Nobunaga's Ambition
Typed out by tsr
NES-NZ-USA
Nobunaga's Ambition(tm)
Instruction Manual
Koei - Strategy Game Series
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We supply the past...
The last battle of Oda Nobunaga
High above the gates of Honno Temple, a great white banner fluttered gently in
the early morning breeze. There were no colorful symbols upon its face, only
five words written in black ink:
RULE THE EMPIRE BY FORCE
These words were first spoken by the daimyo Oda Nobunaga, many years ago.
Then, he was still only one lord among the many warlords who battled for
supremacy during the bloodiest time in Japan's history. This period is called
the Warring States period, and that is exactly what it was: a time when Japan
was divided into many little states, each ruled by a daimyo (lord). These
daimyos battled endlessly for control of the country.
About this time, a young and ambitious daimyo named Oda Nobunaga seized the
Oda clan from his brothers, and took control of the province called Owari.
From there, he launched attacks on nearby countries, and quickly came to rule
all of central Japan. He was the first daimyo to get this far in his quest for
supremacy.
Now, on the morning of June 2nd, 1582, his banner boldly announced his
presence in the city of Kyoto. Yet, beneath his fearsome standard, Nobunaga
slept restlessly.
On the top of the nearby Rono hill, field marshal Akechi Mitsuhide gathered
his troops around him. The first light of dawn cast a shadow across his face,
masking his dark features. The men, armed with spears, swords, and rifles,
whispered nervously while they waited for their leader to speak.
You see, Mitsuhide had once been Nobunaga's greatest general, and had fought
in may campaigns alongside his master. His love for his lord was so strong,
that once, in order to convince the enemy Hatano clan of Nobunaga's
trustworthiness, he gave them his own mother as a hostage. This was a tragic
mistake. Nobunaga betrayed the Hatanos and Mitsuhide's mother was put to
death. Ever since, Mitsuhide was sullen and quiet in the presence of his lord.
The men were ready for action. Rumors has been spreading for weeks of how they
were to go into action in southwestern Japan. With north and central Japan
already accounted for, victory in the southwest would spell final success for
Nobunaga. Surely it was the excitement of such a thought that caused their
leader, Mitsuhide, to savor this moment, and draw out this silence. Then,
Mitsuhide spoke.
"My men, I know how eager you must be for battle. For weeks, you have listened
to the battle reports from the southwestern front. I expect that you are ready
to march this very morning, ready to die for your master."
"I, too, showed such loyalty to my master, once. But no longer. From today, I
am your master, not Nobunaga. You will not march to battle in the southwest,
because his enemy is not yours. Your enemy is my enemy."
Mitsuhide paused, and pointed directly at the banner of Lord Oda.
"And my enemy is the Honno Temple."
Oda Nobunaga woke to the sound of distant gunfire. He was immediately alert,
and in a single practiced motion, leaped from his sleeping mat and drew his
sword. With his back against the wall, he held his sword at the ready, and
listened. Just then, Mori Ranmaru, Nobunaga's young page, burst into the room.
Ranmaru bled from several small sword wounds, and his uniform was torn and
soaked. His eyes were wide with terror.
"My Lord! We are besieged!" he cried.
"By how many? And how did they manage to get past Mitsuhide's guards? Answer
me at once!"
Ranmaru was near tears as he answered, "The enemy numbers over 13,000, and
they are none other than your own troops, led by field marshal Mitsuhide."
"Mitsuhide? A traitor? Unbelievable!" Nobunaga's voice dropped to barely a
whisper. Then, with great speed, he donned his battle armor and stalked out
of the room.
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Introduction
Congratulations! You have purchased a game that has been a bestseller in Japan
for over five years! The version you've bought has been improved many times
before arriving in America. We think Nobunaga's Ambition combines the best of
entertainment and education. But don't worry! All this means is that the
events and characters are based on real life. You don't have to know a lot of
Japanese history to play this game, but knowing a little will make playing
this game much more fun!
The time
Nobunaga's Ambition takes place during Japan's civil war period, from 1467 to
1568. The wars began with the fall of Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa in 1467.
Without the Shogun, the government fell apart and daimyos fought amongst
themselves for the right to be the new Shogun of Japan. This continued for
about 100 years. Then, in the year 1568, Oda Nobunaga became powerful enough
to choose a new shogun for Japan and the Warring States Period officially
came to an end.
The setting
The situation in Japan was similar to America during her Civil War, but
instead of being devided into only North and South, Japan was divided into
hundreds of feudal states. Each state, or "fief", was ruled by a powerful lord
called a "daimyo". Every daimyo ruled his fief like a little country, and
every daimyo believed that he was the most fit to be shogun.
Without any central government, the daimyos began to fight among themselves,
usually for no reason at all. Daimyos that vere victorious became power-mad
tyrants. Revolts and uprisings among peasants, soldiers, even monks became
commonplace. Daimyos that were not victorious were killed. The country was
thrown into violent confusion.
The three great daimyos
Unifying the country in the face of so much chaos was too great a task for any
one man. Japan was finally unified by three great daimyos: the great Oda
Nobunaga, his successor Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu.
The character of each of these three men is best summed up in a simple story
told to Japanese children. Imagine these three men sitting in a simple room.
At the center of the room is a small cuckoo that refuses to sing for them.
When asked what they will do, Nobunaga quickly said "I would kill the bird."
Hideyoshi replied, "I would force the bird to sing." Ieyasu merely said, "I
would wait until it wanted to sing."
Oda Nobungag (1534-1582)
Nobunaga was not the first daimyo to dream of ruling the country, but he was
the first to make his dream a reality. By the time of his death, Nobunaga had
managed to conquer all of central Japan. It was Nobunaga who started the final
unification of Japan, and if he hadn't been killed by a tracherous general, he
probably would have finished it.
Nobunaga was an outstanding military commander. On many occasions, he defeated
armies much larger than his own. Besides strategy, his cruelty was legendary.
When a group of monks called the Ikko Sect rebelled against him, he burned
down their temple. When they rose again, he massacred the priests and their
families. This was Nobunaga's method for dominating Japan. His motto was:
"Rule the Empire by Force."
Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536-1598)
When Nobunaga was killed by Akechi Mitsuhide, his ambition of unifying Japan
was picked up by his general, Hashiba Hideyoshi. After destroying the
villainous Akechi Mitsuhide, Hideyoshi continued to build on Nobunaga's
domain. He won over all the southern islands of Kyushu and Shikoku, and
outlasted his remaining enemies in the north. He became the greatest military
power in Japan, and changed his name to Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
But, military strength was not enough. Although none of the other daimyos were
powerful enough to challenge him, they did not call him master. Hideyoshi was
really just a lowly farmer who had made good. His low birth made it impossible
for him to become shogun. And, when Hideyoshi died of old age in 1598, the
country was leaderless again.
Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542-1616)
When Nobunaga died, Ieyasu refused to accept Hideyoshi as his master. He knew
however, that a war was not the answer, and decided to be patient and wait.
When Hideyoshi passed away, Ieyasu seized his chance.
After Hideyoshi's death, Japan was split into two opposing sides: the East,
under Tokugawa Ieyasu, and the West, under Ishida Mitsunari. In the year 1600,
the two armies met in the Battle of Sekigahara. Tokugawa Ieyasu emerged the
victor, and, after nearly twenty years of patient service under both Nobunaga
and Hideyoshi, he became the supreme ruler of Japan. The government he built
was so stable that it lasted for almost 300 years. These 300 years of peace
are called the Tokugawa Period.
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... You make the history
Game set up
1. Make sure the power switch is OFF.
2. Insert your Nobunaga's Ambition game pak as described in your Nintendo
Entertainment System manual.
3. Turn the power switch ON.
4. After the opening screen has been displayed, press any button to begin game
preliminaries.
How to play
1. How to use the controller
The number of the controller you should be using will always appear on the
lower right corner of the screen.
a) Answering Yes or No questions
To answer a "Y/N" question, press the Control Pad arrow pointing to the
desired answer.
b) Entering numbers
To select a number, press the UP arrow on your Control Pad to increase the
number and DOWN to decrease it. If you wish to make a number with more than
one digit, press the RIGHT arrow after you have selected the first digit
and proceed as before to select another digit. Make sure that you don't
press Button A until you have finished entering your number because the
number that is shown will be entered.
2. Scenario selection
You can choose between two scenarios. Scenario One is simpler and consists
of the 17 fiefs (states) of central Japan, while in Scenario Two you must
unify all 50 fiefs of Japan.
a) 17 fief game
Starting date: Spring of 1560
You can be the leader of one of the 17 fiefs that make up the central
region of Japan.
b) 50 fief game
Starting date: Spring of 1560
You can be the leader of one of the 50 fiefs that make up all of Japan.
3. Displays
a) Main Display
The present conditions in your country are shown in this mode. Any commands
about running your country or about negotiating with other countries are
also given in this mode. You have one turn for every season of the year.
You may issue one order per fief per season.
b) Battle Display
Whenever one of your fiefs goes to war or is attacked, the screen will
switch to the battle display. (See WAR and BATTLEFIELD COMMANDS.)
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Before you start
1. New Game/Load Data
If this is the first time you've played the game, or if you are starting a new
game, you should select Y to a new game. If you want to continue a game you
saved earlier, you should select N.
2. Selecting Scenario
You will be asked to choose between the 17 fief game and the 50 fief game.
3. Viewing Battles Between Other Countries
During the game, computer controlled daimyos will often invade one another. If
you enter Y, you may watch these battles on the battle display.
4. Selecting Number of Players
One to eight may play. If there is more than one person playing, each player
must answer the following questions 5 through 7 before the next player can
answer.
5. Selecting Fief
When you select a fief, you become that fief's daimyo. In the 50 fief
scenario, the map is divided into 7 sections, in the 17 fief scenario, only 2
sections. See MAIN DISPLAY II on how to view all the other fiefs.
6. Setting Daimyo Abilities
When you start out, the maximum ability value is 109. The value of these
abilities will change during the game. The maximum value these abilities can
reach is 210.
a) Health: The healthier your daimyo is, the less likely he is to become ill.
Since there are some commands a sick daimyo cannot give, you should try to
keep your daimyo's health as high as possible. Health values will decrease
every spring and anytime there is an epidemic. If your health reaches zero,
your daimyo will die!
b) Drive: This value represents how badly your daimyo actually want to unite
Japan. Your drive will increase every time you win a battle.
c) Luck: As in all games, the luckier you are, the better your chances are of
winning. Luck will decrease whenever marriage negotiations fail. Of course,
there are no commands you can give to increase this value because like in
real life, it will change on its own.
d) Charm: This value represents your daimyo's popularity. The greater this
value, the more loyalty your daimyo can expect from his peasants and
soldiers. This value will increase when you give rice or gold to your
peasants or win a war.
e) IQ: Your daimyo's intelligence influences the effectiveness of many
commands. IQ will increase when you win a battle and decrease when you
lose.
7. Selecting Skill Level
This number will determine how difficult the game will be, if you select 1
it won't be as hard as if you select 5.
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Main display I
1) Current year, seasin and fief number.
2) The name of the daimyo, his portrait, and the type of fief.
3) Daimyo's ability values.
4) Country data.
5) List of orders.
6) Current market price. Prices will change throughout the year.
Main display II
If you press Button B you will leave the main display and find your position
on the map.
Since you can only see some fiefs at a time, use the UP or RIGHT arrows to
look at the next selection of the map to the NORTH, and the DOWN or LEFT
arrows to look at the next section to the SOUTH (this is identical to Command
18