The Oda Campaign Guide

[fws2468]

My long Oda campaign on hard is rather slow moving because it gets boring preparing for realm divide. That doesn't mean there are no wars with the mighty clans. Takeda appears to be the biggest threat because they tend to dominate the northern part of the map and it's been an on off war with them. To keep them off my back, I only made one vassal, Kiso, because that front is easy to defend. I avoid making vassals elsewhere because Takeda and dominant southern clans can easily overwhelm them and draw you into unwanted conflicts. Another reason for limiting vassals is to avoid them expanding on their own without control, which can increase your honour to trigger realm divide prematurely. But Kiso's peaceful.

Takeda did attack Kiso, but after repelling them there and inciting some revolts on their Ikko Ikki front which they controlled as well, while they had to fight Saito on the opposite front, they decided to ask for peace and later even an alliance which I accepted (unbelievable after a history of long conflict and hostile relations but true). As I prepare to face realm divide with 13 provinces (less than 17 to buffer any unexpected increase in honour, I am allied to the dominant Mori in the south and mighty Takeda in the north as well as Hojo. With both flanks secure for now, I'm in an ideal position to prepare to march on Kyoto.

I think Takeda, despite its aggressive trait, was more accommodating this time because of my daimyo's honour. I never betrayed any alliances, refused to end wars with clans my allies are fighting and protected my vassal Kiso at all costs. Making peace with Takeda was a betrayal to Kiso though but as my vassal, they have no choice but to accept it, for their good of course.

[Condottiere 40K]

This has probably been mentioned in some form previously.

Oda initially looks like a tough nut to handle, but once you get momentum and concentrate solely on the military aspect of it, you can steamroll through the game and by 1655 be in the unenviable position of about getting the Realm Divided around you. The fast track requires compromises that come back to haunt you.

Trying to maintain civil order in some provinces breaks the momentum of your blitzkrieg, so given the option, vassalize a recently conquered territory, though you might not have a cooperative administration in regards to trade ties. Destroying your opponents' armies and forcing them to retreat to a single province allows you to dictate terms for a peace treaty, including trade and vassalage.

Rival Daimyos will attack your new vassals, so be careful as with whom you strike up alliances, as you will be placed in the position of supporting one or the other, which will take a hit on your honour. At a minimum, give lip service to supporting your vassals' plight, even if there is no way you can assist militarily due to commitments elsewhere.

Half your new vassals will betray you at some point, specifically the Imagawa, and the Hojo. When they do and you have the leisure to deal with them, do not revassalize them but rule directly. The Tokugawa like to play mind games by parking large stacks, near your provinces, and seem particularly attracted by gold mines; they also are especially ambitious and the AI seems to favour them by allowing them to take and hold provinces, especially opportunistically. They are also the most likely cause for Realm Divide.

The Takeda reduced to one province seem to take their fate as your vassal stoically, possibly because they have been exiled from Kai (currently under Tokugawa administration). Your northern vassals tend to keep the IKIK in check, or maybe they have other problems, but allow you to concentrate in the middle. The Asai and the Hattori settle down, though the Asai are as ambitious as the Tokugawa towards the North (though not as lucky and/or talented), and keeping at minimum a full stack to support Asai or ambush the IKIK as they come looking for revenge seems a prudent precaution. Both of them can keep each other busy. The Kitabatake take to domestication easily.

Vaasals represent an internal security problem, but having decided to emphasize heavily on the military aspect, it's not that great a distraction as you build up stacks of cheap Ashigaru. The idea is to build up the experience of the Bow Ashigaru, as you will be replacing their Yari compatriots with the Oda variant as it becomes available, and adopting the Matchlock in due course, so creating a corps of Bow Samurai seems pointless. Yari Samurai also appear to be a luxury you can afford not to adopt, but recruit Naginata Samurai as they become available.

Some units of light cavalry should be recruited from captured provinces to run down broken units, though your generals seem well enough capable of giving a good account of themselves in that role. Cavalry seems useful as an independent fire brigade as you have to run from one crisis to another as they erupt, but maintaining regional stacks of Ashigaru seems an adequate solution.

You should take a break as you rush down the path to Sojutsu mastery and it's legendary school, to consolidate your economy, by taking the time to learn to write calligraphy and studying agriculture.

Kyoto is a wonderful opportunity to let your ninjas and priests loose on it's hapless inhabitants, since they can't retaliate, sabotaging, converting, assassinating and demoralizing everything in sight, until it's time to take that twenty first province.

[blago001]

Hey guys! Just thought you might want to check out this video. It's the first of a brand new web series of Shogun 2. The video features a battle from the Oda campaign!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BF3LmIyc-I


Hope you like it

[Cheiftan]

The only thing is you guys dont acount for the ikko ikki....

[gyabo]

I am totally surprise Oda Ashigaru could hold well in castle defense. Seriously my fresh recruit destroy 3 Ikko Ikki Naginata warrior and 2 Ronin Bowman. Here's my crappy defense, my castle is in unit 1 no archer tower, moat, 3 yari Ashigaru, Retainer and 1 Bow Ashigaru. My Bow Ashigaru are useless at least fight to the end because they cannot escape. My yari ashigaru goes pair to pair with the monk warrior. The Ai divide its force like this, Ai attack me to the east and west. In the East it got 2 Ronin Archer and a monk. In the west it got 2 monk warriors. In my first deployment i put my archer in the North which is stupid then put my yari ashigaru in the shelter which is pointless and all my force in loose formation due to the tactic of the ai i readjust my position. I put my 2 yari ashigaru and retainer in the west. Ai monk destroy half my yari ashigaru which on the shelter ( this is my most biggest mistake in the siege). After warrior monk destroy half my unit i unleashed my retainer then pull back my remaining ashigaru in the shelter and reorganize them. I remove the loose formation of another ashigaru then make them charge then click yari wall in the right time. This yari wall charge is perfectly executed against 2 monk who have killed my retainer. It killed quite alot of numbers of the monk. I am totally surprise of the power of yari wall. Then half yari ashigaru unit i also do this but sadly they are quickly destroyed. In the east my bow ashigaru killed little bit my monks which is good but being slaughter by Ronin archer. After the monk reach the wall i pulled back my archer and reorganize them to fight to the west because my west is almost lost. I waited some groups of monks then charge my ashigaru with yari wall then focus on the west my 2 ashigaru unit is doing well but one unit of ashigaru is starting to route. With few surprise, my east ashigaru destroyed the monks w/ few casualty then reorganize my east ashigaru to help the west and charge another yari wall which quickly destroyed the monks. Then put my archer to attack the Ronin archer but the Ai is so stupid. Ai make its archer climb the wall instead of attacking me w/ bows and archer the 2 Ronin archer is on the east. One unit of Ronin Archer is engaging w/ my archer. With all forces in the west i charge them w/ yari wall and destroy another unit of Ronin Archer. My Archers are being destroyed by Ronin Archer so i put them on Skirmish w/ this i put remaining yari force in the rear of the Ronin archer w/ the last charge of yari wall and won the siege. Also i route those pesky Ronin. Ai survived w/50 and mine only got 80 ashigaru. It just quite hilarious seeing some bunch of angry peasant chasing some Ronin. Damn this siege battle is quite micromanage but thanks with the moat which slows down the monk.

This campaign is being played with DarthMod Ai no cheats and Vanilla Garrison and Normal mode and Ai being affected by occupation resistance force mod and no realm divide mod. Totally in Rome 2 Total war there is a mode where Ai doesn't cheat at all.

[Hungsterx]

I Just cleaned Saito, Tokugawa and Minagawa. Then I have like 5 provinces. I just kept advancing these 5 provinces and money just run in even without trade. Build my Army so I have like 4 fullstack. Always kept my metsuke near anduse monks to cause riots. Then after a while actually all clans gets wiped by Date and another one that comes from the west side. Dont remember the name but at that point conquer Date while causing riots on the other and defend Owari or the provinces near my starting point. thats all Legendary is done.