If ES is going to make the expansion pack over world colonization, they are going to have to include Japan. A lot of people have argued Japan was in isolation during this time; Sakoku only took about half of Age of Empires 3 timeline, and even if it took up all of it, including a major power like the Ottomans, would make it possible to include a major Asian trading partner, the Japanese.

Table of Contents
-Civilization Overview
-Japanese Economy and Military
-Unique Units
-Unique Unit Stats
-Unique Technologies
-Unique Cards
- Civilization Weaknesses

Japanese Civilization Overview

Flag

Unique Units: Ashigaru, Karo, Yamabushi, Sohei, Ninja, Red Seal Ship
Royal Guard Units: Ashigaru, Karo
Home City Ruler: Toyotomi Hideyoshi- emperor that rose from peasant class to unify Japan and stop its centuries long feudal war
Civilization Bonus: Outposts are free and have more attack
-Has the most Unique Units in the game
-Has the strongest infantry unit, the Karo
-The Ninja is the fastest scout in the game, and has an instant kill ability

Japanese Economy

Japan's main tool of exploration isn't the explorer, but the Ninja, being faster and having a better LOS along with an instant kill ability available from the Colonial Age.

Japan has a slow start because their unique units are more expensive, but they make up for that by their outposts being free, giving them a good turtling strategy. Japan is also suitable for booming because if it gets its resources going high, its unique techs can make gathering them faster, giving you enough of an economy to train an powerful army.

Japanese Military

Normal Units- Crossbowman, Cavalry Archer, Grenadier, Falconet, Mortar, and Culverin

Japan never relied on so much as numbers like the Chinese, artillery like the Koreans, or even tactics like the Mongols, in battle. They relied on skill and experience. Japanese warriors are all highly trained professional soldiers that have seen many battles. Japanese units like the Karo and Yamabushi can devastate in melee combat, but are very vulnerable to artillery killing them, not making them too hard to beat like the Cuirassiers. The only gunpowder infantry the Japanese have is the Ashigaru, and it isn’t very good against cavalry, sacrificing attack for range, hitpoints, and a good damage vs. infantry.

Japan had received guns and artillery from Portugal merchants when they crashed into Japan during a storm. The weapons were quickly mass-produced in Japan, giving them an army equipped with the best swords in the world and already great marksmen.

The Japanese military is one that relies not on numbers, but on powerful troops and melee units getting in to attack while ranged units give cover fire.

Unique Units

Ashigaru: Light Infantry. The Ashigaru were the basic Japanese infantry that advanced in weapons as they came into contact with western powers. Ashigaru are available from the colonial age, but they use the yari, the Japanese spear that is long like a pike, until the fortress age, where they use muskets. Ashigaru have a longer range than musketeers, and more hitpoints, but they have a lower attack, which can only be made up in the Imperial Age by researching their royal guard upgrade. Ashigaru are good against other infantry, and stand a chance vs. cavalry unlike the skirmisher.

Karo: Heavy Infantry. The Karo was a top-ranking samurai in service of a noble in Japan. The Karo is the strongest infantry unit in the game, but unlike its cavalry counterpart, it does no additional damage like trample, and is vulnerable to artillery. In close combat Karo are mostly unmatched, and it is wise to take them down with long-range units like the skirmisher, because they can do massive amounts of damage to cavalry and infantry. Karo are in complete samurai armor and wield an Odachi, which is a Japanese equivalent of a greatsword.

Yamabushi: Heavy infantry. Japanese ascetics Buddhist monks that often participated in battles along samurai and Sohei. The Yamabushi uses a naginata, which is the Japanese glaive; it is like a halberd, but with a sword blade on the end of the shaft. Yamabushi can heal as good as priests and that is a critical part of when fighting in battle when you don’t want to risk your priests being killed. Yamabushi are good against cavalry and buildings. The best way to counter their power is to use anti-infantry artillery against them.

Sohei: Heavy cavalry. Japanese ranged cavalry that use katanas in close-range combat. Sohei were warriors proficient with almost every weapon and combat style, including the use of guns. From range the Sohei attack using an arquebus, which is a matchlock rifle used from the 15th to 16th centuries. The Sohei are good against artillery and heavy infantry, yet they fall to cavalry attacks easily, relying on Yamabushi, Cavalry Archers, or Karo to kill them.

Ninja: A very fast scout unit with a better LOS than the envoy that replaces the explorer. The ninja is best at raiding against settlers, because of their villager bonus, but that is only given in the Colonial Age. When attacking the ninja uses shuko, which are handclaws like katars, that were used to make it like a wild animal mauled the victim. Ninja are average in combat vs. infantry, but will fall easily to an attack of cavalry, so their battle prowess is limited. Ninja are normally used to scout and take down small batches of enemies with their assassination ability available from the Ninjutsu card. Ninja can't be trained, but are shipped every age you advance up. Ninja can be rescued if killed.

Discovery Age- 2
Colonial Age- 2
Fortress Age- 2
Industrial Age- 2
Imperial Age- 2

Red Seal Ship: A merchant ship armed with cannons, used in the 17th century. Red Seal ships have more attack than caravels, but are slower and less good at exploring. They can gather coin from whales, but cannot fish for food.
Unique Unit Status

Ashigaru
First Available: Colonial Age II
Cost: 90 food 15 gold
Population: 1
Hitpoints: 170
Speed: 5
Resists: 15% vs. range in melee mode, 20% vs. melee in volley mode
Range Attack: 16
Range Rate of Fire: 5
Range: 23
Range Bonus: x2 vs. all infantry
Melee Attack: 13
Melee Rate of Fire: 1.5
Melee Range: 0
Melee Bonus: none
Siege Attack: 20
Siege ROF: 3
Siege Range: 0
Siege Bonus: none

Karo
First Available: Fortress Age III
Cost: 150 food 120 gold
Population: 4
Hitpoints: 200
Speed: 4
Resists: 20% hand
Melee Attack: 30
Melee Rate of Fire: 2.5
Melee Range: 0
Melee Bonus: x2 vs. hand infantry and cavalry
Siege Attack: 13
Siege ROF: 15
Siege Range: 0
Siege Bonus: none

Yamabushi
First Available: Fortress Age III
Cost: 100 food 95 gold
Population: 3
Hitpoints: 180
Speed: 4.5
Resists: 15% hand
Melee Attack: 25
Melee Rate of Fire: 2
Melee Range: 0
Melee Bonus: x2.5 vs. cavalry
Siege Attack: 55
Siege ROF: 3.5
Siege Range: 0
Siege Bonus: x1.5 vs. buildings

Sohei
First Available: Industrial Age IV
Cost: 150 food 100 gold
Population: 2
Hitpoints: 270
Speed: 7
Resists: 20% vs. range
Range Attack: 20
Range Rate of Fire: 4
Range: 10
Range Bonus: x3 vs. heavy infantry
Melee Attack: 25
Melee Rate of Fire: 2.5
Melee Range: 0
Melee Bonus: x.5 vs. light infantry
Siege Attack: 14
Siege ROF: 3
Siege Range: 0
Siege Bonus: none

Ninja
First Available: Discovvery Age
Hitpoints: 325
Speed: 6
Resists: 15% hand
Melee Attack: 7
Melee Rate of Fire: 5
Melee Range: 0
Melee Bonus: x2 vs. infantry x2 vs. settlers
Siege Attack: 0
Siege ROF: 0
Siege Range: 0
Siege Bonus: none

Read Seal Ship
First Available: Colonial Age II
Cost: 400 wood 50 gold
Population: 10 limit
Hitpoints: 900
Speed: 6.5
Resists: 65% vs. ranged
Range Attack: 85
Range Rate of Fire: 3.5
Range: 23
Range Bonus: 1x caravels and fishing ships

Unique Technologies

Bushido- Karo, Ashigaru, and Yamabushi train faster (Age III, 200 gold 200 food)
Seclusion- All buildings are stronger (Age II, 500 gold 500 wood)
Farmer Han- A trickle of food is granted (Age V, 1200 gold 1200 wood)
Merchant Han- A trickle of coin is granted (Age IV, 1200 food 1200 wood)
Craftsman Han- A trickle of wood is granted (Age III, 1000 food, 1000 wood)

Teppo-tai: Royal guard upgrade for Ashigaru which gives them 30% more attack (Age IV, 1000 gold 1000 wood)

Kensei- Royal guard upgrade for the Karo, which gives them 25% more speed and 15% more attack (Age IV, 1000 gold, 1000 wood)

Unique Cards

Ninjutsu- Gives Ninja a special instant kill assasination ability. (Level 7)
Monastery Guild- Increases Yamabushi and Sohei attack and HP (Level 10)
Ozutsu Cannons- Increases Artillery attack (Level 5)
Seppuku- For every five Karo lost in battle one comes is shipped from the Home City (Level 15)
Daimyo’s Workers- Settlers gather faster (Level 5)
Shuinjo- Increases ships’ attack and ships 2 Red Seal Ships (Level 10)
Fudai System- Increases population by amount of your settlers (Level 25)
Great Watch of Oban- Ships ten Ronin and ten Karo (Level 25)
Imperial Palace- Ships a palace wagon, a palace is the Japanese equivalent of a factory and a capitol together, the Palace Wagon is only available through the card (Level 5)

Civilization Weaknesses

-Must rely on melee units, except the crossbowman, until Fortress Age
-Can only obtain Capitol and Factory improvements from Palace Wagon, but the Palace can fire at units like an outpost
-Japan doesn’t get any food crates in the beginning of the game
-The expensiveness of its unique units and their higher population costs

Well there you guys go, I hope I didn’t make this too much like Cy Marlayne’s Chinese Civilization, the layout is similar, but I tried to make it different. Also I will accept all feedback and try to change it based on that, but I won’t accept, “Japan is the worst idea for an expansion idea ever!” or things like that. Bottom line is I worked hard on this and I would like some positive feedback.

[This message has been edited by Yamato Take (edited 02-20-2006 @ 07:56 PM).]