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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. I'm trying to think of a witty thing to say, but all I'm getting is  . By the way, how old is Masanari?
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Feb 4, 2014 19:49
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He's about 12- he starts out age 6, and six years have passed in game. In real life, I think he grew up to be this man, but who knows what fate has in store for him this time...
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Feb 4, 2014 20:02
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Down, but not out Summer of 1551 (Continued)   The atmosphere was relaxed, jovial even, despite the recent losses of the Ikko Ikki. If Echizen was their military heart, Kaga was their spiritual one, the faith of the local populace unshakeable, knowledge of their eventual victory absolute. "For those who have threatened the lion's cubs, they are remarkably relaxed" thought Chisato, making her way towards the military granaries. "Perhaps foolhardiness is a heavenly curse for those who upset the rightful order." She shook her head and scolded herself for such lax thinking. "Foolhardiness is not paying attention to the mission" she inwardly corrected herself, catching herself before she walked into torchlight. "The granary is nearby, no time for inattention." She needn't have worried, with the granary unguarded. "Is it a trap?" she wondered, waiting. Eventually, her senses satisfied that waiting was more dangerous than moving, she went in. The Ikko Ikki are still spreading their religion into our borders, which will build up religious pressure until we are forced to garrison large armies simply to keep the peace. I can't afford to do that, not right now, so the province of Kaga must fall and fall swiftly so that Yasunaga can be freed up to deal with our Amako problem if Korekata fails. The best way we can deal damage to the Kaga garrison is by sabotaging the army stationed there, something Chisato is exceptionally adept at doing.  The granary was as silent as the grave. Whatever oversight had caused such a turn of events, Chisato was not one to waste time. Moving quickly and with purpose, she poisoned the supplies and made her escape. Many men would die before they discovered the source of the problem. It's almost a foregone conclusion that Chisato will get the job done quickly, quietly and cheaply. For the curious, a full 38 out of 150 enemy soldiers perished thanks to her efforts, which will save many more Hattori lives!   "While the Ikko Ikki temple stands, no Hattori clansman will be safe" announced Yasunaga. "They seek to destroy our way of life, the very fabric of our society. But they did not anticipate the might of the Hattori!" Yasunaga will spare no mercy for those who threatened his family, taking every soldier Echizen can spare and marching on Kaga, bringing more than enough firepower to crush this hotbed of religious unrest.  "Archers front!" bellowed Yasunaga. "Sweep the walls, give our forces time to climb!" With a flick of his fan, the sky was filled with arrows taking a heavy toll on the defenders foolish enough to be on the walls. "Yari Ashigaru, to the walls!" bellowed the ashigaru commander. "You all want to die or something? Let's move while we have archery cover!" "What about us, my Lord?" questioned the samurai captain. "Those peasants will never hold against the Ikko Ikki monks." Yasunaga smiled coldly. With Yasunaga bringing 2 Light Cavalry, 1 Hattori Katana Samurai, 1 Hattori Yari Samurai, 6 Hattori Yari Ashigaru, 4 Hattori Bow Ashigaru and 1 Hattori Kisho Ninja against the garrisons 1 Bow Ashigaru, 1 Samurai Retainers, 1 Yari Ashigaru and 1 Ikko Ikki Naginata Warrior Monks, our ranged advantage is commanding, as is our numbers advantage. While Yasunaga lacks the pure quality of the warrior monks, our superior numbers combined with superior generalship will see the job done, hopefully with only a few hundred casualties.   Naginata Warrior Monks are highly trained elite units with exceptional melee defence and offensive skill. Their naginata makes them effective against both infantry and cavalry, although not to the same degree as katanas or yari. Regardless, their exceptional combat statistics more than make up for any lack of weapon specialisation. The only weakness of the warrior monk is their poor armour, making them vulnerable to both ranged weapons and also to charges. Regardless, their terrifying Warcry ability, which reduces both enemy morale and melee defence to up the 3 adjacent enemy units, make them a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield. In-game encyclopaedia - Naginata Warrior Monks posted:A warrior with an unshakable faith can be very dangerous, for the truly devout have little to fear from death. For these monks, faith is not just a matter of conscience, but another weapon and one that gives them very good morale in battle. The weapon they carry is a naginata, a long staff with a blade fixed to the end. The polearm's long reach makes it effective against cavalry and infantry, but this versatility is no protection against specialist troops.  Click here to see the battle! "My Lord?" questioned the samurai captain. "The men won't hold, even for you. Ashigaru don't understand honour." "They will open the gates" replied Yasunaga. "Then you will need to reinforce them. The Ikko Ikki monks are fearsome, but they will not commit them lightly. Besides, I have a surprise." On the seaward side, the token remaining defenders watched the fight erupting on the other side of the fortification. "This is madness" the sergeant bellowed. "Nothing is coming up this way, we need to help our men out!" The Ikko Ikki defenders ran to reinforce the southern wall. Like shadows from a setting sun, the Hattori ninja flowed over the seaside wall. "Finally" complained one. "I thought they would never leave." The lead ninja just grinned in response. "Let's go monk hunting." The fortification is one of the trickier ones, only supporting attack from three sides, allowing the meagre garrison to more effectively bring their power against us. On the other hand, with our superior ranged power we can more easily cover the areas that we need to take. Sadly, our cavalry will be of little use here, it's a job for the ashigaru.  The gates swung open. "That's our cue" roared the samurai captain, his men breaking into a charge, bursting through the gates, bringing vital assistance to the beleaguered ashigaru. "Leave none alive" bellowed Yasunaga, charging into the fray. "The day is to the Hattori! Set an example to all Japan!" The Hattori forces, inspired by his battlefield presence, redoubled their efforts and the Ikko Ikki defence crumbled. The Ikko Ikki couldn't handle our combined arms tactics and although they fought valiantly, it was only a matter of time. The fact that we scored more kills than we lost is an enormous coup, as the naginata warrior monks alone could have easily killed 250 ashigari if we didn't handle them correctly and with respect.  "I'll skin that scout alive!" complained the samurai captain. "A full complement of warrior monks he said! I counted barely a dozen!" Yasunaga smiled, but this one had warmth. He made a small gesture towards a tree. "Yes, my Lord?" asked the ninja. He didn't appear, so much as fade into the foreground. "How many?" asked Yasunaga. "Personally, 5" replied the ninja. "But our tally was 98 monks dead by our hand." "Spare that scout" stated Yasunaga. "His information was good, but you are not the only warriors I command." While our losses were ashigaru, they still hurt. 3 units are no longer combat effective, with 2 of them being solidly ranked veterans whose loss will be missed. Regardless, the bows covered themselves in glory, killing many Ikko Ikki soldiers and saving the lives of many Hattori.     The Jodo Shinshu temple stood tall and proud, dwarfing the nearby structures. The gentle curve of the roof evoked images of a crane in flight, the ornate carvings told stories of the strength of people united, of the joy of the harvest, the destruction of the shogunate. It's gleaming white steps were splashed red with the blood of the last temple defenders. "So this is the heart of the rot" stated Yasunaga coldly. "From here do men turn their hearts to the slaughter of my children." "My Lord?" the samurai captain asked. "What are your orders?" Yasunaga spat. "Burn it." Kaga is a fairly wealthy province with great military options, given it is one of the few with the Smith speciality. As a planned border province, I expect it will see some action, so the fact it's already somewhat fortified is a benefit. It does, however, hold a temple of the Ikko Ikki, which will continue to push out their repugnant ideology until it is torn down, something that we set about doing immediately. Kaga contains a Stronghold, Jodo Shinshu Temple, Empty Construction Slot, Improved Irrigation (Fertile Soil), Roads and Blacksmith.   The first building in the Ikko Ikki chain, the Jodo Shinshu Temple, increases the happiness of the province, converts the local population to the Ikko Ikki faith, converts neighbouring provinces to the Ikko Ikki faith, allows the recruitment of the Ikko Ikki Monk agent, increases the rate at which Chi arts are mastered, adds a garrison unit of Ikko Ikki Naginata Warrior Monks and allows the recruitment of Ikko Ikki Naginata Warrior Monks (with a Naginata Dojo). In-game encyclopaedia - Jodo Shinshu Temple posted:The temple is the centre of the community. From within its walls, monks spread the teachings of Buddha to the people, converting many and inciting others to revolt. The temple monks bring a message of hope too, spreading happiness and, in war, their presence is an inspiration. Unlike other Buddhist sects, Jodo Shinshu Buddhism placed great importance on the lives of those who followed its teachings. Followers were not expected to devote their entire lives to study. Instead, their faith was to be part of their ordinary, everyday lives. It was these principles that brought about the Ikko Ikki. As well as strong religious beliefs, the Ikko Ikki had equally strong political beliefs, desiring an end to feudal government, the Shoguns and the whole state. Instead, the people would rule themselves, and the Ikko Ikki were willing to die to bring about their aims. Naturally, this pitted them against the great lords of the time, including Tokugawa Ieyasu and Oda Nobunaga. It would be Nobunaga who eventually brought destruction to the sect at the brutal battle of Nagashima.   The Blacksmith is the first building of the Smith Chain. It increases both the melee attack and armour of samurai units produced in the province. In-game encyclopaedia - Blacksmith posted:There are specialist blacksmiths in this province. They may be ordered to follow one of two paths: that of the sword, or the way of the armourer. These specialists will greatly improve the melee attacks of the clan's units, or their armour in battle.  "My Lord, the peasants report a small group of Chosokabe soldiers heading towards the farms" reported the messenger. "There can be no doubt they intend to cause havoc." "I can't abandon my duty to the town" replied the garrison commander. "But I will not leave the peasants without support, send word to Akitsuna and tell him to leave no Chosokabe alive." "As you wish, my Lord" replied the messenger, bowing. The remnants of the Chosokabe attack force sit just outside of Awa, ready to burn down our farms and outlying buildings. This can be not only quite expensive in terms of repairs and lost production, but if you are not careful can push the province into unrest and possible rebellion!  "They are up ahead, in the trees at the top of that hill" barked Akitsuna, gruffly. "Spread out and make your way up quietly. The more we have the element of surprise, the better." Moving slowly but with purpose, the Hattori forces made their way towards the hilltop. Sending out Taketoshi to deal with this thread would be overkill of the highest order while we have the Chosokabe on the ropes, especially with the volatile situation in Settsu. Instead, we send out the only garrison unit in Awa, a Hattori Yari Ashigaru, to deal with the Chosokabe Bow Samurai threat.  Click here to see the battle! The whistling of arrows let them know stealth had reached its limits. "Form up and charge!" yelled Akitsuna. "Let them have it!" With a mighty warcry, the Hattori forces levelled yari and charged. The enemy deployment zone has a huge hill in it, never good for us as attackers. Luckily, there is a strong wooded area leading up towards the hilltop which should provide some cover for our approaching forces.  The next arrow took Akitsuna in the throat. The sergeant spared a glance at their fallen leader, before the forces clashed with a mighty blow. "They can't hold!" he bellowed. "Hattori! Hattori!" Losses ran at almost 2:1, but it's worth it to eliminate the raiding force. Things looked a little dicey for a bit there, but the Hattori were able to pull through (possibly due to the morale boost from Bushido!).  It was over as quickly as it had begun. The Chosokabe forces had inflicted terrible pain far beyond their numbers but, for now at least, these Hattori lands were secure once again. For their efforts, the local garrison gains a combat rank. The fact these garrison soldiers were already rank 2 was likely the difference between victory and defeat in that battle. Never underestimate Bow Samurai in melee against ashigaru of all types. Sneak Peek:One province at a time... shalcar fucked around with this message at 15:16 on Feb 6, 2014 |
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Feb 6, 2014 15:07
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So the Ikko Ikki are pretty much done for now that you've taken their original 2 provinces and burned down their temple, right? Good, that's one less front that you need to worry about soon, Yasunaga should be able to clean them up soon enough. Nice job taking Kaga Province, with your archers whittling down the more dangerous enemy defenders to the point where your ashigaru could take them without too many losses, though I guess using a rookie yari ashigaru unit to take out the remains of those dangerous Ikko Naginata Monks was a smart move so as not to effect a more experienced unit too much, since they're pretty much expendable. They got seriously mulched, but they came out on top, so I guess their loss was worth it. Your archers also took some decent losses, though they killed a lot more even with the arrow shields protecting the enemy archers. Kaga looks to be a good place to defend and reinforce from, as well as a decent economic province once it gets improved a bit. The loss of Settsu is still a pressing matter, though. Hopefully, it won't take too long for you to reclaim it.
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Feb 6, 2014 21:02
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GhostStalker posted:So the Ikko Ikki are pretty much done for now that you've taken their original 2 provinces and burned down their temple, right? Good, that's one less front that you need to worry about soon, Yasunaga should be able to clean them up soon enough. Japan actually looks like this:  The Ikko are certainly not done for, the still have one northern province left and nearly half a dozen down south. It's still the same turn that we lost Settsu, so rest assured that while plans are underway to get it back, we can't do anything about it just yet. In fact, this turn has one more update to go! There is no Taketoshi in this update because I thought John Charity Spring would like one update that was a rest from the Taketoshi Power Hour =p
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Feb 7, 2014 00:56
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Those grey provinces aren't all Hattori, are they? They'd be rather strange borders.
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Feb 7, 2014 01:23
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BurningStone posted:Those grey provinces aren't all Hattori, are they? They'd be rather strange borders. Not quite! The Amako are light grey, while we are dark grey. It's tricky to distinguish at a glance, but their territory starts at Settsu, to the West of the icon. 
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Feb 7, 2014 01:43
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There's
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Feb 7, 2014 01:53
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It's consistent, they use about 4 shades of nearly every colour, it's just that through sheer chance all the grey clans are still kicking, making it look like CA had some odd love for the colour.
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Feb 7, 2014 02:08
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Yeah I've poured like 300 hours into the drat game, and sometimes I still get tripped up and think somebody else's borders are mine because the color is one shade off. I mean I get why they did it: there are like 500 minor clans and all of them need a unique color, but still.  So now that you've more or less ripped out the beating heartland of the Ikko, is that it for them? Have they been kicked down to "weak" power rating? Or do they still have a murder stack hidden in the darkness? Either way, I bet burning down that temple felt drat good. 
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Feb 7, 2014 02:31
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shalcar posted:Japan actually looks like this: Huh, guess the Ikko Ikki were pretty drat successful in conquering stuff here in this game. Looks like they still have what appears to be Wakasa in the west there and most of the former Imagawa and Oda territory east/north of Ise to what appears to be Sagami/Izu or somewhere in that area. Looks like Owari, Mikawa, Totomi, and Suruga Provinces that are still under the control of the Ikko, give or take a province or two. Those are some pretty wealthy provinces there with some decent bonus resources/abilities and in a solid and defensible location, so the Ikko might still pose a threat with them under their control, but once you take them over, you should be in a good position and pretty close to Realm Divide, I would think. You'll probably have to leave a sizable garrison in Echizen and Kaga to deal with all the unrest caused by the Ikko religion until you eventually get rid of it (helped by pulling down their temple there in Kaga), but I have a feeling that you'll be leaving some wounded units behind and reinforcing Yasunaga's army soon and send him to deal with the rest of the Ikko's provinces in the south there. Also, this is still the same turn as you lost Settsu? I didn't notice that. Guess with all the stuff that's been going on, there's been a lot to notice. If you had crammed all that happened this turn into one update, it'd have been way too huge for that post. So you focused on the loss of Settsu last update, dealing the Ikko Ikki this update, and I assume Taketoshi fighting the Chosokabe and taking a province in Shikoku next update. I guess you'll have the next turn with Korekata forming the army to take back Settsu the update after that. Should be an interesting set up updates to watch. And posting the map really drives home how big the Amako appear to be. They should be interesting for Korekata to fight after he takes back Settsu soon. I assume you'll also redirect Yasunaga and his stack over there once you finish off the Chosokabe in Shikoku? Can't wait to see where you go from here in the next couple of updates... GhostStalker fucked around with this message at 06:44 on Feb 7, 2014 |
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Feb 7, 2014 06:35
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shalcar posted:GhostStalker posted:Huh, guess the Ikko Ikki were pretty drat successful in conquering stuff here in this game. In my last game the Ikko Ikki took over most of central Japan, (I was playing as the Mori), enough territories to start Realm Divide in a long game if a human player was using them. I found out that the best way to deal with them is to use Monks to start rebellions in their territory, since Monks get a bonus to instigating a revolt if the religion is different than the monk's. I got half their territory that way. I couldn't take those territories without triggering Realm Divide, but the Ikko Ikki seemed oddly reluctant to take them back. Also Bow Ronin can go to hell. The Takeda seem to be doing fairly well this game, as do the Date. Not to mention Kyushu looks exactly like it did at one point in my last game, except that the Ito, who I assume is the purple, took over because the Otomo didn't bother to put good garrisons back home while their army was away fighting me and the Ouchi. Kinda sad, really. I'm glad your armies in Shikoku haven't been plagued with high level agents like my armies end up being. The first time I invaded in my Shimazu game, both my generals were killed by high level ninjas and a monk kept starting revolts in the province I took. One last thing, how close are you to starting Realm Divide? You seem close enough.
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Feb 7, 2014 19:01
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Mr.Morgenstern posted:I'm glad your armies in Shikoku haven't been plagued with high level agents like my armies end up being. The first time I invaded in my Shimazu game, both my generals were killed by high level ninjas and a monk kept starting revolts in the province I took. Yeah, we have been very lucky with enemy agents at this point in time, although I don't expect that to last come Realm Divide. We are actually quite close to Realm Divide as we own 11 provinces and Realm Divide generally triggers at around 14-15 provinces. Obviously losing Settsu set us back a province, but we are certainly not far off.
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Feb 8, 2014 02:01
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I still remember my first time with enemy Agents swarming my few Chosokabe mainland provinces and they would knock out my Agents the instant I recruited them. About five Metsuke from five different clans were fighting each other in my territory and it continued more than ten turns.
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Feb 8, 2014 03:03
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A valiant comeback but the Amako threat still lingers in the west. Still taking out the Ikko is always a sort of landmark for me in most games where it's a clan with a central or eastern Honshu start. Usually that marks the transition towards Realm Divide or just before it. By the way, what difficulty are you playing on? I don't remember it being mentioned and am curious.
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Feb 8, 2014 05:30
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Ah, the Ikko warrior monks. Once I took Kaga and scheduled the temple to be burned down, but I was counterattacked during the enemy phase of that same turn, before the demolition actually resolved. The result was that I got a free unit of Ikko warrior monks on my side during the battle. Makes sense in terms of the game mechanics, but in a narrative sense it was pretty weird. Also that picture by Assassin Princess is awesome. 
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Feb 8, 2014 20:43
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So are you going to kick off Realm Divide yourself by attacking Kyoto as the final province? Especially since, assuming you're the first one to try, you can use your metsuke to turn the army that spawns the instant you invade into your army.
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Feb 8, 2014 21:56
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Mr.Morgenstern posted:In my last game the Ikko Ikki took over most of central Japan, (I was playing as the Mori), enough territories to start Realm Divide in a long game if a human player was using them. Yeah, in my own game the Ikko were huge in central Japan before they got beat down by the Hattori and the Chosokabe, who turned out to be the big power players of the game, the latter spreading from Shikoku all over southern and north central Honshu, while the former had most of south central Honshu. Playing as the Shimazu, I didn't really run into the Ikko all that much, save for their fleets, which harassed the hell out of my trading fleets after they declared war on me via declaring on the Hattori, who I had an alliance with at the time. quote:I'm glad your armies in Shikoku haven't been plagued with high level agents like my armies end up being. The first time I invaded in my Shimazu game, both my generals were killed by high level ninjas and a monk kept starting revolts in the province I took. shalcar posted:Yeah, we have been very lucky with enemy agents at this point in time, although I don't expect that to last come Realm Divide. Hmm, never really had to deal all that much with enemy agents myself early, though when I triggered Realm Divide, the Hattori ninjas were all over me. They had already taken Kyoto when I was moving in and declared the Hattori Shogunate, so that was a reminder of how behind I was at the time. Assassinated one of my generals right as I was moving into their territory, then they eventually injured one of my family members who was serving as a general and sent him all the way back to my capital in Kyushu (which was fortunate, since I could build another stack there and eventually get him back out in the field with reinforcements, but at the time it happened, I was pretty pissed), and generally made a nuisance of themselves sabotaging my farms so I lost income when money was tight, or sabotaging my army doomstacks as I was moving them in to take some of their provinces or keeping them in town when I was ready to move them out and attack another province. Surprisingly, their ninjas weren't all that effective against my own ninjas when I attempted counter-assassinations. Didn't kill them all, but injuring them was fine too. Sure, the Hattori capital is close enough to where my armies were, but taking them out of commission for a turn and slowing them down while my doomstacks marched into their central and home provinces helped immensely. Some minor clans also sent Metsuke to try and disrupt my Monks in the area, but they mostly got counter-indoctrinated, and were only successful in sending one Monk back to my capital on Kyushu where he had to make the long trek back over a number of turns. Realm Divide will be interesting for you, I think. Once you finish off the Chosokabe on Shikoku, then deal with the Ikko and take Settsu back from the Amako, it should've triggered by then. Then you'll have some choices, I think. Keep going against the Amako in the south/west to avenge your loss of Settsu, along with the minor clans in the south and the Otomo and the other clan in Kyushu; or go north/east, with all the major clans in that area. Guess you'll try and consolidate some fronts, and move on where you feel comfortable and in a good position. Though if I were you, I think I'd push south, since it's mostly the Amako there and I'd want to get revenge on them.
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Feb 8, 2014 23:20
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I would love to see an Ikko Ikki playthrough by shalcar. The narrative he weaves pretty much makes the LP, and I kinda wonder how he would write them.
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Feb 9, 2014 00:40
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GhostStalker posted:Hmm, never really had to deal all that much with enemy agents myself early, though when I triggered Realm Divide, the Hattori ninjas were all over me. The problem is that unlike Shalcar, out of the two times I've invaded the Chosokabe, I was in the late game. I'm pretty sure that most agents get killed off fighting other agents, but the thing with the Chosokabe is that since they don't have a direct land route to the rest of Japan, they have a bunch of high level agents just waiting for some fool to activate them. On a different note, I was quite surprised to find a Hattori ninja named Chisato attacking my forces... and that was level six. 
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Feb 9, 2014 01:19
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Mr.Morgenstern posted:The problem is that unlike Shalcar, out of the two times I've invaded the Chosokabe, I was in the late game. I'm pretty sure that most agents get killed off fighting other agents, but the thing with the Chosokabe is that since they don't have a direct land route to the rest of Japan, they have a bunch of high level agents just waiting for some fool to activate them. Yeah, I guess that makes sense. I never invaded the Chosokabe territory in Shikoku in my own game, but by the time Realm Divide hit, they had taken most of southern and north central Honshu, minus what I managed to take away from them via monk shenanigans causing revolts and then killing the rebels that took over with my own troops. Didn't notice many agents in their territory in Honshu, but they did send one high level Metsuke to try and deal with my Monks that were causing rebellions, but once I lost my first one, a followup indoctrination by another Monk put paid to him.
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Feb 9, 2014 07:09
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Looking forward to see how that situation in Settsu develops. Have you even got an army anywhere near that front?
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Feb 11, 2014 22:55
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The situation with Settsu is pretty intense, but look on the bright side Shalcar. At least you don't have to deal with this: I'm the Date. And yes, the Otomo have taken over the Shogunate. 
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Feb 12, 2014 01:18
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Sydin posted:The situation with Settsu is pretty intense, but look on the bright side Shalcar. At least you don't have to deal with this: What year is it and what difficulty is that on? Because holy crap. Better grab some monks and get to instigating revolts.
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Feb 12, 2014 05:43
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My last game involved the Takeda growing too big for their boots and taking over the Shogunate. So the Hojo broke their alliance with them and joined up with myself (Otomo) and the Chokosabe to annihilate them. The Chokosabe took Kyoto and started going nuts too until the Hojo at last asked me into a second war of Smack Down The New Shogun. Then I blitzed about a dozen of the Chokosabe territories in a couple of turns, rolled straight through Realm Divide and ended up winning the long campaign goal before I even had to touch Hojo territory. Though Hojo and Otomo colours dominating a map is uugly.
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Feb 12, 2014 05:47
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MonotoneMorgan posted:By the way, what difficulty are you playing on? I don't remember it being mentioned and am curious. We are playing on Normal difficulty. It's buried in the OP somewhere, but I certainly don't blame you for not finding it! Sydin posted:The situation with Settsu is pretty intense, but look on the bright side Shalcar. At least you don't have to deal with this: That's legitimately impressive, what turn was that? Glazius posted:Looking forward to see how that situation in Settsu develops. Have you even got an army anywhere near that front? Sadly not, just whatever we can muster rapidly. It's going to be rough.
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Feb 12, 2014 13:41
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shalcar posted:That's legitimately impressive, what turn was that? Turn 55. It's my own fault really: I tried to hold back my expansion so I could get some of the more fun toys before RD hit, and gave them the chance to blob like crazy in the meantime. Of course, I didn't realize until the Otomo declared themselves shogun, and suddenly half the map turned light blue.
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Feb 13, 2014 03:50
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I think a naval invasion in their rear is going to save you or the other way around.
Scalding Coffee fucked around with this message at 04:37 on Feb 13, 2014 |
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Feb 13, 2014 04:32
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I know I'm super late to the contest on haikus, but I just bought a gaming rig and am poor as hell. The man a demon Set ablaze all who oppose Nobunaga who? Your General is a badass.
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Feb 16, 2014 22:33
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Hi everyone, I just wanted to let you all know that things have been a little rough for me lately and I've been taking time to deal with those issues and prioritising mental and physical health over things like the lp. I want to apologise for the update schedule being a little patchy and for the smaller size of the updates, as well as make a personal apology to the people in the tournament and the fact I have left you all on the line. I'm still committed to making the best LP I can and while I don't make lps to the quality of Chip, Thanqol or Wiz, your support and participation has helped enormously. Thanks for being so amazing everyone and I hope to be back on track for Realm Divide, where Taketoshi, Yasunaga and Chisato take on the world!
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Feb 18, 2014 04:11
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Take as much time as you need.
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Feb 18, 2014 04:43
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SgtSteel91 posted:Take as much time as you need. I have been  It's almost inevitable that in any lp with a long running time that things will sometimes run less than smooth from time to time. I think everything is sorted now, with any luck! I always feel it comes off a bit e/n keeping people appraised of the reasons for delays, but I would rather that than people thinking I had kept them in the dark. Even in an informal setting like an lp, it's the adult thing to do.
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Feb 18, 2014 05:01
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shalcar posted:I have been I very much appreciate it, nothing is worse for a faithful reader to have the LPer vanish with nobody knowing what is up. Take your time, we are patient
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Feb 18, 2014 08:17
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Thanks for telling us what's up, shalcar. It's nice to know that an LP'er hasn't abandoned a thread, and that his/her problems, if any, are surmountable.
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Feb 18, 2014 09:08
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Real life > games.
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Feb 18, 2014 11:54
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Shalcar you do one of the best LP series on SA. Go get your stuff sorted and come back whenever you want! Good luck with it all.
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Feb 18, 2014 21:33
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One Province at a Time Summer of 1551 (Continued)   Taketoshi frowned as he crumpled the scroll. Orders to return home? Now? In his moment of triumph! Idly he toyed with the crumpled paper, his loyalty to the Hattori fighting with what he knew must be done. "The Chosokabe can't be allowed to recover" he thought. "A hasty reaction is exactly what our enemies want!" He slammed his fist down on the table. "Runner!" he bellowed. "Your orders my Lord?" asked the runner, bowing. "Where do we march?" "Tell the men we head to Iyo with all speed" ordered Taketoshi. "We must end this swiftly, for we are needed elsewhere." The improved roads of Iyo work to our advantage, giving Taketoshi the range to strike at the heart of the province from a substantial distance out! Although we don't have any firm knowledge of the Chosokabe numbers there, the fact their clan summary lists their strength as "weak" means that we are likely to have a favourable battle.  "I don't have all day!" roared Taketoshi. "I want this fortification taken in time for supper!" "My Lord, it's poorly defended at best" noted the advisor. "Surely should take a cautious approach?" "My grandmother could take that fortification by herself and she's dead the last 20 years" snapped Taketoshi. "Every delay costs the lives of loyal Hattori men and puts the heartland in danger. Now order the attack or I'll have your head!" The advisor paled visibly. "At once, my Lord." The speed of our attack has most certainly overwhelmed the Chosokabe, as only their garrison remains in the province. Taketoshi's force of 1 Light Cavalry, 3 Hattori Katana Samurai, 10 Hattori Yari Ashiragu and 4 Hattori Bow Ashigaru are more than a match for the meagre 1 Samurai Retainers that oppose them. The outcome is most certainly not in doubt.  Click here to see the battle! "They swarm like ants" gasped a Chosokabe defender. "What chance do we have? Will there be help?" The men looked at the garrison commander, fear and hope in their eyes. He shook his head. "Take as many with you as you can" he stated, flatly. "Let's give the poets something to write about!" Iyo is the typical coastal fortification, only accessible from three sides. Without the troops to man the walls, let alone repel an assault upon them, a standard offensive of heavy archer fire backed up several units over the walls will make short work of the defences.  "...and several noted men fell in the attack" continued the advisor. Taketoshi ignored him, pacing and obviously agitated. "Have we secured the province yet?" he interjected. "Almost, my Lord" replied the advisor. "But the men..." "drat the men" interrupted Taketoshi. "We don't have time. Heaven's above, I've never had so little time." Success! Although the Chosokabe did manage to kill almost 2 men to every 1 of theirs, the losses in absolute terms are negligible, especially since we will need to garrison troops here until the province settles down.  "They bled out there for you, my Lord" stated the advisor. "Fathers who will not see their children grow." Taketoshi rubbed his temples. "I'm trapped, for each move kills more good Hattori men. I move with haste and men die, I move slowly and more will die. I bring death to all." "It is the nature of this war" observed the advisor. "But we are both blessed and cursed more than most." As expected, the glory is split evenly between our archers and the brave ashigaru who stormed the walls. The archers managed to escape with no losses, while the yari ashigaru were not quite as fortunate.  "Give me a good fight" lamented Taketoshi. "You know where you stand in a melee." "We know where we stand" noted the advisor. "We stand in Iyo, Hattori territory. We stand on the brink of victory here. No matter what befalls others, our holdings here alone declare us a powerful clan." Another province captured! With this being the second province this turn, despite the loss of Settsu we are still closer to victory than the start of the turn. While our economic situation might not be anywhere near as healthy, we are still making solid progress towards ultimate Hattori victory!   "Iyo is wealthy" continued the advisor. "and food is ample. Roads and ports are well developed and the economy flourishes. You have a strong force of soldiers, ready to finish what we started. Ready to crush the Chosokabe and uphold the honour of the Hattori. We stand tall." Iyo is wonderfully developed for being an economic centre, with a Fort, Market, Improved Irrigation (Average Soil), Post Roads and Stations and a Trading Port. With the possible exception of upgrading the farmland, not a single koku will need to be spent here in order to fit it into our economic engine. With the cheap buildings in Sanuki enabling it to act as the defensive umbrella for Iyo (in addition to our naval forces), it should be relatively secure even without military expenditure.  The Emperor's court was in an uproar. "The Chosokabe are ruined seemingly without effort!" stated a courtier. "The Ikko Ikki too!" shouted another. "Can nothing stop them?" The Emperor held up his hand for silence. "It is true that the Hattori have been most resourceful, but the Amako are, perhaps, more than a match for them." "The wisdom of Heaven flows through you" responded the Shogun. "But surely they must have eyes upon the throne!" "The Hattori have always been loyal" noted the Emperor. "For now, at least, I am sure they do not mean us harm." "We shall see how loyal they are when the Ikko Ikki and Chosokabe have fallen" replied the Shogun. "The Amako alone might not be enough to crush their ambition." Our aggressive expansion even in the face of counter strikes has not gone unnoticed, with the Shogun himself expressing concern at the rising power of the Hattori. This is no doubt exacerbated by the fact that Kyoto is almost (or at least, was until we lost Settsu) surrounded by lands loyal to  The dawn light shone upon Taketoshi's chest, highlight the scars of many battles. Although the air was unseasonably cold, Taketoshi paid it no heed, his meditation uninterrupted. Outwardly calm, inside he desperately sought peace as his conflicting loyalties to the clan and himself fought for supremacy. The complete obliteration of the Chosokabe has honed Taketoshi's skills to a razor edge, his legend grows throughout Japan as the "Ninja's Blade". With new skills and experience comes a new way of thinking, a new way of leading, a new way of inspiring but also, a new way of thinking about his place in the world. As our Commissioner for Finance, this also adds another 1% to our clan tax rate and reduces the upkeep of his own stack by a further 2%.  Heaven itself had set the order of things, of how things should be. Men followed their leader, their leader followed the general, the general the Daimyo and the Daimyo followed the Emperor, the living god. How could it be any other way? Despite believing it harder than he ever had in his life, something deep within still sought escape. Ambition. The soul of a poet soars, reaching Heaven itself and glimpsing what few people ever truly grasp. Heaven speaks of loyalty, of the order of things and of the place of someone within that. Religious will let Taketoshi inspire his troops more powerfully, giving us more power when we need it most, as well as converting the local population to Shinto-Buddhism, essential against the Ikko Ikki and Christian factions. Honourable, on the other hand, increases the loyalty of the general while making looting less effective. The extra loyalty will be important due to the high ranking nature of Taketoshi and the problems that this brings.        As Taketoshi has hit rank 4, he gets a choice of 2 new retainers. Unfortunately for us, they are both pretty terrible. Losing loyalty for an extra rank when attacking on land is horrible, considering that you are far more likely to lose from having a key general defect or be bribed than by having his troops run from the slightly reduced morale in a land attack (in a defence it might be a different matter!). The Doctor really doesn't help you much, although it does mean that you are basically immortal until about 50+.   Could Yasunaga have achieved all that Taketoshi had? Had he not single-handedly carved out a mighty island empire, rendered a major clan to little more than scared children through his own will? What world was this to deny him the right to rule, for surely he had demonstrated it far more diligently than most clan leaders! His thoughts turned to Masanari and a gentle smile came to his face. He owed it to the boy, at least. He was a good lad, gentle, brave and loyal to a fault. It was for him that we built this empire, it was for him that Yasunaga moved Heaven and Earth, it was for him that Taketoshi had risked much. If one could not bring the heart to be completely loyal to the father, at least the heart could be loyal to the son. The Doctor is the obvious choice, as we can see a new penalty to Taketoshi's loyalty - "Delusions of Grandeur". At rank 4, 5 and 6, this debuff to loyalty will increase by 1 as the general starts to wonder if maybe they wouldn't be doing a better job leading the clan as long as they are higher rank than the Daimyo. The only generals immune to Delusions are the Daimyo and the Heir. Other sons will still get the Delusions debuff, but it's called Upstart Sons. - I had got myself confused, thanks for pointing it out Xenoborg!  Taketoshi stood up and noticed the messenger awaiting him. "What's the message?" he asked. "More bad news?" "No, my Lord" replied the messenger. "Our scouts report that only a skeleton garrison is left in the last Chosokabe fortress of Tosa. They may have forces nearby, but the city itself is barely manned." Taketoshi turned to the sun and took a deep breath of the warming air, giving silent thanks to Heaven that he must have made the right choice. "Wonderful!" he announced. "Send word to ready the men, I think it's time we ended this and got back home, don't you?" Our march to Iyo did reveal some critically useful information. The last Chosokabe province, their fortress and last line of defence, has no troops except the (respectable) garrison provided by the Fortress there. With Taketoshi poised at their throat, will the Hattori finally be rid of the Chosokabe threat or will another ambush punish our arrogance? Summer of 1551 (Enemy Turn)  "Amako sail on the horizon sir!" announced the lookout. "She's a warship and she means business!" "Full sail with the wind" ordered the captain. "We can outrun her!" "Sir, that's deep water" noted the first mate. "She's not built for that, it's almost certain death." "It is" agreed the captain. "But it's a better deal than the certain death we will get if that ship catches us. GET SOME MORE SAIL UP YOU BASTARDS!" The Amako, not content with taking Settsu from us and humiliating the Hattori, launch an attack against one of our Trade Ships. We have no way of winning that fight, so we are forced to retreat into the high seas. The High seas will cause casualties amongst the crew and reduce their capacity to bring in trade goods. Luckily for us, the Amako decline to push further... Sneak Peek: Support of the Temples... shalcar fucked around with this message at 15:48 on Feb 19, 2014 |
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Feb 19, 2014 15:15
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quote:we can see a new penalty to Taketoshi's loyalty - "Upstart Generals". At rank 4, 5 and 6, this debuff to loyalty will increase by 1 as the general starts to wonder if maybe they wouldn't be doing a better job leading the clan. It's different to "Delusions of Grandeur", which happens if your Daimyo is 2 ranks lower than the general. Other sons will still get the Upstart debuff, but it's called Upstart Sons.
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Feb 19, 2014 15:38
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Xenoborg posted:I think upstart generals comes from when you enlist new a new general all your existing ones get the penalty. Upstart sons is when you adopt more sons. You are completely correct. I'm going to blame failing to proof for that one. I had already covered Upstart back when we got it, for heavens sake. I got everything in that block completely wrong, what the hell were you doing, me from 3 days ago?!? e: Fixed it up, so much for a triumphant return
shalcar fucked around with this message at 15:50 on Feb 19, 2014 |
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Feb 19, 2014 15:45
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| # ? May 6, 2024 22:40 |
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You took two provinces in a turn. That's triumphant enough. I hadn't realized delusions on grandure was anything but random. It really hurt me in my last game, where my daimyo died early, with his heir a child, leaving his wife as regent. That wasn't fun.
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Feb 19, 2014 16:02
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