Sengoku - Frequently Asked Questions :
Author : Michael Fetterman - Firaxis Games
Last Updated : January 15th, 2003
Special Thanks : Barry Caudill, Dan Magaha - Firaxis Games (for support & basic-map image)
Special Thanks : Greg Foertsch & Steve Chao - Firaxis Games (for making some very cool units)
Special Thanks : Brian Wade, Kring, Frank, Isak, Kimmitt, Kal-El, Joe Barrett, callmeishmael, and Rob Cheng - Beta-Team (for beta-testing & feedback)
Description : The Sengoku period in Japan spans the Onin war in 1467, the emergance of Oda Nobunaga into Kyoto in 1568, and the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate in 1603. It was in this period that battles, large and small, raged throughout Japan as warlords fought for the title of Shogun. War tactics changed drastically following the introduction of gunpowder and firearms by the Portuguese in 1543. Will you be able to battle and scheme your way into to the position of Shogun?
Q : Tech / Race / Unit / Improvement / Wonder / [Fill in the blank] is not historically accurate! I demand satisfaction!
A : Make your own scenario, or better yet, modify this one to suit your own needs and desires. Just make certain you give credit where credit is due if you redistribute any modified form of this mod.
Q : Why are most (if not all) strategic resources placed on mountains?
A : So that no one person may dominate them by squatting a city on the resource in question. This applies to strategic resources such as: Jade, Iron, and Saltpeter.
Q : I can't find Okinawa on the map. Where is it?
A : Okinawa is located south of Kyushu. It is not shown and does not figure into the game for the same reason that Hokkaido, which is located to the north isn't populated by a Japanese entity; Okinawa and Hokkaido were independent kingdoms until the 1800s. There were some Japanese influence, to be sure, but both China and Japan claimed overlordship and Okinawa and this was not resolved until after the Meiji restoration when the king acceded lordship to the Emperor of Japan. The Japanese sent embassies to Okinawa from time to time, like any other foreign power in their sphere of interest (e.g., Korea and China).
Q : It appears that Hokkaido is unpopulated or missing player starting locations on the scenario map. Why is this?
A : Hokkaido is located north of Japan. While it is shown, it does not figure into the game for the same reason that Okinawa is excluded; Okinawa and Hokkaido were independent kingdoms until the 1800s. There were some Japanese influence, to be sure, but both China and Japan claimed lordship and this was not resolved until after the Meiji restoration when the king acceded lordship to the Emperor of Japan. The Japanese sent embassies to Okinawa from time to time, like any other foreign power in their sphere of interest (e.g., Korea and China). For the purposes of this particular scenario, you can think of Hokkaido as an area ripe for exploration and exploitation. Keep in mind however, that by the time most people are able to reach Hokkaido, the barbarians that occupy the island may be somewhat rampant and will need to be twarted.
Q : I KNOW for a fact that Korea happens to be very close to Japan, why was it not included in the map or rules?
A : In my opinion Korea deserves its very own scenario (especially the Three Kingdoms period). While I could have included Korea and its kingdoms in this scenario, it would have blown the scope of the scenario wide open, and would have taken *at least* 2 to 3 times as long to create and attempt to balance. (Note that the original map for this scenario did in fact contain the southernmost regions of modern-day Korea.)
Q : Ninja and Ronin don't seem all that useful. What's going on?
A : The AI may not be able to cope with the modifiers that I have placed on these particular units. Hidden nationality, invisibility, amphibious, stealthed units will no doubt cause some problems. I have not yet tested these in multiplayer, and rather than foist "broken" units on people who want to play the scenario I have decided to make the Ronin and Ninja units optional. You do not need to build them to play the entire scenario. If hidden nationality, etc. etc. are indeed working in multiplayer, I suspect that the Ninja and Ronin units will prove to be EXTREMELY useful.
Q : Why do the AI players seem so aggressive?
A : Most of the AI Clans (races) are set to either the max or near-max aggression settings. Please keep in mind that the Sengoku Daimyo was not known as a period of peace in Japan's history. If the aggression level of the AI players seems a bit over the top for you, feel free to open up the editor and set them manually. You can find the aggression levels on the "Civilizations" page listed under each available race.
Q : I don't understand this scenario. What am I supposed to do?
A : The object of this scenario is simple. Unite Japan under your rule through brute force, diplomatic finesse, or both.
Q : Some of the techs / advances (Contact with the Portuguese, for example) seem to have a steep cost. Why?
A : I have created a scenario map which contains an ample amount of resources. In fact, no city should be starving, lacking in general development, or want for bonus resources. You may have to fight to get the good ones (ie - strategic resources such as saltpeter for firearms), but ultimately, they are worth it.
Q : Ouch! Those Ainu-Ronin (barbarian) units are strong! Why are there so many of them?
A : This is intentional... Ronin effectively act to prevent players from rushing each other. Since a large amount of the map consists of narrow areas of land, it would be easy to start pounding on your neighbors fairly early in the game. To prevent this, I have placed barbarian camps on EVERY strategic resource resulting in a LOT of barbarians. I recommend that you protect your cities at all times, or risk being raided by bandits. Also, to gain a strategic resource, it may be necessary to first eliminate the barbarian camps that guard them.
Q : Hey! I looked at the city-screen after playing this scenario for a little while, and it looks wierd!
A : The city-screen is stubborn, and perhaps even a bit insolent. Modifying the city screen for custom scenarios is painful, and creating custom art for the city screen is even more painful. I recommend that you just don't look at it... your time is better spent worrying about your neighbors, who more than likely want to eliminate you. If you happen to be an art virtuoso and would like to supply me with the city art needed to complete the city-screen, find a way to get in contact me (you're a resourceful person!) and I will be more than happy to implement your works of art. I'll even give you credit!
Q : Will you ever update this scenario?
A : Perhaps, if I have time. Feel free to modify, gut, import etc. this scenario and make your own based on my art or work. Please give credit where credit is due if you do distribute a modified version of this scenario.