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I really enjoy watching replays like that, with good commentary but kept at 1x game speed. I hate that every replay for most RTS games now is usually sped up to 2x.
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Jan 17, 2014 10:18
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Sydin posted:I love that line in the most recent update from Taketoshi's speech. "Although I know I am not considered a warrior..." Uh, who exactly is that, Taketoshi? Because you're Rank 8 and a murder machine. I think he's just being grossly underspoken. "Me? A soldier? Goodness no, I'm just a good Hattori boy that likes to write a bit. I don't know anything about this war business, but given that we have a two-to-one advantage and they don't have a single Hattori soldier on their side, I think we can safely say that all this unpleasantness will be over with in time for tea. So, helmets on lads, let's go stab them before they stab us!" Exunt stage left, slaying a dozen Chokosabe soldiers as he goes
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Jan 17, 2014 10:42
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Ratoslov posted:I think he's just being grossly underspoken. "Me? A soldier? Goodness no, I'm just a good Hattori boy that likes to write a bit. I don't know anything about this war business, but given that we have a two-to-one advantage and they don't have a single Hattori soldier on their side, I think we can safely say that all this unpleasantness will be over with in time for tea. So, helmets on lads, let's go stab them before they stab us!" Exunt stage left, slaying a dozen Chokosabe soldiers as he goes So, basically, you are saying that Taketoshi is the Sengoku equivalent of Matlock. "Now, I may be just a simple country samurai..."
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Jan 17, 2014 11:34
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I just wanted to point everyone's attention to a video lecture about the Sengoku period on Youtube that is constructed mainly around the mechanics of Shogun 2. Its informative to the political/historical realities behind the mythology the game presents, as well as providing examples of precedent for some of choices going into the makings of the game. If you're enjoying this LP, but want to know more about the world outside of Shalcar's narrative and competent gameplay, this video might interest you. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmPmHj24Cwc
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Jan 18, 2014 02:35
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The Price of Hubris Spring of 1551 (Continued)   "I've got a good feeling about this" grinned the captain. "Nothing can oppose the Hattori! Set sail for port, I think we have earned some rest!" Our eastern fleet is at less than full strength and there appear to be no major naval threats around. It's a small fleet though, so if something does happen we will need both ships in tip top shape, so we send it back to the port in Ise for repairs and replenishment.   "All right you delicate flowers!" boomed the ashigaru sergeant. "It's been a lovely little war guarding cherry blossom, but now we have to earn our pay. Move out!" Our force in Kii as a deterrent against naval invasion seems a little misused given our impressive fleet deployment in the region and the imminent threat approaching from the west. As such, we dispatch them on the trek towards Settsu, passing through Kawachi. If the Amako consolidate, we should have no problem ensuring the security of our provinces.   "Not while the Ikko Ikki draw breath can we rest!" announced Yasunaga. "But soon, our work will end. Even now, we make ready to launch a devastating strike to decapitate our most hated foe!" With the Ikko Ikki capital in marching distance, the only major point of resistance (other than the fortifications themselves) are the now sabotaged Ikko Ikki army. Yasunaga moves with purpose, marching to obliterate them and leave the path to the Ikko Ikki capital wide open!  "The enemy forces are in total disarray" reported the head ninja. "They should have made to withdraw by now." "Chisato" smiled Yasunaga. "Ever the most reliable of the Hattori agents." "We begin the attack then?" questioned the ashigaru captain. Yasunaga nodded. "We can't let them get to their fortifications. We can't let them live." With the might of 2 Light Cavalry, 1 Hattori Katana Samurai, 1 Hattori Yari Samurai, 7 Hattori Yari Ashigaru, 5 Hattori Bow Ashigaru and 1 Hattori Kisho Ninja behind him, Yasunaga will have little trouble sweeping aside the mere 2 Light Cavalry and 3 Bow Ronin that the Ikko Ikki have here. The objective is simple, complete obliteration as any enemy units left alive will retreat into the fortifications in Echizen, making them much harder to eliminate.  Click here to see the battle! "Spearmen! Advance!" ordered Yasunaga. "Keep those lines tight! Don't give their cavalry an opening!" "My Lord" noted the head ninja. "With such tight formations, they will be easy targets for the enemy archers." "I don't intend to let the archers be a problem for long" noted Yasunaga, drawing his sword. "CAVALRY, TO ME! CHARGE!" The terrain favours defensive play with small numbers given the hill in the enemy deployment area, but with our more numerous bow units we should be able to flank the hill and put down heavy fire if the Ikko Ikki dig in. On the other hand, if they attack it would be sheer suicide with our far superior melee forces and cavalry advantage. Regardless, a fast a decisive melee clash will be our best course of action.  The lines met with a bloody crash, men screaming as steel hooves trampled them where they stood. Amongst the chaos, Yasunaga and his men dealt bloody blow after bloody blow with precision that was almost mechanical but a fury that was cold as ice. There would be no mercy, no surrender accepted on this day. The Ikko Ikki would be taught of their mistake and they would know fear. A victory that is roughly an even trade, although their units are samurai grade while our losses were easily replaced ashigaru. Given our immense army size advantage, this is an incredibly good engagement for us. If those forces were instead behind the fortifications in Echizen (as they most certainly would have been without Chisato's sabotage) then we could have expected to lose easily 4 times this number.  "A most glorious victory, my Lord" noted the head ninja. "If more than a two score escaped I would be amazed." "There is more bloody work to do before this is done" replied Yasunaga. "Ready the men to march. There will be no time for celebration on this day, our job is not yet done." Losses (and kills!) are focused almost exclusively on our ashigaru, although Yasunaga had the distinction of taking many heads as well. This is, of course, a warm-up for the attack on the Ikko Ikki capital and the public declaration of the power of the Hattori!   "We have marched long and hard" announced Yasunaga. "We are all tired, but our job is not yet done. We have the chance to strike a decisive blow against the traitorous Ikko Ikki! I would not ask this of any other men, but you are Hattori!" He scanned the assembled soldiers with a steely gaze. "Hattori are the demons of the night" he continued. "We are the tales mothers tell their children to scare them! But we are no phantoms, we are the fury of heaven come to dispense justice upon those who spurn her ways! Let this be remembered forever in history as the time that the Hattori were raised, ever triumphant!" With the Ikko Ikki capital now wide open to attack, we waste no time in unleashing Yasunaga and his forces to strike a mighty blow against those traitors whom we once called friends.  "What's the plan, my Lord?" asked the ashigaru captain. "Burn down the gates and storm it?" Yasunaga shook his head. "You and your men are to be a diversion while the kisho ninja get into position." "Position to do what, my Lord?" questioned the captain. "I don't understand." "Chisato reports that the garrison commander is a glory seeking fool" responded Yasunaga. "He will order his troops to the closest wall to meet us with a show of force. The kisho ninja will lock him out of his own castle." The ashigaru captain saluted. "We won't let you down, my Lord." This is probably the least defended you will ever see a Fortress in Shogun 2 as we have taken every possible precaution to ensure that it's isolated from all of their support. Although this is the biggest fortification we have ever seen, it suffers from a problem that all the larger castles do in Shogun 2 where it is possible to not have enough soldiers to defend it. This is the case that we have worked hard to set up, as this will seriously reduce our losses. The AI tends to be poor at recognising this, however and can often be "raced" by hitting all the key areas at once and overwhelming the defenders as they don't fall back early enough. With 2 Light Cavalry, 1 Hattori Katana Samurai, 1 Hattori Yari Samurai, 7 Hattori Yari Ashigaru, 5 Hattori Bow Ashigaru and 1 Hattori Kisho Ninja, we have more than enough power to overwhelm 2 Yari Ashigaru, 2 Bow Ashigaru, 1 Samurai Retainers and 2 Bow Ronin. As such, I decided to demonstrate how you can use Kisho Ninja to break the siege AI purely for demonstrative purposes in the LP. I loathe using AI exploits as I feel it takes all the fun out of the game, but I appreciate that many players are interested in seeing the flaws of a game as well as it's strengths. Since this fight is indeed incredibly one sided it was a perfect opportunity to talk at length on what exactly happens when the AI breaks and why it does.  Click here to see the battle! "Charge!" bellowed Yasunaga, signalling. "For the Hattori!" "HATTORI!" roared the soldiers, sprinting for the walls. The battle was joined. In the distance, a single flaming arrow arced through the sky, unnoticed by all but Yasunaga. A slow smile spread across his face. Regardless of how many defenders there are, a Fortress is an impressively large fortification with several concourses which act as gateways to the central Tenshu. Although you can climb right into the central area, any unit that does so can expect to lose 22.5% of their soldiers from the climb alone! The larger fortifications behave differently than the smaller ones with regards to defenders. In every siege battle we have fought so far, the defenders have always fought to the death. In the larger fortifications, however, only the soldiers who are inside the central palisade will fight to the death. Those on the outer concourses will still rout just as usual. This is a nasty surprise to many players, who expect their men on the outer concourses to fight to the death!  "The Hattori are too many!" yelled the garrison commander. "Fall back!" "The gates!" yelled a soldier in surprise. "They are locked! We are trapped!" "They can't be" bellowed the garrison commander. "That's not possible!" Slowly, a ninja stood up on the roof of the gatehouse and waved lazily, before scurrying back down. "Treachery!" screamed the garrison commander. Given that we used an demonstration exploit, losses are higher than you would expect (I could have won with 4 losses, just the Kisho Ninja) but lower than if there had been a proper assault (although not as many more as you would expect, remember that units in the outer concourse rout!).  Suddenly, grenades started flying over the battlements and into the Ikko Ikki forces trapped below, reaping a terrible toll. The ninja had carried the day. In an attempt to somewhat make up for the exploit demonstration, I threw away as many soldier as I would roughly expect to lose in a real attack by sending them over the walls needlessly to take wall losses and this accounts for why the casualties are generally rather spread out. Those 150 kills from Yasunaga are where he single-handedly eliminated a Bow Ashigaru unit that was attempting to reinforce the garrison. He earned every single one of those kills.  "Report" ordered Yasunaga. "I need to know everything about this province as quickly as you can." Echizen is now firmly under Hattori control, another province to join our rapidly growing empire! Although this might seem like a great province to fortify, religious unrest will soon cause problems if we don't deal with the root cause (Ikko Ikki being alive, mainly).    "This is the heartland of the Ikko Ikki" reported the administrator. "The people here are the most fervent and believe in the Ikko way." "Then we shall tear out the heart of the Ikko Ikki" replied Yasunaga. "If that is what it takes." "While sacred Ikko Ikki places exist nearby we will make little progress with hearts and minds" responded the administrator. "Persuasion of some sort will be required." Echizen is a fabulous province, containing valuable craft trade goods, solid soil fertility and as a hearty complement of military buildings making Echizen a linchpin in our northern defensive plans. However, you will notice that 100% of the population follows the Ikko religion, which will cause substantial unrest (-1 happiness a turn, each turn until it hits -12 happiness). Normally it would slowly switch towards our religion of Shinto Buddhism, but because of an adjacent province with an Ikko Ikki temple, the population remain firm believers. We are going to have to eliminate that temple as a priority if we have any hope of holding on to this province. Boasting an impressive Fortress, Archery Dojo, Warhorse Stables, Yari Drill Yard, Improved Irrigation (Fertile Soil), Post Roads and Stations, Military Port and Fletchers. This all combines to make Echizen our most developed province we control and one that is able to rapidly assemble and dispatch forces to contest any area of Japan on land or sea.   Cost: 2300 Ingame encyclopaedia - Military Port posted:A military port specialises in the construction and maintenance of warships. These vessels are built for battle, and are not just floating platforms for warriors. This makes them expensive, and means that special yards are needed ashore, but also means that vessels can be properly repaired here too. One of two possible upgrades to the Trading Port, the Military Port boasts an extra recruitment slot and the ability to recruit Heavy Bune, Siege Tower Bune, Sengoku Bune and Fire Bomb Kobaya.   Cost: 1200 Ingame encyclopaedia - Post Roads and Stations posted:Post roads and stations significantly improve the movement of armies and agents, economic growth in a province and the rate at which replacement troops reach their units. All travellers are carefully monitored at each station, so that line of sight is increased and there is also a better chance of detecting enemy agents. Along each of these roads are a series of post stations, where officials can rest on their journeys but, more importantly, where all other travellers must present the correct documentation before they can travel onwards. The roads are rather good and allow swift passage, but only to those with the right paperwork. As the third upgrade to the Roads chain, Post Roads and Stations further improves the movement bonus of units and agents and the replenishment rate of the province as well as increasing town wealth growth slightly.   Cost: 1350 Ingame encyclopaedia - Fletchers posted:By investing in the artisans of this province it is possible to help the economy grow through paper production and other craft industries or, by specialising in fletchers, you can improve the accuracy of the clan's bow-armed units. Craftsmen of all kinds are vital to a province, and add to the quality of life for all the people. Even the simplest peasant can appreciate good workmanship when he sees and uses something. Fletchers, one of two possible upgrades to Artisans, further increases province wealth and the accuracy boost to range troops produced here.   Cost: 3200 Ingame encyclopaedia - Fortress posted:To properly defend and govern a province, a daimyo requires a strong base. That a fortress also inspires respect, even fear, among his people is no bad thing either. A fortress represses a province by its presence, helps the tax yield, and increases the fame of a clan, as rivals and enemies are awed by its construction. Any garrison can hold out against enemy attacks, and the castle acts as a centre for recruiting troops. The Fortress is the third upgrade in the Castle chain and adds an additional concourse to the fortifications, additional province repression, Bushido arts rate, replenishment rate, recruitment slots, combat rank of ashigaru recruited in the province and an additional building slot. It consumes an additional food.  "There is better news, I trust" inquired Yasunaga. "Good Hattori soldiers died to capture the jewel of the Ikko Ikki. What did their sacrifices achieve?" "A step closer to the eradication of the Ikko Ikki" noted the administrator, wryly. "In addition, the citizen of Echizen are famed for their delicate and expensive crafts. Few can match their bows or ornate jewels. These can fetch quite the price to the enterprising Daimyo." Capturing Echizen gives us access to the Craft trade goods, albeit only 5 of them. Even so, this is worth ~300 koku a turn to our coffers, something that can't be overlooked even to a clan as wealthy and powerful as ours!  "Stop playing games" demanded Korekata. "The Date have no trading partners and are embroiled in war with any who they could trade with. Anyone but the Hattori, that is." "Trade would be beneficial to both our clans" replied the Date ambassador. "We all stand to gain much." "You stand to gain much" laughed Korekata. "We have more trading partners than we do merchants to fulfil them! No, trade would make you immensely rich with access to our vast markets, but there is little in it for us." "I doubt you plan to waste all our time" responded the ambassador. "Some military agreement in exchange for trade rights then? Some alternate arrangement?" "Oh no, nothing of the sort" stated Korekata. "Just pay us a year of your profits in advance. I think around 9000 koku ought to cover it. The profits you stand to make are immense." "A ludicrous proposal!" replied the ambassador. "While a year's profit is standard, that's a large sum!" "Only because you stand to make even more" noted Korekata. "Unless, that is, you are planning on war with the Hattori or expect us to somehow lose. I shouldn't need to remind you that two major clans are being utterly destroyed by us right now because they were stupid enough to pick the wrong side." "A... good point" gulped the ambassador. "I'll make the arrangements." This is a great example of why it always pays to check out the trading scene! While this deal looks absolutely ludicrous with the Date willing to pay a full 9000 koku for the privilege of trading with us, the deal is much more fair than it appears. The Date are at war with all of their neighbours (who happen to be our neighbours to the east, woo!) and currently have no trading partners, but a several trade good producing provinces. We, on the other hand, have already sold all our trade goods to our current trading partners. This means that we get ~180 koku a turn to their ~2000 koku a turn, making the turn by turn hugely in favour of the Date. Given that context, we can see they are willing to pay roughly 5 turns worth of the difference, which is a little high but not unusually so. Of course, I don't care that they are making a fortune, because we are making out like absolute bandits! With this huge infusion of cash I can not only mass recruit to take full advantage of the combat rank boost bonus to ashigaru, but I can also invest substantial sums in infrastructure, both for agents, economic buildings AND military buildings! Nothing can stop the Hattori now, in just a few turns I'll have not only the economy to power through Realm Divide but also the army to crush all resistance! Spring of 1551 (Enemy Turn)  "Sir, Amako forces on the march!" reported the scout. "They are heading this way!" "drat it" cursed Mitsumori. "The latest reports said were not mobilised, let alone marching this way." "Your orders, sir?" asked the scout. "Mobilise every soldier you can find" ordered Mitsumori. "Let's hope it's enough. I'm a bloody garrison commander, not some general." Well... Uh... gently caress.  Mitsumori looked at the approaching Amako force, his face serious and his stomach in his throat. "Samurai!" he thought. "Well armed, trained and in substantial numbers. We can't hold out, not with this lot." "Men!" he announced to the assembled troops. "I won't sugar coat this. We bleed the bastards for every blade of grass they take. We bleed them as hard as we can, as much as we can. We never falter, we never fail and we might just get through this. The Hattori have never lost a battle, never lost a fortification and never lost ground. Take heart from this and fight like the demon every true Hattori soldier is!" Oh, they have 4 units of Katana Samurai, the kind that I've been obliterating everything in Japan with. This... this isn't good at all. I don't have any units in my heartland and taking Settsu would put some of my most lucrative provinces at risk. Settsu itself is absolutely critical to my plans and incredibly lucrative, being responsible for around 3000 koku a turn with both the tax from the Metsuke and the trade routes which run through her ports. We can't fail here, there is too much at stake! FUUUUUCK... Sneak Peak: The Homeland Bare...
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Jan 20, 2014 16:20
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A Shameful Display! But in all seriousness this is the sort of thing that always bites me in the rear end in any Total War game, you leave one chink in your armor and the enemy always seems to find it at the worst possible time.
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Jan 20, 2014 16:53
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How far away is Chisato? A properly sabotaged army is no danger.
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Jan 20, 2014 17:15
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In the first battle with the Ikko was there a strategic building on the minimap? I've never seen one in a non MP battle before.
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Jan 20, 2014 17:23
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Well spotted! Some of the maps in single contain lookout towers which can be captured and act like arrow towers if enemies are in range.Torrannor posted:How far away is Chisato? A properly sabotaged army is no danger. Chisato is all the way over in Echizen, which is around 4 turns away from Settsu. We don't have the option of relying on her this time.
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Jan 21, 2014 01:04
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I just want to say thanks for both this LP and your other Shogun 2 one, shalcar! I'd say you made me buy this game, but the truth is I put it on my steam wishlist after reading your first LP and a friend bought it for me for my birthday.  After a lot of start-and-stop, I finally got around to playing a full short campaign with the Uesugi. It was on Easy, so I didn't have too much trouble, but the Ikko Ikki were right bastards, and while I was busy dealing with them and their seventeen rebellions, the Date just started moving around in one giant doomglob of three generals each leading ten units. It almost seemed like they were specifically taking out my allies, trade partners, and vassals - is that a thing the AI actually thinks to do if it has a large threatening enemy with a lot of small allies, or was it just that they were closer to them than they were to me?
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Jan 21, 2014 01:25
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shalcar posted:Some of the maps in single contain lookout towers which can be captured and act like arrow towers if enemies are in range. What?! Has that been there all along? I will admit that I mostly auto-resolve the fights I get in Shogun 2 due to the "Go make yourself a cup of Tea, becouse this is going to take awhile" loading screens between the battle map and the campaign map, but I still have over 250 hours logged on Steam. And nearly all of that has been spent on the 3 campaigns, yet I can not remember ever seeing a capture-able building outside of the siege maps.
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Jan 21, 2014 01:51
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LokAmir posted:What?! Has that been there all along? I will admit that I mostly auto-resolve the fights I get in Shogun 2 due to the "Go make yourself a cup of Tea, becouse this is going to take awhile" loading screens between the battle map and the campaign map, but I still have over 250 hours logged on Steam. And nearly all of that has been spent on the 3 campaigns, yet I can not remember ever seeing a capture-able building outside of the siege maps. Yeah, I've never seen a captureable building on a map either... Maybe it's a feature of the area he was fighting in? As for the update, tough luck with Settsu there. I usually try to leave a token garrison in my core provinces, but on ones that border enemies and therefore might see attacks, I usually have an army massing in the area close by to attack those enemies. You don't have anything besides garrison forces in that area, right? You did move a general into the surrounding area, but you don't have an army for him to command yet, I believe. Oh man, this is going to hurt. 3 Generals and 4 units of Katana Samurai will most likely be enough to take out your defending ashigaru, especially with those 4 units of bows there to back them up and pepper your defenders, though I guess the arrow shields on the walls will protect you some. What level of castle do you have in Settsu, anyway? You might be able to pull off a narrow victory if you can bleed your enemy as they move through a large castle, though it seems more likely you're going to lose the province and all of the money its making you... What happens to a Metsuke who is overseeing a province that gets captured, anyway? I remember you having put one there to boost the amount that Settsu is making for you. Does he die as well, or is he kicked out of the settlement instead? If you lose him, that'll also be a setback, since he was leveled a bit, and you won't be able to get the amount of money he was making you back until you take back Settsu and level another Metsuke back up to where he was. In better news, nice job taking Echizen. The crafts there will make up a little bit for the money you're not going to make when you lose Settsu, and the fletchers there will make your bow units better. The Ikko religion there will cause you a lot of trouble until you take out the Ikko temple that's producing that religious pressure in a neighboring province, but with Yasunaga's army on the march, that shouldn't be too hard. It'll probably be a nice and profitable province to take as well, seeing which ones the Ikko control in the area.
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Jan 21, 2014 03:42
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One of the things I really love about Shogun 2 is that, even on Normal difficulty, the AI can still go for the throat if it senses an opening. That's a pretty badass army the Amako are rocking! Looks like Korekata might get a chance to show his qualities in the near future. That fortress battle was great, by the way.  The AI running around like a chicken with its head cut off is, if you think about it, not all that inhuman. If you were the commander of the castle and that poo poo happened, it would definitely throw you for a loop, and you might make a really stupid decision like marching all the way around to the other side. Okay probably not, but hey.
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Jan 21, 2014 06:54
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The highly upgraded castles have archer towers, with the largest ones having more than those less developed. It is the same for each game, but Fall does it with a twist. They also surrender quickly since your guys are getting beat up taking them.
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Jan 21, 2014 07:39
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Ah. See this? This is the kind of event that wrecked my last Realm Divide. Random doomstack, escorted by the Black Ship, rolled into my Date production provinces and bankrupted me. Hope you pull back from this more easily than I did!
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Jan 21, 2014 11:55
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Bahumat posted:Ah. See this? This is the kind of event that wrecked my last Realm Divide. Random doomstack, escorted by the Black Ship, rolled into my Date production provinces and bankrupted me. Hope you pull back from this more easily than I did! What's the Black Ship?
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Jan 21, 2014 12:20
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my dad posted:What's the Black Ship? It's not what you think. Suffice to say, it's an extremely strong naval unit. I'll leave it up to shalcar to discuss it when we come to it in game.
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Jan 21, 2014 12:58
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Thats a lovely turn of luck there. Typically when I end up in a situation like that all I can really do is bleed the enemy for every one of their expensive units, and then scramble together a defence to stop them just steam rolling through my provinces. Its also why I tend to struggle with Hattori clan plays, you have to have ninjas everywhere, or else your clan bonus is worthless, but ninjas each require a building slot in a city. I kinda wish they had made it so upgrading up the ninja chain meant you could get a extra ninja, rather then requiring another base level ninja chain building in another city.
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Jan 21, 2014 14:00
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my dad posted:What's the Black Ship?
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Jan 21, 2014 16:02
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Never been able to capture it and only seen it once. Hope you are luckier Shalcar!
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Jan 21, 2014 16:04
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MonotoneMorgan posted:It's not what you think. In a weird way, it's kind of the opposite it's whitey.
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Jan 21, 2014 16:36
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Dongattack posted:Never been able to capture it and only seen it once. Hope you are luckier Shalcar! Yeah, whenever the Black Ship shows up for me, I just try to build up a fleet and swarm it in order to try and capture it. Since I tend to be rear end at naval battles, it never works out and the ship is taken by another clan, who usually uses it against me when Realm Divide comes knocking... Never goes well for you when that happens...
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Jan 22, 2014 04:52
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I didn't know it shows up in Rise. It is funny that the more common little brother is a transport. I first beat it with a ton of fire arrows in two encounters. Glitched itself into surrender.
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Jan 22, 2014 05:15
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MonotoneMorgan posted:It's not what you think. This, basically. It's a nasty event based naval unit.
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Jan 22, 2014 05:32
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The Homeland Bare Spring of 1551 (Enemy Turn - Continued)  Click here to see the battle!  Live Commentary! "Sir, they are coming up the wall!" yelled the scout. "You must fall back to the Tenshu, you must be the last line!" Arrows dropped out the sky, whistling past them and thudding into the ground. A stricken soldier gave out a scream. Mitsumori paid him no heed, their desperate situation steeling him. "No" he announced. "Form up on me! I will meet the Amako first and give them a taste of Hattori hospitality. Let's send the bastards to hell!" The fortification in Settsu is probably the best design of the low level forts, giving the defenders the ability to force their attackers to hit all along the wall at once or face heavy ranged fire from their sides while melee forces await at the top, but also having the ability to abandon the outer wings and fall back towards the central Tenshu if sufficient numbers are not available. Our numbers are so low as to make this a desperation do or die situation. We will make them pay for every blade of grass with their blood, but we don't have the soldiers for any fancy tricks. The outlook is bleak.  The Amako soldier screamed as he fell, clutching the garish wound in his side. Mitsumori wiped the blood from his eyes, his body aching with fatigue, yet still the Amako came. "Hattori!" he yelled, his voice course. "Hattori!" His next strike was equally lethal, taking an Amako samurai in the throat, but even as he dropped, more took his place, their sword strikes easily blocked by Mitsumori. Yet each time he raised his sword, it felt different, his arms heavier. "I'm slowing" he thought. "There are no end of the bastards!" Another stroke came, but this time his parry was wrong, the force jarring him off balance and he stumbled back, barely managing to keep his feet. Red hot fire consumed him as the spear point burst through his shoulder, the pain of fatigued muscles bullied into silence. The Amako bled heavily, but not enough. In the end, we were unable to repel the invaders, the price of failure was death. None remain on the field to hold the Hattori banner, each soldier having given their life to defend the fortification. Despite losing more forces than the Amako by around 3 to 2, it's important to remember that their losses were samurai, while we had nothing but ashigaru. With the Amako katana samurai contingent likely heavily damaged, their capacity to push further should hopefully be limited.  "Bastards" he cursed. "I'll see you all in hell!" He began shifting his weight for one last strike, when another spear punched through his armour. Mitsumori's legs failed him. Anger and rage turned to terror as death began its embrace. "Not me" he tried to desperately plead, with lungs that had no air, a mouth that had no voice. "Not me." The story here tells it all, with the Samurai Retainers taking the brunt of the Amako attack and only trading even numbers because of it, while the bows did reasonable damage, although far less than we would have liked thanks to the weather. The yari ashigaru tell the tale of those tasked to holding the samurai, compared to those who had to hold against other ashigaru. Summer of 1551   "Not so tough now, are you?" jeered an Amako soldier. Mitsumori's lifeless eyes, already beginning to cloud, stared at the sky. The Amako soldier spat on the body, kicking it solidly for good measure. "That was for the good men you killed, you darkness loving Hattori scum." Settsu is lost. The library arts boost, the wealth, the invincibility of the Hattori, all like wisps of smoke in a sudden breeze.   "My Lord, Settsu has fallen to Amako forces!" reported the scout. "The homeland lies bare, our sacred soil threatened!" Concern flashed across Yasunaga's face, before it was replaced by a mask of steel. "Send for messengers. Every garrison commander is to raise every soldier they can. The cost will be paid, my family must be protected." The Amako force has been bloodied, however. A full 178 of their katana samurai lie dead, one and a half full units of their most powerful asset. Despite this, they are a formidable force that we will have trouble stopping. These are desperate times.  "It might be too difficult to bear, my Lord" noted an advisor. "Settsu was most valuable, with a prosperous and busy trade port, in addition to a healthy local economy." "There is no price too steep" retorted Yasunaga. "Not for this. Not for them." Our problems are compounded by the loss of the two trade routes that ran out of Settsu, putting incredible strain on our economic health when combined with the income that Settsu itself provided. Right now we are reeling and scrambling to find our feet, but the Hattori are made of stern stuff, even a mighty blow such as this won't take us out, but swift recovery has odds stacked against it.  "I feel better with these walls around us" noted the garrison commander. "Ikko Ikki to the east, rumours of an overrun to the west. Right behind these walls is where I want to be." Our defences in the east look far better, with Omi, our most valuable province, having completed a Stronghold. Our command of that region is increased further and while it's now in a fairly stable area thanks to the work of Yasunaga, recent events have shown the dire need of having strong-points behind our lines.  The loss of Settsu shook the Hattori to their very core. Was Heaven no longer on their side? Was this a test of their resolve? Were their families still safe? When the call for soldiers went out, numbers unheard of responded for duty, eager to do what needed to be done to secure their families and the Hattori lands. No longer could men rely on the invincibility of Yasunaga and Taketoshi, now all knew they must look to themselves to keep their homes safe. With the wealth of the Hojo combined with our own impressive reserves, the war machine of the Hattori beats a thunderous beat, with warriors rallying to the Hattori banner to defend the homeland. A full 9 Hattori Yari Ashigaru and 1 Hattori Bow Ashigaru are raised to bolster our garrisons and help stem the devastation of the Amako. With each ashigaru being recruited at rank 2 thanks to our ashigaru mastery bonus event, these soldiers are formidable far beyond their lowly peasant status.  "Good hunting captain" grinned the harbour master. "She's a fine ship." "That she is" agreed the captain. The Harbour master's face went serious. "One last thing." "What's that?" "If you come across an Amako ship, kill every last bastard." While the western seas are well under control with our powerful fleet, the eastern seas are far less secure, being patrolled only by a single Medium Bune and Bow Kobaya. With what little we can afford to spare, a second Medium Bune is recruited to hopefully keep our now even more critical trade routes open.  The devastating loss of Settsu had brought a change to the Hattori. Samurai began clamouring to be enlisted, citing a worthy foe to test their mettle on. All Hattori soldiers had another, more profound change. Inspired not by the untouchable heroes of Yasunaga and Taketoshi, but by the heroism of ordinary men, of Mitsumori, the garrison commander. If a mere man against such impossible odds could find courage, couldn't they? The news is not all bleak, however. The noble sacrifice of Mitsumori and the brave defenders at Settsu have inspired the Hattori with a warrior spirit like never before. Men now better understand the stakes, making them fight harder and longer than before, while masters of the sword clamour to be recruited into our forces to take the fight to a worthy foe. This additional morale will be of great use when every ounce of resolve is needed when engaging enemies that fight to the death.   Ingame encyclopaedia - Bushido posted:The code of bushido is an unbreakable trust between samurai and master, a guide to the ways of war, and a pattern of life to be followed. For any samurai it is simply the only way he can live and retain honour. For a daimyo it is a guarantee that his men can be trusted absolutely to obey orders or die in the attempt. With bushido the morale of units is much improved. Bushido translates as "way of the warrior"; it is the collective term for the many codes of honour and ideals that dictated the samurai way of life. Bushido was not a list of universal principles, but contained many separate strands of thought, but nearly all concentrated on the relationship between the samurai and his master. Honour, sincerity, obedience to his lord and a willingness to accept death as a duty were the main foundations, but bushido as interpreted by a clan could also include rules about hygiene, or whether a samurai should indulge in dancing and poetry (opinions were split on such pursuits).  The Bushido tree grants benefits of an military nature, increasing unit combat statistics, unlocking new abilities, unlocking military buildings and focusing on improvement to your forces through experience boosts. Listed on the above graphic you can find the arts, the time it would take to research them (assuming no art bonuses) and the benefits they would provide. Now that we have finally reached the Bushido tree, we can expect a rapid collection of critical military arts like Strategy of Defence, Heaven and Earth, Way of the Bow and Form.   The Amako soldier crumpled, the blade taking him completely by surprise. The town was total chaos, invading forces everywhere and flames from the Tenshu telling Fuyusuke all he needed to know about the situation. He moved through the back streets, his knowledge of the city and it's less savoury areas giving him the edge against small packs of invading forces. He needed to get to Kawachi, inform the local commander of the situation. Slipping through a sewer drain to the outside of the walls, Fuyusuke swore this would not be the last time he saw his home. Fuyusuke is of no use to use sitting outside looking at his former home. While dispatching him to Kawachi for the tax boost is not going to make much difference with Kawachi's terrible town wealth, every koku counts right now.   "Save the homeland. Save our children. Do not fail. Heaven watch over all of us. - Yasunaga" Korekata crumpled the letter in his hand and stood up sharply, barking orders to assemble the bodyguard and whatever men the garrison could spare. He had work to do. With Yasunaga deeply engaged with the Ikko Ikki and Taketoshi the Chosokabe, there is only one man able to rally our forces and lead the required counter-attack, Korekata. While we can't spare many forces off the eastern flank thanks to the ever present threat of the Ikko Ikki, we dispatch whatever we can afford and begin the march to take control of the situation.   "I don't see what we can do in Kawachi" grumbled a soldier. "The Amako are too many." "Halt!" bellowed the captain, spinning round and storming towards the foolish soldier. "The Hattori may be down, but we are not out! The Amako will soon learn that striking a tiger is one thing, but surviving the claws is another!" Kawachi is unlikely to hold even with these forces, but an attack from the Amako would hopefully cripple their forces while costing us one of our less valuable provinces. We move our additional forces into Kawachi to ensure that this is one province that would be a pyrrhic victory of the Amako. Maybe the show of force will make them reconsider?   "I don't like watching them go" stated the garrison commander. "Kii is vulnerable. We need those soldiers." "Yasunaga has a plan" Tanesuke noted, leaning against the wall. "We just need to do our job. He will do his." We empty Kii of its newly created garrison and send them to Kawachi. If we can get just one turn, we can turn this around.   Masanari stood tall, his armour looking comical on one so young, but his manor as serious as his father. "You are Hattori!" he announced. "The Amako have hurt us, have killed our brothers in Settsu. What men are we if we don't protect our own? How can we stand tall with pride if we can't even do this basic thing?" He took a deep breath, thinking of words to explain what he felt. "My father would never let me go to help" he continued. "You must go in my stead. You must defend our family for me, as I will defend yours here." Iga sends more of the finest Hattori, inspired by Masanari and his stalwart defence of the homeland.   "Open seas at last!" announced the captain. "I wonder how it's going back home?" Our trade fleet moves onto the trade node, now just a small smattering of ships left en-route. Our risky gamble has paid off in spades, with this whole exercise now solid profit. It couldn't be at a more critical time, with this wealth all we have to fund our defence of the homeland.  "Here are the docking permissions for Ise" stated Korekata, throwing the scrolls at the feet of the Hojo ambassador. "The Hattori owe you trade and here it is." "Even for you, this is poor manners" noted the ambassador. "Thousands lie dead and I go to prevent thousands more" stated Korekata flatly. "I have my duty and I will do it, the time for platitudes costs lives." With such a dire need for koku, we re-open the trade route with the Hojo that we lost when Settsu fell. Sadly, they have no intention of paying us again for it. It was worth a shot! Sneak Peak: Down, but not out...
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Jan 28, 2014 14:59
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Good job on the defensive in spite of the odds against you. I'd have probably held up the katana samurai with 1 unit of yari ashigaru and then charged the rest at the bow ashi, which of course, means them routing becomes possible (I seem to always forget that in the heat of battle). It was certainly a costly victory for the Amako and well, a good if harrowing job nonetheless.
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Jan 28, 2014 15:15
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Welp. Yeah, that was pretty much the maximum amount of damage you could inflict. The only other option was a suicide rush on the general, and even then the Tenshu would have been lost before you could cut him down. So why were the Hojo not willing to throw chests of gold at you this time? Was it because the original agreement ended early?
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Jan 28, 2014 21:11
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Recovering from disaster usually makes for the best footage, anyway. Here's hoping the AI doesn't intercept your reinforcements before they've unified!
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Jan 29, 2014 03:25
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Sydin posted:Welp. While the AI doesn't hold it against me that trade stopped for reasons outside my control, for the duration of the original trade agreement the AI considers me already paid and so won't offer any money, which makes sense really, because I have already been paid!
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Jan 29, 2014 03:51
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Iesu Kiristo, the Amako are NOT fuckin' around here. It's always unsettling when a doomstack like that just comes out of nowhere and smashes into a border you thought was safe.
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Jan 29, 2014 04:54
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Sydin posted:Welp.  It is surprising that all previous success was accomplished without the military arts.
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Jan 29, 2014 06:39
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I've found using garrison ashigaru in spear wall formation just in front of the wall the enemy intend to climb to be incredibility effective. Sure they will all die terribly, but it forces samurai to fight a spear wall in the open, tires them out before the climb, and assuming you have bows, gives them plenty of time to unload ammo into more valuable troops. Essentially you will lose the yari ashi, but you wreck havoc on the stamina and morale of enemy troops and then they have to go up the wall. Where you hopefully have some more troops to greet them once they are tired and full of arrows. I don't think Shalcar had enough to make this happen though.
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Jan 29, 2014 06:56
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Scalding Coffee posted:Which one? Not really. Early on vast piles of cash can send you further than stacks of samurai can. After all, everyone for the most part has the same units as you at the start, Yari Ashigaru. But with economic boosts, you can do a lot more damage by simply making more Yari than they have. As the tired and over used Russian saying goes: "Quantity has it's own quality."
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Jan 29, 2014 07:02
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Ouch, I knew that loss of Settsu was coming when I saw the doomstack full of samurai on the approach, but seeing you get destroyed there wasn't fun. Not sure you could've done any better, what with your ashigaru going against katana samurai, and the rain didn't help any. Hope you can scrape together enough of an army to take the province back quickly. Reminds me of my own failed defense of Settsu on the Shimazu game I just finished tonight. A Chosokabe force consisting mostly of samurai attacking the same level fort that you had, defended mostly by my ashigaru. I think I might have pulled off a victory if the enemy had decided to concentrate their army in one area and stormed the walls at a single point, with my archers dropping flaming arrows on them as they approached, but they decided to spread their forces around like what happened to you, and my ashigaru got surrounded and slaughtered.
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Jan 29, 2014 09:08
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Double post, but thanks again, shalcar, for the Saints and Heroes DLC. Sorry I didn't answer your Steam message, was asleep at the time.
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Jan 30, 2014 16:36
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Wow, one province lost cost you that much. Talk about getting caught with your pants down though. Nice job bleeding them, despite being heavily outnumbered.
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Jan 31, 2014 12:14
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I think this setback is exactly what the LP needed, narratively! Brings other characters to the fore instead of it being the Taketoshi Show all the time, different mood after all the unstoppable victories, and so on. Excellent.
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Feb 3, 2014 11:41
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I would like to give a huge thanks to AssassinPrincess, who drew me this totally amazing image of Masanari and Yasunaga. I can't convey in words how cool I think this is.
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Feb 4, 2014 01:07
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shalcar posted:I would like to give a huge thanks to AssassinPrincess, who drew me this totally amazing image of Masanari and Yasunaga. I can't convey in words how cool I think this is. Assassin Princess drawing a picture of the Assassin Prince? Pretty cool stuff.
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Feb 4, 2014 01:36
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shalcar posted:I would like to give a huge thanks to AssassinPrincess, who drew me this totally amazing image of Masanari and Yasunaga. I can't convey in words how cool I think this is. Wow, that is one of the best pieces of fan art I have ever seen in an LP. Is that Himeji Castle in the background?
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Feb 4, 2014 09:04
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