Art De La Guerre

[Snowcat]

Can anyone give me a solid reason why I should stick with the below all-Tangut list, and not replace one command with a small Tibetan allied corps of 4 Elite Cataphracts with an included Ordinary General?

215 - Xi-Xia
982-1227 AD
Plain, Mountain
Command +4 Initiative 4

Tangut Brilliant Gen @6 6
3 Tangut horsemen Heavy cavalry impact elite @12 36
2 Tangut horsemen Heavy cavalry impact @10 20
2 Nomads Light cavalry bow @6 12
74

Tangut Brilliant C-in-C @6 6
3 Tangut horsemen Heavy cavalry impact @10 30
2 Chinese Halberdiers Heavy infantry 2HW @9 18
2 Chinese Standing troops 1/2 CB 1/2 Medium Swordsmen @9 18
2 Nomads Light cavalry bow @6 12
84

Tangut Ordinary Gen (included) @-3 -3
1 Tangut horsemen Heavy cavalry impact elite @12 12
2 Tangut horsemen Heavy cavalry impact @10 20
2 Nomads Light cavalry bow @6 12
41

Total 199

21 units

Another way of looking at this: when you have the opportunity to include Cataphracts via an Allied corps in an army that otherwise wouldn't have Cataphracts (or similar major shock troops), would you grab them in a heartbeat or happily overlook them for other things? If your answer is 'it depends on the army', then see the list above.

Cheers
_________________
"When one goes, one must go with style."

[ethan]

Of course it depends. It depends on what you are trying to do with the army. Adding that allied corps will cause a major change in character to the army. Both through the addition of allies and the addition of cataphracts. As it stands I would be reasonably comfortable putting any of your commands on the outside edges, I would be less so with the ally.

You have a pretty fast moving reasonably agile army now. It will be less so if you add cataphracts.

[Hazelbark]

Ethan is correct.

I am a big fan of cataphracts. Especially in the Asian lists. Also I have run Xia Xia in FOG both with and without Tibetan ally. Of course the risk there is non existent.

That said, I am less keen on putting Cats in this as an ally for the reasons Ethan states. Cats are never fast. They lumber. So we give them an ordinary general and they lumber even more so.

The problem with high maneuver armies is they have to use all their maneuver in the first 3 turns. The ally essentially takes that away 16% of the time.

But I have not run Xia Xia yet and you're posting has me thinking.

[Snowcat]

Thanks. I won't include the allied cataphracts.

Is there any benefit in including some Light infantry with this force?
If there is, they would come in at the expense of some of the HC or LC. I don't want to reduce the LC as it would lower the army's Initiative, so that would mean 1-2 less HC depending on how many LI to bring in (2-4).

?

Cheers
_________________
"When one goes, one must go with style."