Takeda - A Shogun 2 AAR (Completed)

[Dom Afty]

My first post in this thread but I've been lurking in it for a while. This is an excellent piece of work, more in common with a novel than an AAR. Can't wait for the next update. The subplots are masterfully interwoven with the gameplay.

[Robin de Bodemloze]

I'm not I'm , yet again you leave us on the edge of our seats Another brilliant update
I can't wait to see what happens, and that MAARC medal suits you

EDIT: I thought, why not?



or

Thanks for reading as usual. Great banner pics you got there!

My first post in this thread but I've been lurking in it for a while. This is an excellent piece of work, more in common with a novel than an AAR. Can't wait for the next update. The subplots are masterfully interwoven with the gameplay.

Thanks for the kind words. Good luck with your own AAR as well

[Radzeer]

Great update!
The exchange with Toromasa was very well written, and the last picture is... interesting.

[Maltacus]

The last chapter was great!

Is it possible to set the ground on fire in Shogun 2? It seems as if the fortifications are easy enough to burn down Quite a different feeling compared to the stone castles of Medieval 2.

Your AAR is very impressive with lots of attention to detail and scenes. While I haven't played Shogun 2 I feel as if I have a very clear picture of what the game is like. But I think I would be dissapointed if I bought it, wondering when the rebellious mysterious conspiracies would appear and why the daimyo of Takeda was so quiet nowadays...

[Geoffrey of Villehardouin]

Given the context, the last picture is interesting and tantalising. But the first picture from your last update was also interesting. When reading about the scroll, I had an image of it in my mind inside your picture frame and the image materialised into an actual picture when I went further down. You have some other pictures which are slightly abstract and different, like Shogun 2 haikus - and I think they add a certain quality to the AAR. Nice conspiracy plot, too, of course. And congratulations for winning the last MAARC against tough competition from Radzeer and the others.

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[MT2W FKoC AAR] Times full of Distemper
Reviewed by robinzx at the Critic's Quill, Issue 31

[G.Assassin]

This is such a great AAR, I have been slyly reading it at work when I get the chance. Cant wait to see how it continues!!

Medieval 2 Total War once helped me pass my English GSCE, I hadnt done the coursework (too busy playing) and decided that rather than making a story up I would base it upon a large battle that I had just had. The teacher loved it and asked me how I could have come up with such an original idea :

You are inspiring me to write my own AAR but I know so little about this era in history and I think I would just get confused by all the names and forget who is who...

Please keep it up, it brings a little bit of excitement to my work day (so sad )

[Robin de Bodemloze]

Great update!
The exchange with Toromasa was very well written, and the last picture is... interesting.

Thank you for the continued support as always. Glad the last pic had its intended effect

The last chapter was great!

Is it possible to set the ground on fire in Shogun 2? It seems as if the fortifications are easy enough to burn down Quite a different feeling compared to the stone castles of Medieval 2.

Your AAR is very impressive with lots of attention to detail and scenes. While I haven't played Shogun 2 I feel as if I have a very clear picture of what the game is like. But I think I would be dissapointed if I bought it, wondering when the rebellious mysterious conspiracies would appear and why the daimyo of Takeda was so quiet nowadays...

Thanks for your comment! I had high hopes for the last chapter so I'm glad it's turned out well

It's not possible to set the ground on fire unfortunately. That last pic was the result of the great conduit of human innovation known as Photoshop

Given the context, the last picture is interesting and tantalising. But the first picture from your last update was also interesting. When reading about the scroll, I had an image of it in my mind inside your picture frame and the image materialised into an actual picture when I went further down. You have some other pictures which are slightly abstract and different, like Shogun 2 haikus - and I think they add a certain quality to the AAR. Nice conspiracy plot, too, of course. And congratulations for winning the last MAARC against tough competition from Radzeer and the others.

Thanks on all accounts! That map image was actually inspired by Radzeer's battle map in his last chapter. I wanted something more suitable for period art though so took a bit of inspiration from the in-game fog-of-war. Glad you like it

The haiku..they're quite fun to write, so I'm glad I came up with the idea of using that as plot devices. There's also haiku to go with each volume of the story, but I don't think many people noticed

This is such a great AAR, I have been slyly reading it at work when I get the chance. Cant wait to see how it continues!!

Medieval 2 Total War once helped me pass my English GSCE, I hadnt done the coursework (too busy playing) and decided that rather than making a story up I would base it upon a large battle that I had just had. The teacher loved it and asked me how I could have come up with such an original idea :

You are inspiring me to write my own AAR but I know so little about this era in history and I think I would just get confused by all the names and forget who is who...

Please keep it up, it brings a little bit of excitement to my work day (so sad )

Thanks for the kind words - glad it's brightening up your work day

I hope you told your GCSE teacher that your battle was from research of a significant-but-forgotten historical battle that you dug up from arcane records

* * *

The next chapter will take a few more days. Hopefully will be up by Wednesday latest. Haven't had much time to write and there's lots of photoshopping to be done

EDIT: First draft done. Should be good for Wednesday.

[Geoffrey of Villehardouin]

What is it that is written in the centre of that scroll in your last update? Sakuranomiya? Box of four sides? Tomb of the Tiger? And how did you do that? It is very artistic.

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[MT2W FKoC AAR] Times full of Distemper
Reviewed by robinzx at the Critic's Quill, Issue 31

[Robin de Bodemloze]

What is it that is written in the centre of that scroll in your last update? Sakuranomiya? Box of four sides? Tomb of the Tiger? And how did you do that? It is very artistic.

It's the Japanese text for Sakuranomiya, for which the literal translation is "palace of cherry blossoms". I basically drew the mountains and trees and added in the text which I have fancy calligraphy font for. The textured effect on the text from the cloth underneath was done with displacement maps

EDIT: Phew...finally got done. Uploading now. Hope you guys like the fireworks

[Robin de Bodemloze]

XXXIII: Dark of the night

1559 – Summer

The journey to Kunoyama had been a thorough success, and Harunobu – or Shingen as he now called himself – delighted in the newfound peace of mind that the many long nights of conversations with Fuyutsugu had afforded him. The stoic old monk’s tireless enthusiasm and understanding meant his inner demons had finally been laid to rest, allowing focus to finally be put to the rightful matter of taking Gifu castle. The siege of Inazawa had been a bloody affair that had cost the Takeda a great many fine soldiers, but they were able to replenish its forces at a faster rate than their foe. The Imgawa castle meanwhile stood poorly garrisoned and ripe for the taking. Returning to the army Shingen had been surprised at the chosen location of the forward camp, but he decided to trust Toramasa’s judgement and thought little more of it thereafter.

The ride from Suruga had been long and arduous, and Shingen retired early to his quarters. It was with considerable surprise therefore when he was woken by the cries of men, deep into the night. Perplexed by the bizarre turn of events Shingen hurried to dress himself, but even as he did so he found his mind racked with countless questions and few answers of note. If there had been an attack, how had the Imagawa caught wind of their supposedly secret position? Had there been a leak? Why was the alarm not sounded earlier? How many attackers were there? The garrison at the forward camp numbered no more than three hundred at present – would that be nearly enough if the enemy numbers were many?

Clutching his katana the Takeda daimyo parted the fabric of his tent, but as he did so he merely staggered backward in shock at the scenes before his eyes. A great fire had broken out within the camp, and tall flames now lashed at the fabric camp curtains all around him. Meanwhile panicked men ran in all directions outside of the daimyo’s personal camp, but instead of fetching water these men had weapons in hand. Rushing to the entrance of his quarters Shingen was relieved at the absence of any enemy banners, but his relief quickly turned into bewilderment as it dawned upon him that the men were nevertheless fighting a fearsome foe, albeit one who bore the same diamond kamon of the Takeda. All around the regiment of Sagami samurai who had become his personal guard were now fighting for their lives – against men who wore the same colours as they did.

What madness is this? Something is wrong, very wrong…

Turning to his right, Shingen was relieved to see a familiar shape. Silhouetted against the burning remains of a tent, a solitary figure stood untouched by the senseless fighting that had engulfed the result of the camp. The man’s face was obstructed by a grotesque mempo, but the mempo itself was confirmation enough of its owner’s identity. It had been eight years since he ordered its construction, but the design had been of his own hand and he remembered it clearly. Only one man in the clan wore a mempo like that, Shingen thought as he recalled the day his first born son rode proudly into his first battle.

“Taro! How fortunate it is for you to-“

Shingen’s words were cut short as the man opposite him suddenly drew his yari and swiped towards him, the wide arc missing the tip of his outstretched arm by mere inches. Stepping backwards he could only look on in horror as, with a cry of raw fury, the silhoutted figure before him launched into a series of wild attacks. Parrying hurriedly first left, then right, then right again, Shingen yelled at the top of his voice, hoping to instil some sense in the inexplicable situation. Try as he might though, the relentless attacks merely gathered in pace as the blows and parries came and went.

“Taro! Stop this madness at once! I am your father!”

The masked assailant looked up at Shingen, but continued his attacks without fail. In between stabs of his yari, the man barked out his response with a vitriol that surprised Shingen as it saddened him. Despite the sour feeling that was building up inside him, however, he realised quickly that this was no joke. Yoshinobu had mastered the yari at a young age and made for a formidable opponent. A false step would certainly mean death for him – at the hands of his son no less.

“Father, this is no madness. Thanks to you the Takeda has been embroiled in war for the last decade, and the people of our clan grow sick of the constant warring. You promise loudly and often that you would better the lives of our people and to lead them to greatness, but what good is such greatness when your subjects die by the hundreds for no more than your own ego?”

This cannot be… Why would I do all that I do if not for…

“Taro, do you not see the clans whose fortunes rise and fall with the morning tide? We battle because we must, and as the head of the clan it is the duty our people have bestowed upon me to protect them from the same fate that has already befallen the Oda, the Matsudaira, the Saito and many others beyond our domain. Is that a fate you wish for our people instead?”

Deflecting a stab of Yoshinobu’s yari, Shingen responded with a wild slash of his blade. To the surprise of both men, the blade flew past the younger man’s defences and the tip of the cold metal cut into the metallic faceguard. As half of the mempo fell from Yoshinobu’s face, Shingen’s heart skipped a beat. Under the dim orange light of the fire that raged all around him with increasing vigour, he could see a trickle of blood flow down the younger man’s cheeks where his blade had made contact. Shingen stepped forward with an arm outstretched, but a flash of Yoshinobu’s yari quickly put paid to any paternal instinct. As the shattered fragments of Shingen’s gold maedate fell to the ground, Yoshinobu wiped the blood from his cheek with a toxic disdain.

Narrowly avoiding the ensuing slash, Shingen’s eyes met those of his son. Yoshinobu’s eyes burned with a rage he did not recognise, and he sighed inwardly as he responded to the younger man’s attacks. Yoshinobu’s technique with the yari had always been a concise one with ample aggression, but now it had become increasingly deadly, with every stroke aimed at the head or heart. Flames had engulfed most of the camp now, and the melee between his men and Yoshinobu’s swarmed all around them outside of the daimyo’s camp. The crackling of fire, the metallic clash of weapons and the screams of maimed men rang out from all directions, but seemed almost distant to Shingen, whose focus was trained intensely upon the dancing tip of Yoshinobu’s yari. Despite his best efforts it seemed his first born son now only wanted him dead, and he knew that the only hope of resolution was if he emerged victorious. Blocking and dodging increasingly furious jabs and slashes, Shingen watched silently, waiting for a mistake as the younger man’s attacks came in a blur.

“Seventeen years ago you banished your own father from our lands did you not?” Yoshinobu’s words came with increasing venom, and even as Shingen dodged the thrust of Yoshinobu’s yari he felt the pain that went far deeper. Sensing a rush of rage flowing him, Shingen steadied himself before aiming a blow at his opponent’s neck. Stunned by the sudden ferocity of the attack, Yoshinobu turned to parry, but could only watch on in horror as the katana blade sliced clean through the wooden shaft…

“Seventeen years ago I was sent to Suruga to die. What right do you have to question the exploits of brave Takeda men when you wouldn’t even march to Hamamatsu with them?”

Yoshinobu kneeled in silence with the katana blade still rested against his neck, and watched as the broken ends of his yari were tossed away. His eyes were closed as he felt the cold steel of his father’s blade against his skin. He could not remember the last time he heard such anger in his father’s voice despite his frequent temper, but that mattered for little now. What had seemed a flawless plan had somehow unfolded so wrongly, he thought, reminiscing. If only that old dog Toramasa had…

“Do it.” Yoshinobu hissed through his teeth as he felt the katana blade being raised. His head was bowed low, and his eyelids were half shut, trembling slightly as he awaited the inevitable.

Nothing.

“Go. Leave the Takeda lands and change your name. Never let it be spoken that you are my son.”

Seventeen years…

* * *

The ride from Sakuranomiya tore through rugged forest roads that jarred each bone in our bodies, not to mention the open wound in my shoulder that had been hastily bandaged with whatever rags we could find. The heavily wooded terrain lent little to speedy travel, but guided by the sight of burning trees and rising columns of smoke we maintained our course with relative ease. Few words were said throughout the journey, but in truth little was required. Toramasa’s fate was likely sealed under the stewardship of Masakage’s men, but as we rode the sense of urgency and sheer dread was greater than ever. We rode not only to save Harunobu, I felt, but the fate of the clan as a whole. Exiting one last patch of forest, we emerged into a roughly open plain with hills on either side. In the centre the Takeda camp could be seen burning, and men swirled all around in an orange muddle illuminated by the flames.

Leaving Yukitaka in charge of my bodyguard, I circled the fighting in the hope of finding Harunobu. The occasional man turned to intercept the lone rider speeding past, but for the most part my search was undisturbed while Yukitaka and the men encircled the melee. My shouts of Harunobu’s name were barely audible above the din of clashing weapons and crackle of burning timbers, but shout I did nonetheless. Heading for the daimyo’s tent I prayed inwardly that Harunobu would be found there. It was a major surprise though when a lone figure charged at me from the smouldering jinmaku, his katana raised in the strike position. My shouts at the approaching man had been lost in the noise of battle, and it was not until our blades met that his eyes met mine and a jumble of surprise and relief washed through me.

Diving into the melee with Harunobu at my back reminded me of our Shinano campaigns under father, and in between blows I could see him, true to form, shouting orders and encouraging the men around him. Appeals for peace fell on deaf ears however, as the rogue samurai troops fought on viciously. As the melee wore on hundreds of brave samurai lay dead on both sides, but there was still no end to the battle in sight. Meanwhile the camp had almost burn down to ash, and a suffocating dark fog hung low to the ground, constricting men’s nostrils as they gasped for air. This night would be as bloody as any battle against the once-proud Hojo or the Ikko to the west, but as we fought our distinct disadvantage in numbers began to take its toll, with Yukitaka, my bodyguard and the sortie of loyal samurai who had by now gathered around Harunobu and myself being pushed back towards the smouldering camp…

“TONO!! Reinforcements have arrived!!”

Turning towards the horizon, I could see the mass of cavalry approaching, and when they came close enough the sight of Masakage’s heraldry lifted a huge weight from within me and undoubtedly many besides. The irony that he would undo the harm caused by his brother was lost on nobody, but equally none could deny that his cavalry regiments would make a decisive contribution. Unlike the last such occurence in Kaga province, this time the benefactor of Masakage's opportune appearance was not merely myself, the men or even Harunobu. Instead I suspected he had ensured the survival of the clan itself. We would live to fight another day thanks to the young man's timely entrance, and avoid succumbing to a sorry bout of infighting during the dark of the night…

[Geoffrey of Villehardouin]

Nice fireworkds indeed. Good update, well written.
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[MT2W FKoC AAR] Times full of Distemper
Reviewed by robinzx at the Critic's Quill, Issue 31

[jpops0702]

I've been meaning to comment on your AAR, but it took me a while to read the whole thing

Absolutely stunning in every way. The pictures complement your fantastic writing, and the plotting is excellent. If Kurosawa had ever taken to writing video game AARs this would have been his Kagemusha. Can't wait to see how the whole thing ends.

[Shankbot de Bodemloze]

Great Update
I particularly liked the 1v1 duel description, very good... so were the photos - great editing (they were edited right?) although...

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Is the sword meant to be going through him

Looking forward, you have a knack of doing that, to more

[Robin de Bodemloze]

Nice fireworkds indeed. Good update, well written.

Thank you sir

I've been meaning to comment on your AAR, but it took me a while to read the whole thing

Absolutely stunning in every way. The pictures complement your fantastic writing, and the plotting is excellent. If Kurosawa had ever taken to writing video game AARs this would have been his Kagemusha. Can't wait to see how the whole thing ends.

Thanks for the comment Kagemusha? High praise indeed - the use of Nobushige as the narrator was inspired by that actually. My favourite Kurosawa

Good luck with your own AAR as well. Very entertaining read

Great Update
I particularly liked the 1v1 duel description, very good... so were the photos - great editing (they were edited right?) although...

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Is the sword meant to be going through him

Looking forward, you have a knack of doing that, to more

Umm yes they were edited. All in all I took shots from about 4 different custom battles. Very frustrating reloading repeatedly to get the same lighting effects

You mean the sword that Yoshinobu has sheathed? That's just the game's way of showing the secondary weapon. Anyhow no sword goes through Yoshinobu, at least not yet

[Shankbot de Bodemloze]

Great editing then (I just thought maybe TWS2 had some features I didn't know about )

You mean the sword that Yoshinobu has sheathed? That's just the game's way of showing the secondary weapon. Anyhow no sword goes through Yoshinobu, at least not yet

Hahaha oops, and there was me thinking you had made a mistake I just thought because the sword was so bright compared to the rest of him...

[Radzeer]

I would say this was one of the best updates in this story. The two perspectives nicely complemented each other being different but still related to the same event. You also picked the best shots for illustration, plus the extra fire effect... so it was the perfect combination! Very nice, my friend, very nice.

[Heiro de Bodemloze]

Great stuff indeed.

How do you do that subscription thingy, I am missing chapters here!!!!!111oneone1!

[Robin de Bodemloze]

Great editing then (I just thought maybe TWS2 had some features I didn't know about )

I wish you could set the ground/forests on fire..

I would say this was one of the best updates in this story. The two perspectives nicely complemented each other being different but still related to the same event. You also picked the best shots for illustration, plus the extra fire effect... so it was the perfect combination! Very nice, my friend, very nice.

That really means a lot to me. The last month's worth of updates have all pretty much been building up to this one event so I'm quite glad (relieved?) that it's turned out well. As for the two angles, I guess it's to maintain this duality I've been building up with the two brothers and vague things like fate and destiny etc. Hopefully all the different loose strings I've left open will come together well in the end

Campaign wise I haven't touched my game save in almost a month now, so maybe it's time to get back to that

Great stuff indeed.

How do you do that subscription thingy, I am missing chapters here!!!!!111oneone1!

Top right - thread tools - subscribe to this thread

[Heiro de Bodemloze]

Thanks, done!

[Radzeer]

Campaign wise I haven't touched my game save in almost a month now, so maybe it's time to get back to that

I was actually wondering about that no seeing any campaign info for some time.