The Malaysia Campaign Helped my Game

[Vanderdecken]

Okay folks, it's time for a revelation on Shogun II Total War Campaign.

The creators, since the start, have placed a great emphasis on understanding "Sun Tzu" and his "Art of War." I've read the book over several times and my paperback edition is laying right here on my desk. However, as much as I tried to apply those principles to the actual game, nothing really "worked" in a decisive way.

Then I watched "Battlefield Generals" on the Military Channel.

This was about two weeks ago, and I had just come from doing hard phsyical labor so I was in no condition to look at it "philisophically". Anywho, it was talking about the Japanese invasion of Malaysia campgin and the battle for Singapore during World War Two. It said that Japanese forces would (and excuse me for paraphrasing) "...get into light ships and move their forces behind enemy lines to where they least excepted them, and would trap the forces on the other side in a pincer movement along the costal corridors..."

So just today, I launched Shogun II Total War and started as the Mori. And suddenly, it hit me. As I gazed over the map, I realized that most cities lie on the coast and that I had been doing it wrong. Instead of getting an ultimate navy to strangle the enemy, one simply needs to send its force AROUND those pockets of resistance where the enemy has its most strength, and take the castles it has the fewest troops in. Thereby strangling off the enemy's source of income and thus, their ability to wage war. Until you have effectively trapped them.

All in all, I have tried this and the game is.....coming along quite well. I won't say that there haven't been drawbacks, because there have. But overall, with all that's happened, I am steadily progressing Eastward towards Kyoto.....

Just though I might add this for any other struggling player.

[Maneki]

I did almost come into the same sort of situation with my currently going choso Campaign, i gathered a sizeable force and decided to try and land on the Shimuzu lands albeit a little bit too late as they had just finished up dealing with shoni for me to have any sort of advatage of them having to deal with a war on two fronts and i was taking out they're heavy unmaned forts to the south of they're land and decided to extend my reach a little further north and took another havy unmaned fort, altho to my surprise they met me with almost 3 full armys to attack and sieige the fort i had just taken from them , it turned into a very blood battle , and very costly for them! My Ashi army managed to deal a blow of around 4000 heads dead on the ground due to they're seige efforts ultimatly wiping out my main military presence( and my current daimyo!).

Luckly i had a couple of ninjas at hand to slow them down with after the unslaught and with only a couple few very small lowly ashis made in a desperate attempt to at least make something out of what i was considering a failure on my part and underestimating the miltary numbers of the shimuzu, i quickly despatched my ashis north, quickly taking all of they're unmaned Forts while slowing them down with my ninjas and managed to claim the 4 or so regions they had Thus ending the war and the shimuzu clan! It did feel a little bit cheap making the remnants of what remained of they're armys disappear like that, but then i gusse thos samurai and Ashis didnt want to lift a finger without they're koku wage!

Edit :altho just a quick questions what would be the terms of the remaining armys of a clan turning into rebels and staying on the campaign map instead of simply disappearing as ive noticed some have and havent.

[Erwin Rommel]

Okay folks, it's time for a revelation on Shogun II Total War Campaign.

The creators, since the start, have placed a great emphasis on understanding "Sun Tzu" and his "Art of War." I've read the book over several times and my paperback edition is laying right here on my desk. However, as much as I tried to apply those principles to the actual game, nothing really "worked" in a decisive way.

Then I watched "Battlefield Generals" on the Military Channel.

This was about two weeks ago, and I had just come from doing hard phsyical labor so I was in no condition to look at it "philisophically". Anywho, it was talking about the Japanese invasion of Malaysia campgin and the battle for Singapore during World War Two. It said that Japanese forces would (and excuse me for paraphrasing) "...get into light ships and move their forces behind enemy lines to where they least excepted them, and would trap the forces on the other side in a pincer movement along the costal corridors..."

So just today, I launched Shogun II Total War and started as the Mori. And suddenly, it hit me. As I gazed over the map, I realized that most cities lie on the coast and that I had been doing it wrong. Instead of getting an ultimate navy to strangle the enemy, one simply needs to send its force AROUND those pockets of resistance where the enemy has its most strength, and take the castles it has the fewest troops in. Thereby strangling off the enemy's source of income and thus, their ability to wage war. Until you have effectively trapped them.

All in all, I have tried this and the game is.....coming along quite well. I won't say that there haven't been drawbacks, because there have. But overall, with all that's happened, I am steadily progressing Eastward towards Kyoto.....

Just though I might add this for any other struggling player.

Congrats, General Homma Yamashita will be proud....

[Beld]

Edit :altho just a quick questions what would be the terms of the remaining armys of a clan turning into rebels and staying on the campaign map instead of simply disappearing as ive noticed some have and havent.

I noticed this too and would like to know as well!

[Dragut Alì (King of pirates)]

edit.

[SupAll]

I noticed this too and would like to know as well!

I believe that it has to be the capital as their remaining territory and that they have a stack in that territory when it was taken.

[Vanderdecken]

You mean..........THIS MAN!?

[Erwin Rommel]

You mean..........THIS MAN!?

Well you do take inspiration from the Malaysia campaign and who is the guy who heads it?

[AngryTitusPullo]

Should be Malayan Campaign, not Malaysian. No Malaysia yet at that time.

[rob-a-dogg]

Hi guys!

Today i learned about flanking!

Simplified but this is what you are talking about. Smack them from the wrong angle and they get pummeled

[Pbartender]

Instead of getting an ultimate navy to strangle the enemy, one simply needs to send its force AROUND those pockets of resistance where the enemy has its most strength, and take the castles it has the fewest troops in. Thereby strangling off the enemy's source of income and thus, their ability to wage war. Until you have effectively trapped them.

I realized almost the exact same thing the other day, except I've been using Missionaries and Ninjas to do the same thing... I send in the Ninjas to sabotage all their farms, and then the Missionaries sweep through inciting revolts. The advantage being, I can use the tactic on both friends and enemies.

In my current campaign as the Shimazu, its 1570, and almost the entirety of mainland Japan is under the control of starving Rebels in ruined castles.

[painter]

Very funny rob-a-dogg.

Is there a thread that discusses about unloading the ships? Because the one turn wait before I can move my armies is distressing.

[Takeda♔Shingen]

i think he get inspiration from Arthur Percival

[Erwin Rommel]

i think he get inspiration from Arthur Percival

All those who insist on playing on turtle mode while in a Legendary Oda Campaign take their inspiration from Percival.

[jonny duck]

I noticed this too and would like to know as well!

It seems to be based on the size of army they have left when you take their last province and who leads it (there has to be at least a General there, possibly a member of the family).

[maxlurifax]

I remember doing this in shogun 1 . I'd jump to a port behind enemy lines and then just sack everything I got my hands on.

[Vanderdecken]

On that note though, maybe this is where he got the idea in the first place?