Abbasid Campaign

[AlAndolusi]

Has anyone successfully played with the abbasids? I have a hard time establishing a decent economy. The nearby uyyunids seem to have endless amounts of money and fighters could someone explain this? It seems some factions were given much more attention, starting cash, and kings purse. Shouldnt the abbasids be able to recruit the arab units all the other arab factions share in common?

[bigdaddy1204]

Hi AlAndolusi, I have played the Abbassids. The key to the Abbasid campaign is to capture Kermanshah, a rebel-held province in the mountains just to the north of Baghdad. Once you capture it, you will have access to some of the best units in the game. You should then focus on capturing the rebel settlements around Baghdad. If possible, I'd say ally with the Zengids to your west. Your main enemy is likely to be the Uyyunids, and they will try to invade Iraq with a large army. However you may find diplomacy useful, as I have often been able to get them to accept a ceasefire, giving you time to build up.

Focus on building up the barracks in Baghdad and Kermanshah. These two provinces will create the vast bulk of your armies. Once you have secured the rebel provinces near Baghdad and pushed the Uyyunids out of Iraq, the best opportunities are usually to be found to the north, attacking the rebel held settlements in Iran such as Hamadan, Rayy, Qazvin, Tabriz, Isfahan, Shiraz. If you can take these, you'll have a strong empire and your position will be pretty much solid against possible attack from any direction.

Good luck, hope this helps!

[AlAndolusi]

Thanks for those tips I will definetly put them to use. I am having some trouble with developing my economy as well. I seem to spend far too much on economic upgrades that dont really increase my income that much. Should I focus the economy in places like mawsil, basra, and baghdad? Im always living hand to mouth because my treasury is stretched so thin. Thanks again for the help.

[Macbeth]

I am having trouble with an Abbasid start too and I wonder now if the campaign AI gets extra help.

I tried a VH/VH game and just kept getting blizted by endless doomstacks from the Uyyunids. I kept wiping them out in heroic victories but they just keep sending them endlessly to the point I can't expand.

I tried to lower the campaign to medium and they are still sending stacks my way. I dominate vanilla VH/VH so I know the problem isn't me. So what is going on?