There should be a way to surprise the player, as well as the PC, and do better than one had expected. Perhaps raising after the fact should be more expensive, requiring 10 more points, rather than 5, but it should still be possible to take advantage of unexpected good fortune. The skirmish rules are straightforward, and the battle rules are blessedly simple, although the playtesters and I found it hard to believe that the size of the armies has absolutely no effect on the outcome of the battle. Only the skill of the generals matters. In other words, an excellent general facing a medocre general will do no better when his forces vastly outnumber those of the mediocre general than when his forces are equal to those of the mediocre general.
Iaijutsu duels work differently than general combat.
Both combatants begin with sheathed weapons. They may size each other up, rolling to determine their opponent's skill. At this stage, it is possible for one duelist to concede defeat without every drawing a weapon. If the duel proceeds, the TN begins at 5 and may be raised in intervals of 5. His opponent strikes first, at the highest TN reached.