Battles of the Conquerors 7: “Kyoto, 1582”

Article written by CanOfSpam
Published on 01-13-2014; updated on 07-05-2016
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Plan of Attack

  • Fishing Ship Boom
  • Cavalry Archers and Trebuchets
  • Relic Race

Relevant Civilization Bonuses

  • Galleys +50% LOS
  • Fishing ships work rate +20% Imperial Age
  • Unique Technology: Kataparuto (Trebuchets fire, pack/unpack faster)

Enemy Opposition

Your only real foes in this scenario are Kyoto and the relic victory timer, the former countering any landing force with a stream of halberdiers, samurai, champions, arbalests, trebuchets and monks sniping at your units. Hyogo is a distraction, the scenario’s suggestion to attack them first a red herring to delay your assault and waste resources before you can focus on Kyoto’s monasteries. Osaka, of course, falls for all intents and purposes the moment your quickly acquired bombard cannons draw a bead on their town centre.

Kyoto has a handful of monasteries, and despite the scenario’s tips and scouting reports raids won’t suffice to end the constant countdowns. Destroying the first monastery will only see them move the relics further and further east to each monastery in succession, deeper into their territory and sheltered by castles and soldiers, effectively increasing the difficulty over time. But the relic timer is a swords that cuts both ways; seizing one will break their ability to impose a time limit on your invasion, but with luck seizing them all will allow you to win with a relic victory of your own without assaulting their three castles as per the initial victory conditions.

Rather than responding with your own mixed force for the war of attrition on the mainland, look no further than the fully-upgradeable Japanese cavalry archers to slaughter and feign retreats for your land campaign. Agile and impossibly deadly when massed in the Imperial Age, they’re the perfect tool for the unpredictable conditions you’ll encounter as you rush to beat the relic victory timer, defeating enemy forces piecemeal as they trickle to the attack.

Booming

Moments after Hideyoshi lands your troops and breaches its walls, acquire the bombard cannons and attack Osaka’s town centre. At the first hint of damage it’s yours, so begin producing villagers while your bombard cannons level their remaining gates and buildings while your knights scout the rest of your starting island. Train a galley or two to sweep the seas on No Attack mode to quickly reveal every potential landing point, set to each corner of the map in turns.

Your starting resources are limited, but with access to vast resources and farmlands. Your massive stockpile of starting wood is best employed building four docks at every corner of the island, each producing a pair or more of efficient Japanese fishing ships from each to maintain constant villager production and boom far faster than even a second town centre could manage. Prioritize gold and stone mining before lumber; while you can achieve much with your bombard cannons, this scenario offers you the ideal opportunity to contrast slow-building and vulnerable bombard cannons with the lightning-quick trebuchets benefiting from the Japanese unique technology.

At the earliest opportunity construct an archery range, university and blacksmith to fully upgrade your future force of cavalry archers and trebuchets. With three archery ranges you’ll quickly amass twenty of them, so build and have your starting military and a full complement of villagers board a fleet of transports to set sail for the mainland.

Avenging Nobunaga

Land to the west of the monastery, building a castle and three of your own monasteries to its rear. Petards will breach the gate and your bombards will collapse the monastery. Sweep forward with your cavalry archers to seize the relics in the rubble, all helpfully housed in that starting monastery and yours for the taking. Whisk them back to your own new monasteries, where they’ll secure your victory.

Victory is already yours provided you can defend the captured relics, but with the force you’ve assembled the initial conditions can easily be met. With massed cavalry archers patrolling forward set to Stand Ground they’re effectively darting forward and feigning retreats to cut counterattacks and pursuits to pieces while your cannons and upgraded trebuchets reduce their towers and castles in turns, pushing east to the harbour and the final castle. If Kyoto threatens to overwhelm your cavalry archers, abandon the artillery and flee back to the castle for healing and to regroup with newly built trebuchets.

Even the loss of three cavalry archers is a greater expense in gold than a single trebuchet, likewise for building new archery ranges on the mainland. Just outrun the enemy troops and lead them into an ambush at the castle and build replacement trebuchets before resuming the offensive. For the same reasons keep your monks at the castle rather than accompanying the assault force, as they’d be overrun with the slower siege weapons. Your massed cavalry archers will inflict heinous casualties with impunity with only the slightest micro, as your trebuchets reduce the enemy castles in quick succession. Provided you’ve secured all the relics or even just one, this unit combination will devastate Kyoto and bring you victory.

Alternative Tactics and Civilization Bonuses

  • Infantry attack 25% faster in Imperial Age

For a more conventional run-through of the scenario playing to the Japanese bonuses, boom as above but upgrade for a champion flood. Transport your villagers to the mainland in the northern corner and build three barracks, a castle, monastery and two archery ranges. Ensure that your fishing ships and villagers don’t exceed a population of thirty, and mass champions with a lesser proportion of hand cannoneers to defend your trebuchets, with monks as healers. Send the champions on an Aggressive Patrol to rampage in the suburbs and clash with the enemy samurai and arbalests supported by the main body of troops. You’ll sustain greater losses, but gain experience in handling the Japanese while employing all of their civilization bonuses.


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