History of S1 - Nobunaga is Here(No. 10) - NOBUNAGA's AMBITION: Awakening EN Wiki

Faction Map†

Jan 1546

Scenario Overview†

This scenario is set in the year of Nobunaga's coming of age.
As it is the second-earliest start date, most daimyo are still in the process of growing and have comparable strengths, notably the Miyoshi, Hōjō, Otomo, and Nagao.
Famous rulers like Oda Nobunaga, Uesugi Kenshin, Chōsokabe Motochika, Shimazu Yoshihisa, and Date Masamune are not yet in power; most heads of household are from their fathers' generation.
After a few years have passed, famous characters (Kinoshita Hideyoshi and Hidenaga, Shimotsuna Rairen, Shima Sakon, Sakakibara Yasumasa) will come of age, so it may be a good idea to enlist them by Distant Employment.

With the introduction of the PKTB - Muskets Arrive scenario, there are no longer any daimyo that are exclusive to this scenario. For those who do not own the PKTB DLC, though, this scenario remains the only way to play as:

(Tanemune) Date
Echigo Uesugi
Yamauchi Uesugi
Ogigayatsu Uesugi
Koga Ashikaga
Chiba
Mariyatsu
Shiina
Ogasawara
(Norimaya) Hosokawa
Hosokawa

The only "solo daimyo" (starting with only 1 officer) is the Akizuki clan.

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Strategy by Faction†

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Tōhoku region†

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Date clan†

Before the event consolidating with the Tanemune Date fires in 1548, don't act indiscriminately, but instead focus on domestic affairs - then crush the neighboring factions after the consolidation. There will be a severe shortage of officers in Tōhoku until the next generation; it may be advantageous to pick off officers from the Satake as they are being destroyed by the Hōjō, but it's not worth overextending to achieve this. Improving the Risshaku-ji landmark (which improves officer promotion) can also ease the shortage. Once your influence grows a decent amount, it may be tempting to head south and do battle with the Hōjō, but bear it for just a bit more and focus on the unification of Tōhoku first.

In the mid-game, the Nagao may be about to be crushed by the Takeda and Hōjō; managing to pick off all their officers will greatly simplify things in the future. Once Tōhoku is consolidated and the Nagao are absorbed, begin full preparations for war with the Hōjō, and the assimilation of the Takeda afterward. Activating the Nanbu's "Majesty of the Full Moon" and Namioka's "Guardian General's Flag" will allow you to expand quickly and effectively.

After defeating the Takeda, attack the Oda as soon as you've recovered - if they are allowed to conquer the Mōri, Chōsokabe, and Shimazu, they will be exceedingly difficult to deal with.

In the latter half of the game, Date Masamune will appear, which will make battles easier.

Another author's strategy (Hard difficulty, Wide battle range):

Aside from your father (Tanemune), most of the surrounding daimyo only have 1 castle, meaning it's recommended to attack aggressively at the start of the game. Making good use of Sagetsusai's confusion skill in small-scale battles with equivalent forces will make it easy to expand without too much trouble. Since your base at Yonezawa will put out comparatively many more troops than the surrounding castles, let's assume they will march as a group, and assign Sagetsusai as your conservator.

As you send out your troops, Tanemune's side will attack your allied forces, but do not send out defensive reinforcements. For the sake of easier expansion later on, it's better to let them steadily attack you. Depending on Tanemune's movement, if everything goes well, by the time the civil war ends you'll have scaled to a point where you can fight the Takeda and Hōjō head-on.

After the end of the civil war, even though this completely ignores the event, I recommend retiring and making Tanemune the head of the clan; thanks to his mid-level court position, your prestige will suddenly increase to nearly 400 (unfortunately, the Oshu Tandai position is lost in doing so). While Tanemune is slightly inferior to Harumune, his traits make diplomacy easier. Harumune's unique trait is somewhat difficult to utilize as a daimyo; not having to constrict your play to maximize it is a benefit. You will no longer be restricted by a shortage of funds and can assign policies freely. While we're at it, using this "retirement loop," you can mass-produce Senior Retainers.

At the same time as the end of the civil war, your initial alliance should expire, so think about what power you'd like to ally ahead of time. I recommend extending the alliance with the Nagao, as they are useful should you fight the Ashina and Hōjō. If all goes well with your expansion, the Ashina shouldn't put up much of a fight; the Hōjō, at first glance, seem to have overwhelmingly superior numbers, but if you go to battle you almost certainly won't lose (since they have so many castles, it's likely they'll send representatives/chamberlains into battle due to a lack of castle lords). Focus on fighting centralized, major battles, and you should defeat the Hōjō without too much difficulty.

In this situation, the unification of Tōhoku may be delayed a bit, but at this point it should be possible to wrap it up with automatic deployment of the remainder of your forces.

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Kantō region†

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Yamauchi Uesugi clan†

The Yamauchi Uesugi, Kantō Kanrei title-holders, hold 6 castles in the Kantō region; their all-star subordinates include Nagano Narimasa, the brave Kamiizumi Nobutsuna, and the clever Sanada Yukitaka. Their downfall event does not fire if controlled by a player.

However, with the Hōjō, the Takeda to the west, and the Nagao to the north as powerful forces in the neighborhood, you'll have to act quickly lest things get difficult in the Battle of Kawagoe event.

Example strategy (Very Hard difficulty, Long lifespan, no new officers, no in-game edit):

Your first move should be to wage war against the Hōjō clan. If you're lucky, they should send out 12 units; consolidate your presence north of Edo Castle by way of Iwatsuki. A victory here should flip Edo, Kawagoe, Kozukue, and Tamanawa castles; this should thoroughly cripple the Hōjō. Also, as the Chiba, Oda, Utsunomiya, and Nasu clans should respond to vassal requests, it'd be good to vassalize them; as for the Mariyatsu, since the Satomi will destroy them, vassalizing them is up to personal preference.

However, there's now a problem; while it's tempting to deal the finishing blow to the Hōjō, food supply has quickly become an issue. Being adjacent to the Takeda, reducing your military strength means increasing the risk of being attacked; it's difficult to avoid it via alliance, as they view you as enemies and already have 3 alliances.

From here, before doing battle with the Hōjō again, break your alliances with the Ogigayatsu Uesugi and Koga Ashikaga. Now that you have fewer alliance partners, begin goodwill diplomacy with the Imagawa so that you can form an alliance at the right time. (Again, the Takeda will be too difficult to ally, as they still view you as enemies.)

During the truce, your can move through the territory; though you can't appoint daimyo, you'll be able to guarantee having a good number of officers with both families plus the Sano. As long as you can put out a good quantity of soldiers by the time the truce ends, other clans shouldn't attack you.

If you want to get greedy, you might be able to siege down the Koga Ashikaga, but whether this is feasible is more or less a matter of luck.

After this, and any necessary reorganization, confirm that the Takeda have marched on either the Ogasawara or Murakami, then set out for Odawara Castle. Odawara is highly durable, so it'll be helpful to send out a few officers with Confuse tactics, such as Narushige Yokose (who's hiding in Nitta Kanayama Castle). If the Satomi managed to take Misaki Castle by now, this is the end of the campaign; if not, you can surround them and force a surrender.

From this point, you can basically play as the successor to the Hōjō; challenge the cavalry corps of the Takeda, or show the might of the Kantō Kanrei to the Nagao of Echigo.

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Koga Ashikaga clan†

The Kamakura kubō who was fated to fall in the Kawagoe Night Raid. Since we have the opportunity, let's start the Kawagoe Night Raid early.

At the start of the game, start goodwill diplomacy with both Uesugi clans, and send out 8 units from Koga Palace and Yuki Castle (don't forget to bring officers with Confuse!). The target is, of course, Kawagoe Castle.

Engage 4 or more Hōjō units in a side battle to fire off a weak Authority, then siege and take Kawagoe Castle. The Hōjō relief forces, which didn't arrive in time, will attempt to retake Kawagoe, so call on the Yamauchi and Ogigayatsu Uesugi clans for "Defend" reinformcements, and see if you can score another weak Authority as well. In that battle, make sure you send the Uesugi clans' troops forward, so as to preserve your own.

Depending on how successful the weak Authority is, it might be a good idea to head south and take Edo and Kozukue castles now as well.

Even without a good Authority bomb, with reinforcements from the two Uesugi clans (provided you've done enough goodwill diplomacy) it should be possible to take Tamanawa, Edo, and Kozukue, leaving the Hōjō with 4 castles - still a threat, albeit now a diminished one.

Misaki Castle will soon be taken by the Satomi, so use it as a buffer while you recover your forces. In the time that follows, purchase some treasures, then see if you can lure out Odawara Castle's troops and pick them off with a siege army, ideally 8x the defenders' size, to force a surrender and absorb it. Ujiyasu will be holed up in Odawara so you don't have to worry about him. Gen'an's "Tsukui" is unfortunately unavoidable. If you take the castle poorly, the remnants of the Hōjō will be left bordering the Takeda.

There's no time to worry about the Satomi, Oda, or Satake until the Hōjō are utterly destroyed. If the Hōjō show any weakness, they'll bring in Takeda reinforcements to attack you.

Even after the Hōjō's destruction, don't let your guard down; the Takeda, Imagawa, Satomi, and even the Date-Ashina alliance from Tōhoku will come to attack Kantō.

Send a treasure to either the Takeda or Imagawa and begin goodwill diplomacy to form an alliance.
Regarding the Date-Ashina alliance, use the Nasu as a shield; vassalize the Utsunomiya and Satake and ask them to defend Nasu Castle.
Even if you vassalize the Sōma and ask the Satake to defend it, it will usually fall, so give up on it.
Wait and see what the situation amongst the western powers is like, then decide whether to destroy the Satomi in a decisive battle, or to first break alliance with and assimilate the Ogigayatsu Uesugi before doing so.
The Satomi will have broken through Chiba and Mariyatsu and will be bordering you; before fighting the Imagawa, Takeda, or even Yamauchi Uesugi, it's ideal to contain the Satomi to Ruri and Tateyama castles first. Attack as soon as they show weakness.

From here, you're free to do as you wish: play out the new Kamakura shogunate with Ujiyasu and Tsunashige as the main characters. Total unification isn't required - you can get the "three positions" ending as well.

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Hōjō clan†

With historical events, the game begins with the battle at Kawagoe, so the Yamauchi Uesugi clan quickly starts off in a weakened state. Without historical events, you'll need to bring them down on your own.

You don't start with any alliances or friendships with the Takeda and Imagawa, so you'll need to do some quick policy-making, as the Takeda, Imagawa, Satomi, Chiba, Satake, Oda, Yamauchi Uesugi, Ogigayatsu Uesugi, and Koga Ashikaga all at once targeting you with plots and causing weekly uprisings will get nightmarish pretty quick.

Regional Consolidation

About 0.5 years in (historical events ON): (as an estimate/goal)

Before the start, begin seizing counties in Odawara Castle as much as possible. After about 4 months, the Siege of Kawagoe will begin. In the battle, just follow the game's instructions and you basically can't lose. However, pincer Uesugi Norimasa's unit from above and below to help things go even more smoothly.
After winning the battle, because the Imagawa and Takeda will request to establish an alliance system, you'll no longer need to worry about the west and can focus on unifying Kantō (though you may want to keep relations with both clans at 100 just to be safe).

About 0.5 years in (historical events OFF):

Immediately begin seizing counties in Odawara Castle and forming alliances with the Takeda and Imagawa - this is essential. If not, the battle will end with Nirayama and Tsukui castles being captured.
Furthermore, you'll be facing a stifling lack of commanders at the outset. Though the group is hard to control, wait until Ujiyasu's sons (Ujimasa and Ujiteru) come of age.
At the outset, the surrounding minor lords are all allied to the Koga Ashikaga, who will generally enforce peace on you if you attack, so first target (but do not yet attack) the Yamauchi Uesugi.
Hold off on policy-making until you've formed alliances and have relations at 100 (due to the officer shortage).
The Satomi may burn down your castles and settlements, but just leave them be until our internal issues are taken care of.
A note with regards to diplomatic relations: Set the relations target to 100, then manage time (by counting backwards from the yearly relations gain of each officer) and form alliances as soon as it reaches 60. Let the officer continue until it reaches 100, then repeat as necessary. By doing this, you can continually send Alliance extensions and Reinforcement requests, so it's recommended for beginners. Later on you'll be fighting the Takeda and Imagawa, so don't create marriage alliances with them.

About 0.5-2 years in (regardless of historical events):

It's time to turn towards the conquest of Yamauchi Uesugi and Koga Ashikaga. At marching time, if your relations with the Takeda are at 100, it's useful to request reinforcements from them.
There ought to be a lot of available castle lords by now; without sending in your entire army you won't have enough troops, so be patient. As you win battles, continue steadily granting castles to your subordinates as they are promoted. Along with this, issue System Reform Lv.1 policy when available. Executing "Rumor" and offering land grants for the longest possible time also works.
Be careful of Labor and officer shortages!
Try to reduce your enemies' strength in battles as much as possible before carrying out sieges.

About 2-3 years in (regardless of historical events):

If the Yamauchi Uesugi have been destroyed, quickly shift to conquering the Satomi and Chiba clans. If the Satomi get too strong, they'll become a permanent thorn in your side. On this occasion, it might be a good move to vassalize the Satake and/or Oda if possible. (The author was able to do this after conquering Fuchū, Sakura, and Moriyama castles from them.)
The Satomi clan is powerful, but they're not an enemy you can afford to waste time on dealing with. Attack Tateyama and Shiizu castles at the same time.
- If you have vassals, call in reinforcements.
- If requesting reinforcements from the Takeda and/or Imagawa, call them out shortly before sending out your own units so that they arrive at the same time.
After bringing down the two castles, siege down Kururi Castle and attempt to absorb the rest via Authority.

About 3-4 years in (regardless of historical events):

Now let's conquer Utsunomiya and Sano.
For the Utsunomiya clan: since they're likely weary from invasion by the Date and Ashina, taking them down should be relatively easy. You can take Utsunomiya and Ōtawara castles at roughly the same time; after that, though, there's no time to rest on your laurels, since these border the Tōhoku daimyo.

About 4-5 years in:

To seal the deal on Kantō, you'll need to sever ties with the Satake and Oda (whom you've vassalized) and destroy them. When doing this, breaking the treaties will harm your standing with your allies, so you should appoint your first conservator here.
- Hōjō Gen'an's trait raises the loyalty of allied officers, which carries the benefit of increased proposals and handling internal issues.
At this point, the region should be more or less unified.

Consolidating Kinai

5-14 years in (regardless of historical events):

From here on you won't really run into any more small daimyo, so taking your time is OK. You'll likely come into conflict with the Date (maybe Nanbu or Shibata), Nagao, and Ashina clans; Ashina's home base is unnecessarily strong, so make taking Yonezawa Castle your first priority. It may just be good enough to create a province and let them handle Tōhoku. (Take note that without adequate soldiers, the province won't attack automatically.)
If you leave the Nagao alone, the Takeda will come in and crush them, and you'll lose the opportunity to advance westward. Take both Kasugayama and Nanao castles, and keep an eye on the Imagawa in the meantime.

14-18 years in (historical events ON):

Upon the Battle of Okehazama and the death of Imagawa Yoshimoto, the Imagawa clan will be severely weakened. Considering this, break your alliance with the Imagawa and invade their territory. Since there may be a lot of troops on the front lines, at worst you may have to wait until the Takeda take Kōkokuji Castle and Sunpu Palace, but ideally you'll be able to take at least one Imagawa castle.
If you destroy the Imagawa, go do the same to the Tokugawa as quickly as possible. If the Oda supply reinforcements, call your own reinforcements from the Takeda to counter them.
Using the castle you conquered from the Imagawa, create a new province and set it as a defensive base.

14-18 years in (historical events OFF):

Since Imagawa Yoshimoto still refuses to die, we'll have to do it by our own hands. Fortunately, the Takeda will not send reinforcements to aid the Imagawa, so use the full extent of your military power. (If you can, it's better to conquer the Nagao at this time.)
Since the Tokugawa clan doesn't pop out, you'll end up bordering the Oda.
Soon, with the daimyo included in all your provinces (one in Tōhoku, one in Hokuriku, one in Tōkai, and Kantō under direct control), your governing area will probably feel a bit cramped, so enact the Postal System Lv.2 policy.

18-23 years in (regardless of historical events):

You'll soon be bordering the Oda and Saitō; Oda's military might is too large to win against, so aim to destroy the Saitō first. Attack the Saitō, making full use of reinforcements from the Takeda.
- If the Saitō call on the Oda for reinforcements, don't be intimidated by their numbers, and if necessary call in reinforcements from your provinces.
- During your conquest, try to obtain as many high-quality officers as possible, and conduct goodwill diplomacy with the Oda (this will be explained later).
In Tōhoku, the Nanbu clan should probably only have 1-2 castles remaining. It'll depend on your income, but if you appoint the Nanbu clan head to your council, he'll provide a huge boost to your troops' cavalry levels (albeit at a cost of 40% of your gold income). Vassalizing and appointing him is well worth it if you can absorb the cost.

23-25 years in (destroy Takeda route): <- This is the only route available right now - please wait for updates.

If you want to proceed along this route, by the 23rd year mark you should:
1. own the Saitō clan's main base, Inabayama Castle;
2. have an alliance with the Oda, and be able to extend it at least once (relations at or above 60);
3. conquered the full line of Shibata, Kasugayama, Toyama, and Nanao castles from the Nagao;
4. conquered at least one castle from the Imagawa, as well as all of the Tokugawa clan's castles;
5. be fully surrounding the Takeda's territory with your own.
On severing your marriage ties with the Takeda, target them with all of your provinces (excluding the Tōhoku province), and ensure that when your main units march, your provinces' units will be able to engage alongside them. Attack with the full army in all directions and you'll be able to take castles with such ease that the struggles up to this point will make you feel like you've been lied to.
- There will be quite a few officers popping up, many of whom are quite skilled, so continue extracting and appointing them as often as possible.
- If you delay, your alliance with the Oda will lapse and you'll be caught in a two-front war, so mop up the Takeda as quickly as possible.
Once you've conquered the Takeda, the curtain will rise on the great conflict with the Oda. Distribute treasures to your officers with lowered loyalty to prepare for Rumor attempts from the enemy.
Once the war with the Oda has concluded, proceed towards the unification of Kinai, and the whole of Japan.

Another interpretation (historical events OFF, custom*: Very Hard, normal disasters) *New officers of second rank (Infantry Leader) are all over the country.

Situation after the start:

At the start, you have 10,000 gold, but you also have financial difficulties. An officer shortage means you can't really improve much internally, so Odawara's castle town is a priority. It's OK to postpone troop development.
Officers with the "Confuse" tactic are hugely valuable; the only one who's easy to get is Ueda Masahiro of the Ogigayatsu Uesugi clan, and his stats are rather light. The Hōjō clan has a lot of officers with healing-type tactics, and they can wrap up field battles in a pinch, so you don't need to go to the trouble, though.
There's good synergy with the abundance of tribes and landmarks in the region, so war itself won't be the cause of troubles; you'll be more vexed by your officer count, internal affairs, and time.
Going about vassalizing all the minor daimyo in the vicinity is exhausting due to their low opinion of you. It'll be a while before you tap into the samurai mindset.
The Takeda will advance north but won't extend too far. The Imagawa will advance west towards Ise until they clash with the Miyoshi.
Honestly, it's not necessary to form alliances. Since you're still susceptible to incitement and the like, it's of course going to be a lot easier to form alliances when your finances and personnel are stable.
- Since your relationship with the Imagawa is already good, it's easy to placate them a bit by offering a grade-10 treasure.
As for the Takeda, attack their territory while Shingen is out on campaign, then aim for a truce when he returns. (For the Imagawa, this method is a little tricky.)
First, take Takiyama Castle. Since no reinforcements will come, it's possible to take it with only the local troops.
Next, immediately head for the Ogigayatsu Uesugi. Keep your troop strength to a minimum, so as to avoid being targeted while away.
General Ōta Sukemasa's grudge against you means you may have to give him up, but a retirement ceremony will cost you prestige, so it's a delicate situation.
As you can issue up to System Reform Lv.3 from the start, make the most of it.

Less than 1 year should have passed by the time you get to this point. The next steps will vary based on personal preference:

The above-mentioned battle will result in a weakened Koga Ashikaga. Fighting them is relatively easy; if you destroy them, there's the advantage that you can recover generals. There are some excellent officers in there as well.
However, the Ashikaga's castles are outside Odawara's governing range. You'll have to choose whether to leave the fertile lands under Gen'an or to rely solely on military force.
If you want a closer front line, attack the Yamauchi Uesugi. The lord of Oshi Castle, Narita, has low loyalty, so it'll be easier than it looks.
Get an Authority from a field battle if you can. If you hurry, you might be able to avoid having to siege the castle.
Later on, they'll be invaded by the Nagao; it's fine to either pick them off while they're fighting, or just use them as a wall.
To avoid letting the pesky Satomi get overfed, you can go after Mariyatsu and Chiba.
...though owing to their strong ties to the Satomi, they won't be easy to defeat. If the Chiba take Mariyatsu, vassalizing Chiba is your best option, but it could be far off.

From here, repeat a cycle of ceasefires (there may be one battle with the Satomi/Nagao) and invasions. By Year 2, you should have conquered Sano and Ashikaga.
In year 3, I (author) invaded Tsutsujigasaki while the Takeda were away, but emergency conscription was carried out, so I left and waited for their numbers to decrease naturally, then won the siege. Since you'll benefit greatly from the influx of new officers from this, it's now a good time to go after the Utsunomiya and Ogigayatsu Uesugi.
After this (as an aside), by Year 4, the Utsunomiya, Chiba (by vassal absorption), and Ogigayatsu Uesugi were defeated. In the same year, I launched a siege against the Takeda and forced their total surrender.
From there, turn to the Imagawa, who are still stuffering from a lack of officers (namely, a lack of castle lords). This conquest is practically a formality, so don't sweat it too much.

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Chiba clan†

A minor daimyo with two small castles in Shimōsa, a paltry 3000 starting troops, two tribes, and no titles meaning low prestige. Everyone in the clan, including family members, has middling skills, and are led by 2 Senior Officers and one Senior Retainer. No alliances, either, so a marriage with the Hōjō is all but necessary.
With the POWER UP KIT, the difficulty is softened a bit; the rōnin Tsukahara Bokuden starts in this territory, has a VAL of 93 (sixth-highest in this scenario!), and if recruited can launch some devastating attacks. Furthermore, thanks to the Satomi clan chief's "Bulwark Raiser" trait, their food supply is reduced by 50 days, so they rarely send out attacking forces.

General strategy (Hard difficulty, Long lifespan, no edited/new officers, Wide battle range):

In this scenario, due to the "Battle of Kawagoe" and "Expulsion of the Kantō Kanrei" events, even with POWER UP KIT the Hōjō expand extremely quickly. When playing as the Chiba, it's possible to nullify both events.

It'll be easier if you are able to perform "Search for Officers" and recruit Tsukahara Bokuden within the first 2 months.
Begin goodwill diplomacy with the Hōjō ASAP in order to eventually form a marriage alliance.
For your opening campaign, leave about 500 troops at your home base under Bokuden and march the rest towards the Ogigayatsu Uesugi. (Bokuden will join as the second wave.) If you do well in handling the reinforcement armies of the Koga Ashikaga and Yamauchi Uesugi, you'll be able to take down the Ogigayatsu Uesugi before the Battle of Kawagoe event fires.
- The Ogigayatsu Uesugi clan leader is not only decently skilled himself, but also can have Ota Sukemasa under his command.
Next, go after the Yamauchi Uesugi's Oshi and Hachigata castles to split the border between them and the Hōjō.
- In addition to Oshi Castle's commander surrendering during the siege, the Hōjō will generally already have been preparing to take the castle, so it's easy to use their preparatory work for yourself. If the castle's durability is below half, it'll surrender as soon as the county magistrate's troops come into contact with it.
- Since Hachigata Castle's commander Kamiizumi Nobutsuna will make the Hōjō reluctant to attack, you can bring down the castle yourself by calling in Hōjō reinforcements.
With the remainder of your forces, attack the Mariyatsu's Shiizu Castle; the Satomi won't prepare troops against you as they're likely still having trouble with provisions. As soon as your troops return home during military preparations, they'll give up, so you'll rarely be attacked.

After this, expansion should continue smoothly.

The Koga Ashikaga will set both of their castles as defensive bases; bringing Hōjō reinforcements, deploy at least 10000 troops to guarantee you can take both castles.
The Hōjō will exclusively target the Satomi base, but owing to its defenses being twice as high, they will be reluctant to attack, and even if they do, they'll often be repelled. If you can cleverly work around it, you can either take their main base through a siege, or absorb it by forcing a surrender.
You may want to take control of Kashima Jingū by attacking the Satake's Fuchū Castle from the south and triggering a weak Authority.
- If you make it look like your troop numbers are at a disadvantage, when you start occupying counties, their entire force will depart the castle to confront you.
If you set Nagano Narimasa (from the Yamauchi Uesugi) as your conservator, his "Bulwark Raiser" trait (+100% castle defense / -50 days provisions) will dissuade the Takeda from moving against you.
- Narimasa's Minowa Castle's durability of 11,000 is nigh-unassailable, but you can just absorb it with an Authority from a victory at their main base.

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Satomi clan†

A rival of the Hōjō controlling three castles in Boso.

With the POWER UP KIT, these three castles' troop counts have been bolstered to the second-, fourth-, and ninth-highest at game start, which (excluding tribes) nearly matches the strength of the Hōjō.

While the Hōjō's human resources are at a peak, Ujiyasu's sons haven't yet shown up, and many leading officers are of low rank, so there really isn't much difference.

However, 4 months after the start, the "Battle of Kawagoe" hands 3 castles from the Koga Ashikaga and Ogigayatsu Uesugi to the Hōjō without a scratch, and all of a sudden the strength disparity gets a lot bigger.

At the start, if you send 7 units out and take advantage of split battles, it's possible to trigger a strong Authority and get 4 castles to defect in one fell swoop. Each of your three castles has around 3000-4000 troops, so even if divided you'll have units of 1500-2000.
- The Hōjō have quite a few tribes (in this example, 5); if you descend from the east of Misaki Castle, you can take advantage of the high ground on the battlefield and make winning easy.
After winning on the field, if you advance onward to Kawagoe Castle and manage to take it before the "Battle of Kawagoe" event occurs, you can suppress it from firing. When this happens, the Hōjō will be relegated to a 3-castle minor power, so quickly establish that advantage.
On the capturing of Kawagoe Castle, if you can capture Daidōji Masashige, you'll have a high chance of employing him, which will make the following strategy easier.
- The officers captured upon surrender will change depending on the surrender date (once every two attacks), so alternate between siege and regular battles to manipulate this.
- However, since there's a shortage of officers, it's important to note that many castles will just be staffed by chamberlains.
After this, if you continue the offensive, the Hōjō can be destroyed within the first year.
- Particularly on Hard or higher difficulty, Odawara Castle's troop numbers will steadily and quickly increase, so you'll definitely want to attack quickly.
- Upon the first Authority, all castles will be agitated for 180 days and counties bordering Odawara Castle will flip to you; take advantage of this opportunity.
- However, as their castles continue to be taken, the Hōjō officers will consolidate in a single castle and their abilities will compound; a castle with only 500 defenders will become too difficult to conquer. Provoke them into attacking you with a small force, then bring in your daimyo's troops from behind to engage and destroy them.
- If reinforcements from the Takeda and/or Imagawa come, use the relations you've built through goodwill diplomacy since the start of the game (you did do that, right?) to sign an alliance.
- Furthermore, if Hōjō Ujiyasu cannot be recruited due to his animosity towards you, since it's easy to fail to recruit family members when the clan is destroyed, try to capture Hōjō Tsunashige in a battle at least once during the campaign.
If the Hōjō are conquered without incident, you can then stomp the smaller clans in the neighborhood and become the champion of Kantō.
As a side note, aside from the Satomi, the Satake also start with two castles, with the second- and tenth-most starting troops in the country. The Satomi's troops decrease as the years go on, but the Satake's stay at their same initial level. However, as most castles' troop numbers increase with the years, this becomes less noticeable.

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Kōshin region†

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Murakami clan†

Early rivals of the Takeda with 3 castles in northern Shinano, with prestige over 200 thanks to their court rank.
Their home base of Katsurao Castle is small and not yet under control, so the combined troop strength of the three castles is around 4000, nor are any of the tribes in the vicinity able to march out.
The clan leader is strong, but the Takeda employ quite a few officers of the same level or greater; the Takeda unique policy, plus Shingen as house head, plus Suwa Taisha Shrine make for a maelstrom of cavalry charges.
You have an alliance with the unreliable Ogasawara to the west, and are in a tight spot targeted by the Takeda to the south and the Nagao to the north, so the difficulty is high.
This start will be looking for a lot of ingenuity to work around the situation.

Fortunately, thanks to your prestige, your starting cash reserves are around 9200; this means that after 3 months it'll be possible to move your main base to Toishi Castle.
If you offer Katsurao Castle and/or Komoro Castle to the Takeda and/or Nagao as "Tribute", you can enter a 6-month truce, from which it'll be possible to form a marriage alliance.
However, on Hard difficulty and higher, in the first half-year the Hōjō will begin bordering you from the east; it'll be important to pay attention to this. Because of the continuation of the Takeda-Hōjō alliance, be sure to make good use of the fact that marrying either member will make the other unable to violate it.

Example strategy (Hard difficulty, Long lifespan, no edited/new officers):

It's highly likely that the Takeda's first move will be on the Ogasawara, and the Nagao's to the Ueda Nagao -> Noto Hatakeyama, so we'll want to target the Yamauchi Uesugi's Kunimine Castle to the east. If you defeat the intercepting force in battle, you can capture territory with a strong attack by your clan chief, so by being clever with your troop movements you can trigger a weak Authority.
If you can capture Sanada Yukitaka while taking Kunimine Castle, he'll surprisingly frequently agree to be recruited despite his yellow (11) loyalty. His INT 94 ability "Joint Offense" has some of the highest damage-dealing ability in the game, and will be extremely useful.
After taking Kunimine, turn towards Minowa Castle; you can start a siege with 500 troops, during which the event "Expulsion of the Kantō Kanrei" will occur and one castle will flip to the Nagano clan. Since you will now border the Hōjō, you can submit to them, which will guarantee you against the Takeda; the sole threat is now the Nagao to the north.
- Minowa Castle is remarkably robust but can be taken by encircling it, and if you manage to enlist Nagano Narimasa, Kamiizumi Nobutsuna will come along as well.
- If you surround it using Sanada Yukitaka and Suda Mitsuchika in turns, and send in the Kunimine Castle deputy to reduce the castle strength from another side, capitulation will come a little easier.
If the Numata are destroyed, war with the Nagao will begin; if you can lure out Nagao Kagetora from Kasugayama Castle and crush them during the retreat, all should go smoothly.
- If you've issued System Reform Lv.2, you can alternatively manually launch a siege against Kasugayama Castle to capture it. Since there are few officers, the main base should only be manned by a chamberlain, so as long as you can handle Kagetora you'll have a high chance of winning.
- If you can recruit a character with a Confuse tactic from among the Ogasawara rōnin, it'll make things even easier.
Upon taking Kasugayama, the Nagao's main base will be demoted to a small castle, at which point you can continue fighting them without much of a problem.

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Ogasawara clan†

Despite having only one castle (Fukashi) in Shinano and no court position, you do start with your counties under control and a decently large 2700 soldiers.
You have an alliance with the Murakami, but this will only exist until the Takeda trample them underfoot pretty much at the game's outset.
Due to your large number of troops, you can't submit to the Takeda at the outset either. However, it's at the point where once the Takeda assimilate a village, the power difference will be just enough to make submitting possible.
Once you submit to the Takeda, the way forward opens up.
Moreover, your clan chief's leader trait is the same as Takeda Nobushige's, "Cavalry Training (advanced)" [CHECK NAME], and the effects are additive; by submitting, the Takeda's minimum cavalry level becomes a whopping 7.

General strategy (Hard difficulty, Long lifespan, no edited/new officers, Wide battle range):

If you can simply submit to the Takeda, the difficulty of everything else is unremarkable.
Upon breaking the truce with the Murakami, invade and you'll be guaranteed 2 castles; afterward, the Takeda's only path forward will be through the Yamauchi Uesugi. They'll often work together with the Hōjō to bring down the Yamauchi Uesugi main base via siege.
- Not only will this suppress the event in which the Yamauchi Uesugi are annihilated, but it will also tend to leave Numata Castle with a meager number of troops, whereupon you can force a surrender and absorb the Yamauchi Uesugi.
- Nagano Narimasa, Sanada Yukitaka, and Kamiizumi Nobutsuna will dramatically bolster your officers' ranks, and you should garner around 10000 gold.
The subsequent battle with the Nagao won't be too difficult either, as their influence isn't too large by this point.
- Their officers will still be of low rank and short terms of service, so should be pretty easy to recruit. If you can capture and recruit Kakizaki Kageie and/or Amakasu Kagemochi, you'll be in a remarkably good position.
- However, due to the power discrepancy, a quick attack on Kasugayama Castle (like in the Murakami strategy above) will be difficult. If the Nagao manage to conquer the Hatakeyama before you attack Kasugayama, all their officers will be gathered in the castle, greatly complicating your siege efforts.
- In addition to luring out and defeating Nagao Kagetora, call in reinforcements from the Takeda and send your full force to encircle Kasugayama, and you should be able to get them to capitulate.

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Takeda clan†

Although you only start with 5 castles, the four great ministers and several other famous officers from this time period will make your officer corps the best in the country, and your prestige is high to boot.
Because you can fill each of your castles with these great officers, even at the start you'll have castle stats upwards of 90.
In addition to a marriage with the Imagawa, you'll form an alliance with the Hōjō through an event shortly after the game start; you're left with the Nagao and Oda as rivals, who don't yet have sizable influence.
With the Takeda unique policy and Nobushige as head of house, all your castles' cavalry levels will be at least 4; castles with Horse Ranch settlements will, from Suwa Taisha Shrine's effect, reach a minimum cavalry level of 8.
The difficulty level is low, and you can start expanding as you like.

Incidentally, the clan leader of the Ogasawara (to the north) has the same leader trait as Nobushige ("Cavalry Training (advanced)" [CHECK NAME]). If you conquer the Murakami and vassalize the Ogasawara, the effect of the duplicate leader trait will stack.
Because of this, your minimum cavalry level in all castles will be 7, and, for castles with a Horse Ranch (even without a leader with a cavalry trait), will be at least 10, which goes crazy.

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Miki clan†

The long-time lords of Hida. This scenario is still only the era of the Miki (Anegakoji) grandfather, with a high court position and prestige of 360.
The Saitō to the south are at their peak and pose a major threat; they'll target Hida straight away and make your timetable rather difficult.
In the base scenario, thanks to Minshuku Keijun [name?]'s good connections, you'll be able to do Distant Employment by the first month of the game, but since there aren't a lot of independent officers around the country, you more often than not won't receive the suggestion for it.

Example strategy (Hard difficulty, Long lifespan, no edited/new officers, Wide battle range):

Fighting the Saitō in Hida isn't impossible, but it's easier if you opt for submitting to them.
Build a Rice Dealer and Supply Station according to the tutorial.
If you target and attack Kiyosu Castle (under the control of the Owari Shiba), the Oda will join in and take Inuyama Castle.
The cost to relocate your main base to Kiyosu is 20000, so it's possible to do it yourself; immediately transfer there and begin occupying counties.
In this scenario, the Oda's castle lords are still rather weak at the time, and they'll be exhausted following their capture of Inuyama. Because of this, before they can replenish their forces, with reinforcements from the Saitō plus a small force of your own, engage and trigger a weak Authority. If you can do this in the counties south of Inuyama Castle, it'll devastate the counties of every castle except Anjō, and you'll take control of Atsuta Shrine as well.
- On that note, it may be possible to capture, hold direct talks with, and attempt to recruit Oda Nobunaga before the clan's destruction, but this likely won't do much for you as his loyalty isn't low.
- As the Oda are crippled, the Matsudaira clan may attack and capture Anjō Castle, so you can finish them off by attacking Narumi Castle.
- Oda Nobuhide's loyalty is only 3 and comes fully equipped with treasures, but can be maintained just in time if you finish destroying the Oda by around December.
  - During the next year, holding direct talks to prevent absconding can give +2 loyalty.
  - After 1 year, the -2 loyalty malus from conquest will be erased.
  - After 3 years, length of service will add +1 and bring him up to yellow loyalty.
Now that the Oda have been conquered, the Imagawa, Miyoshi, and Ōtomo will begin to expand unchecked.
- The Imagawa will head west and target Ise-Shima. They'll also absorb the Matsudaira by event in 1549, so you may want to conquer the Matsudaira before then.
  If you can manage to exploit the Imagawa's defensive reinforcements, you can potentially secure Daijuji Temple as well.
- Before you turn westward, the Imagawa should ideally be contained to around Totomi and effectively neutered.
- Going forward from here, just bear in mind that you're bordering the Takeda by now, which can get ugly quickly.

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Tōkai region†

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Matsudaira clan†

While it's all well and good to borrow the Imagawa's strength to raid Oda territory, upon a closer look it's totally feasible for the Matsudaira to take on the Oda alone.
In the extreme case, you can wait until the March 1549 event where Takechiyo returns before declaring any wars and just develop domestically, then launch sudden offensives as soon as Ieyasu becomes clan leader. Since Ieyasu is extremely strong in battle, you'll be able to rapidly seize Oda territory without much difficulty.
In the first war, rather than sending out the lord's unit as one, it's recommended to split up your force into small units to allow for joint battles. For these sub-units, officers with the Confuse tactic like Okubo Tadakane or Sakai Tadatsugu are most suitable.
Even if it's difficult to quickly completely destroy the Oda in stages, as long as you'll eventually absorb the Saitō it's no problem.

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Saitō clan†

The Saitō in the time before Toshimasa became Dōsan.
In keeping with their official "Recommended" status, the daimyō is strong and there are no major powers in the vicinity, so it's a pretty easygoing campaign.

Example strategy (Very Hard difficulty, Long lifespan, no edited/new officers):

The clans bordering the Saitō can't put up much of a resistance as opponents, so from the start, simply expand into the surrounding areas without worrying.
Your first move should be against the Shiba clan in Owari. Since their officers are weak, a strong attack will cause their castle defenses to crumble alarmingly quickly.
After that, to ensure your stability, don't destroy the Oda clan, but instead conquer the Anegakoji, Azai, Asakura, and Rokkaku in that order, then pick a decisive battle with the Miyoshi.
If you'd rather go off the rails a bit, conquer the Oda, then keep an eye on all the surrounding regions unraveling as you fight against the Imagawa.
In any case, unlike the later scenarios, there are fewer officers available, so in lieu of rapid expansion it may be preferable to focus on practicing domestic development and taking a tactical approach to battles.

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Oda clan†

With the Saitō to the north, Imagawa to the south, Takeda to the east, and Rokkaku to the west, the Oda (led by Nobuhide) clan is boxed in by mighty powers.~ In this period, the not-yet-legendary Oda are no more than one of many minor daimyō. However, they far surpass other minor daimyō in both quality and quantity of officers, meaning that the difficulty really isn't all that high.

(Hard difficulty)

Assuming you're not opposed to it, it's a good idea to replace Nobuhide with Nobunaga as clan leader straight from the start. This will suppress several following events, but there's no real harm other than not being able to auto-marry the Saitō.
- When doing the switch, you can mass-produce Senior Retainers by first cycling through Nobumitsu and Nobuhiro. Since the castle lords of Narumi and Anjō will no longer be present, you'll end up being able to fight using the top 3 of Nobunaga, (Shibata) Katsuie, and Nobuhide without having to resort to split battles.
- Though it's not explicitly necessary, it's perhaps good to start goodwill diplomacy with the Takeda. There's a possibility that they'll propose an alliance from their side, but this can take a long time and you risk getting attacked in the interim, so it's more foolproof to just propose the alliance yourself.
It's a good move to actively pursue "Employ" requests.
- Mori Yoshinari is available from the start, and as the game progresses, famous Oda retainers like Ikeda Tsuneoki and Niwa Nagahide will appear in your territory (though it's rather odd that Tsuneoki, Nobunaga's foster brother, appears as a rōnin).
- As the age progresses further, it becomes possible to recruit Hideyoshi. You'll absolutely want to recruit him lest he fall into the hands of another faction.
As for your nemesis, the Imagawa, thanks to the Matsudaira acting as a buffer zone, they aren't an imminent threat. The CPU won't attack castles to which it isn't adjacent - so it's OK to send the entirety of your forces against the Saitō. As long as the fighting remains within the Owari area, the Matsudaira and Honganji won't attack either.
- Since a poorly-done conquest of the Matsudaira would greatly amplify the threat posed by the Imagawa, it's best to be cautious and leave the Matsudaira alone until you're able to prepare sufficiently for battle with the Imagawa.
  However, the downfall of the Matsudaira event takes place in 1549, so you do have a deadline for conquering them.
Upon performing the clan leader shuffle, you'll have the upper hand against the Owari Shiba clan. Take out your troops from Anjō Castle and send 3 units to target Inuyama Castle; these troops will be intercepted. After defeating this intercepting force, you should be able to take out the entire Owari Shiba in one fell swoop.
Now that you've consolidated Owari without incident, your next target is the Saitō clan.
- Target Kanayama Castle and march out with as much force as you can muster at this stage. The Saitō will amass nearly their entire force to meet your attacking armies, so after a battle victory you're free to take as many castles as you like.
- However, the opposing daimyō is still the mighty Saitō Toshimasa (a.k.a. Dōsan), so trying to trigger an Authority by including 4 or more units is not recommended.
- Forcing Nobuhide and tribal leader Mizuno Nobumoto to stay, plus Nobunaga's personal ability, if used well, mean you can wholly conquer the Saitō within the year.
- Once Iwamura Castle is taken, you can vassalize the Kiso clan. Later on, by using territory transfers, you can use them as a wall between you and the Nagao, so it'll be useful to do so.
- The Saitō in this period include Dōsan, Yoshitatsu, Inaba Ittetsu, and even Akechi Mitsuhide, so if you can destroy the clan, your military will be vastly strengthened.
  - Dōsan's loyalty is extremely low, though, so be careful with him.
  - If Nobunaga marries Kichō, the loyalty of not only Dōsan but also Yoshitatsu (whose loyalty is low as well) will increase, so if you've recruited Kichō, follow the course of history and marry her to Nobunaga for the benefits of becoming a Saitō family member.
Once the integration of Mino is complete, you'll have ample military might to contend with the Imagawa. (In the writer's campaign: I managed to get two successful "Destroy" proposals against Sakurabora Castle, so targeted the Miki clan first.)
Afterwards, in addition to beginning invasions of the Nagao and Rokkaku, the conquest of the Jinbo and Azai is relatively easy here, as is the absorption of other small factions in the region.
- At this point, you can also make an alliance with the Nagao (though with the aforementioned territory-transfer trick with your Kiso vassal, the need for this is lessened).
Meanwhile, at the onset of 1548, the annexation of the Matsudaira is approaching, so it's time to attack Okazaki. Although it's only one castle, the officers therein are of high quality, so it'll be tough; Imagawa reinforcements will further complicate the ordeal.
In this campaign, I was able to capture the castle just before Imagawa Yoshimoto's main force arrived.
Once you've destroyed the Matsudaira and absorbed their excellent subordinates, it's finally time to confront the dreaded Imagawa.
As expected, the Imagawa will be a strong foe, but given everything done up to now, our strength should be higher. Once you can win a siege, you'll have a decisive advantage; attack without any delay. If you can siege and take down Sunpu Palace, the resulting Authority should carry you much of the way towards a full conquest.
On defeating the Imagawa, your Tōkai all-stars (Oda, Saitō, Matsudaira, Imagawa) will give you the highest troop and officer quality in Japan. Continue to the east and fight the Takeda, Hōjō, and Nagao; or head westward and consolidate Kinai if that's what you prefer. If you want total unification, go for it!

Footnote 1:

If the "Lifespan" setting is set to "Long," you'll be able to use Nobuhide for a long time, and will also be able to avoid the event where Hirate's grandfather dies. The event "Death of Hirate Masahide" occurrence criteria are extremely relaxed, and, as long as Nobunaga is the clan leader, cannot be avoided; however, since the death of Nobuhide is one of the event prerequisites, with "Long" lifespan the event may never happen. I recommend it if you don't want your loyal retainer to die after Nobunaga's coming-of-age.

Footnote 2:

Because Imagawa Yoshimoto has no negative opinion of Nobunaga, he has no problems accepting recruitment at the time of his capture; however, because of his existing treasures and court position, it's extremely difficult to increase his loyalty. If you want to use him in your main force when recruiting him upon destroying the Imagawa, it's ideal to execute Jōkei-in (his wife) (although there's a high chance she will die by 1550 anyway due to lifespan), banish Nobuhide (also nearing the end of his life), then marry Dota Gozen (Nobuhide's wife) to Yoshimoto, which will drastically improve his loyalty (despite being morally reprehensible). Banishing your father at the end of his life, then marrying his ex-wife to his arch-nemesis against her will: truly befitting of the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven.

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Hokuriku region†

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Echigo Uesugi clan†

Holders of the solitary Shibata Castle, as the (unofficial) Echigo Shugo, their prestige is just over 50.
Shibata Castle is relatively bountiful, and the 3000-strong Agakitashu tribe is not only usable but has a chief not quite as strong as Honjō Shigenaga, but strong nonetheless.
Beyond having an alliance with Date Tanemune, in the POWER UP KIT they also have a long-term alliance in place with the Nagao.

As the clan leader dies in 1550 without a family, securing a successor used to be an issue, but in the POWER UP KIT the Nagao alliance trivializes this issue. If you destroy the Ueda Nagao clan yourself and annul the Aya-Gozen (a.k.a. Sentōin, historically Nagao Masakage's wife) marriage event, you can marry her yourself with no problems.