Shogun Total War

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Shogun Total War FAQ Version 1.3Written by: The Archon ([email protected])Copyright 2005, Steven Dobirstein (The Archon)

Legal Stuff:This may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except forpersonal, private use. This guide should not be sold for profit underany circumstances. This guide should strictly be available onwww.gamefaqs.com and if the guide should appear elsewhere (with theexception of a copy for personal use) be it another free website, paywebsite, or in any publication, that is a violation of copyright law.Changing any of the text in this guide, including this copyrightwarning, without my personal written consent is also a violation of law.A link from a free (NOT from a paysite) website to the original documenton www.gamefaqs.com is acceptable, but the document may not be hosted atany other source.

UPDATE: The following websites have e-mailed me and have my permissionto also post the guide, so long as it remains in the original state andis offered free of charge:http://dlh.nethttp://www.neoseeker.com

If you see my guide posted on another website, please tell me. I workedhard on this and I have no desire to be ripped off. Those of us whowrite these do it for free, on our own spare time, and the finishedproduct is the only reward we get. Thank you.

GUIDE HISTORYJanuary 4, 2005 - Began work on the guide. Not much beyond a roughskeletal outline of what needed to be done and the introduction.January 5, 2005 - Did "The Seven Clans" section.January 6, 2005 - Began work on the "Buildings and Units" section.January 9, 2005 - Worked on the Map and Combat Mode sections, V 1.0 isachieved and submitted to gamefaqs.com.February 19, 2005 - Added the "Reader Contribution Section" for people

who send in advice on the game. This should help to make the guide muchmore complete. This is guide version 1.1February 23, 2005 - Very small update to version 1.11. Realized I hadn'tincluded the names of a couple of other websites I gave permission tohost the guide on, and also a small update about geisha assassination.March 9, 2005 - Another excellent reader contribution from James Motz,guide version 1.2.January 21, 2006 - It's been a long time! Added another readercontribution to the guide. I also deleted the emails of people who havecontributed things to my guide as they aren't mine to show off.

TABLE OF CONTENTS (To skip quickly to any section, just copy any ofthese titles including the number and the dash and use the "find"

feature, usually control key + f.)1 - Introduction and Game Story2 - The Seven Clans3 - Buildings and Units4 - Map Mode5 - Combat Mode6 - Reader Contribution Section7 - Credits

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1 - Introduction and Game Story===============================First off, before I delve into the story, a brief "why write this guide"bit. Basically, because no one else has done it yet. It's a good gamethat flew under a lot of radars, and it deserved one. So I've tried totake it upon myself to get together something that can qualify as a FAQfor this game. I don't profess to be the biggest expert to have everplayed the game, but I am competent and hopefully you find it useful insome way.

Shogun Total War is a historically based game, meaning that the basis ofthe game is factual. The names of the starting rulers of the sevenselectable tribes are accurate (I don't know about their heirs) and thisperiod is actually known in Japanese history as "sendoku jindai" or "theage of the country at war" just as it says in the introductory video.Essentially this is a Japanese version of the classic board game "Axisand Allies" (for those of you not old enough to remember board gamesthat was the definitive World War II strategy game), reliving what iswidely viewed as one of the most fascinating periods of their history.

The story, in the simplified form that it is presented in this game isas follows. The last Shogunate has collapsed, and Japan no longer has asingle military ruler. There are seven main tribes who are now vying forthe Shogunate - Hojo, Takeda, Mori, Uesugi, Oda, Shimazu, and Imagawa.

Each tribe has it's own unique strengths that can lead them to totalvictory or failure. Your goal is to take your chosen clan to dominationof all Japan and claim the mantle of Shogun for yourself. Essentially,the rest of the story is yours to build and tell, as history is yours torewrite.

===================2 - The Seven Clans===================In this section I will detail each of the seven clans you can choose,their bonus, what land they start with, and whether that land has anyexploitable bonuses.

SHIMAZUThe Shimazu clan starts with the majority of the island of Kyushualready theirs to control. While they are not rich in farmland, gainingtotal control of the island early can allow them to build in somerelative safety from everyone except the Mori clan. If played as thecomputer they are more willing to convert to Christianity than otherclans.

Starting Units: 3 Yari Samurai, 3 Samurai Archers, 2 Yari Ashigaru, 1EmissaryStarting Bonus: No-Dachi Samurai can be recruited at a cheaper cost.Starting Land: Satsuma, Osumi, Hyuga, Higo, Bungo, Buzen, NagatoStarting Exploitable Bonuses: No-Dachi Samurai trained in Satsuma gain a

+1 Honor bonus. Nagato has iron sand deposits, allowing an armory to bebuilt.

MORIThe Mori clan's tradition is built around the strength of their warriormonks. They will play as strict Buddhists and will oppose any group thatconverts to Christianity. Although they control a good amount of land,it is rather spread out which can make defense early on a littledifficult. So long as you are not fighting Christians their WarriorMonks can be devastating.



Starting Units: 5 Yari Samurai, 5 Samurai Archers, 4 Yari Ashigaru, 1EmissaryStarting Bonus: Warrior Monks can be recruited at a cheaper cost.Starting Land: Mimasaka, Bizen, Harima, Inaba, Hoki, Izumo, Iwami, SuoStarting Exploitable Bonuses: Mimasaka has iron sand deposits, allowingan armory to be built. Bizen allows you to build a port at a discountdue to a fine natural harbor. Harima has abundant silver depositsallowing you to build a mine, as well as a natural harbor that gives adiscount on building a port. Inaba, Hoki, Izumo, Iwami, and Suo all haveiron sand deposits, again allowing an armory.

ODAThe Oda clan is very aggressive and seems to enjoy warfare. They willwage war with anyone who stands in their way regardless of religion intheir quest for power. They have a central position on the map to begin,which depending on your skill level can be very good or if you are notyet good at defending it can be very bad. Their bonus goes towards lowlyAshigaru units, allowing you to build a very large army but perhaps nota particularly powerful one - specializing in one kind of unit with thisclan is not advisable. Fortunatly Oda begins with many provinces thatprovide bonuses to other units. The Emperor's Palace is in the city ofKyoto within Yamashiro, and also starts essentially under your control.

Starting units: 10 Yari Ashigaru, 6 Samurai Archers, 1 EmissaryStarting Bonus: Yari Ashigaru can be recruited at a cheaper cost.Starting Land: Owari, Mino, Omi, Iga, Yamato, Kawachi, Yamashiro, Tamba,Wakasa, KiiStarting Exploitable Bonuses: Ashigaru recruited in Owari get a +1 Honorbonus. *The Emperor's Palace in Yamashiro grants a +1 Honor bonus to anyuntit you recruit there. Mino has iron sand deposits allowing you tobuild an armory. Omi has iron sand deposits allowing you to build anarmory. Iga has iron sand which allow the building of an armory, andalso Ninja built there start with +1 Honor. Any warrior monks trained inKii gain +1 Honor.

*A note about the Emperor's Palace in Yamashiro. Technically this will

always remain neutral, meaning you cannot garrison the castle nor canyou move the Emperor. He will always be here, and any ruler thatcontrols Yamashiro will gain the bonus towards troops commissionedthere. That's pretty much the only effect the Emperor has in this game.

IMAGAWAThe Imagawa clan start with their land split at two ends of the country,but connected through ports. They are more passive than the othertribes, relying on both alliances as well as their strength with Ninjaand Shinobi to lead them to success. They are perhaps the weakest groupin terms of military might and they rely on careful planning andstrategy to achieve victory.

Starting Units: 6 Samurai Archers, 6 Yari Samurai, 2 Ninja, 1 EmissaryStarting Bonus: Both Ninja and Shinobi can be recruited at a lower cost.Starting Land: Totomi, Suruga, Mikawa, Chikugo, Hizen, ChikuzenStarting Exploitable Bonus: Archers trained in Totomi gain +1 Honor.Totomi and Hizen both begin with ports already built. If you should everneed to replace the port in Hizen, it can be rebuilt at reduced costbecause of a good natural harbor.

TAKEDAThe Takeda clan is another aggressive warrior group. They do not make



particularly trustworthy allies. Like the Imagawa clan their land issplit at two ends of the country and linked by ports. The Takeda clanare famous for the strength of their cavalry and they enjoy exploitingthis advantage. If not dealt with quickly the Takeda clan can become abig problem for other groups.

Starting Units: 4 Yari Samurai, 1 Samurai Archer, 3 Cavalry Archers, 3Yari Cavalry, 1 EmissaryStarting Bonus: Cavalry units can be recruited at a reduced cost.Starting Land: Kai, Sagami, Izu, Aki, Bingo, BitchuStarting Exploitable Bonus: Kai has gold which can be mined. Sagami andAki start with ports already built. Aki also has silver deposits whichcan be mined, and iron sand deposits that allow the building of anarmory. Bingo has iron sand deposits which allow the building of anarmory.

HOJOThe Hojo clan are an ancient and powerful name, and their strength liesin the rich land they control as well as their mastery at buildingcastles. While no one particular military unit is their strength theyare still dangerous opponents and should be watched carefully, as theywill not hesitate to pounce at the sign of weakness. Their strength atbuilding castles makes it easier for them to defend invasions than theother tribes, so long as their castles are garrisoned properly.

Starting Units: 2 Yari Samurai, 4 Samurai Archers, 2 Yari Ashigaru, 1EmissaryStarting Bonus: Castles can be built at a reduced cost.Starting Land: Shimosa, Kazusa, Hitachi, Musashi, Kozuke, ShimotsukeStarting Exploitable Bonus: Emissaries trained in Kazusa gain +1 Honor.Hitachi has iron sand deposits which can be used to build an armory.Shimotsuke has copper which can be mined.

UESUGIThe Uesugi are cunning, rich in land, and skilled in combat. A trulywell balanced and dangerous foe, and a good choice for newcomers to thegame. Their clan is famous for their archers and they can be recruited

cheaply. They will respect alliances with strong tribes but will nothesitate to invade weaker ones. They possess a good deal of farmlandwhich allows them a bit more freedom to build early on.

Starting Units: 3 Yari Samurai, 4 Samurai Archers, 2 Yari AshigaruStarting Bonus: Archers can be recruited at a reduced cost.Starting Land: Mutsu, Dewa, Suwo, Echigo, Shinano, HidaStarting Exploitable Bonus: Dewa has gold which can be mined. Suwo hasiron sands which allow the building of an armory. Echigo has silverwhich can be mined. Shinano has iron sands which allow the building ofan armory, and in addition any cavalry trained in Shinano will startwith +1 Honor.

The remaining provinces are controlled by rebel or Ronin forces and arenot part of any organized group. They can invade anyone and be invadedby anyone, and alliances cannot be formed with them.

=======================3 - Buildings and Units=======================BUILDINGSI will detail what the buildings do, their cost, and their building timein seasons (game turns).



CASTLESCastles are very important for a few reasons. One, virtually all otherbuildings have one of the levels of castle as a prerequisite. And twothey allow you to store units within them that can be used to defendyour province. This is called "garrisoning" the castle. Note thatputting any cavalry unit in a garrison counts as two units, which isrealistic since they would require twice as much space and food becauseof the horses. The Hojo clan can build these castles at reduced cost.There are four levels of castle. Each requires you to have the previousversion before the next can be built in that province.

CASTLERequired: NoneCost: 500 KokuBuilding Time: 6 seasonsThe basic structure. It can hold 4 units. It also grants you almost allthe basic options for other structures. In any province you plan todevelop, a basic castle will have to be part of the plan.

LARGE CASTLERequired: CastleCost: 1000 KokuBuilding Time: 8 seasons

An improved castle, this one can hold up to 8 units. Also more difficultto assault.

FORTRESSRequired: Large CastleCost: 1500 KokuBuilding Time: 10 seasonsA fortress is a big jump, and can hold 12 units. It is far moredifficult to assault than it's predecessors.

CITADELRequired: FortressCost: 3000 Koku

Building Time: 12 seasonsOnly the most developed provinces gain citadels. They can hold up to 16units on their own. There are only a couple of upgrades that require acitadel before they can be built, most importantly the Geisha House.

IMPROVED FARM LANDRequired: NothingCost: 500 KokuBuilding Time: 8 seasonsThe farm land improvements are very important to keeping your treasuryfull. As your army grows you will need more food to feed them. Thisupgrade increases agricultural production in the province by 20%. Buildit in provinces that already have good farmland first, to get the full

value.

SUPERIOR FARMLANDRequired: Improved Farm LandCost: 700 KokuBuilding Time: 10 seasonsThis grants a 40% boost to agricultural production in the province.

EXCEPTIONAL FARMLANDRequired: Superior Farmland



Cost: 900 KokuBuilding Time: 12 seasonsThis time, it's a 60% boost to agricultural production.

LEGENDARY FARMLANDRequired: Exceptional FarmlandCost: 1000 KokuBuilding Time: 12 seasonsThis is as good as farmland can get, granting a 100% boost, thusdoubling agricultural production in a region. Save this for provincesthat have extensive farmland to begin with to get the full advantage ofyour investment.

MINERequired: Gold, Silver, or Copper deposit in the provinceCost: 1000 KokuBuilding Time: 8 seasonsOnce a mine is built it produces a set income automatically for the restof the game. Build one in every province that you can, there won't bemany chances to do so.

BORDER WATCH TOWERSRequired: NoneCost: 400 Koku

Building time: 4 seasonsThese act as if you had a spy in every province that borders the onewith the towers. Can be useful to see what troop movements the enemy ismaking, and also what they are building.

FORTIFIED WATCH TOWERSCost: 800 KokuBulding Time: 6 seasonsNot only do they spy into all bordering provinces, they also act as aShinobi within their own province. Overall, you could build 8 Shinobifor the cost of one of these though. ;-)

PALACE

Requires: Large CastleCost: 1000 KokuBuilding Time: 8 seasonsPalaces are essentially a sign of prestige and building one shows off toeveryone the power and wealth of the daimyo that builds it. The palacegrants bonus +1 morale to any troops built in that province.

GOLDEN PALACERequires: Palace, FortressCost: 2000 KokuBuilding Time: 10 seasonsAn improved palace, this gives an even further morale boost, +2, totroops trained within the province.

LEGENDARY PALACERequires: Golden PalaceCost: 3000 KokuBuilding Time: 12 seasonsThe highest grade of palace grants warriors incredible +3 morale inbattle. I'm not sure how necessary a bonus this is really, I'd rathermake a Legendary Armory or Swordsmith first.

SPEAR DOJO



Requires: CastleCost: 500 KokuBuilding Time: 4 seasonsThe spear dojo produces the two basic infantry types, the Yari Ashigaruand the Yari Samurai. Every army will need at lest one of these toproduce basic infantry. You also need one of these to make Yari Cavalryat a Horse Dojo.

FAMOUS SPEAR DOJORequires: Large Castle, Spear DojoCost: 500 KokuBuilding Time: 4 seasonsIf you also have an armory in the province, building a famous spear dojowill allow you to build Naginata Samurai, who are better than eitherYari Ashigaru or Yari Samurai. This also causes Yari Ashigaru and YariSamurai built in the province to start with +1 honor.

LEGENDARY SPEAR DOJORequires: Fortress, Famous Spear DojoCost: 500 KokuBuilding Time: 4 seasonsYari Ashigaru and Samurai get +2 honor, Nanigata get +1.

ARCHERY DOJO

Requires: CastleCost: 800 KokuBuilding Time: 4 seasonsThese train Samurai Archers, and all kingdoms will probably need atleast a couple of these. Combined with a horse dojo you can producecavalry archers.

FAMOUS ARCHERY DOJORequires: Archery Dojo, Large CastleCost: 800 KokuBuilding Time: 4 seasonsThis gives a boost to all Samurai Archers you train in the region,giving them a +1 honor bonus.

LEGENDARY ARCHERY DOJORequired: Fortress, Famous Archery DojoCost: 800 KokuBuilding Time: 4 seasonsProduces Samurai Archers with +2 honor.

ARMORYRequires: Large Castle, iron sand deposits in the provinceCost: 1200 KokuBuilding Time: 8 seasonsThese give every unit trained in the province a +1 bonus to their armor.Build one if you can in a place where you plan to produce a good amount

of your units. You also need one in a province to build either Nanigataor Heavy Cavalry so this is a key upgrade.

FAMOUS ARMORYRequires: Large castle, ArmoryCost: 1200 KokuBuilding Time: 8 seasonsThis armory grants a large +2 armor bonus to any units trained in theregion.



LEGENDARY ARMORYRequires: Fortress, Famous ArmoryCost: 1200 KokuBuilding Time: 8 seasonsThis grants a large +3 armor bonus to any units built in the province.

TRANQUIL GARDENRequires: CastleCost: 500 KokuBuilding Time: 4 SeasonsThe Tranquil Garden is required to build Emissaries which formalliances, and you also need a garden to build a Temple.

NINJA HOUSERequired: CastleCost: 800 KokuBuilding Time: 6 seasonsNinja Houses train your Ninjas of course. They are assassins that cantarget enemy emessaries and generals. It is definitely a good idea tobuild one, though probably not more than one is really required.

INFAMOUS NINJA HOUSERequired: Ninja House, FortressCost: 800 Koku

Building Time: 6 seasonsThis building produces ninja that start at a higher effectiveness, bystarting them with +1`to their honor right away.

PORTRequired: Castle, any coastal provinceCost: 1500 KokuBuilding Time: 10 SeasonsAlthough they are expensive and time-consuming to build, ports areimportant to have. Firstly, they produce 200 Koku every year (4 turns),and will almost certainly pay for themselves many times over. Secondly,any province with a port can send units to any other province youcontrol that also has a port - this allows you to move units from one

end of the map to the other very quickly if you need to. You also need aport if you plan on encouraging trade with the Portugese or the Dutch,or to build a trading post. If you can afford it, build it.

TEA HOUSERequired: CastleCost: 500 KokuBuilding Time: 4 seasonsThese allow you to build the Shinobi unit, which is useful both as a spyand as a counterspy in your own territories protecting your generals.

FAMOUS TEA HOUSERequired: Large Castle, Tea House

Cost: 500 KokuBuilding Time: 4 seasonsThis produces Shinobi that start with +1 honor, raising theireffectiveness.

SWORD DOJORequired: Large Castle, someone in your army gains the status of"Legendary Swordsman"Cost: 1000 KokuBuilding Time: 8 seasons



You cannot build one of these until a warrior in your army has become alegendary swordsman in battle. Once that happens you will get a littlecutscene and these can be built. So send a single army into combat a fewtimes in a row and you should be able to gain the advantage of a sworddojo. These train the No-Dachi Samurai, who have very high attack powerbut are not so strong on defense.

FAMOUS SWORD DOJORequired: Large Castle, Sword DojoCost: 1000 kokuBuilding Time: 8 seasonsThis prodcuces No-Dachi Samurai that start with +1 honor

LEGENDARY SWORD DOJORequired: Fortress, Famous Sword DojoCost: 1000 KokuBuilding Time: 8 seasonsProduces No-Dachi Samurai that start at +2 honor.

HORSE DOJORequired: Large CastleCost: 800 KokuBuilding Time: 6 seasonsThese allow you to build both Horse Archers (with an archery dojo) and

Yari Cavalry (with a spear dojo). You will definitely need one sooner orlater, as cavalry are much more effective than foot soldiers.

FAMOUS HORSE DOJORequired: Large Castle, Horse DojoCost: 800 KokuBuilding Time: 6 seasonsIn addition to the other cavalry units you will also be able to buildthe devastating Heavy Cavalry (assuming you have an armory) with afamous horse dojo. Highly recommended, as Heavy Cavalry are the bestunit in the game. They als0 produce Horse Archers and Yari Cavalry at +1honor.

LEGENDARY HORSE DOJORequired: Fortress, Famous Horse DojoCost: 800 KokuBuilding Time: 6 seasonsYari Cavalry and Samurai archers start at +2 honor, Heavy Cavalry beginat +1 honor.

SWORDSMITHRequired: Large castleCost: 1200 KokuBuilding Time: 8 seasonsThis is like an armory, but it gives a bonus +1 to weapons (even gunsand arrows) for all units built in the region. Definitely advisable if

you plan to produce a lot of units in the region.

FAMOUS SWORDSMITHRequired: Fortress, SwordsmithCost: 1200 KokuBuilding Time: 8 seasonsWeapons are produced with a +2 bonus.

LEGENDARY SWORDSMITHRequired: Citadel, Famous Swordsmith



Cost: 1200 KokuBuilding Time: 8 seasonsAll units built in the province get +3 bonus to their weapons.

PORTUGUESE/DUTCH TRADING POSTRequired: Large Castle, agreement to trade with Portuguese/DutchCost: 1000 KokuBuilding Time: 8 seasonsYou can only have a Portuguese or a Dutch trading post, not both.Accepting the Portuguese means accepting Christianity as well, whilesuch a commitment isn't required to trade with the Dutch. These two alsofunction slightly differently. The Portuguese only gives you access tothe Arquebusiers unit, and you have to build a cathedral to gainMusketeers. The Dutch trading post grants access to both unitsimmediately. The catch is you have to wait a lot longer for the Dutch toshow up, and for the first few years only the Portuguese are an option.

TEMPLERequired: Large CastleCost: 1500 KokuTime: 8 seasonsThis allows you to build Warrior Monks. So long as you are not fightinga Christian army they are easily the best infantry unit, but Christiansdo not fear the Buddhist monks the way fellow Buddhist warriors will.

GOLDEN TEMPLERequired: Temple, FortressCost: 1500 KokuTime: 8 seasonsA more advanced temple that gives warrior monks a +1 honor bonus.

TEMPLE COMPLEXRequired: Golden Temple, FortressCost: 1500 KokuBuilding Time: 10 seasonsThe most highly advanced kind of temple you can build gives WarriorMonks built in that province an additional bonus to +2 honor.

CHURCHRequired: Large Castle, accepting trade offer from PortugueseCost: 800 KokuBuilding Time: 6 seasonsIf you convert to Christianity by agreeing to trade with the Portugueseyou will need some of these. Once you become Christian each provincethat has any Christians in it will add a "Percentage Christian" numberto it's right-click description. Churches raise this number highlywithin that province and also within bordering provinces. They alsoproduce the Jesuit Priest unit. You need six churches before you canbuild a cathedral.

CATHEDRALRequired: A citadel, plus six churches built anywhere in your kingdomCost:Building Time:If you accept Christianity, this structure helps to spread Christianitythroughout your lands and also allows the building of Musketeers at allPortuguese Trading Posts you control.

GUN FACTORYRequired: Dutch Trading Post, Citadel



Cost:Building Time:These allow you to build guns away from the source of your Dutch TradingPost in other provinces.

GEISHA HOUSERequired: Citadel, Infamous Ninja House, Famous Tea HouseCost: 1000 KokuBuilding Time: 8 seasonsIf you can build one of these you are that much closer to winning thegame. Only the most advanced provinces can hold one but with good reasonas Geisha are ridiculously powerful.

UNITS - MILITARYJust as with the buildings I will go over what is required to buildthese units, their cost, and also an attempt at assessing their combateffectiveness.

SAMURAI ARCHERSRequired: Archery Dojo

Cost: 300 KokuArchers aren't actually all that devastating in combat in terms ofcasualties inflicted, and if they are rushed into hand-to-hand combatthey will be slaughtered badly. But their rain of arrows does have asubstantial effect on enemy morale. Build a few, but they are not agame-winner without a lot of help. They can also run out of ammo (unlessyou turn that feature off). They have an enhanced effect from hilltopsor when enemies try and cross bridges.

YARI ASHIGARURequired: Spear DojoCost 100 KokuThese guys are not Samurai warriors, just conscripted peasants. They are

not strong in combat and their morale will drop faster than any otherunit - they run away very easily, especially if you order them into afull-fledged charge against strong opposition. Their long spears makethem more effective against Yari Cavalry than you might suspect, butoverall they are quite weak. Build Yari Samurai instead, unless you arerunning short of cash.

YARI SAMURAIRequired: Spear DojoCost: 200 KokuThese guys are not bad for basic Samurai spearmen. They are wellbalanced against most units. They are not particularly overwhelming butso long as they are not thrown in against Warrior Monks (assuming you

are not a Christian army) or Heavy Cavalry they are not bad. They aregood for early in the game and their low cost makes them the core ofmany armies especially early on.

CAVALRY ARCHERSRequired: Horse Dojo, Archery DojoCost: 500 KokuThey function very much like basic archers but can move much, muchfaster. The only unit that can chase them down if they decide to run areYari Cavalry. Just like Samurai Archers they can run out of ammo, and



are better from hills or when enemies are crossing bridges. Because oftheir speed they can force an enemy to build a horse dojo or he can beleft with no means of catching these guys.

YARI CAVALRYRequired: Horse Dojo, Spear DojoCost: 500 KokuThey are the basic light cavalry and one of the most effective unitsoverall, except against spearmen who can hold them at bay. They are alsothe fastest unit, and nothing can escape them if they choose not to letyou leave. They are effective against almost everything, but YariAshigaru and Yari Samurai can hold them off for a bit with their longspears.

WARRIOR MONKSRequired: TempleCost: 500 KokuSo long as you are not fighting Christians, these are very powerful, andeven then they remain decent. Other Buddhists are hesitant to wage waragainst monks and even fear them to a degree, but the monks have so suchreservations, and are very powerful in combat. Both their attack anddefense are very high, and they hold out well against any kind ofopposition. Also destroying their morale is virtually impossible, asthey have no fear of death. They usually won't run unless defeat is

totally obvious.

ARQUEBUSIERSRequires: Portuguese (or Dutch) Trading PostCost: 100 KokuThese are a basic gunman, and building the Trading Post will alwaysgrant you access to them. Note that these are the most primitive ofguns, and they will not function whatsoever in the rain. They can alsorun out of ammo. They should not enter into hand-to-hand combat withanyone.

NAGINATARequired: Armory, Famous Spear Dojo

Cost: 400 KokuTheir attacks are better than Yari Spearman, and they are much betterdefensively. A good choice for garrisoning castles and also useful as asupport unit in attacking armies. Essentially the best defensiveinfantry unit, and when combined well with other kinds of unit they arevery useful.

HEAVY CAVALRYRequires: Famous Horse Dojo, ArmoryCost: 600 KokuSimply put, the best unit in the game. Despite being "heavy" (and whatthe on-disk manual says about them being "slow") they sill move muchfaster than any non-cavalry unit and the have incredible attack and

defense power. One on one, they are the best unit in the game and itdoesn't take many of them to cause large amounts of destruction in theenemy ranks. These are very expensive to build but rightly so - evenwarrior monks have reason to be worried if they decide to charge.

NO-DACHI SAMURAIRequired: Sword Dojo (Thus requires the "legendary swordsman" event)Cost: 300 KokuEssentially, the opposite of Naginata. They carry long two-handedswords. No-Dachi are very good attackers but do not have much defense. I



wouldn't want a whole army of them since they do die if not supportedwell, but as a secondary unit or in combination with Warrior Monks theycan cause severe damage. Basically these guys kill fast but die fast toowithout armor bonuses.

MUSKETEERSRequired: Dutch Trading post OR Portuguese Trading Post and a CathedralCost: 175 KokuThese are much better guns than the Arquebusiers, as they function inall weather and also have slightly better range (I think). Again,remember that they can run out of ammo. Avoid hand-to-hand combat at allcosts, unless you like watching your own army die rapidly.

TAISHOThis is really just your commander in battle. While fighting you willsee his unit displayed with a special banner, usually golden or at leastsome color and shape that is distinct from the other groups. You can'tactually "build" these (though every army will have one), but he isworth noting since if you kill the enemy commander almost every time hisarmy will flee and run away. Also, know where your commander is and trynot to let him die since your army would probably flee as a result -remember this when choosing what formation to put your army in. If yourcommander is in a group of No-Dachi Samurai for example, perhaps cavalryshould be the front line.

UNITS - OTHERNot all units are combat units, there are also other kinds of units youwill build and use in the game that still hold important influence.

EMISSARYRequired: Tranquil GardenCost: 100These guys offer alliances to other daimyos and are also very useful as

spies, because unlike Shinobi who try and sneak around in the night (andoften get captured and killed if used as spies) these guys walk aroundwith a good deal of immunity, and make good spies to let you see who andwhat is in enemy provinces. Ninjas and later Geisha are the only way tokill one. Not surprisingly they are the easiest unit to assassinate.

SHINOBIRequired: Tea HouseCost: 100I am a big fan of these. They have two things they can do. One, go intoenemy territory and spy. This is actually not a good idea, they willvery often be caught and executed by the Shonobi of other players. Butif left in your own provinces they work as conuterspies, and will kill

enemy Shinobi or Ninja in that province. This is very essential forprotecting important generals - and never leave your heir withoutprotection of a Shinobi if you don't have to, especially if you onlyhave one heir. They are very effective at stopping assassinationattempts. Other players cannot see your Shinobi on the map.

JESUIT PRIESTRequired: ChurchCost: 50These are quite cheap and useful if you are Christian. They can function



as emissaries, but don't send one to a Buddhist daimyo because I promisehis head will come back on a plate. Other Christian rulers will neverkill a priest though. Priests also automatically raise the percentage ofthe population that is Christian in any province that they are stationedin, and this can help to reduce tension within your population whousually react negatively at first to having their religion converted.They can be attacked by ninjas and geisha and make fairly easy targetswithout shinobi protection. Actually, priests can provide a cheap andeffective distraction, since some Buddhist clans will always try andtarget priests, forsaking some perhaps more important targets,especially if you move priests into their lands.

NINJARequired: Ninja HouseCost: 200These are assassins. You send them into enemy territory and target theirgenerals, or emissary. The higher the person's rank, the lower thechance for success. You can also try and kill the daimyo and his heir(s)but this is very difficult. Ninjas gain honor every time they make asuccessful kill, and I wouldn't try killing an heir or a daimyo withless than 4 honor, which is quite difficult to do. Emissaries make aneasy target and if one is just sitting in your provinces spying and youwant to be rid of him this is your chance. If you try and assassinatesomeone in a province where that player has a Shinobi you will probably

get captured and executed. You can't see where their Shinobi are hiddeneither - that would ruin the point. Overall ninjas are not always thateffective but every once in a while they are very useful, especially forlowering the morale of troops in Ronin provinces (who will much morerarely have access to shinobi). Note that these are also the only way toget rid of a Geisha - but good luck with that. Other players cannot seeyour ninja on the map.

THE LEGENDARY GEISHARequired: Geisha HouseCost: 500Also Note: Takes 4 turns (one game year) to buildThese are ridiculously powerful assassins that border on unstoppable.

They have a remarkable chance to kill targets (even daimyos are not wellprotected at all once you get 1 or 2 honor from kills) and unlike ninjasif they fail to kill their target they DO NOT DIE. They are visible onthe map to your enemy but it doesn't really matter since the only way tokill one is with a ninja, but the ninjas won't have much of a chanceagainst her. She is an overwhelming unit which is why it is so hard toget and also why it takes a full year to train one - the only unit thatcan't be trained in one turn. A handful of these = game over foreveryone, else plain and simple. You really don't need more than one ortwo unless you're just being mean. UPDATE: I've been e-mailed by acouple of people pointing out that if one Geisha attempts to assassinateanother, both of them always die. I stupidly deleted the e-mails withoutwriting your names down for credit, but thanks for that guys.

============4 - Map Mode============You'll spend the majority of your time in map mode, and the decisionsmade here are every bit as critical as combat more to your success orfailure. A badly managed kingdom with a large army is just a kingdomthat's one bad harvest away from being a sitting duck for (at least)four turns (one game year). The core decisions you'll need to make hereare where to station troops, what to build with your resources, plotting



what provinces you want to invade next, and what to do with the non-military units. Also you'll be faced with the decision to trade with thePortuguese or Dutch now and again.

First, where to station troops. This is probably the easiest decision tomake. The only place you need mass numbers at any one time is in allyour provinces that border with other kingdoms. You have to protectyourself from invasion before you can ever think about invading anyoneelse. But don't make the mistake of having nothing behind your frontline - the computer does this on lower difficulty, where 95% of theirarmy is on the front line and if you break through that it is over forthem. If you have castles not on the front line, garrison them so youhave a reserve force behind the front line, yes it increases your upkeepcost but at least it means if your front line should be broken you atleast have some sort of army remaining. If you see an enemy province ismassing numbers in a province on your border, try and match them or atleast keep it close to deter them from choosing you as a target. Also,troops in a province affect the loyalty rating of a province. I try andkeep at least one unit (even Yari Ashigaru will do) in every province tokeep loyalty high. And in newly conquered provinces that were under thecontrol of other rulers for a long time you probably will need at least2 units in the province for a while to keep the loyalty above 100% - ifit drops below 100% for any stretch of time the province might rebel.Shinobi can also help you boost loyalty if you are in a jam.

Second, what to build with your resources, both in terms of buildings andunits. There's a common theme that works across most strategy games and thisone is no exception - "strong economy = strong army". If all you do isconcentrate on building what you need to be the first tribe to get heavycavalry or warrior monks, sure you'll have some nice units but I doubt you'llhave enough annual income to pay the upkeep for your army, and then what goodis it? If you have provinces that are described as having "rich farmland" thenbuild the farmland bonuses at every chance up to the 100% Legendary Farmlandbonus, if there is something you can mine then build a mine before anythingelse, if you have a coastal province with a castle you should be building aport there as well for an income boost. These things are vitally important tobeing able to go anywhere in this game. Remember all units and structures cost

something to build, and units in play have an upkeep cost every year, so makesure you have as much annual income as possible to give yourself a decision tomake that isn't "what province should I invade because I am broke and need toeither kill some of my own troops or get more land". There are places whereboosting farmland isn't helpful, like Izu province with it's annual income of100 koku, where paying 500 Koku to get an annual 20% boost up to 120 koku isprobably not very bright. In that case, it would actually be more beneficiallong-term to pay to build both a castle and a port for a 200 koku per yearbonus. You pay 4 times as much to build those things but you get literally 10times as much payback (200 koku a year vs. 20). Basically in provinces whereit is sensible to do so, when you have the chance to develop the economicupgrades first do it.

Choosing where to build military structures and what ones to build areimportant as well. If you try and develop every province you have into awell balanced mecca of destruction I guarantee you will get blown offthe map. Instead I recommend focusing on only a couple of majorprovinces that you will build up as your military production centers.Ideally you want the option of building an armory in that province (ironsand deposits), and if it can also hold a bonus for a unit that would beswell. If I had to choose between an armory and a +1 honor bonus towardone type of unit, definitely go for the province that can hold anarmory. An honor bonus only affects one unit type, an armory affects



everyone. You also want to build a swordsmith at some point in thatprovince for a weapons bonus to go with the armory as well. Then afterthat a palace for a morale boost if you can afford the time and thecost. Really in terms of structures you don't need to develop all ofthem, just develop the ones you plan on using. For example if you planon using a lot of cavalry you won't really be needing a LegendaryArchery Dojo, will you? Don't develop secondary structures past thepoint where you need them to be, it's a waste of time and money. Developthe Famous and Legendary Armory and Swordsmith as fast as it's availablebecause those bonuses will greatly help all the troops you produce. Thenbuild up your key structures, such as a Legendary Horse Dojo or a TempleComplex. I would recommend if you have an armory to always make a FamousSpear Dojo though, so you can get the Naginata unit. They are tough guysto kill, and work well in combination with both the Warrior Monks andNo-Dachi Samurai.

Remember that every unit (well, aside from heavy cavalry) has aweakness. If all your opponent is building is Yari Spearmen I wouldn'tgo building nothing but Yari Cavalry, since your cavalry will notperform that well then. You'd be better to just match him with spearmenand archers, and use cavalry as a secondary idea solely to attackarchers just then. It's important to remember that until you can buildthe two really top level units, Warrior Monks and Heavy Cavalry. Eventhen I don't build armies of just those two (first of all the upkeep

costs would probably sink you). Always have some archers (either mountedor on foot), or guns if that's what you have. I usually don't have morethan 5 of any one kind of unit in an army of 16 units, for the sake ofbalance. If I see 12 No-Dachi Smaurai coming at me, the solution issimple - lots of cavalry and archers. But If I send 5 Archers, 3 HeavyCavalry, 3 Warrior Monks, 3 Yari Cavalry, and 2 Naginata at you you'regoing to have to think hard about what to do next.

Thirdly, plotting what province or provinces to invade. This isn't assimple as it might first seem. If you move into a spot that you can takenow but can't defend tomorrow, or that taking leaves a gaping hole inanother area, it's not a good take. Don't plot to take a province youcan't hold, and don't take a province if it leaves your old province

exposed to a counter attack. Try and target provinces in a way that theprovince you invade from will be immune from counter attack because itwill only be bordered by friendly provinces. Usually, only attackingthese "safer" targets should still leave you with opportunities. Also,in time as you learn the whole map, try not to invade a province thatcan be re-invaded from something like four separate points. Odds are youwon't be able to hold it, unless you have a lot of troops. Also, takeland form into consideration. In each province's description it tellsyou a bit about the terrain such as "Mostly lowland which makes it hardto defend" - those are usually very flat with maybe a few trees, whichmeans not many terrain advantages for the defenders. The one terrain youreally have to watch out for is any province that says it has a riverrunning through it. These are by far the toughest provinces to invade as

you have to cross the river at the bridge (or bridges) in the province.Here, archers will gut your armies quickly, and morale is a problem foreveryone on the attacking team, even Warrior Monks - no one wants to getmowed down on a narrow bridge. Either bring a 2 or 3 to 1 manpoweradvantage, or a lot of cavalry that can rush across the bridges quickly(and cut the archers to pieces), or both. Be careful with these riverprovinces, they can leave you pulling your hair out if you're notcareful - just as they did to many a real general.

Fourth, discussion of the non-military units. Each serves a good purpose



that you can take advantage of. Everyone starts with an emissary and youshould try and use him to get a couple of quick alliances. Granted,alliances are nothing more in this game than a stalling tactic while youbuild armies, but it's still a good thing to try, and if you want to spyon activities in a certian province they are the safest bet. By the way,if your emissary is assassinated in the first 7 turns, you know it wasthe Imagawa clan that did it - they start with two ninjas in play andsince it takes 6 turns to build a ninja house and 1 more to build aninja (never mind moving him) it's pretty obvious who is to blame. TheImagawa seem to have a fetish for killing my emissary early regardlessof who I play as for some reason.

Next I'll talk about my favourite of these units, the shonobi. In myopinion everyone should be making use of these guys. They only cost 100koku to build, can't be killed so long as they stay in your territory,and they can catch enemy shinobi or ninja that are in your lands. Theydon't always succeed at preventing an assassination attempt, but thepercentage is good enough to make them worthwhile investment forprotecting important generals, and especially the daimyo and his heirs -I absolutely always have a shinobi with every heir in play, since if youhave no heirs and the daimyo dies the game is over, and so I protectthem carefully. They gain honor for every plot they break up, and thenget even better at it. Sadly they can do nothing about The LegendaryGeisha. You can also send shinobi into enemy provinces to spy, and they

will send back word when that clan is preparing to attack someone, butthis isn't really worth it since they can be caught and killed by othershinobi. Also, shinobi boost loyalty in your provinces if you stationthem there, and help destroy loyalty in other player's provinces thatthey are stationed in. This can help you prevent rebellion in newprovinces you gain by sending in a shinobi with the invading army.Basically I put a shinobi in every border province, as well as one withthe daimyo, one with each heir, and one with any general of rank 2 ormore (but really most of those guys should be up on the border provincesanyway). In the long run I find I am always happy with the investment.

You will need priests if you are going to play as a Christian. Alongwith Churches they help boost the percentage of Christians in your

lands, which helps prevent discontent over conflicting religions. Butsince building a church in every province (at 800 koku a pop) is notremotely realistic you will need these guys, who are actually thecheapest unit in the game. You can send them out as emissaries as well,but don't bother if the player isn't also a Christian or you'll get tosee his head literally come back on a plate - if he isn't assassinatedfirst. Other daimyos do not take well to priests in their lands, as theyautomatically begin converting people to Christianity and this willanger the Buddhist groups in a hurry.

Ninjas seem very cool at first but I barely use them. They do not havethe greatest percentage for killing generals with any significant rank,and trying to kill an heir or a daimyo with less than 4 or 5 honor is

very difficult - and you will quickly discover getting a ninja to 5honor through legitimate means is almost impossible. The only real wayto do it is keep killing emissaries and (if there are any) priests sincethey are weak targets, until you have a decent honor level. They arestill an okay unit but they have to be used sparingly. If you are aboutto invade a province try and assassinate a general in that province aslong as he doesn't have negative honor (even if he's honor zero),because a successful assassination the same turn as an invasion does badthings for the enemy's morale. This is probably the best use for aninja. Also, they are the only way to kill a Geisha, so if you can get a



ninja to 3 or more honor I'd consider pulling him back and having himsit near your daimyo for the rest of the game, as a security blanketagainst a Geisha attack. It might seem excessive, but Geisha can get a34-50% chance to kill a daimyo fairly quickly and I don't consider anydefense against that a bad idea. Also there is a very nasty trick youcan try with ninja, though it is difficult. When a clan is wiped out,their lands will mostly go to that clan's allies, or if they have noallies degenerate into rebel factions. So if you are allied with someoneand want their lands without going to war you could try assassinatingall the heirs and the daimyo for that clan, in the hopes of gettingtheir land for being such a "good ally". This CAN work, but it is veryrisky since sometimes when nijnas are caught (and you will probably needa few to try this trick) they reveal who they are working for, and thatcould cause some very nasty reactions. It is possible, but verydifficult, and I probably wouldn't try it unless there was an heirlessdaimyo to target.

The Legendary Geisha are really too powerful, and they can end gamesalmost single-handedly. Thankfully it is very hard to get them and takesmany, many years to develop a province fully enough to allow theirconstruction. They take four turns to build, but once you have one it'sbig trouble for everyone else. Only ninja can kill them, though they areadept at avoiding assassination. (Note: I actually assume that Geishacan also target other Geisha. I've honestly never played a game where

two clans both had access to this unit so I've never seen it tried. Theon-disk manual says only ninja can kill them, but it also says heavycavalry are "slow" so I take it's advice with a grain of salt.) Theyhave an incredible percentage for killing generals and once they haveeven 2 honor the heirs and daimyo in play are certainly not safe at all.Essentially if you build one just send it into enemy territory and wipeout any targets that are in your path, and you can literally get a unitpowerful enough to win the game assuming you can track down the daimyos.Although they are highly useful (that is an understatement) they willtake you a long, long time to get to being able to train so don't bankyour whole strategy around Geisha-based assassination. Also remember, afailed assassination with a Geisha does not mean death for the Geisha,like it does for a ninja. The ONLY way to kill one of these is to

assassinate them. UPDATE: I've been e-mailed by a couple of peoplepointing out that if one Geisha attempts to assassinate another, both ofthem always die. I stupidly deleted the e-mails without writing yournames down for credit, but thanks for that guys.

Fifth, what to do about the Portuguese or the Dutch. The Dutch is aneasy decision - when they do finally show up welcome them openly, builda trading post, and you have access to guns, plain and simple. It's a nostrings attached deal with the Dutch and you should take the opportunitywhen it presents itself. Deciding whether to trade with the Portugueseor not (and the Portuguese will always be the only option for the firstfew years of play) is more complicated.

Accepting the Portuguese means converting to Christianity. This willdrastically drop loyalty in every province you control at the time(though it will come back in time). You gain the ability to build aTrading Post (though you can't build musketeers with it until you have acathedral, just the lesser gunman unit), churches and priests, andeventually a cathedral. Buddhist daimyos tend to not want to be yourally anymore as well. I have to admit I don't have much experienceplaying as a Christian army. I do know this - it's not cheap. You'regoing to have to build churches, and they cost money. Also a few priestsfor other provinces as well. Also, you simply cannot build a temple and



use Warrior Monks if you become Christian - building a temple forfeitsyour Christian status. The tradeoff advantage for this handicap is thatthe Buddhist Warrior Monks no longer have the overwhelming effect onyour no longer Buddhist army. They are still decent but they will notoverwhelm you the way they will with other clans. I have no idea whathappens if you convert to Christianity if you already have warrior monksin your army, I assume they either automatically revolt or killthemselves ("seppuku" was the samurai term for an honorable suicide),one or the other. I've never been stupid enough to try it since I don'tneed any more angry warrior monks coming after me than you already willhave. Basically if you decide to be Christian forget about ever havingwarrior monks and don't ever build a temple. I also don't know if thisis totally true but in my limited experience playing as a Christian(with the Shimazu clan for the record) I found my troops seemed to havelower morale in battle almost by default. That would make some degree ofsense, as one of the prime teachings of Christianity is "thou shall notkill" - probably not a good idea in a war simulation. Overall in myexperience I didn't find that being Christian was all that good an ideain this game. My advice is to wait for the Dutch.

If anyone has more experience playing as Christians and has informationto add to this section, my e-mail is at the top of the document. I'd behappy to include additional information.

===============5 - Combat Mode===============Right off I'll admit I'm no tactical master at this game, and I've spentthe majority of my time on less than the hardest difficulty level. I amsimply a fan of the game who is trying my best to put together an FAQfor a game that I was shocked to see didn't have one. So right off I'llsay if you are reading this and are confident you have something good tocontribute to this section especially, don't hesitate to e-mail it tome. My e-mail is at the top of the guide, and remember to have arelevant subject line.

What I can talk about is the affects of terrain and weather. I'll alsolook at how honor level affects combat results. I'm hopeful that readercontributions will allow this section to develop even more strategiesthan that in the future.

One of the things I enjoy a lot about this game is how terrain andweather have for once been given realistic effects on the outcome ofbattle. First, weather. Attackers love clear days, or light wind, whileattacking troops will not be as confident in rain (though if you have asuperior army attacking in light rain should be of no consequence), andattacking in heavy rain is a mistake. Also, I don't think most troopsenjoy attacking in winter either. Light wind tends to throw archers offa bit, though it's not overwhelming it is noteworthy. The effect of fog

really depends on how good you are. It's easy to get suckered into atrap when you can't see very far, but if you can rush the enemy quicklythey can get blown away before they know what happened.

Terrain has more drastic an effect, and it was good to play a game wherethe computer not only sought out high ground, but where such anadvantage was exploitable. Basically, up = good. Archers perform betterfrom height, and units tire out having to chase you up hills. If you aredefending and you have access to a ridge, try and get the enemy toattack you from that spot. If you are attacking, try and avoid routes



that lead to you chasing enemies up large hills since you will tire outfaster and it isn't good for morale either, and it improves enemy archereffectiveness. There are other ways to use height to your advantage.Troops move much slower marching uphill than down (what a concept!) andif you can chase footsoldiers up a hill with cavalry, you are going tomow them to pieces very quickly.

Also be aware of forests, and know that the enemy enjoys using theircover. Units that stand still in trees for a minute become "concealed",meaning you can't see them until they attack or until you run into them.This is useful as a defender, hide a few units in the trees and they cangain the advantage of surprise which seems present in the game. You canget in a few quick kills and maybe even drop enemy morale a notch aswell. Also, from my experience, you cannot get the unit with your Taisho(or Daimyo if you've led him into battle) to become concealed no matterhow long they stand around. If you seem to have won a fight but ithasn't ended, perhaps the enemy has more units hiding in a forest - as adefender you can even try and earn a time-limit draw (thus defending theprovince successfully) by out waiting the enemy this way, though itisn't easy.

The other major terrain factor is bridges. They are a nightmare forattackers and a defender's dream. Only provinces with rivers have theseand getting across them is a tough challenge. Obviously, they force

units to pack very tightly together and this raises the effect ofarchers significantly. Any units coming across bridges that are underfire and attack will also suffer huge hits to morale. Don't ever wasteyour time sending Yari Ashigaru as the first line across bridges - 99%of the time they will run away without making it. Really, the only waythrough is move fast and hit the archers hard as soon as you can. In myexperience Heavy Cavalry are the only unit that seems truly regularlyeffective at breaking bridge defenses, and even then it is not easy.Never attempt to invade a province that has a river (and thus a bridge)without a manpower advantage or you will almost certainly lose. If youare defending a bridge it's fairly simple. Lots of archers (meaning morethan you'd normally use) and enough close combat troops to keep theenemy held up on the bridge while the archers crush their morale.

Naginata combined with archers (or guns) defending a bridge are verytough to break.

Finally I want to assess how an honor rating can affect combat, and theimportance of honor level. The custom battle setup helped with this asyou can assign a starting honor. Essentially honor is like yourcharacter level in an RPG game, and it affects your skill. The test wasa very simple one, I performed it with Warrior Monks though it could bedone with any unit. One unit on each team, with equal honor obviously itis a 50/50 chance on who wins if both groups just rush each other. Butwhen the attackers are given a +2 honor bonus, it got ugly in a hurry.My +2 monks killed all 60 enemy monks and I still had 42 of my 60original monks intact. That's the kind of effect a +2 honor bonus has on

two units that would otherwise be evenly matched, so be wary of enemygenerals with high honor.

===============================6 - Reader Contribution Section===============================People who send in tips on strategy and gameplay will have them listedhere, and be thanked in the credits. If you have something tocontribute, my email is [email protected].



James Motz contributes the following:"I just wanted to let you know that the stall tacticsaved my bacon one time - it definitely works if youare absolutely outclassed and desperate!

I was in Shinano (I think - important to note that itwas very hilly and had tree cover). I had been caughtwith my pants down somehow (details are sketchy - thiswas a couple years back), and had only 1 unit of yarisamurai facing about 300 enemy troops. But I noticedthat the fools attacked in winter, so I decided to tryand hold them off. In placing my army, I went for thislittle thicket of woods on the very top of a hill atthe edge of the map, and just sat there. The battlestarted with snowfall, so visibility was down. I justturned up the gamespeed clock and watched and prayed.

It was rather humorous to see the enemy units marchingback and forth in the valley below, getting more andmore tired, while my samurai just sat waiting. Thetimer had almost run out when a unit of enemy yarisamurai finally found me. I was able to hold them offand the rest of his group couldn't reach me before thetime ran out (though it was very close!). Result: I

lost something like 10 men, killed about 15 or so, anddefeated an army of 300!

To sum it up - the stall tactic works best when theweather is working for you (rain is ok, but snow isbetter), the terrain is to your advantage, and youhave almost no other option.

Another tactic to note is hitting the enemy in therear or the flank. In another battle where I wasdefending, I had all my units except some yari cavalryon a hilltop in the woods. The enemy (who outnumberedme by a lot again) advanced and the battle was nothing

out of the ordinary. But he left his taisho's unit(samurai archers I believe) sitting on the valleyfloor - presumably to keep him out of harm's way. Sothat's when my cavalry, who had been sitting in thetrees on the hill across from the rest of my troops,charged out of the trees and cut him down like thecoward he was!"

More James Motz wisdom:"Musketteers: These guys work best when in ranks 3 deep. This way thefirst rank fires while the back 2 reload. Then they'll shift and repeat.It maximizes their firepower. And when a couple of units are cranking itout, nothing can stand up to them. You get high damage and the target

units usually flee after only a couple volleys.

Arquebusiers: Don't expect much damage from these guys. Their value isin causing other units to break and run. You'll be amazed at how closethey need to be before they'll fire a volley - and how long it takes.But if they can get a couple volleys off, most foot soldiers will turnand run. And running units are pretty much free kills for Yari Cavalry.They're too slow to shift their ranks like musketeers, so string themout in a long line (2 deep at the most) and get the most bang out oftheir volley.



Tactically speaking, I don't think it's possible to be defeated if youhave 4 units of Musketeers defending a bridge on a nice day. Maybe addone unit of spearmen or naginata just in case. But it's almostimpossible for enemies to get across, form up, and charge before theybreak due to the volleys. This applies to cavalry as well as foot. Andblackpowder weapons never seem to run out of ammo in a day. Arquebusierscan be effective here, but it gets trickier. The enemy might recover inbetween volleys and advance, causing your arquebusiers to retreat -which lengthens further the amount of time before they shoot, which letseven more guys across. You definitely need more soldiers to fight theunits that make it across the bridge jn order to survive - naginata arewonderful in this role.

From a strategic standpoint, on switching to Christianity: Try to buildmultiple churches at the same time, in different areas of yourterritories, so they'll all be done at the same time. Once the first oneis complete, your loyalty will drop in *every* province, so its best tostart their spread from multiple points and be coordinated. Shinobi areyour best bet here - try to have at least one in each province to helpthe loyalty rise - they should be there before you start building thechurches. Then start cranking out priests. They are cheap (only 50koku), so get groups of 3-4. Keep them in one place until theChristianity level is 100%, then move on. And you should build churches

before you build trading posts to help stabilize your population. If youwant to convert, you need to plan from the beginning so you are readyand haven't made any Buddhist Shrines (this will be tricky early, butwill make your loyalty problems easier later). Make sure you monitoryour loyalty and move in fast when it drops. The religious revolts causearmies that are heavy on Warrior Monks - and they're bad news to thenewly Christian Daimyo. Even though your army won't rout at beingordered to attack them, they are still very dangerous. Yari Cavalry whocharge (at least 2:1 outnumbering the Monks) or lots of spearmen (atleast 3:1 outnumbering) are your best bet. If you have Heavy Cavalry, byall means charge! But the best way to dispatch them is to not get intocombat with them - use missile troops! And since the whole point ofChristianity in this game is to get blackpowder - use it on them! The

Christian Daimyo also needs to consider getting a cathedral quickly(which means he needs a citadel) so he can get musketeers. Cathedralsand citadels will cost you a lot of money and time - some players mightjust want to wait until the dutch show up and trade with them. Thistakes a long time of game play - don't rely on having those musketeersuntil you're getting into some big battles at the end of the game."

Justin Biggs sends the following:"I'd like to point out the extreme valueof the lighter cavalry, in particular Cavalry archers.These guys can do it all (or near enough). Here's anexample:

Pack them up high on a hill to shower approachinginfantry when defending. Occupy the attackers withsome good defenders (Naginata are good for this, butYari Samurai will suit just fine). As the casualtiesrise for the attackers, throw in some No Dachi tobreak up the attacker's formations. More often thannot, they will begin to run (which usually causesother troops nearby such as archers to run as well).Now have your cavalry archers, who have contributed agreat deal to the enemy dead charge. Harry the



attackers as they flee. Yari Cavalry are also wellsuited to this role. Both are fast enough to run downthe fleeing attackers with ease, and can even takedown plenty of spearmen because they're more occupiedtrying to flee than to fight. Their honor willusually shoot up after each battle due to the largenumber of kills they rack up when pursuing the enemy,and the constant harrying keeps the attackers fromreforming. The cavalry archers can also do some greathit and fade maneuvers, when called for.

My armies are never without them."

===========7 - Credits===========Myself, The Archon, for the construction of this guide.

James Motz for his additions to the reader contribution section.

Justin Biggs for his addition to the reader contribution section.

The two people who e-mailed me about how two geishas will both die ifone tries to assassinate the other. Sorry guys, I forgot to write down

your names but it was appreciated.

James Clavell, for writing "Shogun" - a book that has inspired my ownimagination to no end. It's highly recommendable reading if the story ofthis game interests you, and one of the most underrated pieces ofhistorical fiction ever written.

All the people who spent their hard time working on building thisspecial game for us to play.

Gamefaqs.com, for allowing me and so many others a chance to write andread guides such as this free of charge.

Pink Floyd's "The Wall", Rammstein's "Mutter", and Black Sabbath's "PastLives" for giving me something awesome to listen to while I worked onthe guide.

If anyone has anything to contribute to this guide, be it corrections oradditional strategy I'd be happy to accept it and I'll give you fullcredit, as well as a thanks down here. Please try and include a relevantsubject with your e-mail, something like "Shogun Total War" or "Shogunguide". E-MAILS WITH NO SUBJECT LINE WILL BE DELETED ON SITE as theymore often than not are spam, or spam w/viruses.

Now go, and let total war begin!

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