Basic Unit Statistics (can be modified by difficulty level, arts, skills, traits and retainers)
| Recruitment Cost | 700 | |
| Upkeep Cost | 200 | |
| Melee Attack | 5 | 14% |
| Charge Bonus | 10 | 20% |
| Bonus vs Cavalry | 0 | 0% |
| Range | 100 | 15% |
| Accuracy | 45 | 45% |
| Reloading Skill | 25 | 25% |
| Ammunition | 15 | 18% |
| Melee Defence | 2 | 5% |
| Armour | 4 | 26% |
| Morale | 10 | 20% |
Strengths & Weaknesses
- Very high missile damage.
- Good accuracy but slow reload rate.
- Average in melee.
- Vulnerable to massed foot missile units.
Requires
- Buildings:
- Resources:
Description
These mounted samurai carry matchlocks, allowing them to fire a deadly volley and then gallop away.
The matchlocks actually make them an effective counter to many other cavalry and, as might be expected, their firepower against all other units is quite formidable. Unlike other musketeers, they can move quickly across the battlefield, and actually use skirmishing tactics to stay out of trouble. They are good shots, but their reloading speeds are on the slow side. Being samurai, they can defend themselves in close combat, but should not be committed to a melee without a good reason. They are, like many horsemen, vulnerable to fire from massed infantry archers. Every army that used muzzle-loading guns from horseback discovered that they were difficult to use well. As might be expected, horses can be a trifle skittish when loud bangs keep happening just behind their heads. Then there is the entirely separate problem of reloading: getting powder, ball and wadding down a barrel while a horse prances about is not easy at the best of times. Ramming home a bullet in a metre-long gun with a metre long stick is painful, and dropping anything just doesn't bear thinking about! Europeans, who stuck with firearms after the samurai abandoned them, eventually developed the short carbine, or equipped their cavalry with anything up to a dozen pistols to avoid reloading in action.