Expert Level Starting Strategy: Wuss Rebel Provinces

[jskirwin@yahoo.com]

I think I stumbled upon something while playing my first Expert level game as Uesugi.

The rebel armies only invade empty provinces?

I've been able to hold a province against a moderately sized rebel army with just a few dozen ashi. This permits me to move my forces to face the real baddies (Oda looming to the west of the blood stained hills of Shinano). If something happens to a weaker daimyo without an heir, his territories go ronin. I lightly man the neighboring provinces, and use them as a barrier with some better armed daimyo. Once I've gotten strong enough, I then invade the rebel provinces

Shouldn't the Rebel Provinces have bigger "chin-chin"s?

Regards
JK

[Maltz]

Yes! In expert level, AI seems to be VERY reluctant to invade rebel provinces and another AI daimyo. Actually I think they put extra weak border defense compared to what they do to us http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/mad.gif

People say the early rebels (almost) do not attack us unless we make a border province "look" empty. This can happen if we move the entire small army in this province to attack the province where they are.

I put the term "almost" because I also have the experience of being attacked by robels in the very early years, even if I put some men on there...

However, I don't know how to distinguish a agressive rebel from a peace-loving one. From experience, I guess the rebels are more aggressive if (1) they have a large army (2) they want to revenge - bcz their daimyo was just killed by me. http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/smile.gif However, I have also encountered cases where the horde are not so united.



[This message has been edited by Maltz (edited 07-11-2001).]

[Jaxem]

Greetings,
The Rebels seem to change from game to game. I assume it depends on how much heat they are taking from the other daimyos. As Shimazu I have been attacked from the rebel island a few times when my provinces were garrisoned by 1 SA and 1 YS while their force had the same but one more YS. Other times I have had one SA and they have more units than that and they stand still.
The times that they have stood still and not attacked I notice that Mori had a foothold in their island when I got there.

-J

[jskirwin@yahoo.com]

Jaxum
I seem to recall, now that you mention it, that the AI was pretty aggressive attacking Kyushu and Honshu from Shikoku in other games - so maybe it's just this particular game where they're wusses.

If so, kudos to the coders; Uncertainty is one of the things that makes this game real (Imagine the uncertainty Oda, Toyotomi and the others faced in reality).