Basic Unit Statistics
| Upkeep Cost | 0 | |
| Melee Attack | 2 | 6% |
| Charge Bonus | 2 | 5% |
| Bonus vs Cavalry | 0 | 0% |
| Range | 150 | 23% |
| Accuracy | 25 | 27% |
| Reloading Skill | 20 | 22% |
| Ammunition | 20 | 40% |
| Melee Defence | 1 | 2% |
| Armour | 1 | 12% |
| Morale | 3 | 7% |
| Speed | 4 | 33% |
Strengths & Weaknesses
- Fast firing and long-range infantry who can fill the sky with arrows.
- Very vulnerable to cavalry and weak in melee. Not as damaging as matchlocks.
Description
These soldiers do not possess the prowess or prestige of samurai, but they are still a formidable force. In the same time it takes to fire and reload a firearm once, these archers can loose a dozen arrows upon the enemy. Once hand-to-hand fighting starts they should retreat to safety behind the battle line, as bow ashigaru are not trained or properly equipped for melee. They must also be wary of cavalry, having little defence against a charge. Historically, bow ashigaru were used as skirmishers and sharpshooters, and were also expected to take part in close combat once they had fired all their arrows. Perhaps surprisingly, they were not made obsolete by the arrival of guns. While gunners reloaded, archers could continue to fire arrows, providing cover and maintaining the pressure on an enemy. It was the job of the yumi ko gashira, an ashigaru commander, to judge when the enemy was in range and when to fire so that no arrows were wasted. Assistants would be ready with well-stocked boxes of arrows for resupply, and, if they ran out, an archer could always pick up enemy arrows and return them to the original owners!