Oda Campaign

**Sasaki Kojiro** · 03-10-2008, 22:21

Some time ago I got the idea to do an Oda campaign using only ashigaru. Make it more challenging maybe, a little bit different, less of a rush game. Started it today.

Game settings:
1550 campaign
expert
morale, fatigue,limited ammo on
no samurai (except bodyguards)

Just my luck, a rank 4 and two rank 3 generals. Well, they have to go.

A nice 5 star heir to start! Oda Nobunaga. Not much variety in my build queue. I sent an emissary to Imagawa, but he refused alliance. That same turn his emissary offered me alliance

thought it was weird but later noticed that he had a level 6 emissary. Guess his strategy has it's benefits. The plan is to build up my economy, tech up my provinces, and train lots of ashigaru while slowly advancing. I'll need to wait for the Portuguese to come, then build six churches and a cathedral. Will take a while. I'm hoping there will be some actual teched up opponents with large armies to fight.

After three years I'm ready to invade Mino. Has an armory so it will be one of my main troop producers eventually. My emissary got assassinated, I trained to more but they both got killed instantly. Madness.

10 years in now and turning christian. Ise had a temple, when I destroyed it loyalty jumped 50% instantly. You'd think that would just make people mad. Using my daimyo in battles to try and get him to level 4. Iga will be my special units province, I plan on getting some geisha and assassinating the allies of my biggest enemy so that all their forces join together :)

Almost a disaster! While assaulting a castle in Iga, I looked and saw 20 Samurai archers, so I charged my daimyo in with speed on 100%. Turns out there was a 3 man battlefield ninja unit in there. Oda barely escaped with his life

The arq unit took care of the last ninja as you can see.

Mori attempted an invasion of Kawachi. Seems they've expanded more than I thought. Checking the throne room, they have shikoku and from buzen to Harima. Goody :) But I can't let them take kawachi, that would leave me with too many border provinces. So I took three this turn. Mori invaded Kawachi at the same time as me, but decided not to fight. After this during the next few years I built citadels in yamashiro and Mino. The plan is to train yari ashigaru in mino, yamashiro, owari, and omi. Two provinces with honor bonus and two with iron sand. Then I'll train muskets in Ise and it's neighbor, as well as Wakasa once I take it. Speaking of which...

Finally, an attack worthy army! Unfortunately I only have three muskets. Somewhat intimidating that the AI is confident enough to attack me even though it's supposed to be defending. We'll see if those warrior monks and samurai archers make mincemeat of my peasants or not. That army was in the woods but is charging out, you can see I'm still maneuvering.

Having hastily turned myself to face my foe, I am lucky to be ready quick enough. Even so, I would have like to have gotten those flankers out to the sides quicker. My muskets have the high ground and the enemy is advancing into the valley.

The battle is met! I wasn't quick enough to micro effectively. Something to work on for the later battles. As you can see the middle musket unit is firing at the enemy through my unit. Not ideal. The one closest to the camera got caught by a warrior monk unit and is wavering (not routing). The other one is firing into the back of some monks as they engage my peasants. Excellent. If my muskets hadn't killed monks as the charged my ashi's would probably be routing by now (rebel general is 4 star). I put my armored ashi's in the center and sent the ones with improved weapons to flank. Two units have made it around back (including nobunaga himself) and are charging in.

The monk unit that got hit from behind, an ashi unit that got flanked, and the monk unit that was being shot at all routed and ran right through the enemy taisho who turns tail as well. Rest of army chain routed and ashi chased them down.

This strategy certainly leads to heavy losses. However the cost of all the men lost is less than the cost of a single warrior monk unit. The armored ashi's seem to survive pretty well.

We'll see where it goes from here...

**Martok** · 03-11-2008, 01:03

Awesome.

Are you going to focus on the Mori next then?

**Spongie** · 03-11-2008, 04:09

Wow

I have to admit, I never use ashigaru in the campaign (barely even gunpower weapons) so it's interesting to see a campaign exclusively based around them. It's almost like a peasant revolt!

(Hmmm, might be a challenge as the rebels.....)

**Martok** · 03-11-2008, 06:58

Originally Posted by Spongie

Wow

I have to admit, I never use ashigaru in the campaign (barely even gunpower weapons) so it's interesting to see a campaign exclusively based around them. It's almost like a peasant revolt!

(Hmmm, might be a challenge as the rebels.....)

Yari Ashigaru are suprisingly useful in the right situations. You generally don't want to employ them in a frontal assault, obviously, but they can do very well as flankers and when defending a set position. I always have some YA in my main armies -- you never know when they'll come in handy.

**Wasp** · 03-11-2008, 09:36

Doing good, Sasaki! If you wouldn't mind, could you tell something about your battle tactics with the ashigaru?

**Drisos** · 03-11-2008, 12:31

Another wow! Doing great!!

This kind of style creates a cool campaign. In stead of rushing over all enemies in a few years, it takes longer to build up some territory and it's big armies vs. big armies. Big battles.

I think it will be a cool campaign!

Thanks for this! I hope to read more!

**Spongie** · 03-18-2008, 06:04

Originally Posted by Martok

I always have some YA in my main armies -- you never know when they'll come in handy.

Oh, just remembered, I did find a use for yari ashigaru. You know when you're assaulting a bridge and need a cheap, expendable unit or two to draw fire...? Oh, boyyyys...