How do you Sekigahara?

So strangely and unconsciously I turned up for a game with Sushi…We are playing Sekigahara. Go figure. It got me in the mood no less.

Bill sorted while I ate. – That is Bills hand.

We got started and Bill played aggressively for the opening moves. He took the Ishida role. Pressed the middle and blocked up the roads. I waited a little and took some easy resources. Bill alos pressed towards the Castle at top of map Miyaru. I send a supporting force to help out.

 

Turn two and three saw some aggressive combat from both sides. I pressed hard up the center towards to main highway, bringing extra reinforcements on.

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Bill attacks the Senduku homeland. While beating me, it achieves little other than a disruption to force allocation and reinforcement drafting. But this does make me feel very exposed in Edo.

Ishida pulls back from the top edge of the map, and inexplicably takes up the resource center on the main highway. leaving his castle open. If this was Bills first game I would for sure have suggested to him to reconsider the move.

So I stay mum and claim the Castle un contested. However we are now split in the Center left and Edo is wide open. So it is time to consolidate.

 

Bill prepares to rectify the damage by rapidlt taking Anotsu, where I had but one block. He quickly sieges in turn 5 and reduces it. With Edo reinforced and several resource centers under control, I just need to get Anotsu back to get a VP points win. I risk a few attacks with my clan leader and push his forces back so that Anotsu stays isolated, and bring troops in to mount a last turn attack to re capture Anotsu.

The extra blocks and cards have gone in my favor this last few turns and I put them to good use. Fortunately Bill does not try for Miyaru again, as I would not have been able to do much to stop it.


Final Turn comes and with forces massed I bring enough points of Siege effort to bear to crush the resistance. VP tally is 19  v 12.

Final Positions: