Manual typed in a txt file by Steve Begin (tabac@altavista.net) --------------------------------------------------------------- NOBUNAGA'S AMBITION II Instruction Manual Strategy Game Series NES-NU-USA INNER COVER ----------- (picture of the Official Nintendo Seal of quality) This official seal is your assurance that Nintendo(R) has reviewed this product and that is has met our standards for excellence in workmanship, reliability, and entertainment value. Always look for this seal when buying games and accessories to ensure complete compatibility with your Nintendo Entertainement System(R). This game is licensed by Nintendo(R) for play on the Nintendo Entertainment System(R). Nintendo and Nintendo Entertainment System are registered trademarks of Nintendo of America Inc. (KOEI logo) (C) 1990 KOEI CORPORATION All Rights Reserved. PAGE 1 ------ WECOME... In NOBUNAGA'S AMBITION II, you embark on an epic quest to unify Japan. As a daimyo (warlord) vying for power and territory, you'll command vast armies of samurai warriors; defend yourself against ninja assassins; lay siege against mighty fortresses; negotiate alliances; and confront your enemies in deadly combat. But in order to conquer Japan, you must be vigilant with internal affairs as well as war. To keep your vassals content, and thus avoid being overthrown, you'll reclaim farmland, build water works, expand towns and attract merchants. And when disasters such as typhoons, epidemics or famine arise, you'll act fast to rescue your people, or face their rebellion! NOBUNAGA'S AMBITION II was a tremendous hit in Japan, selling over half a mil- lion copies. An expanded and enhanced version of NOBUNAGA'S AMBITION features over 400 historically-based characters, each with different abilities and traits; a variety of realistic attack strategies such as siege, charge and ambush; the opportunity to outwit your enemies through diplomacy and espionage as well as through battle; and the chance to select worthy successors upon the untimely demise of your daimyo. NOBUNAGA'S AMBITION II offers you an unforgettable entertainment experience as you become part of the most violent period the Japanese people have ever known. Enjoy and good luck! KOEI PAGE 2 ------ TABLE OF CONTENTS I. Nobunaga's Ambition II-----------------------------------------------004 Setting the Scene------------------------------------------------------004 The Scenarios----------------------------------------------------------004 How to Play------------------------------------------------------------005 Game Victory or Defeat-------------------------------------------------006 How to Use the Controller----------------------------------------------006 II. Scenario Setup------------------------------------------------------010 How to Begin and End the Game Starting the Game------------------------------------------------------010 Starting a New Game----------------------------------------------------010 Quitting the Game------------------------------------------------------012 Resuming Play----------------------------------------------------------012 III. Ruling your Fiefs--------------------------------------------------013 Explanation of seasonal events and game progression Main Display-----------------------------------------------------------013 Map Screen-------------------------------------------------------------013 Neighboring Fiefs------------------------------------------------------014 Rules of Command Entry-------------------------------------------------014 Regular and Outbreak Events--------------------------------------------021 IV. Scoping the Situation-----------------------------------------------021 PAGE 3 ------ Explanation of game data Samurai Data-----------------------------------------------------------023 Daimyo Data------------------------------------------------------------026 Fief Data--------------------------------------------------------------030 V. Issuing Orders-------------------------------------------------------030 Explanation of game commands VI. WAR!----------------------------------------------------------------043 Explanation of HEX war The Battle Map---------------------------------------------------------043 Rules of War-----------------------------------------------------------043 HEX War Terrain & Units------------------------------------------------047 Combat Commands--------------------------------------------------------050 The Lives of the Warriors-----------------------------------------------055 Time Line: Oda Nobunaga and the Unification of Japan--------------------069 SAFETY TIPS Before beginning NOBUNAGA'S AMBITION II, please read the following: 1) Always turn the power off before inserting or removing the GAME PAK from your NES. 2) Do not store game in extreme temperatures. Never hit or drop it. 3) Avoid touching the terminal connectors. 4) Never attempt to take your GAME PAK apart. 5) Use of cleaning agents can damage the GAME PAK. PAGE 4 ------ I. NOBUNAGA'S AMBITION II... This section tells the story of NOBUNAGA'S AMBITION II and explains how to use the controllers during play. * Setting the Scene... Welcome to 16th Century Japan! The nation has lacked a central government since imperial authority was discredited several centuries before. You become one of the wily daimyos (warlords) striving to expand your land and power. You attempt to enrich your empire, broaden your influence through war and di- plomacy, and eventually gain control of the Kanto Plain (central Japan). This Warring States Period was the most violent time in Japanese history, so your road to power will not be smooth. Your samurai or peasants may rise against you. Epidemics, typhoons or other disasters may beset you. And other daimyos will freely plot against you. Your long-cherished wish is to overcome all obstacles and unify Japan. * The Scenarios You can play one of two scenarios. Scenario 1: Warlord Rivalry (starts March, 1560) Skillful daimyos (warlords) appear throughout the country and carve Japan into many private kingdoms. This is the heyday of such charismatic leaders as Takeda Shingen, Uesugi Kenshin, Hojo Ujiyasu and Mori Motonari. (All names appear in Japanese order: family name first, given name second.) Although the great warrior Oda Nobunaga has finally unified the region of Owari, he is far PAGE 5 ------ from controlling the rest of Japan. Scenario 2: Nobunaga's Ambition (starts March, 1582) Nobunaga has already seized the middle of Japan, and is steadily expanding his influence over the rest of the country. However, strong champions to the east and west are looming on Nobunaga's borders. Nobunaga's success depends on how cleverly he uses his armies. And if you choose to play a daimyo other than Nobunaga, his power works against you. * How To Play Regular commands such as domestic affairs or diplomacy are carried out from the MAIN display. When war breaks out, the screen switches to the HEX display. a. )MAIN Display The MAIN display contains the regular commands and your home fief's data. Every month you get the chance to execute commands involving domestic affairs, diplomacy or war. In deciding your daimyo's commands, you must balance the tasks of serving your present fiefs and conquering new territories. If you control more than one fief, you will have the opportunity to issue com- mands to each fief separately. The number of commands you can issue during a turn is not set -- as long as your samurai have enough Body Points, they can carry out any number of commands. To end your turn, choose . b.) Map Screen The map screen displays a map of the 38 fiefs or provinces in feudal Japan. To switch from the MAIN display to the map, press the B button. The controlling daimyo's coat-of-arms appears next to each fief number. If a fief conquers another fief, the losing daimyo's emblem will change to that of the winning PAGE 6 ------ daimyo. You can see each daimyo and his coat-of-arms with the Command Option . c.) HEX Display If you invade or are invaded by another fief, the HEX display will appear, and war will begin. The HEX display also appears if you have chosen to view other fiefs' wars. (You can view other fiefs' wars by answering "Yes" to the ques- tion "View other fiefs' wars?" during scenario setup or by using Command Option .) HEX war begins in field warfare, but you can switch to siege warfare as long as your army commander is in the castle. Time passes differently between field and siege warfare. In field warfare, you can issue commands in the morning, afternoon and evening, but in siege warfare you can issue only one command per unit per day. * Game Victory or Defeat Play continues until someone wins by conquering all of Japan or until all players have lost. a.) Winning In scenarios 1 and 2, when you have conquered all 38 fiefs and unified the country, you win. b.) Losing Your daimyo may die before he has carried out his goals. But as long as he still has territory and samurai, you can choose a successor from among the daimyo's followers and continue play. But if you have no samurai, you must forfeit your land and lose the game. Also, you may choose a successor only twice. When the second successor (third person to be daimyo) dies, you lose. * How to Use the Controller You can use either controller to play PAGE 7 ------ NOBUNAGA'S AMBITION II Even if playing with more than two players, any player can use either controller. a.) Choosing a Fief You must often choose a fief of which to spy or to move supplies. At these times, the map screen appears and displays the daimyo's crests in the fiefs available to choose. Use the + button to move the oncreen arrow to the fief you want, then press the A button to enter your choice. Press the B button to cancel. b.) Selecting a Command Use the + button to move the triangular cursor to the command you want, then press the A button to enter your choice. If there are more sub-commands under the main command, use the + button and the A button to enter your choice. If you press the B button to cancel, the computer will return to the MAIN display. c.) Choosing a Samurai Most commands require that you appoint a samurai to carry out your bidding. A list of your fief's samurai will appear onscreen. Use the + button to move the triangular cursor to the samurai you choose, then press the A button to enter your choice. Press the B button to cancel the entire command. The process for choosing multiple samurai (for instance, to train or move) is the same. In this case, your chosen samurai's names turn blue. Press the B button to end multiple samurai selection. Once you've selected a samurai, you can cancel him by choosing him again. His name will return to the original color and be deleted from the group of selected samurai. Samurai whose names appear in red do not have enough body points to execute the command in question and cannot be PAGE 8 ------ the command in question and cannot be selected. * If your fief has more than 10 samurai The samurai selection list can display only 10 samurai names at a time. If there are more than 10 samurai in your fief, the following two choices will appear when you press the B button: "Change" or "Cancel." To select "Change," press the A button. The screen will change and the remaining samurai will appear. To select "Cancel," press the B button. The entire command will be canceled. When choosing multiple samurai, the following three choices will appear when you press the B button: "Final," "Change," and "Cancel." In this case, press the A button to select "Final." d.) Yes or No Questions Before the computer executes a command, it will ask, "Is this all right (Y/N)?" To answer "Y" yes, press the + button to the left <--. To answer "N" no, press the + button to the right -->. e.) Entering Numerical Values Many commands require that you enter a numerical amount of gold or soldiers. At first, 00 or 000 will appear in the spot where you are to enter your number. The zeros represent the ones, tens and hundreds columns. Select a column by pressing the + button to the left or right; change numerical values by pres- sing the + button up or down. For example, if 000 is displayed on screen, enter the number 54 by leaving the left-most column untouched, entering a 5 in the middle column, and entering a 4 in the right-most column. To finalize an entry, press the A button. Pres- sing the B button will cancel the entire command. If you press the left part of the + button, the maximum allowable value will appear (pressing it again will make the digits return to 00 or 000). Again, finalize the maximum value by pressing the A button. Enter value 0-9 by moving the + button up or down | How much gold will you use (0-100)? 054 ^ | Move between columns by moving the + button left or right. f.) HEX War Move and Attack: Which Direction? Move the arrow to the appropriate (picture of the + button with 6 arrows pointing in the directions you can move) direction using the + button, then execute an attack or move in that direction by pressing the A button. * Pressing the + button up or down makes the arrow move up or down. ** Pressing the + button to the right makes the arrow point right & up, but if you hold down the right portion, the arrow will alternately change from right & up to right & down and back again. If the arrow is already facing down, pressing the + button to the right will make the arrow point right & down. In this case, pressing the + button to the left will make the arrow point left & down. *** After you move one HEX space, the arrow remains facing the same direction. To move again in the same direction, press the A button again. To move in a different direction, use the + button to move the arrow to the desired direc- tion, then press the A button. PAGE 10 ------- II. SCENARIO SETUP This section explains how to begin and end the game. * Starting the Game While the machine is turned off, insert the game cartridge, then turn on the power. The game begins with an opening animation sequence. After the opening (or during it, if you wish), proceed to the game by pressing the start button). The following messages appear: New Game, Saved Game. Load Which? * Starting a New Game The following section explains pre-game scenario setup. a.) Choosing a Scenario Bring the triangular cursor to New Game, then press the A button. The fol- lowing message will appear: Warlord Rivalry, Nobunaga's Ambition. Which scenario? Choose a scenario. Both sceraios are described in section I, "Setting the Scene". b.) How Many Players How many players? 0 1 2 3 4 Select the number of players you want, up to 4. If you choose 0, you can watch the computer play. PAGE 11 ------- * To interrupt a 0-player game, press Reset button on the main console. c.) Selecting a Daimyo Choose a daimyo to play from the 28 daimyos in Scenario 1 or the 10 daimyos in Scenario 2. When the message "Play which fief's daimyo?" appears, press any button and the screen will switch to the game map. Using the + button, move the arrow to the fief whose daimyo you wish to play, then press the A button. That daimyo's name will appear with the message "Is this all right (Y/N)?" If yes, press the + button to the left. If no, press the + button to the right and you can select a different daimyo. If there are two or more players, each player will choose a daimyo in turn. d.) Setting the Daimyo's Abilities You must set your daimyo's Political, Influence, War Ability, Charisma and Ambition levels. The limits of these abilities differ for each daimyo, as some are simply more talented than others. When you have followed the onscreen prompts and determined each ability level, you will be asked, "Is this all right (Y/N)?" If yes, press the + button to the left. If no, press the + button to the right and you can reset the daimyo's ability levels. e.) Setting Game Level Set game level 1 2 3 4 5 Choose game level (1-5). The higher the number, the harder the game, so be- ginners should choose level 1. You can change the game level once the game has started using Command Option . f.) Watch Other Fiefs' Wars (Y/N)? Choose whether or not to watch other fiefs' HEX wars. If yes, press the + button to the left, if no, press the + button to the right. To begin or stop watching other fiefs' wars once the game has started, use Command Option . g.) Final Check You will be asked, "Is everything all right (Y/N)?" If yes, press the + button to the left. NOBUNAGA'S AMBITION II will begin. if you answer "N" no, the computer will ask, "Change what? Everything, Daimyo, Level, Keep as is." Select the part of scenario setup to which you would like to return by moving the + button up or down; enter your choice by pressing the A button. If you choose "Keep as is," the game will start. * Quitting the Game To stop playing, use Command Option . If you want to continue play later, make sure you save the game data before quitting. You can save only one game at a time. When you save a game, the previous saved game is erased. To quit a 0-player game, press Reset button on main console. *To avoid accidentally erasing your saved game, make sure to press the reset button as you turn off the power. Also, do not under any circumstances insert or remove the game cartridge when the power is on. * Resuming Play Press the start button. When the first screen appears, choose "Saved Game". The saved game will begin from where it last ended. PAGE 13 ------- III. RULING YOUR FIEFS... This section explains seasonal events and game progression. * Main Display - Main Display (picture of the main display) Daimyo, fief, governor (right of the daimyo portrait) Month, year, season, market price (top right corner of screen) Fief data (refer to Fief Data Graphics) (center of screen) List of commands Message display (center right of screen) - Map screen (picture of the map screen) - Fief Data Graphics (coin) Gold (one person) Support (3 circles) Food (3 persons) Population (a corn) Land Value (castle) Castle Defense (water) flood Control (soldier) Soldiers (something) Trade (soldier) Samurai (parachute) Culture (money bag) Debt * Map Screen Press the B button to switch from the MAIN display to the map screen. By mo- ving the + button to the right or left you can scroll the map and see all of Japan. Hit the B button again to return to the MAIN display. You may look at the map screen as often as you like during your turn. * Neighboring Fiefs Usually fiefs are considered to be adjoining when their borders touch, but note the exceptions below. Fiefs separated by the sea are considered to be adjoining if they are linked by a sea route. Neighboring fiefs separated by mountain ranges are not considered to be adjoin- ing, since the mountains prevent travel between the fiefs. - Fiefs linked by sea routes 24 Kii <----+ +----> 35 Sanuki 25 Settsu +---+ 29 Harima <----+ +----> 36 Awa 31 Sanb <---------------> 35 Sanuki 33 Aki <----------------> 37 Iyo * Rules for Commanding Entry - Command Entry and Turns Every month each fief may execute a round of commands (one turn). The order of turns changes randomly each month; the fief that goes first in March may go last in April. If a daimyo controls more than on fief, he issues commands to all his fiefs, unless he has allowed a governor to rule a fief by himself. - How to Enter Commands First, choose one of the main commands from Command through Command . Then choose a more detailed sub-command from the resulting sub- menus. Next, appoint a samurai to be in charge and make any other necessary decisions (for instance, how much gold to spend or how many weapons to buy). The appointed samurai will execute the command as skillfully as he can and use the necessary number of PAGE 15 ------- body points. Any samurai can carry out any command as long as he has sufficient body points, but the samurai's ability levels determine how well he'll perform. For instance, a samurai will low political influence and high war ability will be incompetent at town development or diplomacy, but unbeatable at war. Command such as or Sub-Command can only be ex- ecuted by a daimyo in his home fief. Other commands do not expend body points and do not require choosing a samurai. When you have finished issuing a month's commands, choose . - Body Points? The number of commands you can issue in a turn is not predetermined. Command execution ability is limited only by your samurai's body points. When a samurai performs a command, he expends a certain amount of body points determined by the type of command. A samurai can continue to perform com- mands until his body points are exhausted. Each month, after a samurai rests, he regains an amount of body points equal to about 30% of his political influ- ence. However, if a samurai is overworked one month, he may not recover enough body points by the next month to execute necessary commands. Since some commands consume over 100 body points, a samurai may have to conserve his body points for several months before he can perform them. Consider each samurai's ability to regain his strength before assigning commands. - Don't Overwork Your Samurai When you are attacked by another fief, samurai with fewer than 10 body points cannot go to battle. If your daimyo or PAGE 16 ------- governor cannot go to battle, your fief automatically loses. When the daimyo executes a command that only he can perform, his remaining body points appear onscreen. The other commands display each samurai's body points and the body points necessary to execute the command at samurai selection time. Therefore, to avoid leaving a samurai unable the defend your fief, make sure to note his remaining body points before assigning a command to him. - Advisors' Suggestions Before you finalize a command, your Advisor (if you have one) will offer his opinion of your choice. (Any samurai whose combined Political Influence and War Ability exceeds 150 automatically becomes his fief's Advisor.) An Advisor's suggestions are only as accurate as his ability is high, so don't follow his suggestions blindly. * Regular and Outbreak Events Seasonal Events Yearly Events Monthly Changes ------------------------ ------------------------ ---------------------------- Spring 3---Age increases Population grows. 4---Samurai receive Uprising Body points increase. gold. Daimyo collects gold. 5---Money-lender collects on debts. ------------------------ ------------------------ ---------------------------- Summer 6 Typhoon Civil War 7 8 Market prices change ------------------------ ------------------------ ---------------------------- Fall 9---Samurai PAGE 17 ------- Seasonal Events Yearly Events Monthly Changes ------------------------ ------------------------ ---------------------------- receives rice. Daimyo collects rice. 10---Abundant harvest Famine. 11 ------------------------ ------------------------ ---------------------------- Winter 12 Ronin move or ask 1 to be recruted by the 2 daimyo ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - Data Changes [Age Increases] (March) All samurai become one year older each March. At this time, samurai who have lived out their life span die, and samurai who have come of age join the daimyo's forces. [Population Increases] (March) Every March each fief's population grows by 2%. [Body Points are Replenished] (every month) All samurai regain body points equaling approximately 30% of their political influence. A samurai's body points cannot exceed 200. [Market Prices Change] (every month) The prices of food and arms and the interest rate vary within a set range of values. The price of food appears on the MAIN display, but the price of arms and interest rate appear only when Command is executed. - Collection and Payment of Food and Gold [Daimyo Collects Tax and Tribute] (March and September) In March, you will be asked to set your fief's yearly tax rate (gold). In September, you will be asked to set your fief's yearly tribute rate (food). The population's support (loyalty toward the PAGE 18 ------- daimyo) changes according to their satisfaction with the tax (or tribute) rate. The standard rate for tax and tribute is 40-45% If you control more than one fief, after setting the tax (tribute) rate in one fief, you can decide whether to make the rates in your remaining fiefs the same, or whether to set the rates of each fief individually. [Samurai Receive their Stipends] (March and September) In proportion to the number of soldiers he maintains, a samurai receives gold in the spring and provisions (food) in the fall. The payment equals approxi- mately 20-30% of the number of soldiers. Samurai stipends are automatically deducted from the daimyo's tax and tribute revenue. If the stipend is paid, the loyalty of all the fief's samurai will increase, but if there is not enough gold or food to make the proper payment, the sa- murai will become discontented. [Moneylender Collects on Debts] (March) If the daimyo has borrowed gold, the moneylender automatically takes his share (principal and interest) from the daimyo's spring tax revenue. If the daimyo can't repay the full debt, the fief's gold becomes 0, and the unpaid portion will be collected the following year. - Outbreak Events [Uprising] (independent of season) Peasants' rebellion. The lower the people's support is, the greater chance there is of an uprising. If your fief's peasants revolt, the computer will first ask if you would like to try to quell the disturbance. If no, the uprising will occur and support, land and trade values will plummet. If yes, you PAGE 19 ------- must pay the peasants 50% of your fief's gold and rice. If your attempt at appeasement succeeds, the uprising will be diverted. But if it fails, you will lose 50% of your food and gold and still receive the same damage as if you had not tried to satisfy the people. [Civil War] (independent of season) A samurai with low loyalty or high ambition may start a civil war in order to unseat your daimyo. The traitorous samurai and his followers rush into war against the regular army. If the rebel forces triumph, their leader becomes the new daimyo. During civil war, the rebel army seizes 50% of the fief's gold and food, which the regular army cannot regain even if it defeats the rebels. [Epidemic] (independent of season) Epidemics reduce the stricken fief's population and number of soldiers. Building your flood control level will help guard against epidemics, but there is no absolute way to prevent them. [Typhoon] (June-August) Typhoons cause landslides and floods, ruining a fief's land value, flood con- trol level, and castle defenses. A high flood control level may lessen the damage done by a typhoon. [Bad Luck] (Famine) (September) Due to drought or excessive rain, the food harvest may plummet to less than half its usual size. A high flood control level may minimize the damage done by unfavorable weather conditions. [Abundant Harvest) (September) If the weather stays warm and brings enough rain, your food harvest may be 40% richer than usual. Fiefs with high flood control are more likely to receive this good fortune. PAGE 20 ------- - Other [Ronin Move or Ask to be Recruited] (independent of season) At the beginning of a month, a ronin (lordless samurai) may move into your fief and ask to enter your service. Since the ronin has requested your pat- ronage, he cannot refuse to join you as long as you accept him. On the other hand, if you invite a ronin to join you through the or Sub-commands, he can either accept or decline. (picture of a hat and armor) PAGE 21 ------- IV. SCOPING THE SITUATION... This section explains samurai data, daimyo data and fief data. If you under- stand these characteristics, you can readily know a fief's situation at a glance. * Samurai Data Data Name Contents/Effect Remarks -------------------- ------------------------------ --------------------------- Age Every March each Samurai's Once a samurai has lived age increase by 1. out his life span, he dies Unit Cavalry, infantry or rifles. Unit assignment cannot be changed. Political Influence Talent in leadership and Can improve through diplomacy. training. War Ability Skill and strength in battle. Can imprive through training. Charisma Affects success in tax Cannot change. collection and diplomacy. Ambition A warrior's desire for land Increase as a daimyo and power. conquers fiefs. Loyalty Samurai with lowloyalty are Damiyo can raise by likely to revolt. giving rewards. Soldiers In war, the more soldiers Enlarge your army using the better Command. Soldier's Skill In war, the higher the better. Can increase by training. Arms Level In war, the higher the better. Can increase by buying weapons. PAGE 22 ------- Data Name Contents/Effect Remarks -------------------- ------------------------------ --------------------------- Body Points Consumed as commands are Replenished every month. executed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Daimyo Data Data Name Contents/Effect Remarks -------------------- ------------------------------ --------------------------- Number of fiefs How many fiefs the daimyo controls. Friendship Other fiefs' relationship The higher, the less risk with your fief. of invasion. Marriage Connection through marriage When two fiefs ally through between two fiefs. marriage, their friendship level rises. Alliance Peace treaty with a rival An ally is unlikely to fief. attack you. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Fief Data Data Name Contents/Effect Remarks -------------------- ------------------------------ --------------------------- Fief type Home fief or possession. The daimyo must appoint a governor for all fiefs outside his home fief. -------------------- ------------------------------ --------------------------- Gold Increases through spring tax collection. Food Increases through fall tribute collection. -------------------- ------------------------------ --------------------------- Land Value Affects the amount of rice Raise with collected through fall command. tribute. Flood Control Softens damage done by Raise with command. Trade Affects the amount of gold Raise with collected through spring tax. command. Culture Makes samurai training more Raise by improving Trade. effective. Support The lower the support, the Support rises or falls more likely an uprising. according to the tax or tribute rate. Population Affects the number of Grows 2% every spring. soldiers you can hire. Castle Defense Important in siege warfare. Raide with command. -------------------- ------------------------------ --------------------------- Soldiers Total number of soldiers Can enlarge with the in a fief. command. Samurai Number of samurai in a fief. -------------------- ------------------------------ --------------------------- Debt Amount of gold borrowed from a moneylender. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Samurai Data There are approximately 400 distinct samurai (warriors) in NOBUNAGA'S AMBITION II. Gather information on these men with Command Option . The different traits of these samurai are explained below. - Status All warriors are samurai, but there are four different classes of samurai. a.) Daimyo (Warlord) A samurai who rules one or more fiefs. PAGE 24 ------- His name appears in blue in the list of samurai under the command . b.) Samurai Warriors in the service of a daimyo. In cases of civil war on the daimyo's death, a samurai may become a daimyo. A samurai whose combined political influence and war ability exceed 150 will become an Advisor. As the daimyo issues commands, the Advisor will praise or criticize his decisions. c.) Governor A samurai who rules a fief on behalf of his daimyo. If a daimyo controls more than one fief, he must appoint a governor for each fief except the one he rules presonally. The governor's name appears in blue in the list of sa- murai under the command . d.) Ronin (lordless samurai) These samurai serve no lord and wander from fief to fief. By seeking a daimyo's patronage, or using the command , ronin can become commissioned samurai. Ronins' names appear in purple in the list of samurai under the command . - Age (Max: 99) Each March every samurai ages one year. Each samurai's life span is based on historical fact, but a samurai will not necessarily die at the same time he died in real life. In the game, a samurai who died a natural death will pro- bably die at the time of his historical death, but a samurai who died in war may live longer than his historical life span. In Scenario 1, daimyos Saito Yoshitatsu of Mino and Amago Haruhisa of Izumo are already old and sick. - Unit A samurai will lead a cavalry, infantry, or rifle unit. The unit type is al- ready decided (by history) and connot be PAGE 25 ------- changed. (Cav = Cavalry, Inf = Infantry, Rif = Rifle.) - Political Influence (Max: 100) Ability to manage internal affairs and diplomacy. The number of Body Points a samurai receives each month is equal to 30% of his political influence. Improve a samurai's political influence using Command Option . - War Ability (Max: 100) A samurai's combat strength. War ability is important in HEX wars. When two samurai clash, the one with the higher war ability wins. Improve a samurai's War ability with Command Option . - Charisma (Max: 100) A samurai's power to charm people. Daimyos with high charisma are adept at recruiting samurai and conducting diplomacy. - Ambition (Max: 100) A samurai's desire for territories and power. Daimyo's with great ambition readily attack other fiefs. Samurai followers with high ambition are likely to start civil wars. A daimyo's ambition grows when he gains a fief, and falls when he loses one. - Loyalty (Max: 100) A samurai's devotion to his daimyo. A samurai with low loyalty may desert you for a rival daimyo, start a civil war, or switch sides during battle. - Soldiers (Max: 100) The number of soldiers under a samurai's command. Get more soldiers with Command Option . - Soldier's Skill (Max: 100) The amount of combat training the samurai's soldiers have had. the higher PAGE 26 ------- the value, the stronger the unit will be in battle. Raise skill level with Command Option . Skill level drops when you . When you the skill levels will be averaged. - Arms Level (Max: 100) The amount of weapons and armor maintained by a samurai's unit. The higher the arms level is, the stronger the unit will be in battle. Increase arms by buying weapons from a merchant (Command Option ). Arms level decreases when you hire new soldiers. - Body Points (Max: 200) The amount of energy a samurai has to perform commands with. They are expended as a samurai acts, and regained each month. The amount of body points expended depends on the command, and the amount restored is equal to 30% of the samurai's political influence. * Daimyo Data Damiyo have special assets in addition to the normal samurai traits. View daimyo using the Command Option . - Number of Fiefs (1-38) The number of fiefs a daimyo controls. - Friendship (0-100) The warmth of the relationship between your daimyo and other daimyos. Values above 50 are satisfactory; values below 50 are dangerous, especially if you have no alliances with that daimyo. Use Command Option to see friendship levels. These levels will change as time passes. - Marriage / Alliance Whether or not a daimyo has any alliances or marriage connections with other fiefs. Use Command PAGE 27 ------- Option to see your marriage connections (Y=yes, N=no) and alliances. The numbers in the alliance column stand for the number of months left in your alliance (alliances last one year.) * Fief Data - Fief Type There are three types of fiefs: 1. Home fief.....the fief your damiyo rules personally. 2. Possession....a fief ruled by a one of your daimyo's governors. You can let the governor rule the fief by himself. 3. Empty fief....a fief with no samurai. There are no empty fief at the start of the game, but they appear as samurai die or move to another fief. - Gold (Max: 999) The amount of money the fief has. You receive gold at spring tax time (samurai stipends will be automatically deducted). Gold is used when carry- ing out commands. - Food (Max: 999) The amount of rice saved for war provisions. You receive food at fall tribute time (samurai stipends will be automatically deducted). War requires great quantities of food -- if you run out, you lose the war. - Land Value (Max: 999) The potential yield of rice at harvest time. The higher the land value is, the more food you get at fall tribute time. Raise land value with Command Option . Typhoons and famine decrease land value. - Flood Control Level (Max: 999) Protection against floods and droughts, such as river dikes and irrigation systems. High flood control level minimizes damage done by typhoons and PAGE 28 ------- epidemics, and increases the food you receive at fall tribute time. Flood control level increases when you use Command Option , and decreases if disasters hit. - Trade (Max: 999) Measure of your town's prosperity. A high trade level will increase the amount of taxes you receive in the spring, and will attract merchants to your fief. Raise trade with Command Option . Disasters and wars will lower trade. - Culture (Max: 999) The level of advancement in your fief. Culture relates directly to Trade. Samurai training gets the best results in fiefs with high culture levels. - Support (Max: 100) The devotion of a fief's citizens to their daimyo. As this value decreases, so do taxes, and the chance of an uprising will increase. To raise support, do not tax too unfairly, and do not put all your strength into war. (Your fief's welfare should not be neglected.) - Population (Max: 9999) Inhabitants in your fief. This directly affects the number of soldiers you can hire. The population increases every spring, but if an epidemic strikes, people will die and the population will shrink. - Castle Defense (Max: 999) The strength of your castle's barricades. Having a high castle defense level is important in siege warfare. Increase this value with Command Option . Disasters or wars will decrease castle defense. - Soldiers (Max: 2000) Total number of soldiers in your fief. Hiring soldiers enlarges the army, but wars will of course shrink it. - Samurai (Max: 20) PAGE 29 ------- The number of samurai in the fief. - Debt (Max: 999) The amount of gold (principal plus interest) the daimyo owes the moneylender. For example, if the daimyo borrows 100 gold at an interest rate of .5, his debt becomes 100 + (100 x .5) = 150. Debt is automatically deducted from spring taxes. Debt actually belongs to the daimyo, not the fief. When a daimyo moves to another fief, his debt goes with him. (picture of a bow and arrows) PAGE 30 ------- V. ISSUING ORDERS... This table explains the main display commands. There are 10 main commands, with sub-commands for each. * Table of Commands Command Use Body Pts. ------------------- ----------------------------------------------- ----------- 1. Samurai Move samurai to another of your fiefs. 20 2. Gold or Food Move gold or food to another one of your fiefs. 20 ------------------- ----------------------------------------------- ----------- 1. Clear land Raise land value to increase tribute. 50 2. Flood control Protect from typhoons and droughts. 50 3. Expand town Raise your fief's trade level. 50 4. Fortify castle Raise castle defense level. 50 ------------------- ----------------------------------------------- ----------- 1. Sell food Get gold by selling food. 40 2. Buy food Get food with your gold. 40 3. Buy arms Buy guns, swords, and armor to raise samurai's 40 arms level. 4. Borrow gold Borrow gold from the moneylender 40 5. Settle debt Pay back borrowed gold to moneylender 0 ------------------- ----------------------------------------------- ----------- 1. Other fiefs To see another fief's data. Own 0 (A) Fief Your or another fief's data. Neighbor 20 (B) Samurai Another fief's samurai data. Others 30 PAGE 31 ------- (C) Daimyo Another fief's daimyo data (D) List of All samurai in other fief. Samurai 2. Your samurai List of samurai in your fief 0 3. Your land List of your daimyo's fiefs 0 4. Friends Your relationships with other daimyo. 0 ------------------- ----------------------------------------------- ----------- 1. Recruit ronin Search for samurai to employ. 70 2. Recruit samurai Try to employ another daimyo's samurai. 70 3. Dismiss samurai To expel a samurai from your forces. Daimyo's 20 4. Give rewards Give gold to samurai to increase loyalty. Govnr's 20 5. Train samurai Increase samurai's abilities. 90 (A) Politics Raises political influence. (B) War strategy Raises war ability. 6. Change governors Appoint a new governor (or computer) to rule 0 one of your fiefs. ------------------- ----------------------------------------------- ----------- 1. Marriage Marry another daimyo's princess. 130 2. Alliance Ally with another daimyo for 1 year. 100 3. Threaten Force a daimyo to give you his fief. 130 4. Tribute Give gold to a daimyo to gain friendship. 80 ------------------- ----------------------------------------------- ----------- PAGE 32 ------- Command Use Body Pts. ------------------- ----------------------------------------------- ----------- 1. Spread war Spread lies that an enemy fief will attack 100 rumors another enemy fief. 2. Incite uprising Decrease a daimyo's support by lying about 90 his misdeeds. 3. Send Assassin Defeatl an enemy daimyo. 100 ------------------- ----------------------------------------------- ----------- 1. Hire Soldiers Hire more men for your army. 50 2. Reassign men Redistribute soldiers among your samurai. Govnr's 20 3. Train men Increase soldiers' skill level. 40 4. War Attack an enemy fief. 40 ------------------- ----------------------------------------------- ----------- 1. Quit Save game and/or stop playing. 0 2. Time Adjust message display time. 0 3. Music Turn on or off background music. 0 4. Graphics Turn on or off extra graphics. 0 5. Sound Turn on or off sound effects. 0 6. Hex Watch or stop watching other fiefs' wars. 0 7. Level Reset the game level. 0 ------------------- ----------------------------------------------- ----------- End turn for that month; lets samurai gain 0 body points. When you finish entering commands for a certain month (see "How to Enter Commands"), enter . ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Move Need more samurai to send to war? Running out of gold or food? You can move PAGE 33 ------- samurai, gold or food from one of your fiefs to another, as long as the fiefs border each other. There are two sub-commands. - (1) (Body pts. 20) Your samurai can move to any adjacent fief within your daimyo's territory. He can take gold and food with him. The samurai uses body points when he moves. Each fief can support up to 20 samurai. If a fief already has 20 samurai, your samurai cannot move there. If your governor or daimyo moves to a new fief, you must appoint a new governor for his former fief by using the Command Option . - (2) (Body pts. 20) If one of your fiefs needs supplies, you can transfer gold or food from any neighboring fief within your daimyo's territory. The samurai you appoint to oversee the transfer of goods will use body points during the move. 2. Build Spend gold for construction in your fief. The more you spend, the more cons- truction can be done. The ability of the samurai you choose to oversee the construction also affects the results. The body points of the samurai super- vising the construction are used. There are 4 sub-commands. - (1) (Body pts. 50) Prepare unused land for farming and raise your fief's Land value. As land value rises, the amount of food you receive for fall tribute increases. Clearing land, however, also increases the chance for flooding. - (2) (Body pts. 50) Build dikes on the rivers to protect from PAGE 34 ------- floods. A high Flood control level enriches your fall harvests and helps minimize the damage done by Typhoons or Famine. - (3) Expand Town (Body pts. 50) Invest in the town around your castle. Trade and Culture will increase. The more trading the merchants do, the more gold you can collect in spring taxes. - (4) Fortify Castle (Body pts. 50) Reinforce your castle gates and raise your Castle defense level. Having a strong castle will help you defend yourself if an enemy attacks. 3. Trade Buy and sell with the merchants in your town. Prices change every month, so if you do not wait for a good price, you may be cheated. Merchants like to set up shops in fiefs bordering fief Settsu, or in fief Yamashi which has the capital city of Kyoto. Merchants are also attracted to fiefs with high Trade and Culture levels. Except for sub-command , the body points used are those of the samurai who goes to market to trade. - (1) (Body pts. 40) Need more gold? Sell your extra food to a merchant. Tell him the quantity you wish to sell. Remember to save enough food to give to your samurai at fall stipend time, and to get you through a war. - (2) (Body pts. 40) Running out of food? Buy the food you need from a merchant. Tell him how much you wish to buy. All it takes is gold. - (3) (Body pts. 40) Buy swords, rifles and armor for your army and increase the Arms level of your samurai's soldiers. PAGE 35 ------- - (4) (Body pts. 40) If you need gold, can't sell any food, and can't get gold from another fief, the merchants will gladly make you a loan - for a price, of course. Only a daimyo in his home fief can borrow gold. If your daimyo moves to another fief, his debt will go with him. Your fief's Trade level determines the amount of gold you can borrow. You must pay the interest (the merchant's fee) when you repay your loan. The interest rate changes every month. Every March, the moneylender automatically collects the debt from the spring taxes. If you can't pay your debt, the moneylender will reduce your treasury to 0 gold, and will collect the remain- ing debt from the next year's taxes. - (5) (Body pts. 0) You can repay your debts before spring, but there's no advantage in doing so. 4. VIEW Look at the situation in your fiefs, or spy on enemy fiefs. There are 4 sub- commands. - (1) (Body pts.: Own fief = 0; Neighboring enemy fief = 20; Other enemy fiefs = 30) To learn about an enemy's fief, send ninja spies to that fief. Ninja will cost you 5 gold. The body points of the samurai organizing the mission are used. The amount of body points used depends on whether the fief is neighbor- ing or distant. No gold or body points are necessary to view a fief within your daimyo's territory. If your ninja obtains the information, he will show you the face of the ruling daimyo and the location of the fief you are spying on. Choose from 4 sub- commands. 1. Fief...........to see the fief's data. PAGE 36 ------- 2. Samurai...to see data on individual samurai in that fief. 3. Daimyo......to see data on the fief's ruling daimyo, and your Friendship level with that daimyo. 4. List of Samurai...to see the war ability, number of men, and loyalty of all the samurai in that fief. - (2) (Body pts. 0) Look at the political and war abilities, number of soldiers, and loyalty of the individual samurai in your home fief. It is your fief, so you can view for free. - (3) (Body pts. 0) See how much gold, food, samurai, and soldiers you have in each of your fiefs. View for free. - (4) (Body pts. 0) Observe your friendship, marriage and alliance connections to enemy daimyos. The numbers in the alliance column refer to the number of months left in a one-year alliance. No gold or body points necessary to view friends. The coat of arms by each daimyo's name corresponds to his fief. 5. Samurai Wield control over the samurai in your forces and change governors in your other fiefs. You can use Sub-command to allow the computer to govern one of your fiefs for you. There are 6 sub-commands. - (1) (Body pts. 70) Search your fief for ronin (lordless samurai) to add to your forces. The body points of the samurai you appoint to conduct the search are expended. Ronin like big cities with high trade and culture levels. After losing a war, a samurai may leave his lord and move into a neighboring fief as a ronin. Therefore, if a fief neighboring you has PAGE 37 ------- lost a war, you may be able to find ronin in your fief. You decide whether or not to hire any ronin your samurai finds. The ronin, however, can refuse your offer. If you decline a ronin, he will leave your fief. - (2) (Body pts. 70) If you were unable to hire any ronin, you can try to get a neighboring enemy's samurai to defect to your forces. Send a samurai with gold to the enemy's fief to persuade the samurai. The higher your samurai's political influence, the more persuasive he will be. If your samurai fails, he may be captured by the enemy. Your samurai recruiter's body points are used. Try to recruit samurai who are not very loyal to their lord. Only a daimyo in his home fief can recruit outside samurai. - (3) (Daimyo's body pts. 20) Expel unwanted samurai from your forces. An expelled samurai becomes a ronin (lordless samurai). Only a daimyo in his home fief can dismiss samurai. - (4) (Governor's body pts. 20) Reward your samurai and increase their loyalty by giving them gold. Giving rewards uses the body points of the fief's ruler, either the daimyo or a governor. - (5) (Body pts. 90) Are your samurai inept in politics, or weak in war? Improve their abilities through training. Training costs 30 gold and 90 body points of the samurai being trained. Towns with high culture levels offer the best training facilities. However, some samurai are so clumsy that training can only raise their abilities a maximum total of 5 points. There are two types of training: PAGE 38 ------- 1. Politics........to raise your samurai's political influence. 2. War Strategy....to raise your samurai's war ability. - (6) (Body pts. 0) Appoint a new governor in one of your fiefs or let the computer rule the fief for you. When you appoint a new governor for a fief, choose whether or not to let him rule by himself. Press the B button to enter your choice. To regain control of a fief you allowed a governor (the computer) to rule, use the Command again. Appoint the same governor (or a different one, if you wish), but answer "N" no when asked if you want him to rule by himslef. Only a daimyo in his home fief can appoint new governors. 6. Diplomacy Ally with strong enemy daimyos, or threaten weak ones. Powerful daimyos must be as skilled at diplomacy as they are at war. To practice diplomacy, you must send one of your samurai to another daimyo's fief to negotiate. The samurai should have high abilities, as he could be captured or even killed if he fails. The samurai negotiating uses his body points. Only a daimyo in his home fief can initiate diplomacy. There are four types of diplomacy. - (1) (Body pts. 130) Marry another daimyo's princess to establish a friendly relationship with that daimyo. Marriage costs 50 gold. A daimyo can accept more than one princess into his household. - (2) (Body pts. 100) Form a 12-month alliance with an enemy daimyo. But be warned, an ally might still attack you. You can also attack your allies, but if you are that de- ceptive, other PAGE 39 ------- daimyos will not trust you. - (3) (Body pts. 130) Threaten an enemy daimyo into becoming your follower. If the enemy daimyo submits to you, you become ruler of all his fiefs. You must have a large and powerful army to frighten another daimyo. If he doesn't submit to you, but is intimidated, he may try to appease you by send- ing a princess or paying tribute. - (4) (Body pts. 80) Offer another daimyo gold for his friendship. The more gold you give him, the friendlier he'll be. 7. Spy Daimyos must be ruthless off the battlefield as well as on it if they are to further their conquest. Use the Command to weaken your enemies from the inside by sending ninja to set traps in their fiefs. This command uses the body points of the samurai supervising the mission. There are 3 plans of sabotage. - (1) (Body pts. 100) Trick your enemies into going to war. Send a ninja to spread the rumor in fief A that "Fief B is going to attack," and trick daimyo A into attacking fief B. After fief A and fief B exhaust their resources in war, you can attack them. The ninja's fee is 10 gold. First pick which fief to spread rumors in, then pick which fief you want to say is planning to attack. Even if they don't go to war, the two fiefs' diplomatic ties will weaken. - (2) (Body pts. 90) Spread bad rumors about a rival daimyo in his fief in order to reduce his popularity. If you lower the daimyo's PAGE 40 ------- popular support sufficiently, you may cause an uprising, which would leave the fief vulnerable to your attack. You must pay your ninja 10 gold. (3) Send Assassin (Body pts. 100) Send a trained assassin to destroy an enemy daimyo. An assassin will demand 20 gold for his services. Assassins only rarely succeed. If the daimyo discovers your plot, he will become your sworn enemy. 8. War Strengthen your army, then declare war on your enemies. There are 4 sub- commands: - (1) (Body pts. 50) Recruit men for your army. The number of soldiers you can hire depends on your fief's production, gold, people's support, and daimyo's charisma. Each unit equals 100 men. The body points of the samurai appointed to hire the new soldiers are uesd. Assign new soldiers to any of your samurai. Each samurai can have up to 100 units of men. Besides the ordinary method of entering a command, you will be asked to whom you want to assign the new soldiers. Use the triangle cursor to point to the samurai to whom you wish to give men, then push the A button. (If you push the + button left at this point, instead of the A button, that samurai will be assigned all remaining soldiers.) After you pick the samurai, enter the amount of men you wish to give him with the + button. You will be shown how many soldiers you have left. The command ends when you have assigned all the new soldiers. - (2) (Governor's body pts. 20) You can redistribute your army's soldiers PAGE 41 ------- among your samurai. First choose which samurai's army you want to enlarge or reduve from the list of samurai onscreen, then assign the desired number of men to that samurai. Do this one at a time. However, since you cannot change your total number of soldiers, you must decrease one samurai's army, then redistribute these soldiers to your other samurai. Press button B when finished. At this point, you can cancel your reassignments, or approve them. Keep in mind that when you reassign men, the skill and arms levels of the previous and newly-formed armies will be averaged to create new values. Re- assigning men uses the bosy points of the fief's ruler (daimyo or governor). Each samurai can have up to 100 units (each unit equals 100 men). - (3) (Body pts. 40) Order your samurai to train their men. Their soldiers' skill level will in- crease. More than one samurai can train his troops at the same time. The body points of the samurai conducting the training are used. The higher the samurai's war ability, the faster the skill of his men rises. - (4) (Body points 40) Invade an enemy fief. Send up to 10 of your samurai and their troops to battle. Choose the commander-in-chief. If your daimyo goes to battle, he will automatically become the commander. A samurai cannot go to battle without men. Your army will need gold and food to last through the war. Attacking another fief ends your turn for that month. For more on HEX war, see section VI. "WAR!" 9. Other Reset the format functions or quit PAGE 42 ------- playing with this command. Neither body points nor gold are necessary. There are 7 sub-commands: - (1) Save your game to play later, or just end the game. See section II "Scenario Setup" for further explanation how to save and end a game. - (2)