Sassanid advice

[footslogger]

I plan to be fielding Sassanids in a tournament soon. It's an early period Sassanid army. My list is kinda governed by what I have painted at this time. Would appreciate any advice about how to use it. It's 800 pts exactly. I have 6 stands of LF archers and 6 stands of LF slingers and another general I could use if need be (if you want to do some minor list fiddling):

1xIC
2xTC
6 Cats Ct Hvy Arm/Sup/undr/lance/sw
6 Cats Ct Hvy Arm/Sup/undr/lance/sw
2 Elephants
4 Asavaran Cv/Arm/Sup/Undr/bow/sw
4 Asavaran Cv/Arm/Sup/Undr/bow/sw
4 Asavaran Cv/Arm/Sup/Undr/bow/sw
4 Asavaran Cv/Arm/Sup/Undr/bow/sw
4 Horse archers LH/unprot/Avg/Undr/bow
4 Horse archers LH/unprot/avg/undr/bow
4 Horse archers LH/unprot/avg/undr/bow

[WhiteKnight]

personal preference is for cats in fours, will give you a bit more flexibility and another BG.
I wonder about the elephants, too. Again, I wouldn't pick them above the LF and/or another general, as I don't find one BG of them useful in a army based on shooting...better to have more shooters?

Martin

[GHGAustin]

I actually like the elephants in a tournament army for my Sassanids. They are the one shock element that can really stand up to knights head to head. I actually run more elehpants and fewer cataphracts. (That's just what I have painted, though.)

I agree with idea of running the cataphracts in units of 4.

[rbodleyscott]

I have used Sassanids a lot. I would recommend that you stick to 6s for the cataphracts. Each BG of cataphracts really needs its own personal general, otherwise it can't even wheel near the enemy without a CMT. You will also get more bang for your buck when your generals fight in the front rank.

Personally, I would junk the IC and replace him with 2 TCs. Much more useful in a Sassanid army - the troops are tough, they don't need a nanny. They will also benefit from generals fighting in the front rank, and you won't want to put an IC in the front rank, so that's effectively 2 more front rank generals.

I am not convinced that 2 elephants are worth bothering with. At least 4 or none at all would be my view.

[DaiSho]

I plan to be fielding Sassanids in a tournament soon. It's an early period Sassanid army. My list is kinda governed by what I have painted at this time. Would appreciate any advice about how to use it. It's 800 pts exactly. I have 6 stands of LF archers and 6 stands of LF slingers and another general I could use if need be (if you want to do some minor list fiddling):

I had a bad experience with undrilled Cataphracts in a competition and will never take them again. That said, I'm sure people have great success with them. I'm quite partial to Drilled Cataphracts though, but I'm not sure if you can have them.

I agree with a previous poster about taking them in units of 4. Being able to turn on the spot and STILL be in your fighting formation is a powerful option (IMHO). This means that you DON'T have to perform any other kind of manouver to get back into fighting shape which for undrilled is murder, and for drilled is hard enough - but I'm sold on mounted in 4's so maybe that's just me. That said, RBS made a good point in another thread about larger units benefitting from the attached generals, so maybe I'm using them wrong.

I like the idea of the elephants, but again the only army I've taken elephants in was a (mostly) foot army and I had a place I could hide them and give some muscle. I'd be worried about protecting the elephants in your army. Anything that is decent that can protect them will be disordered by them. But that's not to say don't take them, that's to say ask around and see what people do with them in Cavalry armies. I have no advise.

Without being obvious, you're going to have a hard time against 'difficult terrain' types, but that's a problem with this army no matter what you do.

Give it a go, it looks like a solid list.

Ian

[sergiomonteleone]

Hi,
in this period I'm playing a lot Sassanid and also Palmyran for a tournament in May.
Personally I prefer drilled Ct's because you can manouvre them easily.
And also I guess 4 BG's of CV are too much (it depends if you can use them very good).
My other advice is to try Sassanid with Arab Ally using MF for terrain.
If you can use Palmyran, I play this army with Armenian Ally.
Sergio

[nikgaukroger]

My other advice is to try Sassanid with Arab Ally using MF for terrain.

I tried that with a Parthian and IMO it weakened the army. I wouldn't bother trying it with Sasanid either.

[timmy1]

Nik

Surely better advice would "don't bother with S*ss*n*ds".

[nikgaukroger]

Nope you're being silly, its a good army.

[timmy1]

Nik

I know it is a good army, I still have the scars from losing to it. I am just prejudiced against it.

[sergiomonteleone]

Nik

I know it is a good army, I still have the scars from losing to it. I am just prejudiced against it.

In fact I tried twice, but, as the next tournament in Italy is also with Decline and Fall, there are a lot of armies with Dailami or Armoured MF. So the risk of loosing Arab MF could be high (in any case I used 1 BG with 6 bases and 1 Bg with 8 bases). It depends on the tournament.

My other advice, when I play with a lot of mounted troops, is not to use IC but 4 TC (except for example with Parthian where you have enough points for also IC and 3 TC's). I know with IC you have more chances to win initiative, but with Sassanid you can manouvre a lot so it's better to have 4 TC (in paticularly if you use undrilled CT's).
The other reason for not using IC is to loose initiative and so moving first (with Sassanid you can be very aggressive, in particularly on the wings, so I prefer moving first).
Obviusly you should hope not to play with Mountains, but for example Cv armoured with bow are very good also with uneven terrains against LH's.

Sergio

[Evamike]

I fight both Sassanid and Kushan so use elephants and Cats together with out a problem. Even side by side only twwo bases are within the smell area so only two are disordered and loosing 1 in three is zero for 2. I also like the Cats in 4's as 6's are so expensive. In open contests where you may(will) have knights then Just having the Elephamts is a bonus but single units of eleies can get picked on.
I find the Sassanids a good balanced Cav' army which can hold its own in open comp's.
Mike.

[footslogger]

Thanks to everyone for the advice. I've dumped the IC in favor of 4xTCs. I have two lists now and hopefully I can playtest them a little bit before the comp. One list has the elephants, the other has 2 BGs of LF shooters. I'm torn. The elephants should help against someone with knights but 2 BGs of LF shooters can be great operating in and around really bad going.

I have used Later Seleucids a lot and there I prefer to have 2 BGs of 6 cats each with a general attached. I expect to do the same with the Sassanids. In general I expect to concentrate on one side of the table and try to win with the cats, but I'm not sure how good a plan that will be.

[SirGarnet]

Unlike close combat types, shooty cavalry that don't just avoid bad terrain can use archery against enemy within it if desired. Your LF can't do more than that against the kind of opponents that will want to use terrain as avenues of attack. They are relatively inexpensive BGs, but so are LH that fit the army more.

Sassanids don't need infantry. Dailami are good but expensive and if you get the battle you want will not have much to do. Hill Tribesmen are mediocre MF but as Average they remain serviceable rear support for a pair of Elephant BGs. The mobs or defensive spearmen are good for keeping a large piece of the enemy line tied up for a few turns while the mounted work elsewhere.

I expect getting 2 BGs of Elephants will be more useful more often.