The Shimazu Campaign Guide

[SgtScooter]

You should be able to clear the Miyoshi without triggering RD, and you'd need to do it anyway afterwards. The total number of provinces you'd own would be 12, and RD doesn't hit until 18-20. I'm pretty sure that's still the case in short games.

[Avatar13]

Thought I would try something new after noticing those achievements that Steam has. I've never converted to Christianity before (just didn't seem Samurai-like ) so I thought I"d try and knock out as many achievements as I could in one shot. So I'm trying my first campaign on VH/VH (not as bad as I thought it would be after experiencing Normal to Hard) and I'm playing as Shimazu to make the attempt a little more easy my first time around and I converted to Christianity as soon as I could, I also tried to tech to be the first one to get Gun Powder Mastery (though I was first I didn't get the achievement but maybe it will kick in when I win the campaign?) and I'm also trying to get one of my Priests to the highest level.

I started off by aligning with Shoni as they were already Christian and I thought they would cover my back. Boy was that a good move! The two of us are just steamrolling across Japan! I've only got two clans left to defeat before turning on my fellow Christian but it's been a blast having the Naban trade ships, the Priests seem to be able to instill unrest very easily compared to monks and it's just been one easy enjoyable time in this campaign where I thought it was going to be very hard. lol Little did I know!

[CptAustus]

(though I was first I didn't get the achievement but maybe it will kick in when I win the campaign?)

I got the achievement as soon as I finished researching. But right after that I did the last Chi art and didnt get an achievement. I think someone might have done the research before you, but they just dont use it.

[Avatar13]

I got the achievement as soon as I finished researching. But right after that I did the last Chi art and didnt get an achievement. I think someone might have done the research before you, but they just dont use it.

Hmmm, I pretty sure I was the first as I got it quite quickly but I guess it's possible. But doesn't the game announce when the AI achieves something like this or is this one not considered a "legendary" accomplishment? Doesn't seem to matter how quickly I research it as I've never gotten recognized for doing it.

[Lazarus]

For my knowledge, research is not a legendary accomplishment. Just the epic buildings.

[Avatar13]

For my knowledge, research is not a legendary accomplishment. Just the epic buildings.

Yes, I believe you're right.

[SSJPabs]

I finally got this game and am starting to play it, starting with Shimazu. First time I got completely steamrolled with religions uprisings and food riots even on normal. Second normal has gone much better. I converted to Christianity and started conquering Japan (for Jesus!). Really liking their katana troops, though I find I tend to favor samurai archers a lot in my sieges. I attacked Otsumi first then held against a massive attack from Hyuga province so that strategy worked fine for me. Shimizu was in a good position to grab some early trade income and I've mainly focused on economic building and JUST got the imperial building stuff. I'd saved up 50,000 so I am building imperial roads in all my provinces. In 6 turns my economy will probably explode when 14+ roads finish at once. Food is tight. I didn't realize you can't build up all the provinces with the maximum castles and markets so I over-built and too late realized some settlements needed to be "economic" and some "military." I'm finding Shimazu's close ties to the Europeans and their tech extremely valuable. Cheap gunmen! Also my fleet of 8 Nanban warships headed by a captured Portuguese ship rule the waves.

Political situation: Chosokabee wanted to attack Hatakeyama with me but since we were all allies I refused. They declared war on me instead so I'm invading Shikoku. Once that's done, Shimazu will have the south, Hatakeyama the center and Hojo the north and probably all start betraying each other in a weird neo-Kuge civil war.

Definitely need to choose your allies carefully.

[PandaChef]

SO far i am in control of the first island. I have destroyed the Chosokabe and taken their whole island. So what next? I am allied with the Mori atm. The only options really to attack are the Hattori which have a mighty 17 provinces or Mori who have 11 provinces and a huge navy or i could sail past both and attack the mainland but then at RT i would be taking attacks from all directions. I have a decent economy earning 4k a turn with a middle sized army. Which option should i take?

[CptAustus]

SO far i am in control of the first island. I have destroyed the Chosokabe and taken their whole island. So what next? I am allied with the Mori atm. The only options really to attack are the Hattori which have a mighty 17 provinces or Mori who have 11 provinces and a huge navy or i could sail past both and attack the mainland but then at RT i would be taking attacks from all directions. I have a decent economy earning 4k a turn with a middle sized army. Which option should i take?

Leave one army on each island and attack Hattori with 2 armies.

[fws2468]

SO far i am in control of the first island. I have destroyed the Chosokabe and taken their whole island. So what next? I am allied with the Mori atm. The only options really to attack are the Hattori which have a mighty 17 provinces or Mori who have 11 provinces and a huge navy or i could sail past both and attack the mainland but then at RT i would be taking attacks from all directions. I have a decent economy earning 4k a turn with a middle sized army. Which option should i take?

I think betraying Mori is also a good option if it allows you to secure one entire flank of Japan before realm divide. I'm assuming your daimyo has more than the default three honour dots so you will be able to avoid the disorder penalty from very low honour after betraying your ally. If you can afford a strong navy or (even better) converted already with just a few nanban ships, you should be able to beat Mori without worrying too much about their navy. But if you can't match them in naval power, just concentrate on taking all their lands as quickly as possible to bring in tax income, which can also help offset any trade loss from naval blockades.

[magraev]

I had quite a hairy start to this campaign (my first ever - playing on normal).

I took the eastern province and the one to the north of it quickly, and started building trade ships and feeling good about the world. But then the Shoni decided to attack my north-eastern province and their allies (the one-province clan just north of my capitol) joined in!. So I had almost full stack armies coming down on two out of three provinces at the same time. My main army (to the NE) was lead by my starting general, and he beat the Shoni in a siege defence, while losing about a third of the army. The next turn my Daimio defended the capitol with an army of ashigaru (and one unit of sword samurai). He managed to win, reduced to 4 bodyguards and with losses of about 3/4 of his army!

I expected this clan to be easy, but I think that maybe it will be easier now. I have conquered the city north of the capitol with my united army and will go further along the north-west coast and into the cristian lands next.

The big question is conversion. To do or not to do? I like the idea of great ships, but dont like the idea of being hated by everyone. I find diplomacy hard enough as it is.

[SSJPabs]

I had quite a hairy start to this campaign (my first ever - playing on normal).

I took the eastern province and the one to the north of it quickly, and started building trade ships and feeling good about the world. But then the Shoni decided to attack my north-eastern province and their allies (the one-province clan just north of my capitol) joined in!. So I had almost full stack armies coming down on two out of three provinces at the same time. My main army (to the NE) was lead by my starting general, and he beat the Shoni in a siege defence, while losing about a third of the army. The next turn my Daimio defended the capitol with an army of ashigaru (and one unit of sword samurai). He managed to win, reduced to 4 bodyguards and with losses of about 3/4 of his army!

I expected this clan to be easy, but I think that maybe it will be easier now. I have conquered the city north of the capitol with my united army and will go further along the north-west coast and into the cristian lands next.

The big question is conversion. To do or not to do? I like the idea of great ships, but dont like the idea of being hated by everyone. I find diplomacy hard enough as it is.

If you're doing Normal you can win even if you convert right away. Just make sure you build Nanban trade ships. Two fleets of four ships will obliterate anything your enemies send by sea. The AI doesn't do many naval invasions on Normal though, so you might be able to make due with 1 fleet to shuttle your troops and guards your trade nodes. Since I built churches everywhere, in my Normal game the Hatakeyama (who ruled central Japan) actually converted to Christianity and stuck with me even after Realm Divide.

I've lost 3 times as Shimazu playing on Hard though. I just keep getting overwhelmed and short of cash despite building markets and gambling houses wherever I don't need troop-making buildings

[magraev]

A quick update.

I never got the choice to convert?? I conquered all of the starting island, íncluding a nanban trade port, but there was no pop-up regarding conversion. Am I missing something.

I read an advice, that the first campaign should probably be played without converting, as that changes everything, so I guess it's ok. I burned the port, and have a couple of temples now and looking forward to seeing the monks in action.

[CptAustus]

A quick update.

I never got the choice to convert?? I conquered all of the starting island, íncluding a nanban trade port, but there was no pop-up regarding conversion. Am I missing something.

I read an advice, that the first campaign should probably be played without converting, as that changes everything, so I guess it's ok. I burned the port, and have a couple of temples now and looking forward to seeing the monks in action.

I believe there is are a couple of dillemas about christianity (one is to either punish or allow christianity, one increases conversion to your religion, the other to christianity, but I dont remember the other one). I think you can convert as soon as you have contact to the Portuguese by pressing a button on the top left corner of your family tree window.

[grumph]

am i the only one that DOESNT kill of the ito? after taking osumi and beating their weakish stack coming at you you can easly get them to trade, pay you and get them to be your vassel. one of the poorest provinces on the map without even a port. after that i divert forces to the shoni and suruga(if im right) to capture some richer provinces while the ito support me financially. once the ito betray me i kill them off.

[lolawilcoxx]

Whew! This would really give me a good background about Shogun2. Thanks for the tip!

[hivekiller]

I started to play Shogun 2 today,
and I played Shimazu's campaign.

Turn 8+, I was still not able to eliminate Shoni and Sagara clan.
Any helpful tips? My income per turn was around 600 koku.

[bakat8]

The best thing to do first is to build up your economy by trading with every clan you can and constantly raising and lowering your taxes according to the people's happiness

[hivekiller]

thanks to you,
i eliminated Shino and Sagara easily,
and with 3k+ koku income per turn.

[Vindictus]

I find blitzing Ito to be the best, then stopping to build your economy and ports. As for the Sagara, you start on friendly relations and trade, so I ally with them first turn. Once I eliminate the Ito, I declare war on Ouchi and take them out. Thrn I declare war on Shino and ask Sagara to join me.

Ive expanded to the mainland in my campaign and have a huge army of Yari Bowmen and two Katana Samurai + yari arishigaru. I have nearly 11 trade treaties and control five nodes. Sagara is still alive, and we are on very friendly terms (despite them being Christian and no longer my ally). Im allied with Hattori and Chosokabe, whom are allied with fhe Shogunate atm.