Taka Castle. Special rules account for the Otomo cannon (a rare instance during the Sengoku of cannon being used in the field). Counters are rated for morale, combat strength (melee), and marksmanship (in this case, the arquebus). While the Otomo have the numerical advantage in overall combat strength and counters and a couple of cannon, the Shimazu have better morale and more leaders, making things more or less even. An enjoyable play that rewards individual skill.