That’s the theory, at least. I’m
quickly learning that, even with just
one island to occupy, things can be a
lot. I wanted a more involved
strategy, and that’s exactly what I’m
given – a game that asks me to
seriously consider flanking, and
requires that I make sense of divided
battlefields in which several armies
are fighting for their lives. Be careful
what you wish for.
Trebuchets regularly miss and,
during my first siege, it’s frankly
embarrassing how quickly the rival
clan’s archers dispatch my forces.
Suddenly, from somewhere, a voice
calls out, “Your general is in great
danger, my lord!”
GENERAL PROTECTION
Keeping an eye on your general is
vital, as their ability to inspire their
troops goes so far that losing them is
catastrophic for morale and causes
your armies to desert the battlefield
in droves. To keep your troops happy
you need to coddle your general, like
a toddler prone to tantrums, so that
he doesn’t defect, for example by
making him a commissioner or
letting him marry into the daimyo’s
family. What the general wants, the
general gets. Over time you build up
an overview of your general’s
character traits and skills as well as a
chronicle of your clan, which helps to
make it feel like you’re truly
roleplaying a daimyo and not just
sending lemmings into battle.
I like the more personal layer, but
it’s also a large source of stress during
my first forays into battle. Normally I
wouldn’t bat an eyelash at losing
units – it’s a war after all – but I’m
astoundingly invested in my general,
who also turns out to be difficult totrack in the midst of all the chaos. Yet
do battle I must. It’s my job to take
the clans immediately adjacent to my
own, but my gradual expansion is
regularly slowed by neighbouring
clans resisting my efforts, almost as if
they don’t want to be occupied.
As soon as I’ve finished a battle,
another enemy comes knocking
while I’m still in the middle of
replenishing my forces and upgrading
my irrigation systems to satisfy the
people crying out for rice. Normal life
doesn’t come to a complete standstillA lot of warfare involves just
watching people walk.INTERACTIVE HISTORY
Here are some historic major battles you can recreate in Shogun 2BATTLE OF
KIZUGAWAGUCHI
To show off naval battles,
Creative Assembly chose
one of 11 years of battle
between Oda and the
Ikko-Ikki Clan.BATTLE OF
ANEGAWA
Anegawa was the first
alliance for Nobunaga
and Tokugawa and was
the first time Toyotomi
lead an army into war.BATTLE OF
SEKIGAHARA
In what is considered the
decisive battle for the
shogunate, Tokugawa
wipes out the Toyotomi
Clan and its allies.BATTLE OF
OKEHAZAMA
Oda Nobunaga earned his
reputation as legendary
warlord by winning over
25,000 Imagawa forces
with just 2,000 units.OLDGAMES,NEWPERSPECTIVES
REINSTALL
Individual soldier behaviour leads
to brutal one-on-one battles.