Sea Peoples army list being too simplistic

[ilpars]

I am not sure this the right place as army lists are from tabletop game.

Sea peoples were a tribal coalition from very different backgrounds. Sherden tribe is the one that army list fits good. But some tribes are probably Greek so possibly their units would look like Myckenean ones. Some are from Anatolian coast which would probably have units similar to Luwian army. Peleset were probably would like Phillistines descendent from them. Tjejer tribe would be probably mostly lightly armed (as irregular infantry in the list I gues they are currently represented). Being mostly naval transported overall chariot numbers fit well in the army list.

Able to have a more mixed army would be more fun and historical.

[Athos1660]

a more mixed army would be more (...) historical.

« historical » means based on written and archaeological traces, not maybe, most likely, etc. The issue with the Sea Peoples is that very little (if anything) is known for sure about them.

Their geographical origin is uncertain. And the fact of coming from an area does not imply possessing the military equipment of their area and the ability to use it. Irl the first ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ of early 17th century (filibusters, buccaneers…), while being partly European, didn’t use pikes, cavalry, artillery or warships as their contemporary European soldiers did on the battlefield , but a few muskets, axes, machetes and anything cheap and pointy that could be made or mended and would hurt + small and cheap small boats for quick and silent boarding. They were away from home, too poor and not sufficiently structured to import and buy military items from Europe, unable to perform military tactics, too few, etc. and it was not even necessary to carry out their tasks.

This kind of makes me think of how the Sea peoples list is built in FOG2.

And the list seems fun with lots of angry Impact foot, light chariots and Light Spear LF (and it has dedicated 3D models).

Anyway, you could of course suggest specific units.

For fun, you could also easily mod and share your own list, adding a few units to the FoG2 list, if you have ideas. Here are a few tuto :
viewtopic.php?t=79848
viewtopic.php?f=491&t=81328
viewtopic.php?f=491&t=80816

PS : I find the word ‘simplistic’ in the title of the thread harsch (and false). Imho the list is as ‘historical’ as possible.

[Karvon]

I've thought the Sea People's list interesting, but felt some additional ally options might be plausible. After some discussion with chatgpt, this is what it suggested:

Tier 1 – Strong Historical Case
Late Mycenaean (LH IIIC)
Why this is strong:
Aegean material culture appears in Philistine sites.
Denyen may connect to Danaans.
Naue II sword spread from Europe through the Aegean.
Gameplay fit:
Heavy infantry core
Some medium foot
Minimal cavalry
Feels very “Sea Peoples shock infantry”
This is probably the most academically defensible addition.

Western Anatolian (Lukka / Arzawan types)
The Lukka are explicitly named in both Hittite and Egyptian texts.
Why it works:
Known maritime raiders pre-collapse
Likely part of coalition movements
Geographically central to the crisis
Gameplay fit:
Medium infantry
Rough terrain strength
Some flexibility
Very good historical justification.

Tier 2 – Plausible but Less Certain
Syro-Hittite / Neo-Hittite
After the collapse of the Hittite Empire, successor states emerged in north Syria.
Possible that:
Some Sea Peoples integrated
Alliances formed during fragmentation
Gameplay fit:
Defensive infantry
Some chariot remnants
Adds tactical variety

Nuragic Sardinian
If Sherden = Sardinians (still debated), this is a flavorful addition.
Why plausible:
Horned helmet iconography match
Name similarity (Shardana / Sardinia)
Gameplay fit:
Strong heavy infantry
Warrior culture vibe
Historically debated, but thematically excellent.

Tier 3 – Speculative but Interesting
Cypriot (Alashiya)
Cyprus was heavily affected in the collapse period.
Possible:
Refugees joined coalitions
Trade networks collapsed into raiding networks
Adds missile troops and variety.

Early Dorian / Early Greek (post-Mycenaean)
If you lean into “population movement within Greece” theory, this can simulate internal Aegean collapse dynamics.
More theoretical than evidence.

Naturally, you could make your own TT style mod, if you wanted to test this out. Or, present reasonable evidence supporting your preference to RBS in hopes of him potentially accepting and adding it in some further update down the road.

[MVP7]

Additional ally options would be a neat way to enable the speculative compositions while keeping the base Sea Peoples army list intact.

[ilpars]

Additional ally options would be a neat way to enable the speculative compositions while keeping the base Sea Peoples army list intact.

Yes, that will be a very neat solution.

[tyronec]

I think the list is fine as it is.
If more 'average' type units from the period were included, or allies allowed, it would change the character from an unmanoeuvrable impact army to something closer to some of the other army lists. Except with those superior armored impact foot it would be a powerful list, perhaps too much so unless it were nerfed in some way.

[Athos1660]

It also depends on what kind of (war)game you want, whether or not you're willing to add speculations and mistakes.