Oda 1550

[Sasaki Kojiro]

In my Imagawa campaign, I found a way around one of the problems that can make Shogun campaigns boring: the set path to victory (first turn send troops from Kai and Sagami into musashi and move troops from west into aki etc etc). But the problem I was left with was that the battles were too easy and that the best strategy was to pump out as many samurai archers and yari samurai as possible.

So in this campaign, I seek to rectify both of those problems. First, I went into troopstats.txt and gave all units +4 morale and +2 defense (except gunners who I gave -2 morale and defense). Basically, I was sick of the enemy armies routing before I'd even finished my flanking maneuver.

Second, I decided to not train any yari samurai, samurai archers, warrior monks, or naginata cavalry as those are the best units in the game. Muskets are powerful too but I weakened them a bit and they have novelty value anyway.

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https://img140.imageshack.us/img140/...0000004fh7.jpg

Excellent, I'm burning a 4 star general and two 3 star generals

I send Nobuhiro and four units of ashigaru to Mino.

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Love the 120 man units! My spears make short work of their cavalry. I get a legendary swordsman in the first battle! Lucky, without monks I'll be needing the nodachi.

https://img98.imageshack.us/img98/7160/00000015me7.jpg

I plan to get Naginata infantry asap. I'll need them against the monks.

https://img222.imageshack.us/img222/159/00000020tu6.jpg

The next couple years are building years. With the horse dojo complete in owari, I train my first unit of cavalry archers. I also get my first heir, Oda Nobunaga, a 5 star general. Imagawa has left Mikawa lightly guarded in his attempts to take Shinano. I will take the chance to secure the border.

I send my daimyo over to distract them and then charge over the armored ashi's and cavalry archers. I send the ashi's after the lone yari sam unit, my daimyo into the enemy taisho (I forget how much weaker the hatamato is on the 120 man unit setting), and my cavalry archers into another archer. I don't like the matchup much but they have 2 weapon upgrades and I don't want them showering my ashigaru with arrows. I'm impressed by the way the battle goes, the fighting is slower (no doubt 120 man helps as well as the beefed up defense) and the units don't rout to fast.

https://img228.imageshack.us/img228/...0000024bx2.jpg

I kill 430 and lose 174.

Arrrg! Oda Nobunaga died in the battle for Mikawa. Often happens when have an heir fighting under a daimyo. But I wanted to use the cavalry unit. Oh well.

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Totomi is next. I don't intend to keep it but I need 1 more win to get my daimyo to rank 4 and the koku from burning the buildings should come in handy. I lose 48 men and kill 251, including Lord Imagawa.

https://img98.imageshack.us/img98/2338/00000038pe7.jpg

The koku from totomi pays for a citadel in Owari. I am training naginata in Mino and the takeda have abandoned shinano to attack etchu so I will take it. I would like some heavy cavalry. I take shinano without a fight--unexpected good luck this is.

https://img90.imageshack.us/img90/947/00000042qn6.jpg

Well, here's some bad luck. Rebellion in Mikawa and the ronin invade Mino. My ashigaru can't possible defend. I lose the armory, the famous spear dojo, and the unit of naginata I was training, 1650 koku!

https://img156.imageshack.us/img156/...0000048ys9.jpg

Terrible, absolutely terrible. 1800 koku worth of buildings destroyed, 1500 koku spent on citadel wasted, 1000 koku on cavalry archer unit being trained lost, and I miss the visit from the portuguese. Well they say a rocky start makes a good campaign.

Caravel you tried to warn me but I didn't listen! I forgot the ronin are much more aggressive when not playing sengoku jidai. Well I won in mino so we'll see if I can knock them out of owari.