Quote Originally Posted by Masamune View Post
Well put, TWD, and welcome to the Org/Sword Dojo. I am not the master ashi user here, but I do use them for 1) garrisons, 2) maintaining parity with enemy troop numbers on my borders to dissuade attack, and 3) arrow fodder on bridge assaults or in attack vanguard escorting shock troops as you described. Only in the Oda campaigns do I use them in combat often, but this may be because I got used to not using them at all online (they were forbidden because early on, players discovered that you could honor/upgrade them up to level 7-9 and make them "Super-Ashis," which could defeat just about anything for the koku, and broke the combat system).

You are using the Huge setting for unit size? I'd not considered the point you make that when using this setting, ashis are the only combat unit you can produce in a single turn. This is very interesting and something I will take advantage of when I finally get off my butt and play a Huge unit game (I play the standard unit size; that's what we almost always used in multi-player so I got used to it).
Thanks for the greetings :)
I'm glad my post gave you ideas for a new strategy but, no, I don't play with 120men units. I can see how pumping 480 Ashis a year out of a single castle is appealing, though.

My point was mostly economical :
Without Ashigarus, you start the game either teching or producing troops, especially if you're not playing Oda. I do hate having a sword dojo that does not produce troops.
With Ashigarus, you can both develop your infra and train troops. Whatever the clan (except maybe for the Uesugi&Takeda) I now systematically start with 2 Ashis in the starting castle.
As usual with Ashigarus, the strategy gets stronger with Oda and lasts longer.

--> Ashis allow a powerful rush because of the limited starting koku supply (expert difficulty). And... a successful rush snowballs into a won game.
I'm sure many do better, but as an illustration, here's the state of the game for SJ campaign Oda save I have.
Summer 1636. All clans are alive. War with Imagawa, Mori, Hojo & no alliance :
Annual income : 8200 ; Profit : 6500.
Western frontier : Harima, Yamashiro --> raids on Mori to soften him.
Eastern frontier : Shinano (Shinano !) & Musashi (Musashi !).
Fortress in Owari (but no farm, yet), fortress in construction in Totomi, where there is also a Sword dojo --> this was accomplished almost exclusively with outnumbering ashis and some archers. Now No-Dachis come online.
I don't have an armoury, yet (I said I was sure many did better, right ?)

It should be stressed that Oda, in the SJ campaign, starts with a 1000+men total army AND a very large farming income if he secures Ise and Yamashiro. Provided you mass your men under your Daymio's command or your heir's, you can storm any direction you want. Personally, I target the kokus then whoever looks like a future danger.


I have no experience of the later campaigns. I imagine Ashis become less effective :
1- against a human player ;
2- as the tech level rises (but they allow a rush which, in turn, prevents rivals to rise their tech level...).