#First Combat (First Battle)
On a foggy mountain road, Setsuna and Mina face enemies for the first time.
#Scent — Red Eyes in the Fog
The mountain road was narrow.
Cliffs and forest blocked both sides. Fog lay low, hiding the ground beneath their feet. Setsuna looked ahead with one hand on her blade. Behind her, she could hear five ashigaru breathing. Daichi, Jiro, Saburo, Shiro, Goro. The hands holding their spears were trembling.
"Setsuna-sama," Daichi whispered. "Something is there."
Red points shone in the fog. Two. Four. Six. Ten.
Ko-oni. Little ogres. Five lesser yoma with clubs and stones. Their bodies were no taller than a person's waist, but their eyes were red as coal, and their teeth were sharp as rats'.
Mina stood behind Setsuna. She drew one paper doll from her robe. Eyes and a mouth were painted in ink on the folded paper. Her lips moved — a silent spell. The paper fluttered and rose into the air. Kami. Mina's shikigami.
"Can you go?" Setsuna asked.
Mina nodded. "Yes."
Setsuna drew her blade. Uchigatana. The sword inherited from her father. The blade shone wet with fog.
"Daichi. Set your spear."
The five ashigaru thrust their yari forward. The trembling did not stop, but the spearpoints faced the enemy.
The ko-oni ran in. Their small legs darted wildly as they swung clubs and threw stones. They screamed. A shriek like crying, or like laughter.
Setsuna stepped forward. She lowered her body and raised the blade at an angle. Don't move. Root yourself here. Let them come. Cut the first one that charges.
The first ko-oni filled the width of the mountain road as it rushed in. It raised its club overhead.
Setsuna's blade swept sideways. One short breath. The edge passed through the ko-oni's neck. The small body rolled away into the fog.
The second came from the left. Setsuna turned the blade and blocked — the club struck it and split. With the recoil, her sword point found the ko-oni's chest.
"Command!" Setsuna shouted.
Daichi answered. "Thrust together!"
The five ashigaru spears drove forward at once. The third ko-oni was skewered on the spears. The fourth screamed and hesitated.
The fifth ko-oni ran. But not toward Setsuna. It circled along the forest edge, toward Mina in the rear.
Mina did not move. She raised a finger.
Kami — the paper shikigami flew in front of the ko-oni. The small paper doll stuck to the ko-oni's face. The ko-oni screamed and tried to tear it away, but the paper clung on. The ko-oni stopped moving. The shikigami's binding.
Mina took one step back. Her lips moved. A spell.
The shikigami shone. The ko-oni's body stiffened. And then — it fell.
The fog began to clear. The remains of five ko-oni were scattered along the mountain road.
Setsuna sheathed her blade. Wiping the blade clean, she turned back. Five ashigaru. All safe. Daichi's hands were still shaking, but he had not dropped his spear.
"Well done."
Daichi bowed his head. "Because Setsuna-sama stood in front..."
Mina placed Kami on her hand. The paper doll sat folded in her palm.
"Are you hurt?" Setsuna asked.
"No," Mina said. Her voice shook a little. "First time... I'm a little shaky."
Setsuna nodded. "Me too."
The fog cleared, and the mountain road came back into view. Their first combat was over. No one had died. This time.
#Law — Session Transcript
Kuro: "Good. First combat. Setsuna and Mina, five ko-oni. The mountain road is narrow, so I'll make the zone layout a little special."
#Battlefield Layout
[Ally Rear Zone] — Mina + 3 archers
|
[Ally Front Zone] — Setsuna + 5 spearmen (narrow path, Domination cap 5)
|
[Enemy Front Zone] — ko-oni A~E (Minions, Wounds 1, Defense 11, squad of 5)Kuro: "Because it is a narrow path, I reduced the number of zones. No Flank Zone/Core Zone. Simple Front Zone versus Front Zone. The ko-oni are a Minion-rank squad of 5. Defense 11, Wounds 1 — if they are hit, they die immediately."
#Round Begins
Kuro: "Everyone resets Energy."
| Unit | Energy |
|---|---|
| Setsuna | 11 (10+Finesse 1) |
| Mina | 10 (10+Finesse 0) |
| ko-oni squad | — (no commander, wandering yoma → Energy 10) |
Kuro: "The ko-oni have no commander. Since they are wandering yoma, they act with their own Energy 10."
#Count 11 — Setsuna
Kuro: "The highest Energy is Setsuna at 11. Setsuna goes first."
Hana: "Declare Immovable Formation! 2 Energy. I won't leave this path open."
Kuro: "Immovable Formation [stance]. Spend 2 Energy. Since you are on the Front Zone, Domination +4. Cannot move."
Hana: "Setsuna's own contribution is +1.5, and Immovable Formation adds +4, so total 5.5. The narrow path cap is 5, so..."
Kuro: "Right. Reaching the cap = blockade declaration. Setsuna's side has blockaded this zone. As a narrow-path zone property, long weapons such as yari and nodachi get +1, and short weapons such as daggers and unarmed combat get -1. Setsuna's spearmen use yari, so volley attack gets a +1 bonus. The ko-oni use clubs (not short weapons, just weapons), so no modifier."
Hana: "Do I also need to designate the blockader?"
Kuro: "When the blockade triggers, the blockading side chooses one unit and declares it as the 'blockader.' Only that unit gets Defense +1. Who is it?"
Hana: "Setsuna. The 'one holding the bridge' is Setsuna."
Kuro: "Good. Setsuna's Defense is 14+1=15. For a ko-oni to newly enter this zone, it needs Blockade Breakthrough Target Number 15. If it cannot pass, it gets thrown back."
Hana: "Then a horizontal cut. I cut ko-oni A. 2 Energy."
Kuro: "Roll 2d10."
Hana: "8+5 = 13. +Courage(2)+Swordsmanship(1) = 16. Ko-oni Defense 11. Success."
Kuro: "Ko-oni A Wounds 1→0. Instant death. It tumbles off the mountain road."
Hana: "Reserve Parry. 1 Energy."
Kuro: "Breath total: Immovable Formation(2) + horizontal cut(2) + Parry reservation(1) = 5. Exactly the limit. Remaining 11→6."
Setsuna breath: Immovable Formation(2) + horizontal cut(2) + Parry reservation(1) = 5 [limit]
Energy: 11 → 6. Ko-oni A defeated.#Count 10 — Mina & Ko-oni
Kuro: "Mina has Energy 10, and the ko-oni have Energy 10. Tie, so compare Finesse(技). Mina has Finesse+0, and the ko-oni have no skill value, so 0. Still tied, allies go first. Mina first."
Mei: "I send shikigami Kami to the Front Zone. Command... wait, shikigami aren't squads, they're directly controlled, right?"
Kuro: "Right. Shikigami are controlled with Mina's Energy. Shikigami movement costs 2 Energy."
Mei: "And I order the archer squad to fire a volley. 2 Energy."
Kuro: "Mina has Wisdom+2, so squad commands are discounted to 1 Energy!"
Mei: "Oh, right! 1 Energy. Then shikigami movement(2) + archer command(1) = 3 Energy. Remaining 10→7."
Kuro: "The 3 archers shoot at ko-oni B. 2d10 >= Defense 11."
Mei: "6+7 = 13. Hit. Since the total is 13 or higher, on the hit intensity table... Minion target 13+ = remove 2 people."
Kuro: "Ko-oni B and C defeated! Three arrows cut through the fog and pierce two ko-oni."
Mina breath: shikigami movement(2) + archer command(1, Wisdom+2 discount) = 3
Energy: 10 → 7. Ko-oni B and C defeated (archer volley).Kuro: "Ko-oni turn. Remaining Energy 10. Ko-oni D charges Setsuna."
Kuro: "Ko-oni D club strike. 2d10+0 >= Setsuna Defense 14."
Kuro: "3+4 = 7. Failure. It does not reach Defense 14. The club hits the blade and bounces away."
Hana: "Parry reservation triggers. It attacked Setsuna."
Kuro: "Right. Because it was a reserved Parry, it triggers for 0 Energy."
Hana: "2d10 + Courage(2)+Swordsmanship(1) = ...7+6 = 13. +3 = 16. Defense 11. Success!"
Kuro: "Ko-oni D Wounds 1→0. Defeated."
Kuro: "Ko-oni E aims for Mina and tries to circle through the woods... but this map has no Flank Zone, so it has to break through the Front Zone. Breakthrough check."
Kuro: "Ko-oni E Breakthrough. 2d10 + Courage(0) >= 11. ...2+3 = 5. Failure. Breakthrough failure = cannot move + Defenseless."
Hana: "If it's Defenseless, can I attack it right away?"
Kuro: "No. Defenseless does not grant an immediate attack. It releases stances and applies Defense -4. Ko-oni E staggers to a stop in front of the Front Zone. On the next action, it is much easier to hit."
#Count 7 — Mina
Mei: "Kami pins ko-oni E. Shikigami attack."
Kuro: "Ko-oni E is Defenseless, so Defense 11→7. 2d10 + Wisdom(2) >= 7."
Mei: "4+5+2 = 11. Hit."
Kuro: "Ko-oni E Wounds 1→0. Defeated. All five are wiped out."
Ko-oni D: attack failure → Setsuna Parry reservation → defeated.
Ko-oni E: Breakthrough failure → Defenseless(Defense -4) → Mina shikigami attack → defeated.
Ko-oni wiped out.#Lull
Kuro: "Combat ends. Lull processing. Reset Energy, clear Defenseless, reservations vanish."
Hana: "Setsuna's injuries?"
Kuro: "None. The ko-oni never hit her. The squad is safe too."
Mei: "Mina is safe too. Kami the shikigami is intact."
Kuro: "A perfect first combat. No one died."
Hana: "...We now have the detail that Daichi held his spear with shaking hands. I like Daichi."
Kuro: "He's a Minion. Getting attached to Minions hurts."
Hana: "I won't let him die. Never."
Kuro: (laughs) "...The GM decides that."
#Rule Summary
Kuro: "Let's summarize what we learned in the first combat.
- Count: act in descending order of remaining Energy. If tied, compare Finesse(技); if still tied, allies first.
- One Breath: combine maneuvers within the base limit of 5. Setsuna hit it exactly with 2+2+1=5.
- Reservation: if you buy Parry in advance for 1 Energy, it triggers for 0 Energy when the enemy attacks. If not bought, improvising costs 2 Energy.
- Squad Command: Mina ordered archers to shoot. Because Wisdom+2, it cost 1 Energy.
- Immovable Formation: stance. Domination +4 on the Front Zone. Cannot move. On this narrow path, Setsuna became the wall.
- Blockade: reaching the narrow-path cap → blockade triggers. All blockaders get long weapons +1 / short weapons -1 (zone property). Setsuna, designated as the blockader, gets Defense +1. Enemies cannot enter normally; only Target Number 15 Blockade Breakthrough is possible.
- Breakthrough Failure: the ko-oni failed to break through the blockade → cannot move + Defenseless. It does not create an immediate attack, but Defense -4 makes it vulnerable to the next attack.
- Minions Die When Hit: ko-oni Wounds 1. Hit = instant death."
Mei: "It was faster than I expected. We rolled dice about 5 times?"
Kuro: "That is this game's strength. Combat is short and dramatic. One hit is one death."
First combat. Five ko-oni. No one was hurt. The next combat will not be this easy.