Tosa Riflemen are a type of light infantry in Fall of the Samurai.
Description[]
These light infantrymen can move across the battlefield rapidly, and deliver devastating rifle fire.
Tosa riflemen are trained to act as light infantrymen, skirmishers who protect and screen the main line of battle. As such, they are excellent shots with their modern, rapid-fire, repeating rifles, and will do a substantial amount of damage to enemy units if they are not driven off. As might be expected of well-trained troops, they are also confident and have good morale. However, they should not be expected to fight well in close combat, or to last if they are ridden down by enemy cavalry. Used correctly, though, against high value and dangerous enemies, they are a formidable weapon in any general’s arsenal.
Tosa was the birthplace of Sakamoto Ryoma (1836-67), a visionary leader of the anti-Tokugawa faction in Japanese society. Although he was a samurai and a traditionalist in some things, such as samurai dress, he was also very open to new ideas: he certainly owned and used a Smith and Wesson rimfire revolver, for example. He had read, and favoured, the American constitution, and felt that a modern Japan would have to throw off its feudal origins and adopt policies of equality among men. His modernism would also lead him to be the leading light in the establishment of a navy to fight the Tokugawa Shogunate: he is regarded as the “father of the Imperial Japanese Navy” for his efforts to give Satsuma and Choshu a navy. He also brokered a peace between these traditional enemies. Such an able man was bound to make enemies, and he was assassinated in Kyoto; the Shinsengumi were blamed at the time.
Strengths & Weaknesses
- Very good accuracy and reload rate.
- Long range.
- Weak in melee.
- Weak against cavalry.
- Good morale.
General Information[]
Tosa Riflemen are variants of sharpshooters unique to the Tosa. They are superior to sharpshooters in every way save range, armor, and cost. The greatest strengths of Tosa Riflemen are their extremely high reload skill, at 65 compared to 25 for sharpshooters. This allows them to very quickly dispense ammo and inflict large numbers of casualties. Despite their much higher fire rate thanks to their reload skill, Tosa Riflemen rarely have trouble with ammunition shortages due to their much higher starting ammunition of 40 rather than 20. Tosa Riflemen are somewhat more expensive than their sharpshooter counterparts but their greatly increased damage output more than make up for this. Their abnormally high ammunition means that they can pick off entire regiments, particularly during siege battles where defenders can't risk sallying out but also usually have inferior range.
Tosa Riflemen are easily recruited, with requirements that are easily met even early in the campaign. Later in the game, Tosa Riflemen benefit from buildings such as gunsmiths and firing ranges, as these buildings greatly increase the accuracy of units trained in regions they are built in.
The only other non-sharpshooter light infantry in Fall of the Samurai, the Yugekitai, have superior accuracy to Tosa Riflemen; however, their reload skill is much worse. While their initial volley may be superior than that of Tosa Riflemen, over time Tosa Riflemen inflict more damage. Tosa Riflemen also have no regiment cap, unlike the Yugekitai; however, Tosa Riflemen lack the kisho training Yugekitai have, and thus have poorer stealth capabilities.
Fall of the Samurai Infantry | |
---|---|
Sword Infantry | Katana Kachi • Shogitai |
Spear Infantry | Spear Levy • Spear Levy Garrison • Kyoto Police • Yari Kachi |
Bow Infantry | Bow Kachi |
Matchlock Infantry | Matchlock Kachi |
Special Infantry | Kisho Ninja |
Militia Infantry | Levy Garrison Infantry • Levy Infantry • White Tiger Force |
Light Infantry | Sharpshooters • Tosa Riflemen • Yugekitai |
Line Infantry | Azure Dragon Force • Black Bear Infantry • Black Tortoise Force • Garrison Infantry • Imperial Infantry • Line Infantry • Red Bear Infantry • Republican Infantry • Shinsengumi Police Force • Shogunate Infantry • Vermilion Bird Force • White Bear Infantry |
Elite Infantry | Imperial Guard Infantry • Infanterie de marine • Kihetai • Republican Guard Infantry • Royal Marines • Shogunate Guard Infantry • United States Marines |