Quote Originally Posted by HopAlongBunny View Post
Jarmam I think your advice is applicable to all factions. Gunpowder is really that good! Oda was the first Christian Shogun I ever mananged and gunpowder was the key :)
I seriously doubt it, though I havent tested it except with Ikko (whose Ashigaru units admittedly are both insultingly weak and ludicrously expensive, their archer ashi is the weakest unit in the game). What makes it work for Oda is a combination of 99% independance of Chi arts, a ridiculously 33% cheaper 20+% more effective Yari Ashigaru unit, the ability to spit out almost 3 full stacks in 20 turns, the complete independance on allies (apart from Kiso, who is a trade partner with sprinkles) and the ability to instantly reinforce no matter where its required. If you try the same with, say, Date, I would predict that you'll fall apart to a Hatakeyama or purple (whatever their name is) samurai stack assault long before you get matchlock ashigaru - and even if you do get them I doubt that'll do you any good. No matter whom you trash, the next enemy will be better prepared, and with a 50% higher upkeep you simply cannot rely on Yari Ashigaru with any other faction. Not only are they weaker and rout faster, there is also a criminal lack of them. On top of that you will usually fight the two most fearsome alliances (being Hattori+friends and Takeda/Hojo/Imagawa) on the map right away as Oda, when they are the weakest and you are the strongest. If either alliance gets the 30+ provinces combined and you run into them with just ashigaru stacks they will break you in half in a bilisecond, rifles or no rifles.

Is it possible to fight with Yari Ashis as your core with another faction for the entire game? Probably - but not anywhere near as easily. Even with someone like Uesugi I had to switch to Katanas much quicker than I wanted since monks take too long to get to. If I ever rely on Ashigaru its to stall for my real units teching in the main keeps. You cannot ever beat the upkeep efficiency of samurai with other factions and on Legendary upkeep is the destroyer of worlds for you. I use 8 No Dachis in my stacks as Date for this very reason and base my tactics around it - not because its the most fearsome but because its the cheapest for its effectiveness.