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If you write an AAR, how will your writing about battles contribute to your story? In Takeda, Robin de Bodemloze uses battles to illustrate the personalities of characters, provide drama through shifts in perspective, create tension by building a sense of danger and immerse us in the story through powerful description.
Battles illustrate the personalities of characters
In Radzeer's Interview with Robin de Bodemloze, Radzeer asked Robin what makes a good character in an AAR. Robin's reply was that "the most important thing is to have identifiable characters with some clear traits readers can associate with." Robin not only followed his own advice, he went beyond that. There is no single set of traits which defines each main character. A distinctive feature of Robin's writing is that we see characters from different perspectives. If one character sees another as 'brave', a different character might see the same conduct as 'reckless'. For example, in battles in early chapters, Nobushige is seen as cautious or as having a lack of steel. Takanaga is seen as having the traits of rashness or urgency. As Caillagh observes in another part of our Masterpiece Review, Plot, Writing and Characters, this can tell us about the personality of the observer, for example when Takanaga calls Nobushige "a walking bag of arrogance." These different perspectives can draw us more deeply into the story, prompting each reader to look for evidence to make up your own mind about what each character is really like.
These different character traits - and different perspectives of characters - provide conflict between characters which adds to the tension and drama. For example, in the storming of Mishima castle in Chapter X, cautious Nobushige wants to pause the attack after taking the outer wall, while steely Takanaga wants to continue the attack. Nobushige's anger when Harunobu prefers the advice of Takanaga is interesting. Nobushige's anger seems to be entirely directed towards Takanaga. We might have expected Nobushige to be angry at Harunobu, because he makes the final decision on tactics, and because of the hint of jealousy we have been given when we read that Nobushige had been told that he would be daimyo. This is also interesting because of the intensity of Nobushige's anger: "That boy Takanaga must be made to pay". I find this thought-provoking on two levels. Firstly, Nobushige sees Takanaga as 'that boy' – yet, the list of characters shows that Nobushige and Takanaga were born in the same year – perhaps Nobushige’s high social status causes him to see others as younger? Secondly, this shows that despite Nobushige's cautious nature, he also has a strong inclination towards revenge – an aspect of Nobushige’s character which will be important later on in the story.
Robin uses his battle writing to inform us about characters’ back stories and show us how that influences their beliefs – particularly their beliefs about appropriate tactics. In Chapter XIII, I like the way that Nobushige remembers his father's advice that the first general to engage personally in battle will lose. In some battles, the battle operates as a back-drop to a conversation between characters. I'm reminded of films (and other stories) in which individual characters fight hand-to-hand while talking – perhaps exchanging insults or rehearsing the reasons why one of them is attacking the other. In Chapter XXXVII, at the Kansai Plains, a rebel Takeda general, Tomomaso, taunts Nobushige. In Chapter XXXIII, when Shingen defends himself against a surprise attack in camp, he is surprised again by the identity of one of the attackers who engages him in single combat, leading to great dialogue between the combatants. In Chapter XXXIX, there is powerful dialogue between Nobushige, who is engaged in a war of revenge and the daimyo of the Hatano clan, who confronts Nobushige with the reality of what has been doing and the human cost of this vengeful war. In Chapter XL, there is strong dialogue between the enemy commanders when a Takeda stronghold is unexpectedly attacked. This dialogue is linked to the question of 'why we fight', which is a running theme through this AAR and which has several answers. Some of the answers are worthier than others – for example, in earlier chapters Nobushige fights a war of revenge. Later on, Harunobu (now called Shingen) in Chapter XL says that he is fighting so that the people have a ruler who has their interests at his heart and for the rule of law.
Conflict between fathers and sons seems to be an important part how characters come across in battles. Harunobu, the Takeda daimyo, orders his son to remain behind at Hamamatsu castle, rather than travel with the army. Then Harunobu is shocked to find his own father apparently serving as a general for the Imagawa in Chapter XVIII. The interpersonal conflict runs through this section of the AAR, building up to a climax when Harunobu faces his father in battle at Mino in Chapter XXX.
Battles show us how characters develop through the story. Not all of this character development is positive: a war of revenge starts in Chapter XXXV, providing character development for the normally cautious Nobushige, who is overwhelmed with anger and a desire to hurt the Hatano clan. While Nobushige is portrayed relatively unsympathetically here, the daimyo of the Hatano clan is, by Chapter XXXIX, presented in a sympathetic way. The Hatano daimyo is shown as a clan leader who has lost his best general and a father who has lost his first-born son, while the ordinary people in Hatano lands are on the edge of starvation. This war of revenge sets up a strong emotional dimension to the battle at Osaka castle in chapter XXXIX, when Nobushige pursues the man whose actions led to the war of revenge. In Chapter XLIII, a battle is also used to demonstrate the personality of a character, as the lives of many ashigaru are lost in an ambush on the battle-field and Takanaga consoles himself that they are only ashigaru, not samurai. I think this is effective characterisation; I can imagine Nobushige inwardly criticising himself harshly for allowing such an event to occur, rather than consoling himself that they were 'only ashigaru' as Takanaga does. Takanaga's character is also shown to us through the words of other people, as when he is criticised for lack of discipline in a battle in chapter XLIII.
Battles as a source of powerful description
Description is a particular strength of Robin's battle writing, from (in Chapter II) the sounds of battle to (in Chapter XIII) the contrast between, on the one hand, the serenity of the clouds, the calm sea and the wisps of dandelion in the air before the battle and, on the other, the intensity and violence of the battle itself. There is another interesting contrast (also in chapter XIII) within the description of the enemy, the Ikko Ikki. The ordinary foot-soldiers are "a rabble of peasantry, radical monks and humourless ronin", but their general, Shimozuma Jutsurai is a "reputable general". I like the way that Robin quickly gives us this general's back-story, explaining how this respected swordsman and administrator came to join the Ikko Ikki. In Chapter III, there is a nice sketch of the boy daimyo appointed to lead the Murukami – this has real pathos, as we may well feel pity for the boy pushed into a leadership role with no chance of victory against the Takeda attack. Robin is not afraid to show an enemy of the Takeda in a sympathetic way.
Robin uses effective visual imagery in Chapter XV, when we hear about a Takeda attack which "parted the Ikko Ikki like water", "a blur of motion, horse and blade" and the terrible destruction of two companies of Takeda cavalry by elite ronin archers (reminiscent, for me, of the destruction of the cavalry who charge orc archers in Osgiliath in the third Lord of the Rings movie.)
Perhaps the highest point of the descriptive writing happens in Chapter XXIII, where Robin uses a series of images: wind, forest, fire, mountain and the following abbreviated version of lines from the famous Chinese text The Art of War:-
Swift as the wind
Orderly as the forest
Furious as the fire
Still as a mountain
Orderly as the forest
Furious as the fire
Still as a mountain
There are some great descriptions of castles. Here is Gifu castle as it is shown to us in Chapter XXXIV::
"As we marched the giant structure slowly came into view above the treeline, and the men – myself included – could not help but swallow in awe of the giant structure. Built by the legendary Saito Dosan and successively expanded by its Oda and Imagawa occupants, the giant castle was perched squarely upon the mountain it was built on with wide courtyards standing high above the landscape. Scouting reports had told of failed attempts at recruiting fresh troops by the Imagawa, and presently no more than eight hundred trained soldiers occupied the behemoth before us. Even so the rows of towers that lined the soaring stone walls promised a difficult battle ahead."
The descriptions sound particularly authentic when Japanese words are used, for example in the line "the shattered fragments of Shingen’s gold maedate fell to the ground" in Chapter XXXIII. In Chapter XXXIX (and elsewhere) we hear about the kuruwa (layers of defensive wall) of a castle. I like the way that, when Japanese soldiers see a Portuguese ship, they interpret the cross symbols on its sails as the 'kamon' (a Japanese term for a heraldic symbol) – they interpret foreign cultures using their own categories and terminology.
Towards the end of the AAR, there is effective re-use of the imagery of Shingen's banner and the associated words wind, forest, fire, mountain – both in Chapter XLVII, where an enemy of the Takeda sees Shingen's banner and it is a fearful sight, and in the final chapter, Chapter LX. By the end, the use of this imagery symbolizes the unstoppable juggernaut of the Takeda armies. 'Mountain' represents the Takeda daimyo himself. In Chapter LIII, there is a very effective description of Himeiji castle, demonstrating the challenge facing the attackers. In the battle which follows, the descriptions of the sounds, smells and the surprising intervention of cannon all help to immerse readers in the battle. The images on Shingen's banner and those evocative four words are used powerfully in the final battle in Chapter LX, when a Takeda commander fights an enemy daimyo in the hope of turning the tide of battle.
Description can be about what our characters see, hear, touch, taste and smell. It can also show what characters say, for example in a speech to inspire soldiers. Chapter LVII is entirely made up of a powerful speech before battle. This speech reminds both the soldiers and the reader of the many victories of the Takeda up to this point. The soldiers are warned not to underestimate their enemies in a series of sentences beginning with the same words, 'respect them.' The Takeda commander recalls the sacrifices which Takeda men have made and emphasizes the need for courage. The way in which the Takeda anticipate the enemy strategy demonstrates both the experience and intelligence of the Takeda commanders and the serious challenge which they face against skilled, experienced opponents. There is strong use of Harunobu as a 'mountain', reminding readers of the Takeda daimyo's banner with its stirring words: wind, forest, fire, mountain. The Takeda soldiers now believe that as long as their leader stands, their army cannot be defeated. All of this fits well with this stage of the story: the Takeda have triumphed repeatedly against strong enemies, yet now they face an enemy whose strength and skill presents a different level of challenge. In Chapter LIX, as the final battle approaches, there is no pre-battle speech. Instead of a speech, Robin's description of the Takeda on their way to fight plays a similar part, with lines such as "It was time to speak up and be counted as warriors". By saying that there was no speech and yet writing lines which sound as if they belong in a speech, Robin is perhaps using a rhetorical technique, a form of apophasis - mentioning something while saying that you are not going to mention it (source).
Battles create tension by producing a sense of danger
When his characters are about to do something brave or risky, Robin often shows us precisely why and how what they are doing is dangerous. This is a great way to build excitement and tension. It reminds me of the actions of Eddard Stark in Game of Thrones, taking up high office in the capital because of his friendship with the King and his sense of duty even though he is entering a political snake-pit. Chapter VIII contains a brilliant example of how Robin shows readers the dangers which his characters are exposed to:-
"Tono, we should return to Kofu for the men to seek shelter. Marching through Hojo lands during winter without a target will surely be disastrous.”
A few of us, myself included, nodded in approval at Kansuke’s proposal. There was little for us to do now in Musashi – within the week Edo will fall, and Kagetora would deny us these rich lands. By regrouping in Kofu we would at least be at full strength to launch an assault on Sagami and Izu.
“We march in the morning.” Harunobu’s tone was resolute, and we quietly rejoiced that our daimyo had listened to Kansuke’s advice.
“We head for Odawara.”
“Ridiculous! No!”
Harunobu shot me a cold, dark stare, yielding nothing despite my protest. One of the older generals nearly choked on his sake, and needed assistance from his attendants. The Hojo had lost their daimyo, but could still call on as many troops as we had with us. Not only were we to siege the most formidable fortress in all of Japan, we were going to have to do it in the depths of winter.
My idiot brother has just doomed us all."
A few of us, myself included, nodded in approval at Kansuke’s proposal. There was little for us to do now in Musashi – within the week Edo will fall, and Kagetora would deny us these rich lands. By regrouping in Kofu we would at least be at full strength to launch an assault on Sagami and Izu.
“We march in the morning.” Harunobu’s tone was resolute, and we quietly rejoiced that our daimyo had listened to Kansuke’s advice.
“We head for Odawara.”
“Ridiculous! No!”
Harunobu shot me a cold, dark stare, yielding nothing despite my protest. One of the older generals nearly choked on his sake, and needed assistance from his attendants. The Hojo had lost their daimyo, but could still call on as many troops as we had with us. Not only were we to siege the most formidable fortress in all of Japan, we were going to have to do it in the depths of winter.
My idiot brother has just doomed us all."
In Chapter XIV, Nobushige recovers from his wounds to discover that Takanaga has advanced without orders and is attacking the castle of Kanazawa. Here, the sense of danger is increased again and again. We are told of the threat from a fearsome Ikko Ikki unit, the sohei (warrior monks). When the Takeda must defend this castle in Chapter XV, we are told that the enemy general, Shimozuma Nakayuki, is the son of the general Shimozuma Jutsurai, who Nobushige killed, so the son will be seeking revenge against the man who killed his father. The sense of danger increases when we are told that the enemy are "fanatics" who have spread their attack widely across the eastern and southern faces of the castle. When Nobushige makes an understandable mistake, sending cavalry to attack archers who turn out to be elite ronin, the battle seems to be going against the Takeda. The level of threat increases again when the enemy are found to be attacking the rear gate. The Takeda are successful in battle after battle, so creating a feeling of real threat, a perception that defeat is a real possibility, is especially important. There tends to be little tension or drama in a series of easy victories.
Surprise is another way to create a sense of danger. Surprise seems to be an important element of some battles in Takeda. For example, in Chapter XVII, the Takeda generals are struggling to deal with the rebellious, troublesome Ikko. The ninja Hattori Hanzo offers "all of them assembled in a field, ready for the slaughter" – a surprising thing for one person to claim to be able to do. In Chapter XVIII, Nobushige has to fight an unexpected battle without having been able to replenish his losses from the previous engagement. Seeing his own ashigaru fleeing after their unit has broken is surprising for Nobushige, as is the arrival of reinforcements. It seems unlikely that any of these events would have been surprising for Robin (perhaps the additional battle would have been, if he could not initially see them on the battle map) but, of course, what does not surprise the player can still be surprising for the characters. In Chapter XX, after a successful attack on Otsu castle, the surprise comes when the Takeda break through to the tenshu (the central tower or keep of the castle). Robin has been building up to the surprise at Otsu by describing the Ikko Ikki, whose final stronghold was Otsu castle, as a “poisonous cult.” This means that the discovery in the tenshu at Otsu castle is both surprising and consistent with the way that the Ikko have been presented to us – in a sense, surprising and not surprising at the same time. In Chapter XXV, the enemy Imagawa general is surprised by a Takeda cavalry attack to the rear of his army. In chapter Chapter XXVIII, Harunobu, the Takeda daimyo, is surprised by the identity of the Imagawa general. In Chapter XL a surprise attack on a Takeda stronghold is even more surprising because of the identity of the faction attacking it; there is a surprise, too, for the commander of the attacking army.
In Chapter L and Chapter LI, Robin brilliantly creates the impression, through both images and writing, of a combined land/sea battle. If you only have played Total War: Rome II (or more recent games) you might assume that Shogun II has this feature. Here, Robin has gone beyond the limits of the game, to create the kind of battle which could have existed in real-life, but which the game's engine (when Shogun II was developed) did not yet allow. This kind of innovation shows the ingenuity and innovation which are features of Robin's work in writing this AAR. When a carrack apparently intervenes in a land battle using its cannon, Shogun II players might be surprised because this would not be possible in the game. The characters involved in the land battle are surprised because they are unfamiliar with cannon. If we write AARs using Total War games (or any game in which technology progresses) we might become very familiar with new technologies and new units (or new abilities for existing units) which they can lead to. From the appearance of fire arrows to the introduction of matchlock muskets and the intervention by a carrack's cannon, Robin ensures that his characters are realistically surprised and mystified by new technologies. This adds to the excitement and drama of his battles.
This does not mean that every battle in an AAR should sound equally frightening or dangerous. Variety in battle writing is important and is illustrated well in Takeda. Not every battle is a desperate fight against a series of dangerous threats. In Chapter XVII, for instance, Nobushige is confident and achieves a decisive victory.
Battles adding drama through shifts in perspective
I like the way that we see characters from different perspectives. For example, mainly we see Japan through the eyes of Nobushige. Nobushige regards his own cautious nature as a virtue. But when we see Nobushige through the eyes of his elder brother, the daimyo, Nobushige's caution comes across as a shortcoming – he 'lacks steel and urgency' and the pairing of Nobushige and Takanaga seems to have been a deliberate ploy by the daimyo to inject more urgency into Nobushige.
There is also the brilliant shift in perspective in Chapter IX, in the siege of Odawara, which I discussed my article on battle writing (The Fire Tests the Gold). The Hojo commander sees the Takeda camp abandoned and leads his army out of the safety of the castle. He dreams of a high place in his clan after winning the battle – he becomes distracted and is slow to react when the battle turns against him. (Being distracted is a theme in Robin's battle writing.)
Shifts in perspective can effectively illustrate the ebb and flow of battle. In Chapter XXV, at Hamamatsu castle, we view the battle from the perspective of the enemy general, then the Takeda commander and then the view continues to switch between the two. This enables the reader to see how each general perceives both his own tactics and the choices made by the other side.
The perspective of the enemy general in Chapter XLVII is used to powerful effect, as a son who has become a traitor, fighting for the enemy of his clan, is confronted by his aged father. This scene is rich in pathos. The father's desperate hope that his son will give up his treachery is beautifully told. For me, the sheer power of this scene – and the similar power of other moments – is one of the things that elevates Takeda to Masterpiece status. In the battle which follows in Chapter XVIII, the son seems barely aware of the fighting around him, as (like this reader) he has been deeply moved by his confrontation with his father. Robin mentioned that, in his earlier battles, the images (sadly now missing from the Takeda thread) tend to be from above and from a distance, whereas later on, the images are always from the perspective of a character.
The writing follows this pattern as well. In the early battles, the story-telling sometimes feels as if it is from the player's perspective; as the AAR develops, the writing focuses much more on the perspectives and preoccupations of individual characters. Like other humans, these characters can be so preoccupied with their inner thoughts and feelings that the events around them fade from their attention. In Chapter LII, we read of the enemy's plan and then see the same events through the eyes of someone in the Takeda army, which works well. In Chapter LIV, when the Takeda attack a castle, we see the events in a sense from 'off-stage', as the enemy leader is neither participating in the battle nor focusing on it, he is thinking instead of the choices which led to this battle and the failures of previous plans. In Chapter LVIII, the battle is written from the personal perspectives of generals, in a way which sounds authentic (we do not know things they don't know) and immersive (we experience the battle as they do, having to suddenly switch between directing men into formation and fighting hand-to-hand). When writing about the perspectives of others, Robin has thought about how other clans might think differently about war. In particular, in Chapter LV we see the strategic situation through the eyes of another clan who sum up the Takeda and their opponents in terms of 'crop, coin and men'. In a few words, we are introduced very effectively to the way of thinking of another clan, which is quite different from the ways in which Takeda generals reflect on the battles they are about to face.
Could the battle writing in Takeda have been even better?
Even the best AARs have areas where they could be even better. For example, in the battle in Chapter II, there is a reference to the 'pointy end' of the spears which sets a humorous tone, but without any other humorous elements in the chapter, does this look out of place or misfire? Robin refers to formations, which seems appropriate as they appear in the game. Experienced players of Shogun II will, I imagine, be familiar with them. Readers who are not already familiar with the formations are not generally not told much about them in the AAR apart from their names. Should Robin have assumed that his readers would be familiar with mechanics of the game such as what the battle formations look like? Explaining things which experienced players would know could frustrate them; not explaining things which novice players/non-players don't know could confuse them. There is no easy answer to this; each AAR writer must decide where they will draw the line.
Conclusion
This is an innovative AAR. After realm divide occurs in Chapter XL, this AAR is mostly or entirely 'hard narrative' - in other words, a story based on the world of a game, but not based on a particular campaign. While hard narrative has been used by several AARs since Takeda - and AARs such as Robin's The Wings of Destiny and Hitai's Yokai are entirely or mainly hard narrative - Takeda should be understood in the context of the time when it was written. As Hitai explained in Narrative Trends in Shogun II AARtistry, in the "post-Takeda era", there was a trend towards greater use of soft narrative (stories based on campaigns) and hard narrative (stories using the world of a game but not a particular campaign) in Shogun II AARs.
Other areas of innovation include, I suggest, the creation of a combined land/sea battle (in an AAR for a game which does not allow for such battles) and the sustained use of the powerful imagery of Takeda Shingen’s banner.
This is an inspiring AAR. Traits for characters in Total War games can be a useful starting-point for writing about characters. In Takeda, Robin uses traits – and also characters’ back stories and relationships – and all of these facets of their personalities affect the choice which characters make. The traits of one character look different through the eyes of different characters - someone who looks 'wisely cautious' to one observer can appear 'too cautious' to another. Imagery – particularly when associated with a character, such as the images of 'wind, forest, fire, mountain' – is used to powerful effect. By building the sense of danger, for example through surprises, shifts in perspective and the powerful depiction of enemies such as the Ikko Ikki, Robin creates tense and exciting drama. For its innovation and inspiration, in my view Takeda deserves to be called a masterpiece.
***
Thank you for reading! This article is just one part of our Masterpiece Review of Takeda. The other parts include:-
- Interview with Robin de Bodemloze by Radzeer
- Plot, Characters and Writing by Caillagh (this also includes a link to a special PDF edition of Takeda, which includes many of the images, made available by the kind permission of Robin de Bodemloze)
