Greetings fellow strategy gamers,
As a veteran of every TW game, starting with the original Shogun, I am perplexed by this game. Granted I haven't played for a couple of years, but I remember enough (and have read enough threads here) to know that this one is special. My son got me the game and the expansion pack with the Otomo, so I'm losing my third attempt at the Otomo on hard.
I might have won the first two attempts if I had read the guides here ahead of time. I should have consolidated my empire once I reached 4 or 5 provinces. I especially should have paid more attention to diplomacy and trade. I don't see any way I could have won the third attempt, but it's not quite over yet.
In the first game, I defeated the clan to my west (sorry, I haven't memorized the names yet) to gain a total of 5 provinces. I then decided to continue blocking the crossing to my island (as I have done every game) with my navy and take the southern island before moving on to the main island. I would not have been over stretched had my dishonorable purple allies to the south not attacked me from behind as I was preparing my second invasion of the island. Once that happened, a random clan attacked my navy opening the crossing from the big island to my enemies to the east. It was a rout from there.
In my second game, I blocked the crossing and defeated my enemy to the west, then decided to clear my island before going any farther. When I attacked my dishonorable allies, I lost their trade and immediately went bankrupt. I could still hold my own, until a random clan declared war and landed in an undefended province by sea. Game over.
I don't want to cut my difficulty setting. I already gave up very hard for hard in Empire, but I might have to start with an easier clan. Still, this clan was a gift from my son, so I'll give it a couple of more tries before I go to an easier clan. Any pointers would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Ed
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