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Reclaiming the Throneby Peter BarnardI pride myself that I am the second best bowman within the borders of Pulse." The Heroic Legend of Arislan is a Japanese animated series set in the pseudo-historical kingdom of Pulse (pronounced PUL-suh). This kingdom appears to be set in Persia (we even see a Persian cat) and the year is 320AD according to the sleeve notes. The Pulsean ArmyPulse is ruled over by the arrogant and hot-headed King Andragoras although his son, the young and inexperienced crown prince Arislan, is the focus of the series. The Pulsean army seems to be composed almost entirely of cavalry. All troops wear the 'uniform' of golden horned helmets and breast-plates. Below is a suggested Hordes of the Things (HOTT) army to indicate army composition 1 element of Mounted Heroes(The General) @ 4aps 6 elements of knights @ 2aps 1 element of Sneakers @ 3aps 2 units of riders @ 2aps Stronghold: Persian City Gates Alternatives Tactics are limited to both armies lining up and charging at each other. The Lusitanian ArmyThe kingdom of Pulse is invaded by the Lusitanians, a kingdom of religious zealots and book burners. They are aided by the Pulsean traitor General Carlan (who discredited Daryoon) and a mysterious man called Silver Mask because he wears one at all times. Silver Mask later reveals that he is the true heir to Pulse and that Andragoras killed his father and assumed the throne. The Lusitanian army is almost identical to the Pulsean army except that the Lusitanians wear red cloaks and have conical helmets with red havelocks. HOTT army as the Pulsean with the general element as Silver Mask and his bodyguard. One of the cavalry elements could be Carlan and his renegade troops.
Lord Silver mask consults several times with a Magician (@4aps) but we don't see him on the field. The Peshwar ArmyArislan gains as allies the kingdom of Shindra, which appears to parallel real-life India. The army is lead by the useless Lajendra who tricks Arislan into helping him beat his brother Gardeep to ascend the throne. The two Shindran armies look very similar but only Lajendra's army has Pulsean allies. The Peshwar Army is almost entirely elephant troops. HOTT army balance rules go out of the window for accuracy's sake. 1 element of Behemoths(The General) @ 4aps 3 elements of Behemoths @ 4aps 1 element of artillery @ 3aps 2 elements of shooters @ 2aps Stronghold: Indian Palace Alternatives Narsus, Arislans tactician, uses mice against the Peshwarians, in game terms I suppose this could be represented by a unit of Sneakers that affects Behemoths instead of Strongholds. Shindran tactics are even less subtle than Pulses. The aim seems to be to stun the enemy elephants by getting your elephant to headbutt it at full speed. Gardeep claims that Lajendra is cheating by using allies. If using a Pulsean army after the alliance, another troop alternative is Behemoths @ 4pts representing Peshwar allies. The SeriesThe videos are classified as 'shojo' (girls interest) because most of the story is character oriented but the battles are epic and interestingly filmed due to budgetary constraints. The plot is convoluted and engrossing but unfortunately incomplete. Apparently the full series contains six videos but only three are currently available in this country. Rumor has it that part four is currently in development in Japan but the release date is anyones guess. Another slight complaint is that between the second and third video some place names change in pronounciation (The Pulsean capital is pronounced Ek-ta-bahana and Ek-yu-bahana in different episodes) The three videos are about an hour in length and retail for about £13.99 |