Abbasid list : cmments and expansion advice please?

[benos]

Hi there,
dug out some Ghilmen figures so the Arabs are getting turned into Abbasids now,

currently looking at
IC
2 x TC
4 x 4 Ghilmen : sup drilled armoured cav, bow, sword
3 x 6 spearmen :poor, undrilled, protected, heavy foot defensive spear
with 3 poor undrilled unprotected bow light foot
6 dailami: 4 as armoured superior medium foot, drilled impact foot, swordsmen, 2 as drilled superior, unprotected light foot bow
4 bedouin : light horse, undrilled, unprotected, average lancers, swordsmen
4 khurusanian volunteers : light horse, undrilled, unprotected, avarage, bow
8 volunteer foot: medium foot protected superior undrilled impact foot, swordsmen

totals 753, any advice on going up to 800 points or down to 700?

any tactics beyond the usual shooty cavalry ones? (3 blocks of poor foot are pretty much guards for the camp or mobile scenery

cheers
Ben

[Phaze_of_the_Moon]

I'd beef up the Dailami, I like 8 without archers.

Not much point having troops you need to hide, you could bump the foot up to average. You have more than twice the minimum required so you can go down to two groups if you need points.

The Seperately Deployed Archers, or another BG of LH, could be useful too.

[madmike111]

The list looks good to me, I like the dailami with supporting archers as well, cheap and fill in the lines well. Actually your list is almost a clone of what I now use.

I like the poor spear, they are so cheap but don't be afraid to use them in the main line. You can use them in the center of your line, just remember to move up something (not the spear) to within 6mu of the enemies center so they can't double move and hit your spear too quick. By placing the spear in the center the enemy will have to match your formation with his own troops which will usually be much more expensive.

The trick is that if the enemy matches your poor spear in the center they must have few pts on the flanks. And the flanks is where your Ghilmen are bested used. Also I like to max out the terrain in particular the open fields, your 2 MF units will have a real advantage and in my last few games have been the cutting edge of my army.

I would drop the IC and get another 2 generals instead. You can use the 4 generals on the flanks to rapidly move your guys up so you are pressing the enemy with a couple of turns. With you pressing in on the flanks its very dangerous for the enemy to advance in the center as you will get chances for flank attacks.

[benos]

cheers gents, both with some useful advice

is the loss of pre-battle initiative worht the extra commander?

the abassids at the time they can have plenty of ghilmen cannot have many avarage spear, also figuring as cheap troops that are not that easy a kill, they make a goodish road-block?
any advice on deployment order (something i'm still learning for certain)

Ben

[WhiteKnight]

The loss of PBI is often an advantage as you move first and are more likely to be able to double move where it matters most to your plan. Increasingly I find it helpful with an MF/Mtd based army to lose the PBI, and I can see with HF getting a chance of two double moves where your HF line faces an enemy HF line, again you have more choice over where the lines will clash.

Martin