What's New in 2nd Ed? (Part 3)
Weapons
A couple of changes to the weapon bonuses. Firstly naginatas - in v1 these were notably better than other weapons because you could get an extra action (Follow Up) on both the Avoid and Damage rolls. My intent was always that all melee weapons should be more or less equal, so Naginatas now only get a Move Up on Damage rolls. Consequently, Sohei and Onna armed with them now cost 1 point less.
Throwing Weapons have also changed. Now their bonus on the Strike roll is to move an extra 3", making you more nippy , dashing forward or diving back into cover after the attack. Look out for those ninjas!
Shot in the Back
You can now choose to shoot even if one of your own side is in the way. However, a fumble means you've hit your own guy and, of course, drawing a Dishonour card!Loss of Nerve
A fall back move now uses up an action if the warrior has any left, making it a bit more serious to lose your nerve. However, you can then take a Test of Wits to make a Quick Recovery and not lose the action after all.Additionally, Groups are a little more vulnerable to loss of nerve, taking tests when their own members are killed.
By the way, you may notice that this and a few other rules are making the Wits stat a bit more important in the game!
Other Ways to Play
At the back of the rulebook I've included a section of optional rules and play-modes. These are not considered the 'official' way to play, but are well worth trying out...
For starters there are suggested rules for handling bigger battles and multi-player games. I've also talked about Deck Building, which is an approach that some players really enjoy.
My favourite bit is the Fateful Events. These are interesting occurrences that crop up during a battle when you draw the last Fate token each turn. They range from bad weather, unexpected reinforcements or even warriors betraying their friends and switching sides! We actually played with these rules when we were first playtesting the game and I guarantee they are loads of fun. However, they can on occasion have a big effect on certain scenarios, even game-winning, which is why I've left them as optional.
