Nobunaga's Ambition (SNES) - The Kitabatake Clan

[Groundhog]

I started a dynasty in Nobunaga's Ambition a few months ago and it was brought to a premature end thanks to losing my save game, so this is attempt #2.

I've decided to take control of the Kitabatake clan of Ise province, which is located to the south of the capital Kyoto, and west of the powerful daimyo Takeda, Oda, et al.

[Groundhog]

The Kitabatake Clan, 1555

Originally descended from Emperor Murakami (926-967), the Kitabatake were a clan of nobles turned warriors that came under the service of Emperor Go-Daigo in his 14th century rebellion against the warrior government in Kamakura. They suceeded thanks to the help of a traitor of the Kamakura government, who then turned traitor once again and usurped Emperor Go-Daigo.

The Kitabatake fought to return the Emperor to his throne, but ultimately were unsuccessful and eventually made their peace with the new warrior government and settled in Ise province.

Daimyo



A young, decent leader. I'm not certain of what the ratings icons suggest, though I believe it to be, clockwise from top right, happiness(presumabely to do with keeping the peasants happy), luck, intelligence, combat ability, leadership/governing ability.

If so, Tomonori is a decent leader and military general, and his intelligence is above average, probably thanks to his clan's history as noble scholars.

Heirs



With no sons of appropriate age, our daimyo's brother Masanari is currently next in line should Tomonori fall. Masanari is a solid general - decent at everything, but excelling at no one area.

Retainers



Tomomasa provides yet more young blood to the Kitabatake clan. Currently he is quite unspectacular and will likely never be a military commander of note, but he has potential as an administrator.



Iwami brings some experience in administration, but is far too squirmish for the battlefield. His loyalty and administration skill make him a great choice as a future provincial lord when we expand, but if he is forced to lead soldiers we will be in serious strife.



Don't let his samurai helmet fool you, Hitachi is no warrior. Nor is he much of an administrator, but hey, you can never have too many retainers... right?

[Groundhog]

Kitabatake Holdings, 1555

Ise Province


We may not have the greatest generals in Japan, but we boast an impressive army none-the-less. 11,000 soldiers and 1,500 rifles is an impressive starting force, and will allow us to concentrate elsewhere at the beginning of the game.

Financially we are also in great shape. Ise is blessed with an expanse of crop land, and our taxes from this produce will be a major supply of our wealth. Our markets & trading network are also strong, and our peasants are generally quite happy.

Our castle is not amongst the most impressive in the nation, but our army size should be enough to stop our neighbours advances early in the game.

[Groundhog]

Japan, 1st year of Kôji (1555)



Despite our strong army and rich lands, we are sorrounded by formidable enemies. The Oda clan lay on our immediate east, and the Miyoshi to our immediate west. The Miyoshi in particular are a threat, though the Oda will soon prove a force to reckon with behind daimyo Oda Nobunaga.

To the east also lays the Imagawa and Takeda clans, perhaps the most powerful clans in Japan. The three branches of the Uesugi are also traditional power players in the region.

To the western most island lies the powerful Shimazu & Otomo clans.

For the time being I'm going to concentrate on building up Ise's crops and commerce, while also developing it's industry (or, more accurately, it's skill rating, which is currently zero).

Building up the military isn't a priority, though we will train our men to get them in better shape.

[the_meanstrosity]

Very cool. I love Koei strategy games and I'll be following along to see how the dynasty goes.

Originally Posted by Groundhog

I started a dynasty in Nobunaga's Ambition a few months ago and it was brought to a premature end thanks to losing my save game, so this is attempt #2.

I've decided to take control of the Kitabatake clan of Ise province, which is located to the south of the capital Kyoto, and west of the powerful daimyo Takeda, Oda, et al.

[Groundhog]

1st year of Kôji (1555)

At the beginning of March both our daimyo and his brother assemble the troops and spend the entire month drilling our infantry. Our rating improves to a much more solid 76.

The next few months are rather uneventful in Ise, and we use the time improving our markets and roads in order to increase trade profits, though we hear word that a typhoon ravaged the western provinces and destroyed much farming land.

Then in June a young ronin turns up in our capital and requests audience with our retainers. He is but 10 years old and his father was once a retainer of our clan, but perished in battle a few years ago, leaving his family impoverished. He asks to become a retainer and we accept. We hope to groom him in to a warrior.



Later that month Hojo troops embark on an invasion of the Satomi's lands. These two clans have a history of violence, and it appears that it will now reach it's conclusion.

The Hojo send 6,800 men against the Satomi clan's 5,400, and both forces meet in a sea battle, fighting hand-to-hand form boats. The fighting lasts a day before the heavily outnumbered Satomi forces are defeated, and the Hojo land and storm the Satomi castle. The battle rages another day before the walls are breached and the Satomi daimyo is forced to commit suicide.

The Hojo walk away with few casualties and also recruit three Satomi retainers as their own, including the two Satomi heirs.

July comes around and it's harvest time, which means produce tax. We set the rate at 55%, which may be a little high as we notice that it has annoyed the peasants somewhat. Thanks to our great crop land we are left with a mass abundance of food, so we contact a merchant and sell a large portion of it for gold, leaving enough food to support our military if needed. We are now also very wealthy, with 555 gold, and only 6 months till we tax the markets.

Come August and war errupts again, this time as the Uesugi invade the Utsonomiya's lands with an army of 4,800. The Utsonomiya defenders number just 2,800, but quickly take up positions in the hilly terrain to mount their defense. Much like the Hojo-Satomi battle however, it is a rout. The Uesugi demolish the Utsonomiya with minimal loses, kill the daimyo, and absorb two of his retainers.

With warfare running amok we decide it might be time to secure some alliances of our own. Currently we are friendly with the Ashikaga, but we'd like to ally with a stronger clan. With this in mind I send our retainer Toriyo Iwami off to the Miyoshi with 100 gold as tribute. The Miyoshi daimyo pleads sickness however, and does not accept our tribute. Not good.

We continue to develop our markets and plan our next attempt at buttering up the Miyoshi when we hear that smallpox outbreak hits the north-eastern provinces. Thankfully it stops short of our borders.

In October we send our 10 year old retainer Toki Yoritsugu off to a temple for some schooling. It costs 100 gold, but unfortunately yields no results for us.

Later in October we hear that the Honganji has invade the Hatakeyama clan's province with 7,300 men. The Hatakeyama withdrew to their castle with their 5,000 defenders while awaiting support from their neighbouring allies, the Jinbo clan. The Hongaji attackers start reducing the castle's walls, before the Jinbo reinforcements arrive, evening the fighting numbers to 7,300 each.

The Jinbo forces assualt the Honganji forces that are attempting to break through the castle gates and manage to delay them a few days, but then the Jinbo contingent is routed and the Honganji breach the walls. The castle is a strong one however, and it takes nearly 20 days for the attackers to reach the inner keep, as they are assailed by rifle fire from the defense towers.

The Honganji finally breach the final gates and close combat ensues, but the conflict has now been going over a month. Finally by mid-December it's a victory for the Honganji! The Hatakeyama daimyo commits harakiri, and his three retainers join the enemy.

The rest of our year is not nearly as exciting, and we continue to work on our industry and commerce to close out the year, trying to get it up to the same standard as our crops.