This post is based totally on analysis of other posts on this forum (most attention has been paid to the 'tested' accounts.

In classic STW, a decent opponent will generally attempt to flank units all the time, the problem with missile units is that they need to be micro-managed, it appears that Skirmishers ARE 'deadly' in a frontal attack scenario (and they even destroy units in the trees) but I would hazard a guess that an army like Maggy's 'fun' army could make mincemeat of it - even in hands like mine, Cavalry Archers could pepper and withdraw from these units (espeacially on the bigger x-pac maps) untill they run out of ammo - or near to it - and I have visions of Cavalry charging in 2 or 3 ranks at the Skirmishers (could someone tell me how the 2-rank thing works?) then when the cavalry are engaged the foot-soldiers come in when the 'armies of rome' are in contact and unable to fire...

that is just another scenario...I think it is an interesting trap for the Japanese, do they take a 'solid' army of high armour/honour YA to withstand the Monguls, spurning cavalry against the superior mongul horse or do they take a flexible 'light' army to 'dance like butterflies' and 'sting like bees' against the 'pseudo-romans' which was after all how the period of the Roman Legion was finished in reality...

The answer of course is to aim for a balance that is relativly stable against both without gaining an unassailable advantage or giving one away, but that is easier said than done, try putting a 'classic' STW army together that can defeat Maggys standard army and then can turn around and slaughter a monk or no-dachi rush...the extra mobility needed to fight maggy on his level is more succeptable to monks, spears, and guns.

The choice left you in the 'original' was in my opinion to aim for one of three 'optimum' psitions

- an army of light mobility (difficult to control)
- an army of sheer power (sledgehammer and inflexible)
- a perfectly balanced force (holy grail - almost impossible to find, if found - far more powerful than the other two optimums)

In multiplayer Shogun, there are six basic elements to the tactical battle: Shock, Mobility, Armour, Morale, Firepower, Fatigue

every army is obviously a compromise on the above, the Korean Skirmishers appear to hold a moderate shock value, foot-soldier speed, moderatly high armour, (no information on morale), and massive close-range firepower, fatigue not being important here

from this we see that the optimum army to face them would consist of a highly mobile, long range firepower army (to play at weakness, but that kind of army is oh so difficult to control effectivly) or an army with the same pre-requesites to attempt to batter it into submission, unfortunatly the Japanese do not have that option, unless high armour Naginata are 'safe' against the Skirmishers.

The Japanese have a choice, fortunatly their saviour comes in unlikely form - Naginata Cavalry, able to face off against Mongul Heavy Cavalry and quick enough to attack Skirmishers w/out significant losses (if used in lines) in that unit the Japanese have the apparant answer to the question,

If facing a 'balanced' Mongul army which contains both 'bogey-men' (MHC and KR) in quantity couldn't the Japanese therefore produce their own 'bogey man' in the form of an army dominated by Naginata Cavalry?

That is the point here, in discussing the two 'unbalanced' units of the game and then settling ourselves down saying 'its fine - they can be effectivly countered' surely if we can find a unit which can successfully counter both - we find the real 'uber-unit'...'No!' you rightly answer, Naginata Cavalry are too easily killed, their armour is too low, they are more expensive than Skirmishers, they are succeptable to Spears, so what? the answer to an army of NC is an army of korean spear-men?

so we find why I love Shogun, search for a unit that is 'unbalanced' we keep finding that units are better than that unit until we find the greatest humbler of all, korean peasents being better than the 'best' unit...just like in the original game, we have a beautiful circle, just a different one...
YS beat YA
ND beat YS
NAGI beat ND
WM beat NAGI
HC beat WM
YA beat HC

and this is why we have a perfectly balanced game and no ground to argue in my opinion...

feedback please...agree or not?