As with my 15mm Classical armies, I sold off pretty much all of my Dark Age and Medieval armies, retaining only my Byzantines, and a few bases of Arabs and Turks that would be useful to provide extra options for the armies I intended to build.
In the eastern Mediterranean theater that I favour cavalry of this period, who are numerous, can basically be broken down into three groups : those that relied mainly on the bow, using swords, maces or axes as a defensive weapon or against demoralised foes; those that showered the enemy with arrows then charged, generally with spears or lances; and those who might have individuals within their ranks that used a bow, but tactically relied only on lance-armed charges. There are also, of course, the Byzantine formations that mixed lance and bow-armed cavalry in different ranks and/or files.
With the exception of skirmishing light horse, all Dark Age cavalry warrants the Mounted trait. I classify cavalry as Formed (or Elite) companies when I feel unit or cultural cohesion warrants it, as Irregular when it does not. I prefer not to figure lance-armed cavalry with the Furious Charge trait, unless they have a truly ferocious reputation. Warbeasts, which I have renamed Impact, seems more appropriate, and will encourage the commander-in-chief to commit cavalry where they are truly needed to rupture the enemy line, rather than executing endless charges. Bow-armed cavalry will typically have the Shooting trait, although a few might have the Shooting (skilled) trait. Mixed formations, such as those used by the Byzantines, will have Shooting (mixed).
My Arabs in North Africa and Sicily (696-1160) count four generals and 39 companies for a total of 1435 pts, not counting Strategies or Relics.
Their mounted lancers did not use bow-fire tactically; the Arabiya, on the other hand, did. Their Berber light horse are typical javelin-armed skirmishers.
Arab and Berber spear seem to me to warrant Formed status, and were steady enough to warrant Long Spears. They can be divided into the denser formations, whose front ranks were often armoured (and have Armour ie. Doughty) and those that were less so. Formations were often backed up by a thin rank of archers, and I have thus given them Thrown Weapons which I have renamed Support. This is not really for any offensive capability, which would be marginal, but to give the units the possibility of reacting to enemy charges by a close-range shot.
Arab archers are fairly numerous (six companies). They could reasonably have been classified as either Formed or Irregular, I chose the latter, feeling that, otherwise, they were overly resistant to enemy attacks.
Berber warriors were not easy to portray. They can both rain down javelins and close for hand to hand combat. They cannot really be compared to peltasts, nor to close-quarter fighters such as Gauls, but they nonetheless had a reputation for ferociousness. I settled for Forester to represent their mobility, and Poison to give them an edge, especially against looser formations, whether they use their javelins at a distance or up close.
The numerous javelin or bow-armed light infantry are classical skirmisher profiles.
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Their Fatimid (969-1171) cousins and rivals, with five generals and 36 companies (8 of which they borrow from one or another of my Arab armies) attain 1348 pts.
Their Arab lancers are identical to those of their Sicilian brethren, as are there Berber light cavalry. Mamluks are an entirely different affair. There are various ways of representing these, depending on the relative importance of bow and lance. I chose to make them an Formed Company, with Shooting, but without Impact (ie. Warbeasts). Poison however gives them an edge in both forms of combat that I feel their reputation merits. Other options might have been Impact and Shooting (mixed) or, at the other end of the spectrum, Shooting (skilled). They might even have been an Elite Company, although that gives them incredible staying power.
The Sudanese 'abid can also be represented in various different ways. Making them a Formed Company represents the protection that the front ranks of shielded spearmen offer. Giving them Shooting rather than Shooting (mixed) places the onus on their archery role. They are vulnerable in hand to hand combat, but Long Spears ensures enemies think twice before charging.
Sudanese tribal warriors are something else altogether. They are such an unusual component in the army that giving them Stimulants seemed like a good way of representing the different possibilities. To avoid book-keeping, it is best to deploy them as a single unit, or perhaps just make one roll and apply the results to all units. Doubling their numbers to an eight-company Horde would be particularly fun !
The contingent of Daylami mountaineers completes the colourful patchwork of the Fatimid army, which always sought to balance out ethnic groups to avoid any one grabbing power. There are also multiple ways of representing this iconic troop type ! They are a great opportunity to use the Highlander trait. They are Doughty, giving them sufficient resolve to operate in smaller-sized units. Making them an Irregular Company offers them a shooting factor which above all represents the support that bow-armed rear ranks offered. Their superior combat abilities seem best represented by Berserk, (using modified rules that allow '6's to infinitely explode) as both their charge and their zupin javelins were renowned.
Last of all, the Ahdath militia, who are both Militia and Rabble, are only there to boost the army's break point; they are Unreliable to boot ! If they were meant to have a combat role, Swarm would have been a more relevant choice.
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Moving on to a third Arab army, the Dynastic Bedouin (890-1150) reach 1513 points, with five generals and 42 companies, although they borrow 28 of them from other armies. The troops of these kingdoms centred in Iraq and Syria wore Arab dress, but differ from other armies of their faith in their use of lance-armed light cavalry, and small numbers of camels.
I have classified the Bedouin medium cavalry, who do not use bows, as an Irregular Company, and distinguished the elite among them as Reliable.
The light cavalry, who charged to contact, are not therefore rated as Fast Skirmishers. They are instead Mounted. They have no other positive traits, as they are already formidable in hand-to-hand combat. I made them Rabble, which is not a comment on their fighting ability, but on the fact that they are less numerous. They are Reliable, which both indicates their status within the army, but also offers them the option to range far and wide.
The four companies of Camel Riders, used in these armies in a scouting role, are Fast Skirmishers. As well as making them Malodorous, I have given them Shooting (skilled) as another means to represent their disruptive effects on enemy formations.
The Bedouin dynasties employed small numbers of Turkish ghulams. It is postulated that many of these did not use the lance in this period, but were bow-armed cavalry that closed with swords and maces. They were often guard formations, so I have made them a Formed Company, with Shooting.
All the infantry from this army are borrowed from others. The Daylami profile is taken from that of the Fatimids, the Bedouin warriors are taken to be identical to those of the Berbers of the North African / Sicilian Arabs. Bedouin archers are the equivalent of Arab archers, be they deployed as large units or as light infantry, as are their javelineers.
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My last Arab-influenced army is that of the Dynastic Kurdish (950-1085). With five generals and 46 bases (22 of which they borrow, however, from other armies), they can field a whopping 1661 points. Again, the troops of these kingdoms based in northern Iraq wore Arab dress. Their particularity stems from their reliance on cavalry, and also the presence of a Daylami ally contingent.
Kurdish cavalry, lance- but not bow-armed was renowned for its dangerous charges, so I made the Kurdish nobles Elite companies, with Impact (Warbeasts). In a similar vein, the bulk of the Kurdish heavy cavalry are Formed companies. With twelve companies of mounted lancers in total, the Kurds will be a formidable opponent, especially as they are Reliable.
Kurdish light horse fought like their Arab cousins rather than like their Bedouin neighbours, so are Fast Skirmishers.
Like the Dynastic Bedouins, the Kurds employed Turkish ghulams, which have the same profile as those of their neighbour.
As previously noted, the Kurds seem to have scorned the use of infantry, so their archers, whilst dense enough formations to warrant Shooting, are classified as Rabble. Better that the enemy does not start to shoot back !
For this army, I have built a specific Daylami allied contingent. Instead of being Berserk, the twelve companies of Daylami warriors are Belligerent. They are allies, who may be fighting under constraint and/or for their own survival, rather than mercenaries fighting for money ! They are backed up by eight companies of Daylami bow-armed light infantry, with the standard profile.
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The army of Nikephorian Byzance (963-1041) can field five generals and 42 bases and reach 1586 points, including a strong Rus ally contingent.
There are only two companies of Kataphraktoi, but as an Elite company with the Monstrous trait, as well as Impact (Warbeasts), they pack a powerful punch. To force the trait as it were, I decided against making them Fast.
The mixed lance and bow formation of the Kavallarioi is represented by a Formed company, with Impact (Warbeasts) and Shooting (mixed). They are hence as good as the shock cavalry of their Arab neighbours, with bowfire as a bonus, and compared to Ghulams, have less firepower but are better in combat, especially on their first charge.
I decided to play the Prokourstares as medium rather than light cavalry, making them nonetheless an Irregular Company to reflect their dual role, with Shooting.
All of the Byzantine cavalry is classed as Reliable.
To differentiate the famous Byzantine Skoutatoi from the Fatimid 'abid, I gave the former Shooting (mixed) instead of Shooting. They will therefore have a greater ability to close for combat, whilst their Long Spears can also frighten off enemies long enough for their feebler archery to nonetheless be troublesome. I also made them Drilled. While the trait is of limited use for slow moving troops, it can nonetheless be useful during the initial phases of the battle, thanks to the extra movement offered to troops in column that are still distant from the enemy.
By this period, the Varegues were trained and disciplined. Making them an Elite company with Heavy Melee Weapons seems the most appropriate choice.
The Byzantine psiloi are Expendable Rabble, as they do not seem to play an important role in Byzantine tactics.
The two companies of Byzantine artillery do not have Poison, but they do have Powerful Missile Weapon, and can exploit their indirect fire capability.
The Rus allied contingent is itself multi-ethnic. At its heart are six companies of Rus, who seem to have fought in fairly loose formations with a mix of spears and axes. They are Foresters. As for the Rus' bow-armed light infantry are of better quality than that of the Byzantines, so have the standard profile.
They bring with them both Petcheneg and Magyar light cavalry. Both have the standard profile (Fast Skirmishers), but to reflect the Magyar's exceptional reputation as horse archers, they have Barrage rather than Shooting (mixed). Shooting was another option, but seemed overpowered for a skirmish formation.
As an ally contingent, all of the above are Unreliable which I chose over Belligerent as there is no reason to portray them as particularly aggressive.
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The Normans (1041-1072) represent those that carved themselves out a kingdom in southern Italy. They are smaller than my other armies, with five generals and 33 bases, but still make 1337 pts.
My idea was to radically distinguish the Norman milites from other cavalry formations of the region. I decided to make them an Elite company, with Reckless and Armour (Doughty). This gives them impressive resolve and melee capabilities. They are unusually fast, but that could reasonably represent their decisiveness, impulsiveness, or their belief in their own abilities. With this profile, the milites are about equivalent to the best Arab heavy cavalry on the first shock, but since their combat skill is boosted by their profile rather than Impact (Warbeasts), the Normans are just as dangerous evey time they fight. They are also Proud, as I doubt they pay much attention to the other elements of their army, at least not until they have all fled the field ! Each company is worth a whopping 55 points.
The knights are accompanied by a few companies of medium cavalry, which I have made Militia to represent the fact that they did not get the better horses.
The six companies of Norman spearmen are a Formed Company, but making them Militia seemed appropriate. I toyed with the idea of also giving them Rabble, but the front ranks being largely armoured ought to cancel out the lack of cohesion.
Archers and crossbowmen have dense enough formations to warrant Shooting, but with Rabble will have little staying power unless grouped into large formations.
The foot skirmishers, be they javelin-armed Gascons, or crossbow-armed Normans, have the standard profile. Last up, the Unreliable Levies are only there to guard the camp, and are Militia and Rabble.
