Battle of Sekigahara, Toyotomi side

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fitzpatv
Lance Corporal - SdKfz 222
Lance Corporal - SdKfz 222
Posts: 25
Joined: Tue Dec 13, 2016 7:54 pm

Battle of Sekigahara, Toyotomi side

Post by fitzpatv »

This is one of the biggest challenges in the game and gave me a lot of grief !

The Toyotomi start needing standard percentages to win (60% or 40+ with a 23-point margin). Even in 'defeat', inflicting 54% losses wins the game. If the Hideaki faction joins your side, you must win by 35 points and suffer less than 28% losses, which is quite an 'ask'. If, on the other hand, the Hideaki side (historically) with the opposition, you win simply by scoring 24 points, though the game will continue until one side or the other reaches its main target percentage.

As the Toyotomi, you face a number of difficulties. You are initially outnumbered about 50:44 if playing against the AI. Hideaki Kobayakawa will hit you in the back unless you start well. Even with Hideaki on your side, you can't take >28% losses. Your initial position is awkward. The hill on the right is useless because it disorders anything placed on it (and Hideaki arrives right behind it). The stream in the bottom right corner disrupts your advance and is too far back for defensive purposes (except maybe against Hideaki). The far left (top) stream helps the enemy anchor their right, while the hill in the middle is little help and nor is the shallow central stream. The enemy have some excellent cavalry, who are very hard to stop. They can beat your cavalry, infantry can't attack them, they can effectively screen parts of the line and, although matchlock and bow troops can sting them, they get just one chance before being charged (and won't evade). The AI also has some useful ground for skirmishers opposite your right and an excellent bow unit to exploit it with. You need to win convincingly and can't afford bad luck if Hideaki joins you.

On my first attempt, I aimed to anchor my left with the daimyo's household troops, moving everything else broadly right to catch the enemy's leftward movement in the flank. This worked quite well, putting me in the lead and bringing Hideaki in on my side. Infuriatingly, the AI proceeded to be outrageously lucky on morale/combat checks and, although it finished 60-36 in my favour, I 'lost' by exceeding 28% casualties.

A second try with the same strategy went even worse. Several cavalry units won combats, pursued and were flank-attacked to pieces. Losses quickly accelerated to 26%, at which point I quit.

I then tried a defensive approach, using the hills and rivers. It soon became apparent that the wooded hill on the Toyotomi right is a death trap and affords no advantage as the Tokugawa army performs its left flank march. It wasn't going to work, so I quit at 0-0.

The only other option seemed to be to flank march left (trying not to commit the cavalry so as to prevent leaving them open to flank attacks). This didn't work either. The Tokugawa have a river with which to anchor their right, blocking progress on this side. Their cavalry are very hard to cope with and they always seemed to get favourable match-ups. I quit at 4-18 with my centre in ruins, right withdrawn and blocked on the left.

On my fifth attempt (!), I sent the rightmost division from the wooded hill round the enemy flank. This didn't work very well (what does in this scenario ?!) but it did succeed in drawing off enemy forces. My large central division tried to defend the hill, using the bottom-right stream to impede the enemy advance. The hill was no help at all and we were eventually worn down. However, things went better on the left, where the Tokugawa forces were crushed for all their stubborn luck. Some of my left side forces engaged enemy returning from the right, while others went after Ieyasu's Honjin (typically, the game ended before I could destroy it). Amidst all this, Hideaki joined the enemy, which did, at least, leave me needing to score just 24 to win. Did so, but the game went on to the bitter end to give the AI every chance to rally units. Despite this, the final score was 43-63 against, which was a face-saving 'victory' by the rules, even though it didn't feel much like it (Ieyasu would not have survived, leaving the political landscape in limbo - I got Hideaki Kobayakawa as well and my faction leader, Ishida Mitsunari, stayed well out of the way throughout).

All-in-all, a cow of a scenario !. Probably best to let the Tokugawa have Hideaki, because the victory conditions then become more achievable.
jomni
Sengoku Jidai
Sengoku Jidai
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Re: Battle of Sekigahara, Toyotomi side

Post by jomni »

Appreciate your writeup for all scenarios.
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