In all the zaniness of the Xmas season, and with so many relatives coming in and out of my parent's house, my mother wasn't able to find it, and sit down translate it with me. Nuts! I was really excited. It will be months before I can return home to sit down with her and look over it. She isn't much of a traditionalist.

In the meantime, I'm supposed to be studying for my medical boards, but I've been playing Samurai Warlords for many many hours. It's my one guilty pleasure for the next few months.

I continue to be amazed at nuances of the game. I wonder though at the incredible use of ninja in the game. The AI seem to use them for all of the daimyo...that's something that I want to doubt was historically accurate. It seems highly dishonorable. I just can't make myself use them. The same is true of flintlocks.

I like what they've done with the Geisha. She was unbeatable before. I wouldn't mind if she was eliminated all together. The Uesugi really seem to have too much of an advantage with their Navy. It's almost like they have an unlimited supply of koku for building fleets.

I wonder what people use as effective combinations for sieges and general attacks. Do the FAQs for Shogun still hold true, or has the strategy changed with Samurai Warlords? Is it far more effective to create huge armies of Ashigaru or does it really matter to create heavy cavalry? I wonder too about the upper levels. Do people find that they can effectively build advance buildings in this mod, or do they only get them by using the .deadringer. cheat? I'm thinking about looking over the replays to pick up clues for effective attack and defense. Has anyone done this?

Thanks for making a wonderful game,
Nakamura