Medieval Kingdoms Total War: the Seljuks of Rum (and the Ottomans)

[hessam]

The Seljuks of Rum (and the Ottomans)

The Seljuk tribe was one of the many Turkic peoples who had been migrating progressively westward from the Central Asian steppes for thousands of years.
One of the two main branches that achieved fame throughout their history were the Anatolian Seljuks , who ruled from Konya, the other being the Great Seljuks, ruling over most of what is known today as Iran, Iraq and Syria.
Though of Turkic origin, Seljuks of Rum embraced Persian art, architecture, and literature and used Persian as a language of administration. Byzantine influence was also significant, since Greek aristocracy remained part of the Seljuk nobility, and the local Greek and Armenian population was still significant.
The Seljuks signed trade agreements with the Genoese and the Venetians, several sultans spent time during their youth at the Byzantine courts in Constantinople and marriages with Byzantine princesses were not a rarity. Thus they were in constant contact with both the christian West as well as the traditions of the Arabs and Persians. The Sultanate flourished.


But hear, divine Sultan, the voices of those who had to flee before the horror of another steppe peoples, the Mongols, a far greater threat than anything you have encountered before. Beware, as their customs in warfare are that of your own armies.
Will you swear allegiance to the Mongols and become their vassal or rely on your trusted ghulam warriors and drive the Hordes out of your land.

UNITS


EARLY ERA


Ghazi Warriors

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Ghazi was the name given to irregular groups of religious volunteers formed around the nucleus of a military leader during Seljukid rule (and also the early years of the Ottomans). The term derives from the Arabic Ghazwa, which in the strict sense refers to any one of the battles fought by prophet Muhammad.

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Ghulam Foot Guards

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Ghulams were the Sultan's personal forces, hand-picked from slaves and foreigners of primarily steppe origins. They were heavily armed and armored and, unlike most other warriors, answered directly to the Sultan. The tradition of slave-warriors was very common among Islamic factions of the middle ages.

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Naffatun

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Futuwwa

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Futuwwa were members of loosely organized Sufistic fraternities who adhered to their particular ideas of "chivalry" (javan-mardi in Persian, literally young-manliness).

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Uc Türkleri

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Uc Turkleri and Uc Suvarileri (frontier Turks and frontier cavalry respectively) refer to groups of Turkmen who were settled along the frontier to both guard the borders and conduct raids into enemy territories

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Köylüleri

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Koyluleri, literally peasants, were usually drafted in times of emergency.

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Jira-Khaars (AoR)

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Jira-Khaars were soldiers of different ethnicity and religions in Anatolia who served the Seljukid rulers usually in return for tax exemptions.

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Uc Süvarileri

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Askeri Nobles

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the term Askeri, meaning military, has seen many different uses in Islamic military studies. in one such usage, the term Askeri refers to the elite ruling class of both Seljuks and Ottomans. It's believe that the term, in this particular sense, included non-military nobles as well.

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Ghazi Lancers

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Muqti Cavalry

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an Iqta was a piece of land that was granted to a person (called Muqti) by the ruler but was not hereditary, unlike Western fiefs. In return, the Muqti had to pay a portion of the tax they gathered and were also obligated to answer the ruler's call to war.

[/spoiler]

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Royal Ghulams

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Turcoman Tribal Cavalry

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Ghazi Horse Archers

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Junior Ghulams

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Senior Ghulams

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Bodyguards

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HIGH ERA


Azabs

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Azabs, meaning unmarried men, were foot soldiers enlisted from the population of villages and towns for the duration of the campaign. The state decided the numbers of Azabs needed for each campaign, which was essentially one Azab per 20- or 30-person household. Finding Azabs for a particular campaign was not difficult, as there were enough unemployed or ambitious youngsters with some military experiences. The Azabs had to provide their weapons and equipment, which were closely inspected during the recruitment process. They were essentially light infantrymen and their main weapon was the composite bow. In addition to their salary, the Azabs were exempt from taxes during the campaign.

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Nöker Foot Guards

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We know that from the period of Osman Gazi military slaves served as royal guards. These Nokers, which was essentially a Mongol institution, consisted of distinguished individuals personally selected by the sultan from tribes, slaves, and other social groups. They were required to be independent of every social connection, especially from tribal groups, and served the sultan with loyalty and with absolute obedience.

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Naffatun

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Ahi Warriors

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Ahis were members of strong artisans’ guilds—urban brotherhoods with sufistic religious inclination. These guilds were not only socioeconomic, religious, and political organizations but were at the same time paramilitary ones. The Ahis produced weapons and military equipment and provided light infantry, but their real importance was to consolidate territorial gains by establishing their branches in the occupied towns. After conquest and settlement they immediately organized socioeconomic life, established law and order, and provided defense units against possible enemy attacks. They were also instrumental in the conversion of local Christians to Islam. The long white cap was the distinctive Ahi headgear

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Haramis

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The government wanted the Akıncıs to conduct raids within the parameters of overall strategy as well as to tax them effectively. However, it was nearly impossible to control the hundreds of small groups operating independently and, as often as not, in their own interests. The government had to reach a compromise with these small groups by introducing the ‘‘Harami’’ (bandit) category. This essentially gave a free hand to groups of less than 100 to conduct raids into enemy territory after coordinating their activity with regional Akıncı leaders and paying a tax after the successful end of the raid.

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Martoloses (AoR)

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The best known and, most probably, the first established Christian military group in Ottoman service was the Martolos (likely from the Greek Armatolos). Initially, they served mainly along the European borders of the empire.TheOttomans used them to man fortresses and river fleets, to guard riversides, carry out raids, reconnoitre and take prisoners as well as for various policing activities.

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Yayas

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According to the Ottoman chronicles Alaeddin Pasa and Candarlı Kara Halil proposed the foundation of standing infantry units in 1325. After the foundation decree of the Yaya (literally on foot) corps, many young villagers eager for regular incomes applied for the job and the new unit established easily. The Yaya corps was not an authentic standing military unit. Its soldiers continued to work on their farms during peacetime without receiving salaries but were exempt from some taxes. They joined the army when called and brought their personal weapons and equipments with them. The Yaya corps did not achieve the aims and expectations of its founders, as the soldiers possessed very limited tactical and technical abilities.

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Cerehors (AoR)

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The Ottomans adopted the Seljukid method of mobilising volunteers in return for wages. These irregularly enlisted warriors, who included both Muslims and Christians, were called cerehor in Ottoman-Turkish, or sometimes serehor/sarahor. They were armed with a sword, shield and spear, and also had armour. The cerehor service gradually lost its voluntary character. The government transformed it into an irregular levy imposed on the tax-paying population and integrated it into the system of extraordinary war taxes.

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Müsellems

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Some of the Yayas who were able to afford horses were organized as a cavalry corps with similar organization, which was called the ‘‘Musellem.’’

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Askeri Nobles

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Cebelis

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Every Timariot was ordered to bring along some men-at-arms, called Cebeli or Cebelü, to the campaign. The number of men they were obliged to bring varied based on their income, usually one cebeli for every 3000 akce of income. Most of the cebelis were chosen from among the sons, relatives and (at least in the Balkans) Christian subjects, and not infrequently, from among the freed slaves (azadegan) of the timariots.

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Timarli Sipahis

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A Timar was a temporary land grant distributed by the Sultan among his subjects. The positions was not hereditary and the Timariot did not become the owner of the land. The Sipahi was first and foremost a mounted soldier who had to perform military service in exchange for his prebend granted by the state (the grant was valid as long as he met his obligations). A grant was most often made on the basis of participation in a campaign and the display of bravery, although originally it only was given to nobles and companions of a military leader.

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Royal Nöker Lancers

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Akincıs

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Akıncıs, as the direct successors of Gazi marcher lords, were the most important of the frontier units on the western frontier. These raiders were descendants of nomadic tribal warriors who had withdrawn to the frontiers and emerged as a distinct military body in the fourteenth century. They bred excellent horses that were able to cover three or four times the distance achieved by an ordinary horse. Their main duty was to watch the neighbouring countries, prepare for their conquest by annual raiding and merciless devastation, and provide slaves by seizing captives in war and raids. In military campaigns they were assigned the tasks of scouting and constant harassment of the enemy, pillaging enemy territory, securing deployment routes and guarding the baggage train. The akıncıs made a living by selling the spoils at good prices.

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Nöker Horse Archers

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Nöker Heavy Horse Archers

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Bodyguards

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LATE ERA

Yeniçeri Archers

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The transformation of the Noker institution started after crossing into Europe. Ottoman units captured countless slaves and, for the first time, a special tax called the ‘‘Pencik’’ (one out of five) was introduced to take one out of every five slaves for the central treasury. According to the Ottoman chronicles the Pencik was devised jointly by Kara Rustem of Karaman and Candarlı Kara Halil, probably after the conquest of Adrianople (Edirne) after 1369. These slaves were trained and organized under the structure of a new corps known as the Janissaries. Only physically fit, sturdy and young slaves were selected and a special training center, the ‘‘Acemi Ocagı’’ (hearth of the inexperienced), was founded in Gallipoli in order to train them for at least two years according to the needs of the army. In addition to their military training, the slaves worked as naval arsenal workers and oarsmen. However, after less than a decade the training system was changed drastically. Instead of using the novices for maritime duties they were sent to Turkish farmlands to work in the fields and to learn the Turkish language and culture and convert to Islam. After this initial training period, which lasted four to eight years according to the availability of training slots, they were taken to the Acemi Ocagı. It was a demanding training regime under heavy discipline and spartan conditions. Trainees learned to fight as infantry by using different weapons—especially the ubiquitous composite bows—under challenging conditions and learned to obey absolutely the orders of their superiors. Loyalty to the sultan was the key theme of the training. The constant evaluation and harsh discipline was instrumental in the selection of the future elite soldiers of the sultan.

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Solak Archers

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hand-picked from the best of the Yeniceris and armed with the best bows of the palace, Solaks would stay close to their master at all times

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Zırhli Yeniçeri Archers

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Yeniçeri Tüfenkcis

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Naffatun

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Eflak (AoR)

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The Eflak (Vlach), a populous group of shepherds and peasants with special legal status living in large numbers in the Balkans, were also incorporated into the Ottoman military. Their military duties were limited and mainly provided security especially against brigands.

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Martoloses (AoR)

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Yeniçeri Billmen

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Peyks

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Although the main purpose of a Peyk was to convey the general's orders to officers and thus facilitate battlefield communication, they were also armed and trained to hold their own in combat, if the fight ever came to them.

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Voynuks (AoR)

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The Voynuk (after South Slavic term Vojnik) groups were generally organized in Southern Serbia, Macedonia, and Bulgaria. There were also small numbers of them in Bosnia and the Danube-Sava region. Even though some Voynuks performed similar tasks as the Martoloses, the bulk of them were tasked initially to defend and secure Macedonia and Bulgaria.

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Kapıkulu Heavy Infatry

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Askeri Nobles

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Cebelis

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Timarli Sipahis

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Kapıkulu Sipahis

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The second main component of court troops or Kapikulu (meaning servants of the Porte) was the six cavalry regiments, referred to as altı boluk halkı in later sources. The most prestigious among them were the sipahi oglanları (cavalry youths) and the silahtar (armbearers), followed by the ulufeci (salaried men) of the right and the left wings, and the garib yigitleri (foreigners) of the right and the left wings. They were mostly paid in cash and the amount of their salary reflected their prestige within the court hierarchy. Their weapons and armour were provided by the ruler. Some indirect evidence in the 1431– 2 timar register and narrative sources suggests that the garib yigitleri were recruited from uprooted or foreign elements arriving either from outside the realm or from diverse ethnic, mainly Tatar, groups. The bulk of the other divisions was enlisted from the graduates of the palace and, in the case of the silahtar and the sipahi oglanları, from the janissaries who were promoted in this manner. Together with the janissaries, the cavalrymen accompanied the ruler on campaign, carried his arms, led his horses, and stood round him to left and right during field battles.

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Balkan Nobles (AoR)

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Delis

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In the middle of the 15^th century, a new generation of governors founded a totally new kind of frontier light cavalry unit, called ‘‘Deli’’ (Daredevil or literally ‘‘crazy’’), as their personal retinues. The Bosnian and Semendire governors created the first Delis. But the leader most associated with these troops was the Bosnian governor, Gazi Husrev Bey (better known as Husrevbegova), who employed about 10,000 of them so effectively that other frontier and inland district governors of Rumelia began to imitate him. The Delis were a totally different type of Ottoman soldier. Most of them were recent converts to Islam (usually from Bosnian, Serb, and Croat origins) and were fanatically dedicated to wage war against infidels. They wore exaggerated and wild costumes as uniforms, which were a mixture of furs and feathers of animals of prey. With their wild and vicious outfits and their almost supernatural courage and daring the Delis became contemporary phenomena, and sometimes their presence alone intimidated enemy units.

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Tucoman Tribal Cavalry

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Tatar Horse Archers (AoR)

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Akinçıs

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Kapıkulu Garibs

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Kapıkulu Ulufecis

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Bodyguards (Kapıkulu Silahdars)

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[hessam]

Hope you like these.
A few notes regarding the preveiw:
1. changes to the early roster mostly include changing names and reorganizing units into different roles and classes, while few new models have been added. So most of the credit for the early roster goes to its original creator, Ltd. Some of the late era European auxiliaries are also kind of an amalgam of models created by Ltd for their related factions, while some details have been altered to give them a slightly different look. So, again, he also deserves credit, and my special thanks, for those.
2. I was planning to add descriptions to every unit in the roster but I decided it would make the preivew look too messy. If you want more info or explanation about a certain unit, feel free to ask.
3. Since there’s actually a shift to a new “faction” in tier 2 and also due to the history of Ottoman military, the early/high/late era classifications for some units may not look right at first. For example, while Kapikulu and Yeniceri forces have been categorized under “late” units, they were around from the last quarter of the 14th century. I might add a table later on to depict the historical place of each unit in time and the unit "upgrade" system.

[Filips Augustus]

Dude wow... just wow... you did an amazing job hessam congratulations!

[banskie100]

I'm in love with the units. Great work hessam! I just thought that the Jannissaries wielding Eastern Halberds but instead they were weilding "Billhook" type. My whole life was a lie.

[Visarion]

Omg... I haven't even seen any of tge units yet but... OMG

[finix]

Amazing job

[Visarion]

Yes add descr

[nnnm]

Great work


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Kjertesvein]

Good job.

The whole time I kept thinking, "what is this unit?", "What was the purpose of this unit?", "Where did this unit come from?", etc. A small unit description inside the spoiler would be wanted from my hold. About it's function, origin and any additional information if such a thing is warranted. Right now I see a bunch of units and names I've never heard of before, but they don't bring any meaning to me that I can root into something.

~Wille

[zsimmortal]

An exquisite piece of work. Amazing!

[Ardionso]

Wonderfully magnificent !

[Minnesinger]

You did an outstanding work, congratulations ! Too bad you didn't write the descriptions of the units, I'm completely ignorant of turkish military history and I'd dare not demand a depiction of each one of them.
About the delis, this is the first thing that came to my mind, forgive me ...

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[Teutonic]

I agree- the units look great. I know a lot of the units but for folks who don't short, one-two sentence, descriptions could be useful.

In the mean time:

Kapikulu = palace units

Sipahis = very similar to Eastern pronoja or Western knights. Depending on how much income the individual sipahi is allotted he may have to bring along with him supporting troops- Cebelis.

Akinci- raider cavalry.

Deli- specialized high-end cuisine cooks but also serve as medium cavalry.

Voynuks- christian auxiliaries, Bulgarian mostly, certainly from the mid-northern Balkans. They still had military role during the mod period, but historically after the 15th century this changed and eventually they ended up as stable staff.

Martoloses- christian auxiliaries but Greek.

Yeniceri- surely people have heard of the Janissaries? Small christian boys taken from their families as a "tax" and converted to Islam and raised to become the Ottoman crack soldiers.

This is what I know from the top of my head.

[hessam]

The whole time I kept thinking, "what is this unit?", "What was the purpose of this unit?", "Where did this unit come from?", etc. A small unit description inside the spoiler would be wanted from my hold. About it's function, origin and any additional information if such a thing is warranted. Right now I see a bunch of units and names I've never heard of before, but they don't bring any meaning to me that I can root into something.

~Wille

Yes add descr

Too bad you didn't write the descriptions of the units, I'm completely ignorant of turkish military history and I'd dare not demand a depiction of each one of them.

It seems there's no getting away with this for me Alright. I won't add descriptions to the preview post, since it's already too long and it might get confusing. But I'll create a new one for that. Just give some time to sort it out.

[hessam]

About the delis, this is the first thing that came to my mind, forgive me ...

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You need to take it up to this guy (and quite a few other miniatures).

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[TrepachaBG]

intresting in bulgarian Voynik means soldier

[Dom1no]

Badass roster hassam!

[You_Guess_Who]

Ohyesohyesohyes the Late-era Ottomans are so beautiful, I want to strip them all of their surcoats, pile them up, then gleefully roll around on that beautiful comfy pile of finest Turkish fabrics. The Deli in particular, are totally crazy (which they were, hence the name)

The Late-tier are in fact so great, I can easily see that the T2 units are rushed. So many vanilla Attila models are used on them - not that they're necessarily bad, oh no; its just some of them feels lacking in variety and some are even inappropriately stands out. For instance:

- Heavy T2 units solely uses AoC Ummayad metal shields. You should sprinkle more of your own beautiful shields to them.

- Attila's iron and bronze greaves looks too Ancient. So does the bronze cataphract mail legging. On another side, Attila's devil cavalry boots and iron mail legging still looks suitable.

- That combination of Byzantine-style klivanion and saka_cata leather lamellar skirts simply doesn't work. You better replace them with ltd lamellar models that already come with faulds.

- T2 heavy units even seems worse compared to T1. If needed, you can retain some ltd_cwe models from T1 to T2. Especially and ltd_cwe_turk for mail+padded gambeson, ltd_cwe_ghulam for bodyguards

- For more variety on T2, why not borrow some T2 armour models from zsimmortal (modified ltd_cwe_turk, both lamellar and mail) and dontfearme (mon_eastern_armour_brigantine series)?

- The att_eastern_lameller looks okay-ish, but the faulds clips with the tunics badly on the sides. Also observant Attila players can tell that's the exact model used by the Alans. Try to seek other tunic cuts that won't clip.

- It would be better for T2 officers to wear long overcoats rather than byzantine pauldron.

[Slytacular]

Looks good, Hessam! I think the Ottoman crowds won't be disappointed.

[hessam]

I've added descriptions to some of the units (please note that some descriptions encompass more than one unit). let me know if there's still a unit that needs explanation.