Conversion to Christianity?

[A Nerd]

I never really learned to use muskets effectively. Always developed them once the Dutch would visit though. Never converted to Christianity with the Portoguese. Never really wanted to sacrifice my warrior monks, I am a real infantry buff! From reading this thread though it would seem you can be christian and raise warrior monks too though. Call me strange, but I think I would feel alittle guilty doing that though...mabey I'm afraid of dishonoring those fanatical monks, I don't know!

[gollum]

Not being able to use muskets happened to all starting players with STW - once you get the hang of it, you'll realise what terrifyingly effective units they are especially in MI that they are far more powerful than in the original release.

There is an thread here from the Samurai wars sub-forum, as to how to use guns. It is written for multiplayer but the same principles apply:
https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showt...p?71538-Teppos

Some of the principles are for more advanced play, but nonetheless all are good info.

[ReluctantSamurai]

As has been already pointed out, you can gain access to guns quite early by accepting the Portuguese offer. I never wait for the Dutch as I can have muskets (rather than the arquebus) long before they arrive. I seem to recall having them as soon as 1560 (with a 1530 campaign) or 1565 (muskets, that is.....I never use the arquebus for very long).

I don't know which version you play, but in WE, the 1580 campaigns will have at least 3 Daimyo's converted to Christianity already, and the arquebus as field units. With some clans (particularly Oda and Shimazu) the musket will not be far behind. As Oda, the 1580 campaign will be nearly impossible without guns. I've always thought it to be the ultimate nightmare challenge for a STW player to play that campaign without guns I can't even imagine trying it, myself, and that's my favorite, most often played campaign..............

@ Jef

Once you get the hang of them, teppo can be as devastating on the attack as they are on the defense. You have to use them quite differently, of course, and you have to be very careful what type of terrain you use them on, because they are a direct line-of-sight type of fire. One of their very best uses on the attack is taking a bridge province. When enemy melee units turn their backs to return to their positions (after routing your sacrificial lambs) they take devastating fire in their rear and the morale-breaking effect of guns is amplified to its' greatest extent. Only very high honor units led by a high honor Taisho/Daimyo has any chance at resisting, and even then they often don't.

My suggestion is to set up some practice battles and try out some of the different techniques presented in the link that gollum was so kind as to provide........

[cori]

Convert or not convert? For me it depends on a clan I am playing..
Mori-never.. Uesugy and Hojo –no real need.. All other –convert immediately..
Main benefit-you not depends on good harvests so much…Very easy you can make trade and cathedral income equal yours farm ones, dubling totals. When in bad year will be only 12.5 % drop in total money.
And I never been fond of monks, if not play Mori-there are too expensive..

[caravel]

Welcome back cori,

Yes it's a very clan dependent thing. While most clans have a lot to gain, i.e. the Shimazu, Oda and Imagawa with their poor farmlands and split or exposed territories, with others the gains are not so pronounced or in the case of Mori, they lose the Monks their clan is focused around.

Trade and cathedral income are huge however, so even the Mori that, as with the Shimazu, start with poor farmlands can benefit greatly.

The Uesugi, Hojo and Takeda, have access to richer lands, so conversion is not really a necessity for them. The Uesugi also have the cheaper, archers making teppo a little less useful, the Hojo can build cheaper castles meaning income is not as stretched and the Takeda are more cavalry focused, so it makes more sense to spend your koku on these than on teppo units. It's by no means a rule though - a very individual thing.

Aside from the obvious advantages of teppo units and cathedral/trade income already discussed, there are other benefits of conversion. Your units will no longer suffer the morale penalty when facing the Warriori Monks, also because your lands differ religiously from most of your rivals, invaders will find it hard to hold down your provinces. This works the other way as well of course, but isn't a problem if you send in the priests en masse for a few seasons prior to invasion.

[Brandy Blue]

Send in the priests? I thought that conversion in STW was done by churches and cathedrals, or temples if Bhuddist, and that these buildings work on nearby provinces as well. Do the priests play a role in conversion?

[gollum]

a massive role BB. use them next time ;)

[caravel]

Send in the priests? I thought that conversion in STW was done by churches and cathedrals, or temples if Bhuddist, and that these buildings work on nearby provinces as well. Do the priests play a role in conversion?

Conversion works similarly to that in MTW. Priests, churches, the cathedral, buddhist temples and buddhist emissaries all play a part.