Let's Talk Mongols...

[GeneralLee]

I've determined that I'm not a fan of the current FOG army I have now. My concentration in school was Middle-Eastern/Asian studies, and I always had a fondness for Mongols (they make any party better, kinda like Chex Mix). IlKhanids, Mughals, Golden Horde, the whole nine. Mongols are fun. However, the folks down at my FLGS don't know a whole lot about how they play. I know the history but I need to know how to play them, specifically the IlKhanids.

So, how do the Mongols handle?

[eldiablito]

Okay, as someone who LOSES to many shooting cavalry armies, I can give some input. I also did a quick army check in Empires of the Dragon and built a very fast Ghengis Khan army list (hey, why not, it's THE MAN)...

So, I was able to build a list that was 2 superior cavalry BGs, 1 average cavalry BG, 3 average light horse BGs, and 6 superior light horse BGs. Meh... I'm sure that there are better Mongolian lists out there.

Anywhoo, a shooting cavalry list will have a +4 to their initiative, and the steppes; this means that you will likely have the terrain and can really open up the board! You shouldn't have any problems with terrain placement. Your board should be near empty!

Now, by using several LH BGs, you run those up the middle and slow down the enemy's (hopefully) less maneuverable units. With the flanks unprotected, you should overload a flank with your cavalry and light horse. Try to swing your LH around the flanks and rear of a single anchor. I've seen my buddies drop no less than 9-10 dice onto a single BG. For most BGs, you are hitting on 4s and should get 4-5 hits easily (especially with your re-rolls). That means, every time you can pull that off, your opponent will have to test with a -1 or -2 and take a deathroll! No, you don't win quickly, but it is hard to lose too. One of my frequent opponents complained that an army like the Mongol Conquest have too many superior and not enough dice. You end up taking too long and running out of time to win. To offset that, he prefers to use the LH to disrupt an opponent and then charges in with a slightly less expensive, Superior, Armoured Lancer Cavalry. You end up busting through that anchor more quickly and can then ,rapidly, take advantage of the failed battleline. OH! This (of course) means that you have to find a different steppe army (perhaps the Hunns?)...

Finally, for some words to the wise... Cavalry can skirmish when in a single rank (4 wide). When they are in a square (2 by 2), then they can be charged and you'll never evade. Also, Light Horse can pull a pretty cool maneuver when they charge the flank of a disrupted or fragmented enemy. Sure the LH only get 2 dice to the enemy, but the enemy is now down a PoA in melee for fighting in 2 directions. This is really cool when fighting a cavalry unit in the front (armoured and swordsmen in the front is alright, but when you have 2 BGs against the 1 enemy... the results are deadly).

Have fun!

[GeneralLee]

Thanks for the input! Yeah, the Mongols are a favorite of mine.

When I originally got into this game, the guys at my FLGS discouraged me from getting a Mongol or any other Asian army because of they might be a little too rough a beginner to handle. I'm not exactly a wargame newb and I have plenty of knowledge about ancient/medieval strategy and tactics, so the only real learning curve I'm facing is the rules.

Like I said in the OP, they pushed me to get the Post-Roman Britons, but I'm not much for European history. So since I can't find any Samurai armies, I went to one of my other favorites. I'm also considering some other MiddleEastern armies.

[IanB3406]

A Mongol list with a bg of lancers or knights is nice. Ilkhanid can get both Kurdish lancers and hospitallers, making them one of the most powerful Mongol options IMO. The drilled hospitallers can get to the week point in the enemy line and smash through....all the while your opponent is worried about getting pincushioned to death.

[grahambriggs]

Mongol types are a good army in this game. The main army options are:

Drilled Cavalry and light horse with bow. Make the cavalry suerior armoured. There are opposing schools of thought on whether the light horse should be average or superior, with the latter shading the argument (because their shooting is just better enough to make the difference). That then makes you worry about the number of battle groups. What generals to take is an uinteresting question. New players take an IC to get steppe. But losing the initiative roll is no bad thing. There will be more terrain but you get to move first. So three or four TCs could be an option. Using a subordinate general field commander can be useful as his flank march will turn up earlier.

The other main option is cavalry and light horse before but adding one or more superior heavily armoured knight units. The Ilkanids get a handy unit of proper knights, plus they can take a 'knight plus filler' Armenian ally. You could even take a Mongol cavalry unit as unprotected superior as rear support. This gets you around one of the problems with the Cv/LH only outfits: people can press you back with a well constructed line of medium weight troops - enough generals and rear support to shrug off shooting, enough strength to make a cavalry charge a big risk. The "proper knights will batter through a medium weight line in the blink of an eye. So your opponent now has a difficulty: close up to face the knights and get your flanks killed or spread out and risk a frontal break through.

[GeneralLee]

I appreciate the feedback. I got really discouraged for a while but my friends encouraged me to keep at this. And I think that a IlKhanid Mongol army is new goal. I like the IlKhanids and Hulegu. Now, I'm excited about this again.

Thanks, folks.

[philqw78]

Mongol is one of the few armies where I think more generals is better. Take 4 TC and manoeuver.

[david53]

Its a pity you've gone IlKhanid Mongol I have found that the BG of Knights slows you up and uses lots of points when what you want is more shooting and more superior shooting. The other downer with them is no Steppes, playing the Mongols move and shoot is the way get around the back of the enemy which you can do more easily on the steppes with small 6 by 4 terrain. Still use them while you can before V2 comes out and has you rebasing your troops.

Dave

[philqw78]

Still use them while you can before V2 comes out and has you rebasing your troops.

Dave

Buy more Dave, its another excuse to do so.

[Fluffy]

One group of superior, armoured lancers and some armoured cv with just swords can charge quite effectivly, esp when you are nimble enough to pick your fights and your LH has taken a toll already.

I've never seen knighs and LH in FoG, but cats and LH armies are quite potent, so it should work.

[eldiablito]

No knights and LH in your local games?!?! My goodness Fluffy, that's all we ever do some nights...

I tend to play either 4th or 2nd Crusade (Later Crusader Saracen allies or Latin Greek with Turk allies).
3 of my local players enjoy playing one of the several Hungarian armies (Kn and LH are almost the only thing that the early and middle hungarians can field).
Finally, one buddy of mine has built an army of Feudal Castillians with 6 BGs of Knights (and 2 of them are drilled). Although he has a little bit of scrap, the real body of his army are the knights and Jinetes.