Tsu guides, hints and tips

[easytarget]

Anyone going to take a stab at this one? I was trying this clan out earlier today and no matter which way I attempted to manage the start, it ended badly. The Tsu are surrounded on all sides by Shogunate supporting clans, the one or two that aren't are destroyed before half a year is out. The result after that is a steady stream of stacks coming in from at least four directions.

[easytarget]

Come on, someone has to of tackled the Tsu and live to tell about it.

[easytarget]

I kept at it, guess I'm a gutton for punishment. While I did complete and win the campaign where I flipped allegiance, so as a tactic that one proved sound, and for the clan, even in character, I still wanted to complete the campaign as it was served up, winning on behalf of the imperial side.

The opening year or two are the thoughest, as mentioned previously you're surrounded by shogunate clans, and a couple imperial who are so weak as to be useless.

The key to early survival for me, were a few things:

1. even though i don't like doing this most of the time, spend most of your early income on units and expand (i did however on research stick with what I prefer to do, research mostly the civil side, except you do need one cannon upgrade and kneel-fire)
2. take omi once it's tee'd up after about one turn as a mission
3. consider upgrading one level on castle, this province will be hit repeatedly by half stacks from every concievable direction and every other turn Obama will swing down and hit you
4. next take kyoto, you need provinces, they need to be in an early defensible core, this province fits that, getting around the water in front or mountain at back make this nearly a one entrance province, same for your home province (where you can btw crank out units, so get barracks there)
5. rest and regroup, continue to try and survive the waves of stacks from surrounding shogunate clans, get used to playing sieges and winning them, and then counter attacking - in fact, counter attacking their provinces and looting them and retreating is one of the key ways I kept myself funded during the early onslaught
6. You can't ignore Obama forever, they will never stop attacking you, ever. There will be at least one other clan in your vicinity doing the same thing. So conduct a rear guard action on everyone else, and focus attacking Obama and whichever other clan that's close that won't stop pounding you: make both of them vassals. This provides buffer to your core and trading partners. And in the case of Obama, since they are an expressionistic clan, you've effectively taken one of your primary shogunate clan threats out of the game and converting them to the Imperial side.

Get through this phase of the Tsu campaign and the rest is pretty much a standard campaign you can manage fairly easily.

Net-net: This was one of the more enjoyable challenging campaigns I've played, I'm glad I stuck with it.