For example, rather than the stone castles of the Sengoku period, castles in Rise of the Samurai are little more than wooden forts, even at higher levels.

While many of the basic concepts are the same, the technology and culture are both more 'primitive'. The shift from the 1500s (the Sengoku period of the original Shogun 2) to this earlier era means different units, buildings, agents, and arts. Uniting your family's supporters, and destroying those who support your enemies, is crucial to dominating the world map.

the provinces between the major families are held by minor lords and vassals who each hold some allegiance or loyalty to one of the three families. These three families make up the game's six factions, as each family has two 'sub-families' that start out allied but may come to blows later. Rise of the Samurai's campaign takes place during the Gempei War, a war of succession between three powerful families: the Minamoto, the Taira, and the Fujiwara. A downloadable pack for 'Total War: Shogun 2', 'Rise of the Samurai' moves Shogun 2's gameplay from the Muromachi period (1500s) to the Heian period (1100s), with appropriate changes in art, units, and strategies.