Draksen,
As I said I have not used them much. They are in theory the best defensive unit since they are difficult to kill. In practice I prefer some higher honour yari samurai or ashigaru to hold my line. Why? Two reasons really. The first is that yari troops are better at killing (especially against cavalry), and in a grindig melee it killing that counts. Their higher honour for the koku should help their survivability. The second reason is that yari infantry are faster. Thus your defense is not static. You can respond quickly to threats, or launch counter-attacks, or get out of trouble when necessary. Naginta are just too slow to do this. Oh, and they get tired more quickly as well, which effects their morale and effectiveness.

Interesting Naginta are could at assaulting bridges and establishing a beach-head. In these situations their longevity is essential, enabling them to succeed were the lightly armoured yari troops would be slaughtered before help could arrive.


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"Put 'em in blue coats, put 'em in red coats, the bastards will run all the same!"