Turn 1 Village rush

[trevorcuba]

It seems like a lot of us are doing a turn 1 rush to villages. The strategy is simple: Take an armory card on your first turn, use your starting influence to send your starting units to one of the southern watchtowers, then use starting Koku to take the 3 villages next to it. It costs a lot of resources but you get 3 random resources back. Your units are now sitting ducks for ambushes but all your opponent has done is catch up to your tempo and has now lost an opportunity to score a battle objective after doing a control objective in the future. If your opponent are REALLY not paying attention then you are now in position to take 2 shrines next turn. And if you are Phoenix, Dragon, or Scorpion you are in a great position to start setting up private control objectives.

Are there any significant downsides to this strat?

[Henshin41]

You're a free target for those who keep their army united, giving them also one Victory point without dispense ressources.

You spend 3 ressources, you take back 3 by villages. You take one or two victory point but you will not use again 2 soldiers who will stay where they are (too costly to reunite them). So in fact you spend 5 ressources (1 influence, 2 koku and 2 soldiers) to gain 3.
Doesn't seems so worth it (maybe with the unicorn who move better)