Kensai

[R'as al Ghul]

To ask a possibly stupid question, why are the Kensai being included at all? I mean yes, they're great fun to play around with, but they're not exactly the most balanced unit. I figured given that SW was being developed by Shogun veterans, that you guys would have gotten rid of the "sword saints" (not to mention the Battlefield Ninja) straight away. I'm not trying to beat a dead horse or anything, but I am curious as to why this is.

Hi Martok,

the Multiplayer core group prefers a minimalistic approach. If it was only for us we'd probably leave the Kensai and the BattleNinja out. As it is now they're balanced in the MP stats, though. (made a mistake here, Kensai is not available in MP) Kensai is 1200 Koku and will die when charged across the nomansland. It's very susceptible to missile fire. The BattleNinja (800 Koku) can be wiped out by a cav charge. Both of these units are hardly used in MP, though. Some people bring BattleNinja occasionally and they can be effective because they're not expected.
Afaik, both units were hard to balance but since there're no upgrades in MP these units can be included.

SP is a totally different animal. Look at the posts and you see what people want. They're just not satisfied with the fact that Sengoku Jidai is a very restricted affair, in matters of period, geography, weapons, etc.