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For the Empire: Total War unit, see US Marines.

United States Marines FOTS Icon

United States Marines are a type of elite infantry in Fall of the Samurai.

Description[]

The US Marines reputation as tough men is well deserved.

The US Marine Corps are excellent soldiers, and pride themselves on being infantrymen first and foremost. Ashore, they fight as line infantry, using disciplined and effective fire to inflict casualties on the enemy. They carry breech-loading rifles, and these allow them to reload quickly; they are nearly all good shots. They are also perfectly capable of closing with an enemy and giving a good account of themselves in a melee. They have an excellent martial spirit, and are unlikely to break and run.

The US Marine Corps can claim to be older than the United States, as the Continental Marines, formed in 1775, predate the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Inconveniently, Congress did disband the Marines before re-establishing them as the US Marine Corps in 1798. The Marines ignore such minor matters. By the late 19th Century USMC “leathernecks” (the nickname came from the leather stocks worn to give a military bearing) had seen more action than any US Army troops, and had taken part in expeditions across the world. Their most famous action by this time was probably against the Barbary Pirates, who had decided that US ships were fair game after America broke with Britain. Marines had also been used in Mexico in 1847, and had taken part in the many coastal attacks carried out by the Federal navy during the American Civil War. As a result, the Corps had “institutional experience” in naval, amphibious and infantry warfare. Had the US been asked to commit troops to support either the Shogunate or the Emperor, it would have been Marines who were sent ashore.

Strengths & Weaknesses

  • Very good accuracy and reload rate.
  • Good in melee.
  • Very good morale.

General Information[]

United States Marines are elite infantry. While their reload skill and accuracy isn't remarkable compared to other elite infantry, being tied with the likes of Shogunate/Imperial/Republican Guard Infantry, they have better melee skills than any other elite infantry. They are more expensive than most guard infantry, but are cheaper than their fellow foreign counterparts, Royal Marines and Infanterie de marine.

United States Marines are trained in provinces with an American Trading District, and can only be trained by factions with diplomatic missions with the United States.

While the United States Marines have better melee skills than other rifle armed troops, they are still cost-ineffective against specialized melee troops such as Katana Kachi and particularly Shogitai. Their melee skills don't make them outstanding melee troops, but rather make them well-rounded troops that can handle themselves well in a variety of situations. Like other foreign elite infantry, United States marines can be obtained much earlier than Shogunate/Imperial/Republican Guard Infantry thanks to their only needing a trading district port rather than the end-game Army War College, despite their stronger overall stats. This makes them a valuable addition to mid-game armies all the way through to the end game.

When trained in regions that give bonuses to accuracy, supervised by good foreign veterans, and led by generals that increase reload skill and accuracy, United States Marines practically eliminate their weakness of their slightly poorer accuracy and reload skill compared to their other foreign counterparts, while still retaining their superiority in melee. On the other hand, it is not often worth training them in provinces that grant superior melee skill: while this allows them to be very formidable in melee, specialized melee troops are still superior in this regard and are much easier to recruit and replace.

Trivia[]

Fall of the Samurai Infantry
Sword Infantry Katana KachiShogitai
Spear Infantry Spear LevySpear Levy GarrisonKyoto PoliceYari Kachi
Bow Infantry Bow Kachi
Matchlock Infantry Matchlock Kachi
Special Infantry Kisho Ninja
Militia Infantry Levy Garrison InfantryLevy InfantryWhite Tiger Force
Light Infantry SharpshootersTosa RiflemenYugekitai
Line Infantry Azure Dragon ForceBlack Bear InfantryBlack Tortoise ForceGarrison InfantryImperial InfantryLine InfantryRed Bear InfantryRepublican InfantryShinsengumi Police ForceShogunate InfantryVermilion Bird ForceWhite Bear Infantry
Elite Infantry Imperial Guard InfantryInfanterie de marineKihetaiRepublican Guard InfantryRoyal MarinesShogunate Guard InfantryUnited States Marines
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