Shogun: Total War

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Shogun: Total War was the first game in the Total War Series.

Features

Shogun: Total War (STW) is the first of Creative Assembly's "Total War" series. It is a history-based grand strategy computer game that combines turn-based provincial development with real-time battles. The player assumes the role of one of seven daimyos (Uesugi, Shimazu, Oda, Mori, Imagawa, Takeda, Hōjō) attempting to unite feudal Japan during the Sengoku period ("The Age of the Country at War") and become Shogun. Sun Tzu's The Art of War is central to the game; its precepts are quoted often and its strategies recommended.

Gameplay

The play involves a strategic phase building up armies and moving them into provinces followed by a real time battle phase. During the strategic phase the players (that is including the AI players) decide where they are going to move their forces and then, when the player commits them, all the ordered movements are executed simultaneously. The three dimensional battles are notable for including aspects such as morale that had up to its publication usually been ignored by computer war games and are more typical of table top gaming. Sieges are played out using the same engine as the battles in the field. The advantage to the defender comes from the narrow gateway to the castles which prevents a larger force attacking with more than a small part of its strength.

Battles

Some of feudal Japan's greatest battles were recreated based on the expertise of some of the period's leading historical authorities.