Quote:
Originally Posted by thejeff
If you can last awhile and expand it'll go well. If not, it'll be over quickly and you can move on.
Playing around with nations that interest you is probably a better approach than trying to find the perfect starter nation. If you get slaughtered, try out the nation that beat you.  |
This is probably the best advice anyone could give you.
About Shinuyama specifically: Someone recommended Dai Bakemono to you, and they really are excellent troops, but they are also expensive in gold and especially resources, so you probably can't rely on them early on. Instead why don't you look at the unassuming Bakemono-sho's. They're small, they're weak, they die easily... and they're really good value for their gold cost, and ridiculously good for their resource cost. I really like buying just a few tougher blockers, (Dai Bakemono if you can afford them, otherwise even a few Kappa* can do the job.) and then put a bigger swarm of Bakemono-sho's right behind them. (Preferably the ones with slightly heavier armour, unless you are planning on stealth adventures.) That way the blockers will catch the enemy arrows and absorb the first attacks, but the bakemono-sho's will be right behind so they attack together and the blockers don't become overwhelmed. The Bakemono archer guys meanwhile, are just as good at archery as regular humans, but are significantly cheaper, and again, cost ridiculously few resources, so they're excellent value and you can buy enormous amounts of them in one turn. Against anything with light armour they can dish out good damage.
Meanwhile your excellent mages (Bakemono Sorcers are gold for gold one of the best mages in the game, and recruitable everywhere to boot.) can rush your research, either in evocation (self-explanatory) or enchantment. The big spell in enchantment is flaming arrows. Try casting flaming arrows on a big army of Bakemono archers and you will forever understand the value of big battlefield-wide spells.
* WARNING: Kappa really aren't very good on land, and die quickly, without it being very apparent why, so I really hesitated recommending them to a new player. (hint: it's because they accumulate fatigue quickly on land, and fatigue is a killer) Never, ever recruit them in great numbers, or make an army of them, except to take water provinces if you want to try how that works. They do however just fit the bill to protect the more fragile Bakemono from arrow fire and the crucial fist turn in melee. Once the enemy has made contact and the bakemono rush forward to swarm them the Kappas really have done their job.