Levy Infantry

Levy Infantry
Appears in	Fall of the Samurai
Belongs to	Most factions except the Aizu
Type	Militia Infantry
Ammunition	15
Soldiers per unit	50/100/150/200
Attack skill	3
Charge bonus	8
Anti-cavalry skill	2
Armour	1
Defense skill	1
Range	125
Precision	10
Loading speed	5
Morale	4
Produced from	Stronghold
Cost	500 SP/400 MP
Upkeep	80
Turns to train	1
Unit cap	None

Levy Infantry are a type of militia in Fall of the Samurai.

Description

To defend one’s home is an act of a brave and worthy man.

Levy infantry are raised as militia: second-line forces that are trained to a reasonable standard but are not full time or professional soldiers by any means. They are a strategic defensive force, acting as garrisons and guards in their home provinces. On the battlefield, they can give a good account of themselves, and can use their smoothbore guns efficiently. However, these weapons are slow to load and, because they are not rifled, they are not particularly accurate or long-ranged. They are, however, simple, rugged, dependable and cheap. Levies have surprisingly decent morale, but they are not well-suited to close combat, and they will take casualties if cavalry are allowed to overrun them.

These militia troops were the natural successors to the ashigaru of earlier Japanese history. The ashigaru were men of the peasant class, rather than samurai warriors, who made a living as soldiers. Although equipped, armed and drilled in European style, often by European mercenary officers and sergeants, the levies retained the distinctive jingasa helmets of the ashigaru. This conical helmet was actually a more practical bit of kit than a European hat. There was a chance, for a start, that it might keep out a shell splinter; it was waterproof; and it could, at a pinch, be turned upside down and used as a cooking pot.

Strengths & Weaknesses

• Poor accuracy and slow reload rate.
• Weak in melee.
• Weak against cavalry.
• Average morale.

General Information

Levy Infantry are militia, ideal for garrisoning towns to reduce unrest. They are the cheapest units in Fall of the Samurai to train and maintain past the early game, perfect for this role.

At the beginning of the game, levy infantry are more expensive to recruit than Spear Levy because the first level of modernisation make all traditional units, including spear levy, cheaper to recruit. This makes spear levy much better in early game field battles: a spear levy can take a volley from levy infantry, run to melee range, and still win comfortably unless the levy infantry have a considerable hill advantage. Levy infantry in the early game still have a place defending walls during siege battles, however. As clans modernize, levy infantry become the cheaper choice, and they can even retain some effectiveness if trained from provinces that give them accuracy bonuses from firing ranges and/or gunsmiths.

In battle, they are armed with rifles, but their poor accuracy and reload rate mean that they cannot take on dedicated line infantry and expect to win in most circumstances. They also have terrible melee stats, and nearly all troops can beat them in melee combat. They are a fair substitute for line infantry in the early game, when funds may be tight, but stand little chance against late-game armies.

Levy Infantry have the unfortunate distinction of being considered neither traditional units nor modern units by the game, and so do not benefit from the various retainers, character skills, or technologies that increase their combat effectiveness or reduce cost.

Trivia

• Levy Infantry are armed with weapons modeled after Pattern 1861 Enfield musketoons.