omine-san
10-03-2001, 18:32
Guess many know this, but anyway...
I found shinobi to be a better investment than mines. Playing Mori, by 1538 I had 20 shinobi (the Tajima fine brand) and most of Oda's lands, punitive (125%) tax rates and all provinces above 110% loyalty, by use of shinobi in newly conquered provinces. On a gross income of about 7500, this represents over 1800 koku yearly profit. And they don't cost to upkeep too. Also it sppeds up your progress by freeing your troops to advance faster after a conquest.
A trick against rebels : usually 1 unit of even one soldier is enough to keep then from entering a province. In winter, take the guarding unit out of a nearby province (that has no buildings, of course). The ronin will invade every time with at least one unit. Then you can take both provinces one by one, easier. At the end of summer, which is the deciding season for controlling provinces that count for income at autumn, you have them both, and 2 wins rather than one. A possible bonus is when you rout them, they have nowhere to go and disappear - no siege. I find this a nice trick in the early years when every unit counts.
In defending river provinces against high odds, place your archers back from the river in a wide circle, not in range of the bridge. let the first units cross and advance a little, and turn off 'fire at will'. When the first units march inm send your melee troops from flanking positions and one from the front. Make sure the area they fight in is out of range of enemy archers - that's why your archers need to be farther back, to take enemy archers out of the equation. Use archer fire to help rout enemy troops, starting about when they start marching in after arranging themselves at the bank, until they engage; don't fire when they are routing, just chase with troops. Repeat as necessary. Finally the enemy archers march (since they have no other troops...), and you attack all out - don't let them get settled on the bank. I found this tactic good against worse than 1:3 odds, even with inferior troops. if the enemy daimyo is in the battle, let him advance all the way to your archers, then trap him.
I find Mori to be the toughest to win with : poor lands, as Shimazu, but no benefit of a small front. The time pressure is the hardest - you got to get to the happy hunting ground in the east before one of the clans there gets unbeatable.
By the way, I never get to make guns or heavy cavalry anymore, or even much upgraded troops anymore - either the campaign is over in about 20 years, or I fail.
I found shinobi to be a better investment than mines. Playing Mori, by 1538 I had 20 shinobi (the Tajima fine brand) and most of Oda's lands, punitive (125%) tax rates and all provinces above 110% loyalty, by use of shinobi in newly conquered provinces. On a gross income of about 7500, this represents over 1800 koku yearly profit. And they don't cost to upkeep too. Also it sppeds up your progress by freeing your troops to advance faster after a conquest.
A trick against rebels : usually 1 unit of even one soldier is enough to keep then from entering a province. In winter, take the guarding unit out of a nearby province (that has no buildings, of course). The ronin will invade every time with at least one unit. Then you can take both provinces one by one, easier. At the end of summer, which is the deciding season for controlling provinces that count for income at autumn, you have them both, and 2 wins rather than one. A possible bonus is when you rout them, they have nowhere to go and disappear - no siege. I find this a nice trick in the early years when every unit counts.
In defending river provinces against high odds, place your archers back from the river in a wide circle, not in range of the bridge. let the first units cross and advance a little, and turn off 'fire at will'. When the first units march inm send your melee troops from flanking positions and one from the front. Make sure the area they fight in is out of range of enemy archers - that's why your archers need to be farther back, to take enemy archers out of the equation. Use archer fire to help rout enemy troops, starting about when they start marching in after arranging themselves at the bank, until they engage; don't fire when they are routing, just chase with troops. Repeat as necessary. Finally the enemy archers march (since they have no other troops...), and you attack all out - don't let them get settled on the bank. I found this tactic good against worse than 1:3 odds, even with inferior troops. if the enemy daimyo is in the battle, let him advance all the way to your archers, then trap him.
I find Mori to be the toughest to win with : poor lands, as Shimazu, but no benefit of a small front. The time pressure is the hardest - you got to get to the happy hunting ground in the east before one of the clans there gets unbeatable.
By the way, I never get to make guns or heavy cavalry anymore, or even much upgraded troops anymore - either the campaign is over in about 20 years, or I fail.