After failing miserably to conquer All Of Japan on my first attempt, I’ve been back for more. And then for some more. And just then, five minutes ago, a little bit more. I don’t think I’ll ever be the shogun but I have experienced enough of the highs and lows of the family feudal system to tell you if my excursion to Japan has been worthwhile and whether my desire for plotting and prevarication has been sated. Read on.
]]>(See here for the story so far.)
“We live on the promise that we will not inherit the problems of our fathers in this time of Sengoku but will instead be Lord of the new worlds they have wrought, able to take pride in their works and in turn grant our own children the honour of a name and the produce of rich and stable lands. It is the dream of every generation to improve the lot of the next, to elevate their position in society and their power over the weak and the wanting. We live on the promise that our fathers are not fools and some of us will die on the empty, rotten nature of such a promise. Screw you dad. Screw you with a shinai.”
Nanbu Akifusa, January 1478
]]>“Security is to surround oneself with friends and then to surround those friends with heavily armed men willing to commit brutal acts for a mere pittance, or preferably because they are also surrounded by heavily armed men who are glowering and sharpening their swords with purpose and intent. Diplomacy is to be history’s forgotten man, so obscure in your actions that your enemies do not know you are a danger until you strike. Honour is to present a smiling face to the world but, at night when alone, to weep for all the blood that must be spilled. This is the path of conquest. This is my path."
Nanbu Nobutoki, 1470
]]>I’m going to die in dishonour, my people bowed under the yoke of my bastard neighbours. I’ll try to prevent it, I’ve got a yoke of my own after all, but it’s going to happen. I’m playing Sengoku, you see, the new grand strategy game from the clever people at Paradox. I’ve been looking forward to it for ages and now it’s finally time to start my nefarious domination of Japan. But I’m already worried. It all seemed safe at first; it looks enough like Europa Universalis III (same engine) and feels enough like Crusader Kings that I was confident for at least a few minutes. But the more I see, the more I realise that I’m out of my depth. Should a mildly neurotic Englishman, wired up on coffee, ever take charge of a Japanese clan at such a turbulent point in the nation’s history? I think not and I’m going to show you exactly why that is.
]]>Anyone unsure as to whether they want to plot their way to the top in Feudal Japan would be well-advised to download the demo for Sengoku. You won’t get anywhere near the top because there’s a 15 year time limit, but, as is the intention of demos, it should help you to decide if the game is for you. Get it from Fileplanet here or read on for a bit of help if all this strategy business baffles your brains.
]]>Map-clicking simulation Sengoku is out on September 13th and if you’ve been following its development, you already know why this is exciting. If you haven’t, allow me to summarise in a crude and reductive fashion. Sengoku is Shogun meets Crusader Kings, it’s Europa Universalis in Japan. Helpful to an extent, if you’ve played those games, but what’s more important than those comparisons is Paradox's desire to emulate what is unique about the clans and culture of the period and place. That’s why it’s unfair to suggest Sengoku will be Crusader Kings with nothing more than a different hat and moustache. Behold the thrilling world of Feudal Japan in the video below.
]]>Everything I'm learning about Sengoku sounds hugely positive. "It's like Shogun: Total War, without the tactical battles," said RPS contributor Dan Gril when we met up last week to pretend to be crappy heroes. I then went back and read Jim's dynamite preview earlier this month.
ANYWAY, Sengoku's due this September, but if you want to get involved in all that tactical treachery and strategic seppuku early, Paradox are now accepting signups for the closed beta. You can do so here. Old, characteristically fustian Paradox Interactive trailer follows...
]]>Earlier today I got a chance to look at the upcoming wargame, Sengoku. Paradox's games come in a number of flavours. Space flavour is good, as is fantasy and jellied goblin, but I have say I am also partial to the burnt caramel whiff of pseudo-real-time feudalism. Various Paradox games deal with European feudalism - and we're particularly interested in Crusader Kings 2, as you can see from Quintin's preview - but look East and you see less coverage. That's where Sengoku comes in. Based on the Crusader Kings 2 engine, it's a take on Japanese feudalism, and is an interesting "where next" for folks who got a kick out of Shogun 2's campaign map.
]]>Paradox have announced Sengoku, an internally-developed historical strategy gaming that bears a striking resemblance to a certain strategy game set in feudal Japan by Creative Assembly (that rhymes with "Bogun: Fotal Core" (which is TOTALLY what I would name my hardcore shoot 'em up)). You can watch the launch trailer and read the press release after the jump, though in Paradox's inimitable style the trailer is just a series of pans across a dull landscape. The press release is much more exciting. Thanks to RPS reader Matija "One-Eye" Kodalovic for sending this in.
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