Re: The Total War Chat Thread
Incendio mentioned seeing similar units in Medieval II and Empire. I wonder if you've played as the Otomo in Shogun II, this seems fairly close to what you're talking about (although a bit early, as the Otomo's opponents aren't likely to use matchlock guns until later on in the campaign.) I enjoy playing as the Otomo, my experience with them suggests that a pike and shot campaign would be very enjoyable.
I'm hoping for an Empire 2 in future as well. I like the period of warfare when muskets are useful but they're inaccurate and slow to reload, so melee cavalry are still important and formations make a big difference - as well the evolution of ship design in this era, including the intruduction of classic frigates.