Originally Posted by
a Dictator's Cigar
Wonderful questions! I'm glad you asked them so I could reflect my opinion towards the realism of the Abassids Faction.
1. The Abbasid units impressively reflect a realistic preview of a traditional Abassid force, however some attention needs to be given to the historical naming of the units, for example the "Fari Lancers" or "Fari Footmen" should actually be fixed to "Fursan Lancers" / "Fursan Footmen" to reflect a more accurate historical naming, same thing with the "Abna spearmen" who should be named "Abna Khurasan Spearmen" and so on(I would love to give more support on that).
Regarding the Hashashin and naffatuns units it is not historically accurate to count them as mercenaries since the Hashashins never acted as a military force but rather as suicidal attackers(Shahid's) who would commit a suicidal attack by order of their leader. and their attacks where mainly aimed at political and religious figures rather than actual military figurers.
On the other hand the Naffatun did function as a formal and common Abbasid military force, however their functionality is disputed since the enemies of the Abbasids always found ways to maneuver the Naffatun's attacks by improving their armor or tactics. Generally, I believe their should be a drastic improvement of the naming of the Abbasid units so it could fit the historical era.
2. Absolutely, The Abbasid era, unlike the Umayyad era, is known to be a highly multi-cultural era, especially in the military aspect. since the Abbasids abandoned their trust in the Arabian tribes to rely on the foreign (Turkish, Persian, African, Kurdish and Armenian) personnel to form their armies, this is how the "Mamluke" figure was created by Muslim kingdoms investing in foreigners as a main component in their armies.
Some units which should be added is the following:
Zenji Warriors: a unit consisting of African warriors bought from slavery by the caliph to become one of his most fierce units, this unit is known to have served in frontlines against the Byzantines and in Persia. the Zenji'ies were poorly armored however they were a main component in every Abbasid campaign especially in its peak during the 9th Century. These Warriors were mainly recruited directly from the slave markets otherwise they were bought from landowner.
Mawali Infantry: The Mawali were the main component of the Abbasid armies since they were the first force to lead the Abbasid rebelion against the Umayyads, thus making them the main structure in every Abbasid military force. the Mawalis were mostly Persian Muslims with utmost loyalty to the Caliph to the point where they ranked up to high positions inside the Abbasid state and society.
Shuttar/Ayarine: This force is mainly made out of Outlaws, thief, and criminals who were recruited in the desperate times in the Abbasid kingdoms and especially during the civil wars. though this force lacked training, yet it showcased supreme loyalty to the Amir an even helped relief Baghdad from it's seige during it's civil war in 813AD. This unit is poorly armored and mostly consisted of infantry fighting in urban territories such as cities and settlements. (In the context of the game they could be recruited as low-tier mercenaries.
3. I'm not sure how to answer this since the Abbasid Kingdom reached it's peak in the early 800's AD and already was collapsing by 1100AD. I Believe a late era building should allow recruiting this force. or whenever the Caliph is crowned this force could be available.
4. Absolutely YES! This is a major flaw in SSHIP. The Fatimids antagonized the Zingeds and Abbasids more than they did to the crusaders just because of the sectarian deferences between both. The Sunni-Shia conflict is the main reason why the middle east was a constant unstable zone even until today. I find it crucial to underline that the Muslim world in the game has two sects fighting each-other especially that these kingdoms are competing over mutual claimed areas(Sunni Zengids/Abbasds/Moors/Seljuks VS Fatimid/Uyunid Rebel Shia's). such fix would increase the complexity of the middle east especially with the Muslim factions since it will increase the importance of the religious institutions in the kingdoms.
Regarding the "Great Imam" figure I find it more suitable to add it to whoever controls the Hijaz region (wherever Mecca and Medina lye) it's the holiest place in Islam and historical was the target of every Islamic empire. during my campaigns with the Muslim factions I never found it attractive to push my armies into Arabia even though historically it's a high ranking goal for any medieval Islamic Kingdom. the idea of having an advantage by controlling such region as a Muslim faction is genius and would add more historical storytelling for any campaign dealing with the middle east.
Finally I would like to add that as I'm playing the Abbasid campaign I feel like the geography of the territory is a bit overlooked. I mean three cities (Baghdad/Wasit/Basrah) don't quite reflect the territory of Iraq. and I feel like their should be at least one or more cities added into the map. maybe the historical city of Kufah in the southern desert of Baghdad. this would bring more realism to the geo-political reality of such period in history.
I really enjoying responding to your questions and would love to answer anything more!
Best Regarsd!
-Cigar