Shogun Total War FAQ Version 1.3
Written by: The Archon (steven99@telus.net)
Copyright 2005, Steven Dobirstein (The Archon)
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GUIDE HISTORY
January 4, 2005 - Began work on the guide. Not much beyond a rough
skeletal outline of what needed to be done and the introduction.
January 5, 2005 - Did "The Seven Clans" section.
January 6, 2005 - Began work on the "Buildings and Units" section.
January 9, 2005 - Worked on the Map and Combat Mode sections, V 1.0 is
achieved and submitted to gamefaqs.com.
February 19, 2005 - Added the "Reader Contribution Section" for people
who send in advice on the game. This should help to make the guide much
more complete. This is guide version 1.1
February 23, 2005 - Very small update to version 1.11. Realized I hadn't
included the names of a couple of other websites I gave permission to
host the guide on, and also a small update about geisha assassination.
March 9, 2005 - Another excellent reader contribution from James Motz,
guide version 1.2.
January 21, 2006 - It's been a long time! Added another reader
contribution to the guide. I also deleted the emails of people who have
contributed things to my guide as they aren't mine to show off.
TABLE OF CONTENTS (To skip quickly to any section, just copy any of
these titles including the number and the dash and use the "find"
feature, usually control key + f.)
1 - Introduction and Game Story
2 - The Seven Clans
3 - Buildings and Units
4 - Map Mode
5 - Combat Mode
6 - Reader Contribution Section
7 - Credits
===============================
1 - Introduction and Game Story
===============================
First off, before I delve into the story, a brief "why write this guide"
bit. Basically, because no one else has done it yet. It's a good game
that flew under a lot of radars, and it deserved one. So I've tried to
take it upon myself to get together something that can qualify as a FAQ
for this game. I don't profess to be the biggest expert to have ever
played the game, but I am competent and hopefully you find it useful in
some way.
Shogun Total War is a historically based game, meaning that the basis of
the game is factual. The names of the starting rulers of the seven
selectable tribes are accurate (I don't know about their heirs) and this
period is actually known in Japanese history as "sendoku jindai" or "the
age of the country at war" just as it says in the introductory video.
Essentially this is a Japanese version of the classic board game "Axis
and Allies" (for those of you not old enough to remember board games
that was the definitive World War II strategy game), reliving what is
widely viewed as one of the most fascinating periods of their history.
The story, in the simplified form that it is presented in this game is
as follows. The last Shogunate has collapsed, and Japan no longer has a
single military ruler. There are seven main tribes who are now vying for
the Shogunate - Hojo, Takeda, Mori, Uesugi, Oda, Shimazu, and Imagawa.
Each tribe has it's own unique strengths that can lead them to total
victory or failure. Your goal is to take your chosen clan to domination
of all Japan and claim the mantle of Shogun for yourself. Essentially,
the rest of the story is yours to build and tell, as history is yours to
rewrite.
===================
2 - The Seven Clans
===================
In this section I will detail each of the seven clans you can choose,
their bonus, what land they start with, and whether that land has any
exploitable bonuses.
SHIMAZU
The Shimazu clan starts with the majority of the island of Kyushu
already theirs to control. While they are not rich in farmland, gaining
total control of the island early can allow them to build in some
relative safety from everyone except the Mori clan. If played as the
computer they are more willing to convert to Christianity than other
clans.
Starting Units: 3 Yari Samurai, 3 Samurai Archers, 2 Yari Ashigaru, 1
Emissary
Starting Bonus: No-Dachi Samurai can be recruited at a cheaper cost.
Starting Land: Satsuma, Osumi, Hyuga, Higo, Bungo, Buzen, Nagato
Starting Exploitable Bonuses: No-Dachi Samurai trained in Satsuma gain a
+1 Honor bonus. Nagato has iron sand deposits, allowing an armory to be
built.
MORI
The Mori clan's tradition is built around the strength of their warrior
monks. They will play as strict Buddhists and will oppose any group that
converts to Christianity. Although they control a good amount of land,
it is rather spread out which can make defense early on a little
difficult. So long as you are not fighting Christians their Warrior
Monks can be devastating.
Starting Units: 5 Yari Samurai, 5 Samurai Archers, 4 Yari Ashigaru, 1
Emissary
Starting Bonus: Warrior Monks can be recruited at a cheaper cost.
Starting Land: Mimasaka, Bizen, Harima, Inaba, Hoki, Izumo, Iwami, Suo
Starting Exploitable Bonuses: Mimasaka has iron sand deposits, allowing
an armory to be built. Bizen allows you to build a port at a discount
due to a fine natural harbor. Harima has abundant silver deposits
allowing you to build a mine, as well as a natural harbor that gives a
discount on building a port. Inaba, Hoki, Izumo, Iwami, and Suo all have
iron sand deposits, again allowing an armory.
ODA
The Oda clan is very aggressive and seems to enjoy warfare. They will
wage war with anyone who stands in their way regardless of religion in
their quest for power. They have a central position on the map to begin,
which depending on your skill level can be very good or if you are not
yet good at defending it can be very bad. Their bonus goes towards lowly
Ashigaru units, allowing you to build a very large army but perhaps not
a particularly powerful one - specializing in one kind of unit with this
clan is not advisable. Fortunatly Oda begins with many provinces that
provide bonuses to other units. The Emperor's Palace is in the city of
Kyoto within Yamashiro, and also starts essentially under your control.
Starting units: 10 Yari Ashigaru, 6 Samurai Archers, 1 Emissary
Starting Bonus: Yari Ashigaru can be recruited at a cheaper cost.
Starting Land: Owari, Mino, Omi, Iga, Yamato, Kawachi, Yamashiro, Tamba,
Wakasa, Kii
Starting Exploitable Bonuses: Ashigaru recruited in Owari get a +1 Honor
bonus. *The Emperor's Palace in Yamashiro grants a +1 Honor bonus to any
untit you recruit there. Mino has iron sand deposits allowing you to
build an armory. Omi has iron sand deposits allowing you to build an
armory. Iga has iron sand which allow the building of an armory, and
also Ninja built there start with +1 Honor. Any warrior monks trained in
Kii gain +1 Honor.
*A note about the Emperor's Palace in Yamashiro. Technically this will
always remain neutral, meaning you cannot garrison the castle nor can
you move the Emperor. He will always be here, and any ruler that
controls Yamashiro will gain the bonus towards troops commissioned
there. That's pretty much the only effect the Emperor has in this game.
IMAGAWA
The Imagawa clan start with their land split at two ends of the country,
but connected through ports. They are more passive than the other
tribes, relying on both alliances as well as their strength with Ninja
and Shinobi to lead them to success. They are perhaps the weakest group
in terms of military might and they rely on careful planning and
strategy to achieve victory.
Starting Units: 6 Samurai Archers, 6 Yari Samurai, 2 Ninja, 1 Emissary
Starting Bonus: Both Ninja and Shinobi can be recruited at a lower cost.
Starting Land: Totomi, Suruga, Mikawa, Chikugo, Hizen, Chikuzen
Starting Exploitable Bonus: Archers trained in Totomi gain +1 Honor.
Totomi and Hizen both begin with ports already built. If you should ever
need to replace the port in Hizen, it can be rebuilt at reduced cost
because of a good natural harbor.
TAKEDA
The Takeda clan is another aggressive warrior group. They do not make
particularly trustworthy allies. Like the Imagawa clan their land is
split at two ends of the country and linked by ports. The Takeda clan
are famous for the strength of their cavalry and they enjoy exploiting
this advantage. If not dealt with quickly the Takeda clan can become a
big problem for other groups.
Starting Units: 4 Yari Samurai, 1 Samurai Archer, 3 Cavalry Archers, 3
Yari Cavalry, 1 Emissary
Starting Bonus: Cavalry units can be recruited at a reduced cost.
Starting Land: Kai, Sagami, Izu, Aki, Bingo, Bitchu
Starting Exploitable Bonus: Kai has gold which can be mined. Sagami and
Aki start with ports already built. Aki also has silver deposits which
can be mined, and iron sand deposits that allow the building of an
armory. Bingo has iron sand deposits which allow the building of an
armory.
HOJO
The Hojo clan are an ancient and powerful name, and their strength lies
in the rich land they control as well as their mastery at building
castles. While no one particular military unit is their strength they
are still dangerous opponents and should be watched carefully, as they
will not hesitate to pounce at the sign of weakness. Their strength at
building castles makes it easier for them to defend invasions than the
other tribes, so long as their castles are garrisoned properly.
Starting Units: 2 Yari Samurai, 4 Samurai Archers, 2 Yari Ashigaru, 1
Emissary
Starting Bonus: Castles can be built at a reduced cost.
Starting Land: Shimosa, Kazusa, Hitachi, Musashi, Kozuke, Shimotsuke
Starting Exploitable Bonus: Emissaries trained in Kazusa gain +1 Honor.
Hitachi has iron sand deposits which can be used to build an armory.
Shimotsuke has copper which can be mined.
UESUGI
The Uesugi are cunning, rich in land, and skilled in combat. A truly
well balanced and dangerous foe, and a good choice for newcomers to the
game. Their clan is famous for their archers and they can be recruited
cheaply. They will respect alliances with strong tribes but will not
hesitate to invade weaker ones. They possess a good deal of farmland
which allows them a bit more freedom to build early on.
Starting Units: 3 Yari Samurai, 4 Samurai Archers, 2 Yari Ashigaru
Starting Bonus: Archers can be recruited at a reduced cost.
Starting Land: Mutsu, Dewa, Suwo, Echigo, Shinano, Hida
Starting Exploitable Bonus: Dewa has gold which can be mined. Suwo has
iron sands which allow the building of an armory. Echigo has silver
which can be mined. Shinano has iron sands which allow the building of
an armory, and in addition any cavalry trained in Shinano will start
with +1 Honor.
The remaining provinces are controlled by rebel or Ronin forces and are
not part of any organized group. They can invade anyone and be invaded
by anyone, and alliances cannot be formed with them.
=======================
3 - Buildings and Units
=======================
BUILDINGS
I will detail what the buildings do, their cost, and their building time
in seasons (game turns).
CASTLES
Castles are very important for a few reasons. One, virtually all other
buildings have one of the levels of castle as a prerequisite. And two
they allow you to store units within them that can be used to defend
your province. This is called "garrisoning" the castle. Note that
putting any cavalry unit in a garrison counts as two units, which is
realistic since they would require twice as much space and food because
of the horses. The Hojo clan can build these castles at reduced cost.
There are four levels of castle. Each requires you to have the previous
version before the next can be built in that province.
CASTLE
Required: None
Cost: 500 Koku
Building Time: 6 seasons
The basic structure. It can hold 4 units. It also grants you almost all
the basic options for other structures. In any province you plan to
develop, a basic castle will have to be part of the plan.
LARGE CASTLE
Required: Castle
Cost: 1000 Koku
Building Time: 8 seasons
An improved castle, this one can hold up to 8 units. Also more difficult
to assault.
FORTRESS
Required: Large Castle
Cost: 1500 Koku
Building Time: 10 seasons
A fortress is a big jump, and can hold 12 units. It is far more
difficult to assault than it's predecessors.
CITADEL
Required: Fortress
Cost: 3000 Koku
Building Time: 12 seasons
Only the most developed provinces gain citadels. They can hold up to 16
units on their own. There are only a couple of upgrades that require a
citadel before they can be built, most importantly the Geisha House.
IMPROVED FARM LAND
Required: Nothing
Cost: 500 Koku
Building Time: 8 seasons
The farm land improvements are very important to keeping your treasury
full. As your army grows you will need more food to feed them. This
upgrade increases agricultural production in the province by 20%. Build
it in provinces that already have good farmland first, to get the full
value.
SUPERIOR FARMLAND
Required: Improved Farm Land
Cost: 700 Koku
Building Time: 10 seasons
This grants a 40% boost to agricultural production in the province.
EXCEPTIONAL FARMLAND
Required: Superior Farmland
Cost: 900 Koku
Building Time: 12 seasons
This time, it's a 60% boost to agricultural production.
LEGENDARY FARMLAND
Required: Exceptional Farmland
Cost: 1000 Koku
Building Time: 12 seasons
This is as good as farmland can get, granting a 100% boost, thus
doubling agricultural production in a region. Save this for provinces
that have extensive farmland to begin with to get the full advantage of
your investment.
MINE
Required: Gold, Silver, or Copper deposit in the province
Cost: 1000 Koku
Building Time: 8 seasons
Once a mine is built it produces a set income automatically for the rest
of the game. Build one in every province that you can, there won't be
many chances to do so.
BORDER WATCH TOWERS
Required: None
Cost: 400 Koku
Building time: 4 seasons
These act as if you had a spy in every province that borders the one
with the towers. Can be useful to see what troop movements the enemy is
making, and also what they are building.
FORTIFIED WATCH TOWERS
Cost: 800 Koku
Bulding Time: 6 seasons
Not only do they spy into all bordering provinces, they also act as a
Shinobi within their own province. Overall, you could build 8 Shinobi
for the cost of one of these though. ;-)
PALACE
Requires: Large Castle
Cost: 1000 Koku
Building Time: 8 seasons
Palaces are essentially a sign of prestige and building one shows off to
everyone the power and wealth of the daimyo that builds it. The palace
grants bonus +1 morale to any troops built in that province.
GOLDEN PALACE
Requires: Palace, Fortress
Cost: 2000 Koku
Building Time: 10 seasons
An improved palace, this gives an even further morale boost, +2, to
troops trained within the province.
LEGENDARY PALACE
Requires: Golden Palace
Cost: 3000 Koku
Building Time: 12 seasons
The highest grade of palace grants warriors incredible +3 morale in
battle. I'm not sure how necessary a bonus this is really, I'd rather
make a Legendary Armory or Swordsmith first.
SPEAR DOJO
Requires: Castle
Cost: 500 Koku
Building Time: 4 seasons
The spear dojo produces the two basic infantry types, the Yari Ashigaru
and the Yari Samurai. Every army will need at lest one of these to
produce basic infantry. You also need one of these to make Yari Cavalry
at a Horse Dojo.
FAMOUS SPEAR DOJO
Requires: Large Castle, Spear Dojo
Cost: 500 Koku
Building Time: 4 seasons
If you also have an armory in the province, building a famous spear dojo
will allow you to build Naginata Samurai, who are better than either
Yari Ashigaru or Yari Samurai. This also causes Yari Ashigaru and Yari
Samurai built in the province to start with +1 honor.
LEGENDARY SPEAR DOJO
Requires: Fortress, Famous Spear Dojo
Cost: 500 Koku
Building Time: 4 seasons
Yari Ashigaru and Samurai get +2 honor, Nanigata get +1.
ARCHERY DOJO
Requires: Castle
Cost: 800 Koku
Building Time: 4 seasons
These train Samurai Archers, and all kingdoms will probably need at
least a couple of these. Combined with a horse dojo you can produce
cavalry archers.
FAMOUS ARCHERY DOJO
Requires: Archery Dojo, Large Castle
Cost: 800 Koku
Building Time: 4 seasons
This gives a boost to all Samurai Archers you train in the region,
giving them a +1 honor bonus.
LEGENDARY ARCHERY DOJO
Required: Fortress, Famous Archery Dojo
Cost: 800 Koku
Building Time: 4 seasons
Produces Samurai Archers with +2 honor.
ARMORY
Requires: Large Castle, iron sand deposits in the province
Cost: 1200 Koku
Building Time: 8 seasons
These give every unit trained in the province a +1 bonus to their armor.
Build one if you can in a place where you plan to produce a good amount
of your units. You also need one in a province to build either Nanigata
or Heavy Cavalry so this is a key upgrade.
FAMOUS ARMORY
Requires: Large castle, Armory
Cost: 1200 Koku
Building Time: 8 seasons
This armory grants a large +2 armor bonus to any units trained in the
region.
LEGENDARY ARMORY
Requires: Fortress, Famous Armory
Cost: 1200 Koku
Building Time: 8 seasons
This grants a large +3 armor bonus to any units built in the province.
TRANQUIL GARDEN
Requires: Castle
Cost: 500 Koku
Building Time: 4 Seasons
The Tranquil Garden is required to build Emissaries which form
alliances, and you also need a garden to build a Temple.
NINJA HOUSE
Required: Castle
Cost: 800 Koku
Building Time: 6 seasons
Ninja Houses train your Ninjas of course. They are assassins that can
target enemy emessaries and generals. It is definitely a good idea to
build one, though probably not more than one is really required.
INFAMOUS NINJA HOUSE
Required: Ninja House, Fortress
Cost: 800 Koku
Building Time: 6 seasons
This building produces ninja that start at a higher effectiveness, by
starting them with +1`to their honor right away.
PORT
Required: Castle, any coastal province
Cost: 1500 Koku
Building Time: 10 Seasons
Although they are expensive and time-consuming to build, ports are
important to have. Firstly, they produce 200 Koku every year (4 turns),
and will almost certainly pay for themselves many times over. Secondly,
any province with a port can send units to any other province you
control that also has a port - this allows you to move units from one
end of the map to the other very quickly if you need to. You also need a
port if you plan on encouraging trade with the Portugese or the Dutch,
or to build a trading post. If you can afford it, build it.
TEA HOUSE
Required: Castle
Cost: 500 Koku
Building Time: 4 seasons
These allow you to build the Shinobi unit, which is useful both as a spy
and as a counterspy in your own territories protecting your generals.
FAMOUS TEA HOUSE
Required: Large Castle, Tea House
Cost: 500 Koku
Building Time: 4 seasons
This produces Shinobi that start with +1 honor, raising their
effectiveness.
SWORD DOJO
Required: Large Castle, someone in your army gains the status of
"Legendary Swordsman"
Cost: 1000 Koku
Building Time: 8 seasons
You cannot build one of these until a warrior in your army has become a
legendary swordsman in battle. Once that happens you will get a little
cutscene and these can be built. So send a single army into combat a few
times in a row and you should be able to gain the advantage of a sword
dojo. These train the No-Dachi Samurai, who have very high attack power
but are not so strong on defense.
FAMOUS SWORD DOJO
Required: Large Castle, Sword Dojo
Cost: 1000 koku
Building Time: 8 seasons
This prodcuces No-Dachi Samurai that start with +1 honor
LEGENDARY SWORD DOJO
Required: Fortress, Famous Sword Dojo
Cost: 1000 Koku
Building Time: 8 seasons
Produces No-Dachi Samurai that start at +2 honor.
HORSE DOJO
Required: Large Castle
Cost: 800 Koku
Building Time: 6 seasons
These allow you to build both Horse Archers (with an archery dojo) and
Yari Cavalry (with a spear dojo). You will definitely need one sooner or
later, as cavalry are much more effective than foot soldiers.
FAMOUS HORSE DOJO
Required: Large Castle, Horse Dojo
Cost: 800 Koku
Building Time: 6 seasons
In addition to the other cavalry units you will also be able to build
the devastating Heavy Cavalry (assuming you have an armory) with a
famous horse dojo. Highly recommended, as Heavy Cavalry are the best
unit in the game. They als0 produce Horse Archers and Yari Cavalry at +1
honor.
LEGENDARY HORSE DOJO
Required: Fortress, Famous Horse Dojo
Cost: 800 Koku
Building Time: 6 seasons
Yari Cavalry and Samurai archers start at +2 honor, Heavy Cavalry begin
at +1 honor.
SWORDSMITH
Required: Large castle
Cost: 1200 Koku
Building Time: 8 seasons
This is like an armory, but it gives a bonus +1 to weapons (even guns
and arrows) for all units built in the region. Definitely advisable if
you plan to produce a lot of units in the region.
FAMOUS SWORDSMITH
Required: Fortress, Swordsmith
Cost: 1200 Koku
Building Time: 8 seasons
Weapons are produced with a +2 bonus.
LEGENDARY SWORDSMITH
Required: Citadel, Famous Swordsmith
Cost: 1200 Koku
Building Time: 8 seasons
All units built in the province get +3 bonus to their weapons.
PORTUGUESE/DUTCH TRADING POST
Required: Large Castle, agreement to trade with Portuguese/Dutch
Cost: 1000 Koku
Building Time: 8 seasons
You can only have a Portuguese or a Dutch trading post, not both.
Accepting the Portuguese means accepting Christianity as well, while
such a commitment isn't required to trade with the Dutch. These two also
function slightly differently. The Portuguese only gives you access to
the Arquebusiers unit, and you have to build a cathedral to gain
Musketeers. The Dutch trading post grants access to both units
immediately. The catch is you have to wait a lot longer for the Dutch to
show up, and for the first few years only the Portuguese are an option.
TEMPLE
Required: Large Castle
Cost: 1500 Koku
Time: 8 seasons
This allows you to build Warrior Monks. So long as you are not fighting
a Christian army they are easily the best infantry unit, but Christians
do not fear the Buddhist monks the way fellow Buddhist warriors will.
GOLDEN TEMPLE
Required: Temple, Fortress
Cost: 1500 Koku
Time: 8 seasons
A more advanced temple that gives warrior monks a +1 honor bonus.
TEMPLE COMPLEX
Required: Golden Temple, Fortress
Cost: 1500 Koku
Building Time: 10 seasons
The most highly advanced kind of temple you can build gives Warrior
Monks built in that province an additional bonus to +2 honor.
CHURCH
Required: Large Castle, accepting trade offer from Portuguese
Cost: 800 Koku
Building Time: 6 seasons
If you convert to Christianity by agreeing to trade with the Portuguese
you will need some of these. Once you become Christian each province
that has any Christians in it will add a "Percentage Christian" number
to it's right-click description. Churches raise this number highly
within that province and also within bordering provinces. They also
produce the Jesuit Priest unit. You need six churches before you can
build a cathedral.
CATHEDRAL
Required: A citadel, plus six churches built anywhere in your kingdom
Cost:
Building Time:
If you accept Christianity, this structure helps to spread Christianity
throughout your lands and also allows the building of Musketeers at all
Portuguese Trading Posts you control.
GUN FACTORY
Required: Dutch Trading Post, Citadel
Cost:
Building Time:
These allow you to build guns away from the source of your Dutch Trading
Post in other provinces.
GEISHA HOUSE
Required: Citadel, Infamous Ninja House, Famous Tea House
Cost: 1000 Koku
Building Time: 8 seasons
If you can build one of these you are that much closer to winning the
game. Only the most advanced provinces can hold one but with good reason
as Geisha are ridiculously powerful.
UNITS - MILITARY
Just as with the buildings I will go over what is required to build
these units, their cost, and also an attempt at assessing their combat
effectiveness.
SAMURAI ARCHERS
Required: Archery Dojo
Cost: 300 Koku
Archers aren't actually all that devastating in combat in terms of
casualties inflicted, and if they are rushed into hand-to-hand combat
they will be slaughtered badly. But their rain of arrows does have a
substantial effect on enemy morale. Build a few, but they are not a
game-winner without a lot of help. They can also run out of ammo (unless
you turn that feature off). They have an enhanced effect from hilltops
or when enemies try and cross bridges.
YARI ASHIGARU
Required: Spear Dojo
Cost 100 Koku
These guys are not Samurai warriors, just conscripted peasants. They are
not strong in combat and their morale will drop faster than any other
unit - they run away very easily, especially if you order them into a
full-fledged charge against strong opposition. Their long spears make
them more effective against Yari Cavalry than you might suspect, but
overall they are quite weak. Build Yari Samurai instead, unless you are
running short of cash.
YARI SAMURAI
Required: Spear Dojo
Cost: 200 Koku
These guys are not bad for basic Samurai spearmen. They are well
balanced against most units. They are not particularly overwhelming but
so long as they are not thrown in against Warrior Monks (assuming you
are not a Christian army) or Heavy Cavalry they are not bad. They are
good for early in the game and their low cost makes them the core of
many armies especially early on.
CAVALRY ARCHERS
Required: Horse Dojo, Archery Dojo
Cost: 500 Koku
They function very much like basic archers but can move much, much
faster. The only unit that can chase them down if they decide to run are
Yari Cavalry. Just like Samurai Archers they can run out of ammo, and
are better from hills or when enemies are crossing bridges. Because of
their speed they can force an enemy to build a horse dojo or he can be
left with no means of catching these guys.
YARI CAVALRY
Required: Horse Dojo, Spear Dojo
Cost: 500 Koku
They are the basic light cavalry and one of the most effective units
overall, except against spearmen who can hold them at bay. They are also
the fastest unit, and nothing can escape them if they choose not to let
you leave. They are effective against almost everything, but Yari
Ashigaru and Yari Samurai can hold them off for a bit with their long
spears.
WARRIOR MONKS
Required: Temple
Cost: 500 Koku
So long as you are not fighting Christians, these are very powerful, and
even then they remain decent. Other Buddhists are hesitant to wage war
against monks and even fear them to a degree, but the monks have so such
reservations, and are very powerful in combat. Both their attack and
defense are very high, and they hold out well against any kind of
opposition. Also destroying their morale is virtually impossible, as
they have no fear of death. They usually won't run unless defeat is
totally obvious.
ARQUEBUSIERS
Requires: Portuguese (or Dutch) Trading Post
Cost: 100 Koku
These are a basic gunman, and building the Trading Post will always
grant you access to them. Note that these are the most primitive of
guns, and they will not function whatsoever in the rain. They can also
run out of ammo. They should not enter into hand-to-hand combat with
anyone.
NAGINATA
Required: Armory, Famous Spear Dojo
Cost: 400 Koku
Their attacks are better than Yari Spearman, and they are much better
defensively. A good choice for garrisoning castles and also useful as a
support unit in attacking armies. Essentially the best defensive
infantry unit, and when combined well with other kinds of unit they are
very useful.
HEAVY CAVALRY
Requires: Famous Horse Dojo, Armory
Cost: 600 Koku
Simply put, the best unit in the game. Despite being "heavy" (and what
the on-disk manual says about them being "slow") they sill move much
faster than any non-cavalry unit and the have incredible attack and
defense power. One on one, they are the best unit in the game and it
doesn't take many of them to cause large amounts of destruction in the
enemy ranks. These are very expensive to build but rightly so - even
warrior monks have reason to be worried if they decide to charge.
NO-DACHI SAMURAI
Required: Sword Dojo (Thus requires the "legendary swordsman" event)
Cost: 300 Koku
Essentially, the opposite of Naginata. They carry long two-handed
swords. No-Dachi are very good attackers but do not have much defense. I
wouldn't want a whole army of them since they do die if not supported
well, but as a secondary unit or in combination with Warrior Monks they
can cause severe damage. Basically these guys kill fast but die fast too
without armor bonuses.
MUSKETEERS
Required: Dutch Trading post OR Portuguese Trading Post and a Cathedral
Cost: 175 Koku
These are much better guns than the Arquebusiers, as they function in
all weather and also have slightly better range (I think). Again,
remember that they can run out of ammo. Avoid hand-to-hand combat at all
costs, unless you like watching your own army die rapidly.
TAISHO
This is really just your commander in battle. While fighting you will
see his unit displayed with a special banner, usually golden or at least
some color and shape that is distinct from the other groups. You can't
actually "build" these (though every army will have one), but he is
worth noting since if you kill the enemy commander almost every time his
army will flee and run away. Also, know where your commander is and try
not to let him die since your army would probably flee as a result -
remember this when choosing what formation to put your army in. If your
commander is in a group of No-Dachi Samurai for example, perhaps cavalry
should be the front line.
UNITS - OTHER
Not all units are combat units, there are also other kinds of units you
will build and use in the game that still hold important influence.
EMISSARY
Required: Tranquil Garden
Cost: 100
These guys offer alliances to other daimyos and are also very useful as
spies, because unlike Shinobi who try and sneak around in the night (and
often get captured and killed if used as spies) these guys walk around
with a good deal of immunity, and make good spies to let you see who and
what is in enemy provinces. Ninjas and later Geisha are the only way to
kill one. Not surprisingly they are the easiest unit to assassinate.
SHINOBI
Required: Tea House
Cost: 100
I am a big fan of these. They have two things they can do. One, go into
enemy territory and spy. This is actually not a good idea, they will
very often be caught and executed by the Shonobi of other players. But
if left in your own provinces they work as conuterspies, and will kill
enemy Shinobi or Ninja in that province. This is very essential for
protecting important generals - and never leave your heir without
protection of a Shinobi if you don't have to, especially if you only
have one heir. They are very effective at stopping assassination
attempts. Other players cannot see your Shinobi on the map.
JESUIT PRIEST
Required: Church
Cost: 50
These are quite cheap and useful if you are Christian. They can function
as emissaries, but don't send one to a Buddhist daimyo because I promise
his head will come back on a plate. Other Christian rulers will never
kill a priest though. Priests also automatically raise the percentage of
the population that is Christian in any province that they are stationed
in, and this can help to reduce tension within your population who
usually react negatively at first to having their religion converted.
They can be attacked by ninjas and geisha and make fairly easy targets
without shinobi protection. Actually, priests can provide a cheap and
effective distraction, since some Buddhist clans will always try and
target priests, forsaking some perhaps more important targets,
especially if you move priests into their lands.
NINJA
Required: Ninja House
Cost: 200
These are assassins. You send them into enemy territory and target their
generals, or emissary. The higher the person's rank, the lower the
chance for success. You can also try and kill the daimyo and his heir(s)
but this is very difficult. Ninjas gain honor every time they make a
successful kill, and I wouldn't try killing an heir or a daimyo with
less than 4 honor, which is quite difficult to do. Emissaries make an
easy target and if one is just sitting in your provinces spying and you
want to be rid of him this is your chance. If you try and assassinate
someone in a province where that player has a Shinobi you will probably
get captured and executed. You can't see where their Shinobi are hidden
either - that would ruin the point. Overall ninjas are not always that
effective but every once in a while they are very useful, especially for
lowering the morale of troops in Ronin provinces (who will much more
rarely have access to shinobi). Note that these are also the only way to
get rid of a Geisha - but good luck with that. Other players cannot see
your ninja on the map.
THE LEGENDARY GEISHA
Required: Geisha House
Cost: 500
Also Note: Takes 4 turns (one game year) to build
These are ridiculously powerful assassins that border on unstoppable.
They have a remarkable chance to kill targets (even daimyos are not well
protected at all once you get 1 or 2 honor from kills) and unlike ninjas
if they fail to kill their target they DO NOT DIE. They are visible on
the map to your enemy but it doesn't really matter since the only way to
kill one is with a ninja, but the ninjas won't have much of a chance
against her. She is an overwhelming unit which is why it is so hard to
get and also why it takes a full year to train one - the only unit that
can't be trained in one turn. A handful of these = game over for
everyone, else plain and simple. You really don't need more than one or
two unless you're just being mean. UPDATE: I've been e-mailed by a
couple of people pointing out that if one Geisha attempts to assassinate
another, both of them always die. I stupidly deleted the e-mails without
writing your names down for credit, but thanks for that guys.
============
4 - Map Mode
============
You'll spend the majority of your time in map mode, and the decisions
made here are every bit as critical as combat more to your success or
failure. A badly managed kingdom with a large army is just a kingdom
that's one bad harvest away from being a sitting duck for (at least)
four turns (one game year). The core decisions you'll need to make here
are where to station troops, what to build with your resources, plotting
what provinces you want to invade next, and what to do with the non-
military units. Also you'll be faced with the decision to trade with the
Portuguese or Dutch now and again.
First, where to station troops. This is probably the easiest decision to
make. The only place you need mass numbers at any one time is in all
your provinces that border with other kingdoms. You have to protect
yourself from invasion before you can ever think about invading anyone
else. But don't make the mistake of having nothing behind your front
line - the computer does this on lower difficulty, where 95% of their
army is on the front line and if you break through that it is over for
them. If you have castles not on the front line, garrison them so you
have a reserve force behind the front line, yes it increases your upkeep
cost but at least it means if your front line should be broken you at
least have some sort of army remaining. If you see an enemy province is
massing numbers in a province on your border, try and match them or at
least keep it close to deter them from choosing you as a target. Also,
troops in a province affect the loyalty rating of a province. I try and
keep at least one unit (even Yari Ashigaru will do) in every province to
keep loyalty high. And in newly conquered provinces that were under the
control of other rulers for a long time you probably will need at least
2 units in the province for a while to keep the loyalty above 100% - if
it drops below 100% for any stretch of time the province might rebel.
Shinobi can also help you boost loyalty if you are in a jam.
Second, what to build with your resources, both in terms of buildings and
units. There's a common theme that works across most strategy games and this
one is no exception - "strong economy = strong army". If all you do is
concentrate on building what you need to be the first tribe to get heavy
cavalry or warrior monks, sure you'll have some nice units but I doubt you'll
have enough annual income to pay the upkeep for your army, and then what good
is it? If you have provinces that are described as having "rich farmland" then
build the farmland bonuses at every chance up to the 100% Legendary Farmland
bonus, if there is something you can mine then build a mine before anything
else, if you have a coastal province with a castle you should be building a
port there as well for an income boost. These things are vitally important to
being able to go anywhere in this game. Remember all units and structures cost
something to build, and units in play have an upkeep cost every year, so make
sure you have as much annual income as possible to give yourself a decision to
make that isn't "what province should I invade because I am broke and need to
either kill some of my own troops or get more land". There are places where
boosting farmland isn't helpful, like Izu province with it's annual income of
100 koku, where paying 500 Koku to get an annual 20% boost up to 120 koku is
probably not very bright. In that case, it would actually be more beneficial
long-term to pay to build both a castle and a port for a 200 koku per year
bonus. You pay 4 times as much to build those things but you get literally 10
times as much payback (200 koku a year vs. 20). Basically in provinces where
it is sensible to do so, when you have the chance to develop the economic
upgrades first do it.
Choosing where to build military structures and what ones to build are
important as well. If you try and develop every province you have into a
well balanced mecca of destruction I guarantee you will get blown off
the map. Instead I recommend focusing on only a couple of major
provinces that you will build up as your military production centers.
Ideally you want the option of building an armory in that province (iron
sand deposits), and if it can also hold a bonus for a unit that would be
swell. If I had to choose between an armory and a +1 honor bonus toward
one type of unit, definitely go for the province that can hold an
armory. An honor bonus only affects one unit type, an armory affects
everyone. You also want to build a swordsmith at some point in that
province for a weapons bonus to go with the armory as well. Then after
that a palace for a morale boost if you can afford the time and the
cost. Really in terms of structures you don't need to develop all of
them, just develop the ones you plan on using. For example if you plan
on using a lot of cavalry you won't really be needing a Legendary
Archery Dojo, will you? Don't develop secondary structures past the
point where you need them to be, it's a waste of time and money. Develop
the Famous and Legendary Armory and Swordsmith as fast as it's available
because those bonuses will greatly help all the troops you produce. Then
build up your key structures, such as a Legendary Horse Dojo or a Temple
Complex. I would recommend if you have an armory to always make a Famous
Spear Dojo though, so you can get the Naginata unit. They are tough guys
to kill, and work well in combination with both the Warrior Monks and
No-Dachi Samurai.
Remember that every unit (well, aside from heavy cavalry) has a
weakness. If all your opponent is building is Yari Spearmen I wouldn't
go building nothing but Yari Cavalry, since your cavalry will not
perform that well then. You'd be better to just match him with spearmen
and archers, and use cavalry as a secondary idea solely to attack
archers just then. It's important to remember that until you can build
the two really top level units, Warrior Monks and Heavy Cavalry. Even
then I don't build armies of just those two (first of all the upkeep
costs would probably sink you). Always have some archers (either mounted
or on foot), or guns if that's what you have. I usually don't have more
than 5 of any one kind of unit in an army of 16 units, for the sake of
balance. If I see 12 No-Dachi Smaurai coming at me, the solution is
simple - lots of cavalry and archers. But If I send 5 Archers, 3 Heavy
Cavalry, 3 Warrior Monks, 3 Yari Cavalry, and 2 Naginata at you you're
going to have to think hard about what to do next.
Thirdly, plotting what province or provinces to invade. This isn't as
simple as it might first seem. If you move into a spot that you can take
now but can't defend tomorrow, or that taking leaves a gaping hole in
another area, it's not a good take. Don't plot to take a province you
can't hold, and don't take a province if it leaves your old province
exposed to a counter attack. Try and target provinces in a way that the
province you invade from will be immune from counter attack because it
will only be bordered by friendly provinces. Usually, only attacking
these "safer" targets should still leave you with opportunities. Also,
in time as you learn the whole map, try not to invade a province that
can be re-invaded from something like four separate points. Odds are you
won't be able to hold it, unless you have a lot of troops. Also, take
land form into consideration. In each province's description it tells
you a bit about the terrain such as "Mostly lowland which makes it hard
to defend" - those are usually very flat with maybe a few trees, which
means not many terrain advantages for the defenders. The one terrain you
really have to watch out for is any province that says it has a river
running through it. These are by far the toughest provinces to invade as
you have to cross the river at the bridge (or bridges) in the province.
Here, archers will gut your armies quickly, and morale is a problem for
everyone on the attacking team, even Warrior Monks - no one wants to get
mowed down on a narrow bridge. Either bring a 2 or 3 to 1 manpower
advantage, or a lot of cavalry that can rush across the bridges quickly
(and cut the archers to pieces), or both. Be careful with these river
provinces, they can leave you pulling your hair out if you're not
careful - just as they did to many a real general.
Fourth, discussion of the non-military units. Each serves a good purpose
that you can take advantage of. Everyone starts with an emissary and you
should try and use him to get a couple of quick alliances. Granted,
alliances are nothing more in this game than a stalling tactic while you
build armies, but it's still a good thing to try, and if you want to spy
on activities in a certian province they are the safest bet. By the way,
if your emissary is assassinated in the first 7 turns, you know it was
the Imagawa clan that did it - they start with two ninjas in play and
since it takes 6 turns to build a ninja house and 1 more to build a
ninja (never mind moving him) it's pretty obvious who is to blame. The
Imagawa seem to have a fetish for killing my emissary early regardless
of who I play as for some reason.
Next I'll talk about my favourite of these units, the shonobi. In my
opinion everyone should be making use of these guys. They only cost 100
koku to build, can't be killed so long as they stay in your territory,
and they can catch enemy shinobi or ninja that are in your lands. They
don't always succeed at preventing an assassination attempt, but the
percentage is good enough to make them worthwhile investment for
protecting important generals, and especially the daimyo and his heirs -
I absolutely always have a shinobi with every heir in play, since if you
have no heirs and the daimyo dies the game is over, and so I protect
them carefully. They gain honor for every plot they break up, and then
get even better at it. Sadly they can do nothing about The Legendary
Geisha. You can also send shinobi into enemy provinces to spy, and they
will send back word when that clan is preparing to attack someone, but
this isn't really worth it since they can be caught and killed by other
shinobi. Also, shinobi boost loyalty in your provinces if you station
them there, and help destroy loyalty in other player's provinces that
they are stationed in. This can help you prevent rebellion in new
provinces you gain by sending in a shinobi with the invading army.
Basically I put a shinobi in every border province, as well as one with
the daimyo, one with each heir, and one with any general of rank 2 or
more (but really most of those guys should be up on the border provinces
anyway). In the long run I find I am always happy with the investment.
You will need priests if you are going to play as a Christian. Along
with Churches they help boost the percentage of Christians in your
lands, which helps prevent discontent over conflicting religions. But
since building a church in every province (at 800 koku a pop) is not
remotely realistic you will need these guys, who are actually the
cheapest unit in the game. You can send them out as emissaries as well,
but don't bother if the player isn't also a Christian or you'll get to
see his head literally come back on a plate - if he isn't assassinated
first. Other daimyos do not take well to priests in their lands, as they
automatically begin converting people to Christianity and this will
anger the Buddhist groups in a hurry.
Ninjas seem very cool at first but I barely use them. They do not have
the greatest percentage for killing generals with any significant rank,
and trying to kill an heir or a daimyo with less than 4 or 5 honor is
very difficult - and you will quickly discover getting a ninja to 5
honor through legitimate means is almost impossible. The only real way
to do it is keep killing emissaries and (if there are any) priests since
they are weak targets, until you have a decent honor level. They are
still an okay unit but they have to be used sparingly. If you are about
to invade a province try and assassinate a general in that province as
long as he doesn't have negative honor (even if he's honor zero),
because a successful assassination the same turn as an invasion does bad
things for the enemy's morale. This is probably the best use for a
ninja. Also, they are the only way to kill a Geisha, so if you can get a
ninja to 3 or more honor I'd consider pulling him back and having him
sit near your daimyo for the rest of the game, as a security blanket
against a Geisha attack. It might seem excessive, but Geisha can get a
34-50% chance to kill a daimyo fairly quickly and I don't consider any
defense against that a bad idea. Also there is a very nasty trick you
can try with ninja, though it is difficult. When a clan is wiped out,
their lands will mostly go to that clan's allies, or if they have no
allies degenerate into rebel factions. So if you are allied with someone
and want their lands without going to war you could try assassinating
all the heirs and the daimyo for that clan, in the hopes of getting
their land for being such a "good ally". This CAN work, but it is very
risky since sometimes when nijnas are caught (and you will probably need
a few to try this trick) they reveal who they are working for, and that
could cause some very nasty reactions. It is possible, but very
difficult, and I probably wouldn't try it unless there was an heirless
daimyo to target.
The Legendary Geisha are really too powerful, and they can end games
almost single-handedly. Thankfully it is very hard to get them and takes
many, many years to develop a province fully enough to allow their
construction. They take four turns to build, but once you have one it's
big trouble for everyone else. Only ninja can kill them, though they are
adept at avoiding assassination. (Note: I actually assume that Geisha
can also target other Geisha. I've honestly never played a game where
two clans both had access to this unit so I've never seen it tried. The
on-disk manual says only ninja can kill them, but it also says heavy
cavalry are "slow" so I take it's advice with a grain of salt.) They
have an incredible percentage for killing generals and once they have
even 2 honor the heirs and daimyo in play are certainly not safe at all.
Essentially if you build one just send it into enemy territory and wipe
out any targets that are in your path, and you can literally get a unit
powerful enough to win the game assuming you can track down the daimyos.
Although they are highly useful (that is an understatement) they will
take you a long, long time to get to being able to train so don't bank
your whole strategy around Geisha-based assassination. Also remember, a
failed assassination with a Geisha does not mean death for the Geisha,
like it does for a ninja. The ONLY way to kill one of these is to
assassinate them. UPDATE: I've been e-mailed by a couple of people
pointing out that if one Geisha attempts to assassinate another, both of
them always die. I stupidly deleted the e-mails without writing your
names down for credit, but thanks for that guys.
Fifth, what to do about the Portuguese or the Dutch. The Dutch is an
easy decision - when they do finally show up welcome them openly, build
a trading post, and you have access to guns, plain and simple. It's a no
strings attached deal with the Dutch and you should take the opportunity
when it presents itself. Deciding whether to trade with the Portuguese
or not (and the Portuguese will always be the only option for the first
few years of play) is more complicated.
Accepting the Portuguese means converting to Christianity. This will
drastically drop loyalty in every province you control at the time
(though it will come back in time). You gain the ability to build a
Trading Post (though you can't build musketeers with it until you have a
cathedral, just the lesser gunman unit), churches and priests, and
eventually a cathedral. Buddhist daimyos tend to not want to be your
ally anymore as well. I have to admit I don't have much experience
playing as a Christian army. I do know this - it's not cheap. You're
going to have to build churches, and they cost money. Also a few priests
for other provinces as well. Also, you simply cannot build a temple and
use Warrior Monks if you become Christian - building a temple forfeits
your Christian status. The tradeoff advantage for this handicap is that
the Buddhist Warrior Monks no longer have the overwhelming effect on
your no longer Buddhist army. They are still decent but they will not
overwhelm you the way they will with other clans. I have no idea what
happens if you convert to Christianity if you already have warrior monks
in your army, I assume they either automatically revolt or kill
themselves ("seppuku" was the samurai term for an honorable suicide),
one or the other. I've never been stupid enough to try it since I don't
need any more angry warrior monks coming after me than you already will
have. Basically if you decide to be Christian forget about ever having
warrior monks and don't ever build a temple. I also don't know if this
is totally true but in my limited experience playing as a Christian
(with the Shimazu clan for the record) I found my troops seemed to have
lower morale in battle almost by default. That would make some degree of
sense, as one of the prime teachings of Christianity is "thou shall not
kill" - probably not a good idea in a war simulation. Overall in my
experience I didn't find that being Christian was all that good an idea
in this game. My advice is to wait for the Dutch.
If anyone has more experience playing as Christians and has information
to add to this section, my e-mail is at the top of the document. I'd be
happy to include additional information.
===============
5 - Combat Mode
===============
Right off I'll admit I'm no tactical master at this game, and I've spent
the majority of my time on less than the hardest difficulty level. I am
simply a fan of the game who is trying my best to put together an FAQ
for a game that I was shocked to see didn't have one. So right off I'll
say if you are reading this and are confident you have something good to
contribute to this section especially, don't hesitate to e-mail it to
me. My e-mail is at the top of the guide, and remember to have a
relevant subject line.
What I can talk about is the affects of terrain and weather. I'll also
look at how honor level affects combat results. I'm hopeful that reader
contributions will allow this section to develop even more strategies
than that in the future.
One of the things I enjoy a lot about this game is how terrain and
weather have for once been given realistic effects on the outcome of
battle. First, weather. Attackers love clear days, or light wind, while
attacking troops will not be as confident in rain (though if you have a
superior army attacking in light rain should be of no consequence), and
attacking in heavy rain is a mistake. Also, I don't think most troops
enjoy attacking in winter either. Light wind tends to throw archers off
a bit, though it's not overwhelming it is noteworthy. The effect of fog
really depends on how good you are. It's easy to get suckered into a
trap when you can't see very far, but if you can rush the enemy quickly
they can get blown away before they know what happened.
Terrain has more drastic an effect, and it was good to play a game where
the computer not only sought out high ground, but where such an
advantage was exploitable. Basically, up = good. Archers perform better
from height, and units tire out having to chase you up hills. If you are
defending and you have access to a ridge, try and get the enemy to
attack you from that spot. If you are attacking, try and avoid routes
that lead to you chasing enemies up large hills since you will tire out
faster and it isn't good for morale either, and it improves enemy archer
effectiveness. There are other ways to use height to your advantage.
Troops move much slower marching uphill than down (what a concept!) and
if you can chase footsoldiers up a hill with cavalry, you are going to
mow them to pieces very quickly.
Also be aware of forests, and know that the enemy enjoys using their
cover. Units that stand still in trees for a minute become "concealed",
meaning you can't see them until they attack or until you run into them.
This is useful as a defender, hide a few units in the trees and they can
gain the advantage of surprise which seems present in the game. You can
get in a few quick kills and maybe even drop enemy morale a notch as
well. Also, from my experience, you cannot get the unit with your Taisho
(or Daimyo if you've led him into battle) to become concealed no matter
how long they stand around. If you seem to have won a fight but it
hasn't ended, perhaps the enemy has more units hiding in a forest - as a
defender you can even try and earn a time-limit draw (thus defending the
province successfully) by out waiting the enemy this way, though it
isn't easy.
The other major terrain factor is bridges. They are a nightmare for
attackers and a defender's dream. Only provinces with rivers have these
and getting across them is a tough challenge. Obviously, they force
units to pack very tightly together and this raises the effect of
archers significantly. Any units coming across bridges that are under
fire and attack will also suffer huge hits to morale. Don't ever waste
your time sending Yari Ashigaru as the first line across bridges - 99%
of the time they will run away without making it. Really, the only way
through is move fast and hit the archers hard as soon as you can. In my
experience Heavy Cavalry are the only unit that seems truly regularly
effective at breaking bridge defenses, and even then it is not easy.
Never attempt to invade a province that has a river (and thus a bridge)
without a manpower advantage or you will almost certainly lose. If you
are defending a bridge it's fairly simple. Lots of archers (meaning more
than you'd normally use) and enough close combat troops to keep the
enemy held up on the bridge while the archers crush their morale.
Naginata combined with archers (or guns) defending a bridge are very
tough to break.
Finally I want to assess how an honor rating can affect combat, and the
importance of honor level. The custom battle setup helped with this as
you can assign a starting honor. Essentially honor is like your
character level in an RPG game, and it affects your skill. The test was
a very simple one, I performed it with Warrior Monks though it could be
done with any unit. One unit on each team, with equal honor obviously it
is a 50/50 chance on who wins if both groups just rush each other. But
when the attackers are given a +2 honor bonus, it got ugly in a hurry.
My +2 monks killed all 60 enemy monks and I still had 42 of my 60
original monks intact. That's the kind of effect a +2 honor bonus has on
two units that would otherwise be evenly matched, so be wary of enemy
generals with high honor.
===============================
6 - Reader Contribution Section
===============================
People who send in tips on strategy and gameplay will have them listed
here, and be thanked in the credits. If you have something to
contribute, my email is steven99@telus.net.
James Motz contributes the following:
"I just wanted to let you know that the stall tactic
saved my bacon one time - it definitely works if you
are absolutely outclassed and desperate!
I was in Shinano (I think - important to note that it
was very hilly and had tree cover). I had been caught
with my pants down somehow (details are sketchy - this
was a couple years back), and had only 1 unit of yari
samurai facing about 300 enemy troops. But I noticed
that the fools attacked in winter, so I decided to try
and hold them off. In placing my army, I went for this
little thicket of woods on the very top of a hill at
the edge of the map, and just sat there. The battle
started with snowfall, so visibility was down. I just
turned up the gamespeed clock and watched and prayed.
It was rather humorous to see the enemy units marching
back and forth in the valley below, getting more and
more tired, while my samurai just sat waiting. The
timer had almost run out when a unit of enemy yari
samurai finally found me. I was able to hold them off
and the rest of his group couldn't reach me before the
time ran out (though it was very close!). Result: I
lost something like 10 men, killed about 15 or so, and
defeated an army of 300!
To sum it up - the stall tactic works best when the
weather is working for you (rain is ok, but snow is
better), the terrain is to your advantage, and you
have almost no other option.
Another tactic to note is hitting the enemy in the
rear or the flank. In another battle where I was
defending, I had all my units except some yari cavalry
on a hilltop in the woods. The enemy (who outnumbered
me by a lot again) advanced and the battle was nothing
out of the ordinary. But he left his taisho's unit
(samurai archers I believe) sitting on the valley
floor - presumably to keep him out of harm's way. So
that's when my cavalry, who had been sitting in the
trees on the hill across from the rest of my troops,
charged out of the trees and cut him down like the
coward he was!"
More James Motz wisdom:
"Musketteers: These guys work best when in ranks 3 deep. This way the
first rank fires while the back 2 reload. Then they'll shift and repeat.
It maximizes their firepower. And when a couple of units are cranking it
out, nothing can stand up to them. You get high damage and the target
units usually flee after only a couple volleys.
Arquebusiers: Don't expect much damage from these guys. Their value is
in causing other units to break and run. You'll be amazed at how close
they need to be before they'll fire a volley - and how long it takes.
But if they can get a couple volleys off, most foot soldiers will turn
and run. And running units are pretty much free kills for Yari Cavalry.
They're too slow to shift their ranks like musketeers, so string them
out in a long line (2 deep at the most) and get the most bang out of
their volley.
Tactically speaking, I don't think it's possible to be defeated if you
have 4 units of Musketeers defending a bridge on a nice day. Maybe add
one unit of spearmen or naginata just in case. But it's almost
impossible for enemies to get across, form up, and charge before they
break due to the volleys. This applies to cavalry as well as foot. And
blackpowder weapons never seem to run out of ammo in a day. Arquebusiers
can be effective here, but it gets trickier. The enemy might recover in
between volleys and advance, causing your arquebusiers to retreat -
which lengthens further the amount of time before they shoot, which lets
even more guys across. You definitely need more soldiers to fight the
units that make it across the bridge jn order to survive - naginata are
wonderful in this role.
From a strategic standpoint, on switching to Christianity: Try to build
multiple churches at the same time, in different areas of your
territories, so they'll all be done at the same time. Once the first one
is complete, your loyalty will drop in *every* province, so its best to
start their spread from multiple points and be coordinated. Shinobi are
your best bet here - try to have at least one in each province to help
the loyalty rise - they should be there before you start building the
churches. Then start cranking out priests. They are cheap (only 50
koku), so get groups of 3-4. Keep them in one place until the
Christianity level is 100%, then move on. And you should build churches
before you build trading posts to help stabilize your population. If you
want to convert, you need to plan from the beginning so you are ready
and haven't made any Buddhist Shrines (this will be tricky early, but
will make your loyalty problems easier later). Make sure you monitor
your loyalty and move in fast when it drops. The religious revolts cause
armies that are heavy on Warrior Monks - and they're bad news to the
newly Christian Daimyo. Even though your army won't rout at being
ordered to attack them, they are still very dangerous. Yari Cavalry who
charge (at least 2:1 outnumbering the Monks) or lots of spearmen (at
least 3:1 outnumbering) are your best bet. If you have Heavy Cavalry, by
all means charge! But the best way to dispatch them is to not get into
combat with them - use missile troops! And since the whole point of
Christianity in this game is to get blackpowder - use it on them! The
Christian Daimyo also needs to consider getting a cathedral quickly
(which means he needs a citadel) so he can get musketeers. Cathedrals
and citadels will cost you a lot of money and time - some players might
just want to wait until the dutch show up and trade with them. This
takes a long time of game play - don't rely on having those musketeers
until you're getting into some big battles at the end of the game."
Justin Biggs sends the following:
"I'd like to point out the extreme value
of the lighter cavalry, in particular Cavalry archers.
These guys can do it all (or near enough). Here's an
example:
Pack them up high on a hill to shower approaching
infantry when defending. Occupy the attackers with
some good defenders (Naginata are good for this, but
Yari Samurai will suit just fine). As the casualties
rise for the attackers, throw in some No Dachi to
break up the attacker's formations. More often than
not, they will begin to run (which usually causes
other troops nearby such as archers to run as well).
Now have your cavalry archers, who have contributed a
great deal to the enemy dead charge. Harry the
attackers as they flee. Yari Cavalry are also well
suited to this role. Both are fast enough to run down
the fleeing attackers with ease, and can even take
down plenty of spearmen because they're more occupied
trying to flee than to fight. Their honor will
usually shoot up after each battle due to the large
number of kills they rack up when pursuing the enemy,
and the constant harrying keeps the attackers from
reforming. The cavalry archers can also do some great
hit and fade maneuvers, when called for.
My armies are never without them."
===========
7 - Credits
===========
Myself, The Archon, for the construction of this guide.
James Motz for his additions to the reader contribution section.
Justin Biggs for his addition to the reader contribution section.
The two people who e-mailed me about how two geishas will both die if
one tries to assassinate the other. Sorry guys, I forgot to write down
your names but it was appreciated.
James Clavell, for writing "Shogun" - a book that has inspired my own
imagination to no end. It's highly recommendable reading if the story of
this game interests you, and one of the most underrated pieces of
historical fiction ever written.
All the people who spent their hard time working on building this
special game for us to play.
Gamefaqs.com, for allowing me and so many others a chance to write and
read guides such as this free of charge.
Pink Floyd's "The Wall", Rammstein's "Mutter", and Black Sabbath's "Past
Lives" for giving me something awesome to listen to while I worked on
the guide.
If anyone has anything to contribute to this guide, be it corrections or
additional strategy I'd be happy to accept it and I'll give you full
credit, as well as a thanks down here. Please try and include a relevant
subject with your e-mail, something like "Shogun Total War" or "Shogun
guide". E-MAILS WITH NO SUBJECT LINE WILL BE DELETED ON SITE as they
more often than not are spam, or spam w/viruses.
