STW Yari Ashigaru
Yari Ashigaru
| STW Yari Ashigaru | |
|---|---|
| Unit Name: | Yari Ashigaru |
| Type: | Spear |
| Combat Stats | |
| Charge: | 0 |
| Attack: | -1 |
| Defence: | -1 |
| Armour: | 0 |
| Speed: | 5 - 10 - 12 |
| Morale: | -4 |
| Cost: | |
Unit Card: 
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Like Yari Samurai, Yari Ashigaru are equipped with spears; all that has been said about ranks and formations applies in full, they also get the bonus against cavalry, and in principle they're suitable for the same tasks, although, of course, nowhere as good as actual warriors.
Their main problem is morale: You definitely don't need to tell Ashigaru how to perform a retrograde maneuver; they have an instinctive knack for it and will display their mastery of the technique at every opportunity. In order to get any actual use out of Ashigaru, you need to train them at a better Dojo or next to a Palace or only employ them under a well-reputed Taisho.
If you meet any (or all) of the above conditions, Ashigaru can be quite a boon, especially early in the game: a unit of Ashigaru is better than no unit at all; two cheap units offer more flexibility on the battlefield than a single expensive one, and numerical superiority can be a value in and of itself. Finally, Ashigaru are faster than any other foot soldiers: until you have proper cavalry, Ashigaru are your best chance to catch a few routed enemies.
Later in the game, when armies are approaching the 16 unit limit, it's usually better to fill the positions with actual fighters and leave the peasants on their fields. However, they may still come in handy as butt and bait. If the day is long enough, have the enemy empty their quivers at some Ashigaru while your actual troops have some R&R. Try to play hide and seek (exhausting your enemies), or let them be the first to march into the forest full of warrior monks: at the very least, fighting back your Ashigaru will be as tiring as any other melee – and with some luck, the enemy will pursue the routing Ashigaru, thus running straight into the arms of your other troops waiting outside. Sometimes, this also works with castles. Remeber, it's not only that Ashigaru are cheap: actual Samurai are not impressed when the peasants start running.
However, you may need to spend quite some amount on morale upgrades: without, the Ashigaru may break and run even before the enemy sees any reason to react to the bait; likewise, when used as archery decoy, pampering their morale helps more than thick armour.
