Interview with Tom Cruise's Ninja Baby and siege dominance in Shogun 1v1 league

]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: I am here with Tom Cruise's Ninja Baby rank 6 on the 1v1 Land Battle Ladder holding a 53 win/ 9 loss record. How are you doing TCNB (No way I can spell that out every time)
Tom Cruise's Ninja Baby: Well, thank you, and don't worry, I did choose a pretty long name. :D
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: TCNB are you an active member of the Total War Community?
Tom Cruise's Ninja Baby: I am trying to be, though I have only been active since Shogun 2 came out. Previously, I wasn't impressed with the other Total War mulitplayer experiences.
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: What about Shogun has changed and made it interesting to you?
Tom Cruise's Ninja Baby: The multiplayer experience or the indivdual campaign mode against the computer?
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: the multiplayer aspect
Tom Cruise's Ninja Baby: I would have to say the rank structure is very improved, as well as the limits to battle funds to help new players find their ground without being overwhelmed with large battles. There are many other awesome aspects, such as the ability to effectively couteract cavalry without having to use cavalry units. The siege weaponry is another sweet feature I use to the full extent.
Tom Cruise's Ninja Baby: There are many more too, lol, how long did you want your blog to be?
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: Many people see the use of siege weapons to be dishonorable. What would you say to them?
Tom Cruise's Ninja Baby: I'd say it is something that is available to all players, though I do see how someone could have that opinion. The siege feature is not an end all, be all. I have fought against other players who use siege weaponry and the strategy aspect changes dramatically from the usual line up and duke it out strategy.
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: Can you explain your use of siege weaponry in 1v1 battles?
Tom Cruise's Ninja Baby: Sure. Due to the buildings with their bonus features when someone 'captures' them, the siege unit is an effective tool to strip them of that bonus. On the flip side, it is also beneficial to me in the sense that some people do not desire to come within range of my siege weapons. If this is the case, I can obtain the buildings with all their bonuses without losing a single soldier.
Tom Cruise's Ninja Baby: Also, the siege units ability to destroy a general long before he has a chance to influence the battle is another key apect as to why I use it.
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: Have you encountered any affective counters to your strategy?
Tom Cruise's Ninja Baby: Yes, those who use the landscape to avoid my siege units ammo are able to reduce the effectiveness of my strategy Understand, please, that when using a siege weapon, the utilizer loses other units with the money they have spent taking it into battle. If there are no buildings to give bonuses present, someone who waits outside the range of my siege unit also force me to abandon its benefits. Some have successfully rushed my siege unit in the heat of a battle and taken it out that way.
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: You currently hold a 85.5% win ratio. This is a controversial number when compared to the many people out there experiencing plug pullers (Disconnecting their internet connection to avoid a loss). What do you have to say to that and what do you think of those people that do plug pull.
Tom Cruise's Ninja Baby: I think it defeats the purpose of the game, and is a detriment to those who play well and win the battle. I would suggest to Creative Assembly that they post another column listing the amount of DC's a person has during battles. Also, after 3 minutes of battle time, if a player disconnects for whatever reason, it should not end the battle, only leave their army leaderless, allowing the opposing player to claim what is, usually, rightfully theirs, a win.
Tom Cruise's Ninja Baby: I have not disconnected on anyone except a clan mate when we were testing out different battle strategies. This was consensual and only done because the Classic Battle feature does not allow full use of armies or veteran units.
Tom Cruise's Ninja Baby: Therefore, we decided to dc so as not to affect our score since we were not playing competitively.
Tom Cruise's Ninja Baby: Apart from that, I have had 6 or so people dc on me in the midst of a victory. All were in the last throes of defeat when they 'pulled the plug' or used 'alt+f4'.
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: Clearly you feel strongly for a change by CA
Tom Cruise's Ninja Baby: I do, tho it bothers me about others dc'ing, it doesn't ruin my day. It kind of makes me laugh at their lack of respect for their opponent.
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: Alright to the lighter side of shogun 2
Tom Cruise's Ninja Baby: Please, lol.
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: So what is your favorite unit
Tom Cruise's Ninja Baby: Fire Mangonels, followed by Great Guard.
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: I don't think i've ever used a Fire Mangonel personally haha
Tom Cruise's Ninja Baby: Haha, you should, they are really fun to use, especially when you see 20 soldiers from an enemy unit go flying in 10 directions.
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: haha
Tom Cruise's Ninja Baby: I guess I have a destructive nature. ^^
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: haha.
Tom Cruise's Ninja Baby: Thanks again for asking me to do an interview, pretty flattering.
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: I saw a prodigy in the making. Anyway thanks for your time
Tom Cruise's Ninja Baby: Np man, and *blush*, I hope so.. =p Take it ez bro, try out the fire mangonels!

Interview with 1v1 Shogun Contender [M_BH] Idi Amin Dada (Rapist)

]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: I am here with [M_BH] Idi Amin Dada (Rapist), currently rank 2 in the 1v1 ladder at 82 wins 25 losses. How are you doing Idi
[M_BH] Idi Amin Dada (Rapist): I am doing very well
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: So first off. I want to clarify that you aren't a Rapist in the traditional sense. Is that the case?
[M_BH] Idi Amin Dada (Rapist): I rape in total war only sir
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: haha very good
[M_BH] Idi Amin Dada (Rapist): :)
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: So how active a member are you in the total war community?
[M_BH] Idi Amin Dada (Rapist): I am very active. I have been around ever since m2tw but went into the clan scene at the start of empire total war with the Seattle Steel clan. Now my clan has changed its name from SS to M_BH (Mugabes BrotherHood) and have been forever making war in shogun 2.
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: Tell me about Muhabes Brotherhood and the clan aspect of Total War in the top tiers.
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: sorry Mugabes
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: ***
[M_BH] Idi Amin Dada (Rapist): Well Mugabes Brotherhood like I said used to be called Seattle Steel (SS) and we have been around ever since empire. The clan itself participates in CWB and CWC tournaments and plays clan matches all over the game. The clan aspect of Shogun 2 has changed a lot from when I first entered the scene. Before Shogun it was all about small groups of players who were extremely good at the game. Now with the map of Japan and avatar conquest it is about how many players do you have in your clan that can take over territories. Sort of like making a giant army and trying to take over the world sort of thing. In essence it has changed from Quality to Quantity as far as clan machanics go. It is very interesting however and is a stretch for old Total war clans like us. Very fierce and very... personal... ;)
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: Which clans, would you say, give you the most "personal" rivalries
[M_BH] Idi Amin Dada (Rapist): Well in Empire and Napoleon total war it was two clans known as GODS and HUNTSMAN. Now with Shogun however those clans are not doing as well as before. What we see now is a shift where all of the rtw clans and m2tw clans are coming back. 7Samurai I would say has given us the must rivalry, followed by Grail Knights.
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: Is this because of the quality of their "generals" or quantity like you previously mentioned?
[M_BH] Idi Amin Dada (Rapist): With 7sam it is the quantity. With the GrailK it is their genereals
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: Those are some fighting words towards 7sam. They may rally pretty hard after reading this. Think you are ready for anything to finish off this season?
[M_BH] Idi Amin Dada (Rapist): haha let them come! Do you mean in terms of the conquest map?
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: Yes
[M_BH] Idi Amin Dada (Rapist): I am sorry the question confuses me ;P
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: Haha, When the season is over. Will your clan oiwn most of Japan. I think only 13 days remain.
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: own*
[M_BH] Idi Amin Dada (Rapist): ahh. Only time can tell us that my friend. We have our strategy and we have our plans but we will have to wait. I could confidently say yes we will own most of japan and come in first for this seasons but we will see what our enemies do as well.
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: In anycase I wish you luck. As for the lighter side of Shogun 2. What is your favorite unit in the game?
[M_BH] Idi Amin Dada (Rapist): haha thank you. My favorite unit is my first veteran unit which was a yari samurai. I call it LUVMOS BASTARDS. Very dangerous.
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: haha, how did you upgrade him?
[M_BH] Idi Amin Dada (Rapist): well I put the basic upgrades in such as full melee attack and defence, full moral, then with the clan tokens I added better moral and full elite defence. that is it so far.
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: sounds dangerous to me
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: and expensive!
[M_BH] Idi Amin Dada (Rapist): haha aye! the cost should be more for how tough they are!
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: haha. Alright Idi thanks for your time. I hope to do it again in the future.
[M_BH] Idi Amin Dada (Rapist): thank you very much it was a pleasure

Mass Cavalry a viable strategy?

Personally I think Cavalry are awful units in Total War. They require more micro manangement, hey are weak vs all units except archers, and they have some of the worst moral in the game. With that said. I find them absolutely essential for flanking and creating distractions.

What do I think about 8 Cavalry units in a medium battle? I think you need to be the most renowned expert in the game to pull it off or have super human perception.

This was my first battle in about a week and I had the first game jitters. Because having 8 Cavalry is a bad idea, I found some comfort in being able to control my army better than my opponent.

There is a pretty good Cavalry discussion at Total War Center right now. So what is your two cents?

Out Gunned. Facing a more experienced opponent. Know your enemy! Know your Shogun.

When I originally fought this battle I didn't know what the stats of half of this guys units were. I never faced rockets before. I don't even own Matchlock Ashigaru in the Avatar campaign yet. If I did know I probably could have won this match. Instead I sat back and focused on killing his Warrior Monks. This was not a battle of killing power but Moral. My opponent had few units but with spectacular Moral. I had many units with limited Moral but with numbers comes confidence. The Key. Other than my mistake of throwing my general into the "flank" of my enemies warrior monks, I could have removed the one unit that lowered my moral until my 600 units fled the battlefield.

Rockets have a Melee Attack defense of 2, Melee Defence 2 and Moral of 2. Rockets in their own right scare the living hell out of all enemy units.

As a 16th century Japanese Samurai I would probably run from rockets too. If only I attacked those rockets before my army wet their pants.

Capitalize on their Shogun! General fail 101.

The General is the most important unit on the battle field. Without your general your army will give up before they have a chance to fight. In the replay my opponent tries to harass my my Cav. I fall for the bait and jump on my chance to destroy the leader of his army. I do not succeed but I set myself up in advantageous position while the enemy is frantically try to run his general away, mismanaging his entire army. I am able to keep his general far away from the enemy units that need his leadership.

Tight formations and maneuverability.

The importance of unit formation, before the battle begins, has much to do with the outcome. Total War games place a huge emphasis on unit management. I found myself admiring the beauty and mechanics of the game instead of trying to win. Thankfully Shogun adds some simplicity to the total war franchise by distinguishing between classes of warriors (Ashigaru Samurai, Monk etc) and the types of weapons they yield (Yari, Sword, Archer).

The custom formations Total War provides are not the end all be all to unit formation but should absolutely be utilized by beginners. If you are going to Emulate how I play I can give you a simple rundown of my strategy

1. Always use a clustered formation
2. Archers up front.
3. Calvary far off your enemies flank
4. Sword units ready to charge soon as they are in range of bows.
5. Yari units always near your General.

I play very aggressive with my melee infantry. I do not wait for a prime opportunity, I make one. I want my enemy on their feet as soon as the game starts. I push the attack.

I like tight clustered formations in the beginning because from a management standpoint I can see all my units on the screen, without having to scroll halfway across the map to deal with other units. This adds simplicity when reacting and fanning out before your charge. This of course does not apply to the Cav. Which you will use to flank any exposed unit.