Help! Takeda on expert

[maroberts]

Anyone got any suggestions for winning with Takeda on expert level ? I've managed to win with Shimazu, Imagigawa, Uesegi, Hojo, Mori; just got Takeda and those yellow guys to go.

I've find producing cavalry too expensive in the early stages and before long I have the Hojos, Imagigawa, and or Uesegi doing their best to take away the eastern Takeda provinces. On the good side I find I can win against the Mori, but my development is so stalled that I get run over a few years down the line...

I don't like cavalry for other reasons too, as I find that every time I get them into a winning battle against some SA, the YS or YA come along as fast as possible and ruin my day. It seems to be very costly in terms of men pulling cavalry out of a battle too, so I'm finding hit and run tactics expensive.

Maybe I'm not cut out to be a real Takeda general, as I find I can always carve up enemy cavalry with archers protected by some nice YS if the cavalry try to get up close and personal.

[ShaiHulud]

A search for Takeda strategy will show that what I'm saying is not new.

Takeda does best by crippling Hojo early. Take Musashi on turn two. Take the capital immediately after. Retreat from the capital, if necessary, but, hold Musashi. Takeda can now reinforce faster than Hojo and can return to finish the work started soon.

In the West, sacrifice. Consider abandoning all but Aki. Hope that Mori inspires loyalist rebellions and gives you free troops
to defend that area.

Cavalry aren't tanks. Don't use YC as assault troops. Their speed makes them best used in flanking and pursuit.

Don't use CA to duel SA. Again, flank, kill the unprotected, inspire defeatism in the enemy by flanking, and pursue the routed foe.

Hope this helps some.....

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Wind fells blossoms, rain
fells steel,yet bamboo bends and drinks

[maroberts]

Thanks for all the tips - the game has just turned round rather strangely. The Oda seem to have been having a lot of problems from the Hojo and thus not sending any major forces in my direction. I was able to trap the Oda daimyo in a castle, and lo and behold, Oda went out of the game, leaving me free to mop up lots of rebel provinces. Hojo took out Uesegi, leaving just me, Hojo [lots] and the rebels in the game.

Just got to beat 10000 Hojo now....

[The Black Ship]

One more obvious thing to remember...make sure when Takeda Shingen is ready to place him in a unit appropriate to his exalted status. In other words KEEP HIM FROM AN ASHI UNIT!

[Puzz3D]

I've played Takeda on expert diffculty a lot, and I would agree with ShaiHulud's strategic and tactical advice.

I did find cavalry too expensive to train early on. So, try to conserve them, and use them to rack up kills by running down routed enemies. You can also sucessfully attack archers if they have strayed too far from their own yari infantry. One other thing you can do with cavalry is draw enemy yari infantry away from the main body thereby weakening it, and then returning quickly to strike at the enemy's rear or flank. Coordinating your own infantry assault with this can often rout the enemy force. One bad thing is that your cavalry will take some losses if they are in the path of the routing enemy troops. Try to get the cavalry out of the way until the routing units pass by.

I especially came to like having yari cavalry around. They have a good combination of speed and power. However, cavalry is difficult to manage in poor visibility conditions since these units are usually quite a distance from your main force and require constant checking.

MizuYuuki ~~~
Clan Takiyama ~~~