Let the battle begin! Feudal Japan is under attack from invading Mongol hordes in the official expansion pack for Shogun: Total War. In the new add-on pack you get the chance to defend Japan against the might of Kublai Khan or play as the marauding Mongol Hordes. The new enemy threatens to destroy the country and offers a completely new style of gameplay with the focus on pillaging the Japanese landscape (rather than building). The Mongol Invasion pack will also offer an array of new and improved features to reintroduce players to the original Shogun title that delivered a revolutionary style of gameplay through its epic size battles, giving players command of thousands of warriors, each with their own unique Artificial Intelligence (AI) and fighting to unify Japan under their own powerful warlord. Players take on the role of a 16th Century Japanese general the Daimyo (clan leader) leading and controlling massive real-life clans, each with their own individual characteristics. Shogun: Total War stays true to the inspirational writings of the mysterious warrior-philosopher Sun Tzu, author of the seminal book on strategy, The Art of War. Unlike any game to date, the game utilizes more than 250 rules taken from Sun Tzu’s work to ensure accurate and unpredictable AI character behaviour and reaction. The Mongol Invasion Expansion Pack builds upon the excitement of battle found in Shogun: Total War with the inclusion of Kublai Khan’s invading Mongol hordes that try and conquer Japan in the greatest external threat the Samurai ever faced. In addition, new historical missions have been added where players can take on the role of one of Japan’s greatest Daimyos (Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu) to fight their infamous battles in the Campaigns of the Three Unifiers. Adding to the game experience are new features such as six battlefield units including the Kensai (sword saints), Battlefield Ninja, Korean Auxiliary Infantry and the Mongol Cavalry. Players can also improve their holdings with new region upgrades as well as their armies with new buildings, such as the Drill Dojo and Strategy School where AI Generals learn the teachings of Sun Tzu. There are also new strategy map scenarios that take players straight into the fiercest conflicts of the Sengoku Jidai for quick tactical battles. For the Shogun Total War fan there is also the long awaited multiplayer strategy map and new editors that allow you to create your own battlefield for upload to TotalWar.com. New coastal terrains, sharper unit sprites, new scrub and rocky outcrop features and improved multiplayer all add to the critically acclaimed and award winning Shogun Total War. Fans of the original Shogun will appreciate the upgrades and improvements such as: graphics capable of taking full advantage of 3D cards which result in polished unit graphics, textures and special effects; advanced AI for more challenging enemies; and a more intuitive interface with streamlined camera views and improved battlefields controls. The game is currently under development for a Spring 2001 release. More information will be unveiled soon at www.totalwar.com Looks like some more late nights ahead Kenn! [Oh! No!] A great Samurai web site is the Samurai Archive at: www.techjapanese.com/~samurai There is lots of stuff on battles, campaigns, personalities, banners, map... I'm sure you could spend a few happy hours here. I believe Stephen Turnbull has a new Osprey book out (or will be out shortly) after the Nagashino one on the Ashigaru. Have you seen it yet? [No.] Speaking of Osprey, their web site now has articles and the latest is a piece by S.T. on samurai and medieval knights. [Editor: It should be pointed out to the majority of the membership that Ian and I share an interest in Samurai Warfare. However, it seems that ever since we took it up, we have been knee neck deep in various courses and exams! We have had some great correspondence over the years and always attempt to get to each other’s abode when in the local area and I should point out that Ian lives in Bonny Scotland. If you are interested in a particular period and would like to contact other Solo Wargamers Association members to exchange ideas etc., just let me know and I will post it in the next edition of Lone Warrior. It works for Ian and I. Kenn] SUKEKAMARI NI JUTSU (Techniques of lying down and being abandoned). The ninja specially developed by the Shimazu clan of Satsuma was of highly trained sharpshooters, who would be left behind when the army retreated to bring down an enemy leader as their opponents advanced. This technique was known as sukekamari ni jutsu. From: Ninja by Stephen Turnbull. From WWW.TOTALWAR.COM Back to Table of Contents -- Lone Warrior #134 Back to Lone Warrior List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 2001 by Solo Wargamers Association. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com