Fun with Shinobi

[Martok]

Now that I finally have a new PC, I've reinstalled Shogun and have been playing a Hojo campaign on & off this last week. And I have to say, I'd forgotten just how effective the Shinobi can be!

I had gotten stuck in a "cold war" with the Uesugi -- both of us had built up significant forces along our mutual border, and I was looking for an opportunity to break the deadlock. That opportunity came when I realized the Uesugi had absolutely no troops stationed in Dewa, which as most of you know is one of their richest provinces (along with Echigo and Mutsu). Acting quickly, I trained and dispatched a group of 6 Shinobi to foment unrest there.

The results were both immediate and gratifying: All of Dewa rose up in rebellion, forcing the Uesugi to divert army units from other parts of their domain to put down the uprising. I then moved my Shinobi over to Echigo and provoked another rebellion. I went on to repeat this tactic over and over, moving my 10 Shinobi (I eventually sent in another 4 Shinobi to reinforce the first group) back & forth between the two provinces, fomenting discontent among the local populace.

The poor Uesugi simply couldn't do anything to stop the phenomenon. They would put down one rebellion in Echigo, only to have another one immediately spring up (yet again) in Dewa. I've never really made the AI play "Whack-a-mole" before; and I have to say it was pretty hillarious! I actually started to feel a little bad for my enemy (even though he was contantly sending Ninja and Shinobi into my territory).

As amusing as my spies' antics were, however, they were only a means to an end, as I'd procured their services mostly to distract the Uesugi from focusing their efforts on me. I finally launched my long-planned (and admittedly very overdue) invasion of their territory in 1545. I landed an army in Echigo by sea that spring, and attacked Mutsu from Sozuke(sp?) & Hitachi in the autumn. Summer of 1546 saw the conquest of Dewa as well, after which the enemy gratefully accepted my offer of a ceasefire.

It should be noted that throughout my campaign against the Uesugi, my Shinobi (all of whom had 5 stars by now) were there to ensure the Uesugi had to fight not only myself, but a bunch of rebels as well. Their effect was especially spectactular in Echigo, where I was facing the unappetizing prospect of a bridge battle. So imagine my pleasant surprise when the rebel army that appeared there allied with me on the spot and drove off the Uesugi for me! Thanks to them, I conquered Echigo without a single Samurai lost.

I realize that the tactic of utilizing Shinobi the way I did is pretty "gamey", and I doubt I'll use is that much from now on. But oh, how I laughed as I watched them wreack havoc on my enemy....

[Sasaki Kojiro]

Yes that's always been fun. Although I never got the AI to take back the rebel provinces. What usually happened was I sent a bunch of shinobi over, the province rebelled, the AI abandonded it and then when I went through I had to fight all the rebels I'd created

[Martok]

Really? That just surprises me, given this most recent experience of mine. I must've stirred up about a dozen rebellions in Echigo & Dewa, but the Uesugi moved to supress every single one. (Perhaps the AI will try to hold onto provinces that are of a certain value?) The only time they actually abandoned the province entirely was when my daimyo personally led an army into Dewa -- Uesugi quite correctly calculated that he couldn't face the combined forces of both the rebels and myself. Aside from that one time, however, the Uesugi never just abandoned a province to the rebels I stirred up.

[Sasaki Kojiro]

Perhaps the rebellions I created were too large...I was sending 20 or 30 shinobi. Also I don't usually allow the enemy to build large armies, so they would have more trouble putting out rebellions.

[Martok]

Ah, that could be it. Most of the rebellions I riled up were usually only around 300-500 men apiece, which proved to be easy enough for the Uesugi to handle.

So perhaps I've stumbled onto the "ideal" numer of Shinobi to use? Well either way, I certainly won't complain about the results!

[caravel]

Shinobis were very powerful in STW, much moreso than spies in MTW. I did once use the cheesy tactic of building nothing much in many of the provinces I conquered but simply keeping about 3 high honour Shinobi there, then pressing forward. That way you don't have to wait while a province acclimatises to your rule nor build anything in the province.

I've been meaning to ask this stupid question for ages: The one thing I've never understood in STW, well I may have understood it once but I can't remember that now, is the way ports work. What factors determine if an enemy stack can simply jump from one of it's provinces with a port into your province with a port and vice versa?