23/03/2023 17:53 SASSANID (SASSANIAN) PERSIANS 224 - 651AD.

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Sassanid (Sassanian) Persians

224 - 651AD
 
Troop Type Attack Range Hits Armour Cmnd Unit Min/ Points Notes
  Size Max

Levy
  Inf Infantry 3 - 3 6+ - 3 - 35 *3, 4
Archers Infantry 2 30 3 - - 3 -/8 40 *3
THE ANTIID
Skirmishers
CavalrM11ACEDONIAN LIST
Infantry 1 15 3 - - 3 -/4 30 *2, 3
Guard Cavalry 4 15 3 5+ - 3 -/1 125 *1
Cataphracts Cavalry 3 - 3 4+ - 3 -/2 125 *1, 6
Clibanarii Cavalry 3 15 3 5+ - 3 2/- 115 *1
Allied Cavalry Cavalry 3 - 3 5+ - 3 -/2 110 *1

Skirm Cavalry Cavalry 1 15 3 - - 3 -/6** 40 *2

Elephant Elephant 4 15 4 5+ - 3 -/1 200 *5

General General +2 - - - 9 1 1 125  

Leader Leader +1 - - - 8 1 -/2 80  
Ally Subordinate +1 - - - 8 1 -/1 40  *7
OPTIONS

The following option is available for Sassanid armies. See the descriptions for details.
Dismted Clib Infantry 3 15 3 5+ - 3 -/2 -50  

Mount Clibs as Cavalry 2 15 3 4+ - 3 -/1 -35 *6, 8

Cat Camels
Allied Cav with Cavalry 3 15 3 5+ - 3 -/2 +5 *1
bows

 Upgrade Archers Infantry 3 30 3 Pav - 3 -/2 +15  *9

to Royal Archers
 Upgrade Levy Infantry 3 - 3 6+ - 3 -/up to +10  
Inf to Reliable 1/2
 
Upgrade Infantry 3 - 3 5+ - 3 -/2 +15  
 Reliable Levy
Inf to Heavy
 Skirm Cav to Cavalry 1 30 3 - - 3 -/4 +20 *2
Horse Archers
 
Skirm Cav to Cavalry 2 15 3 6+ - 3 -/4 +20 *2
 Light Cav
Pavisse                 Incude pavisse with Royal Archers     -/4 +5 *9
 
Portents         Reroll Generals Commands  1 10  
 
Or Arnashirvan General +0 - - - 9 1 1 +15 *10
 

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SPECIAL RULES 

*1     Shock
*2     Skirmish
*3     Unreliable
*4     Two Levy become compulsory if any infantry or dismounted cavalry are fielded
*5     Elephants
*6      Slow
*7     Must be fielded if any allies are chosen and can only command Allies of that nationality,
Skirmishing Cav. or Skirmishing Inf.
*8    Camels
*9    Pavisse
*10  Move restricted to 20cm.

Clibanarii and Heavy Cavalry. These represent the core of the Sassanid armies and are armed mainly
with lances and bows. Some ride unarmoured horses, some adding horse coverings or frontal
protection as mainly as a defence against missile fire . The lances were wielded two handed instead of
being couched and some added bucklers as a further defence. The Clibanarii often acted as an
armoured missile base and arrow exchanges were not uncommon. Half can be given extra horse
armour or bucklers to protect them from missile attacks, this upgrade does not count in melee though.
They have not become Cataphracts with bows!

Clibanarii mounted as Cataphract Camels took part in the Yemeni Campaign. The army can have one
unit of standard Clibanarii remounted on camels with stats as shown- only one unit can be upgraded
regardless of army size. Note that Cataphract Camels are not shock as are regular sensible Clibanarii

Allied Cavalry.  Armenian, Iberian (Georgian) shock cavalry armed with lances and shields. Other
Allies such as Chionites Kidarite or Hepthalite nobles may be given bows . Allies were often
unreliable and can be downgraded to represent this. Allies can only be fielded with an Ally General .

Guard Cavalry. The very best of the Army, The Immortals lavishly equipped and mounted on the best
horses. Famed as 10000 strong like their Achaemenid ancestors. Armed as other Clibanarii/Heavy
Cavalry and usually kept in reserve to guard the King

Cataphracts. The most heavily armoured of the shock cavalry mounted on fully armoured horses and
encased from head to toe in armour as the Parthian Nobility had been before them. They may actually
be Parthian and fighting for the new regime without change.

Skirmishing Cav. **The army is allowed a maximum of 6 skirmishing Cavalry per thousand points,
and no more than four of any type below. So you can only use six if you are prepared to upgrade at
least two.

Mounted Skirmishers. Armenian and Arab mounted skirmishers along with mounted retainers of the
nobility armed often with javelins and shield or shorter range bows.

Parthian Horse archers were incorporated into the Sassanid armies and later horse archers came from
Armenia or the Kushan. These troops represent those lightly armed specialist troops with re-curve
bows and little else.

Light Cavalry Alani, Chionite, Kushani, Kidarites or Hepthalite Huns were available. Some had settled
in the eastern half of the Empire so were notionally vassals, the others were allies. The vassals were
fiercely independent and, although needed, were not asked to help invade Egypt in case they wanted to
abandon the east to the hill tribes of modern day Afghanistan for better lands to the west! They were
armed as Huns with a variety of weapons and would be prepared to fight at close quarters as well as
skirmish.

Elephants Parts of India were incorporated within the Sassanid Empire and Indian Elephants with
Indian Mahouts along with supports were used right until the end . The Elephants were equipped with
towers and carried crew with a variety of missile weaponry

Infantry  

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Belisarius' remarks on Sassanid troops:

“Right for you to despise them. For their whole infantry is nothing more than a crowd of pitiable
peasants who come into battle for no other purpose than to dig through walls ... and in general to
serve the soldiers. For this reason they have no weapons at all with which they might trouble their
opponents, and they only hold before themselves those enormous shields and huge elephants.”

The infantry were often just  the mass levy of the peasantry, much of the time armed with improvised
weaponry or at best  equipped with spears and shield . Traditionally thought of as very unenthusiastic
(and famously chained together to stop them running away in one battle) they nevertheless bore the
brunt of the fighting in three and four day battles towards the end of the empire and were successful in
siege work including successfully storming defences or breaking the Roman siege of the capital,
Ctesiphon . Infantry came from across the empire and included Persians, Armenians, Indians and
Arabs.  Dailamite (Daylami) troops from the Caspian region formed a 4000 strong part of the Guard
and were highly regarded as equal to Varangians by Procopius. Heavy infantry were found to raise the
siege of the capital in the early fourth century and some, if not all of the 4000 Daylami had armour.
 Whilst often unenthusiastic they therefore have the option to be upgraded.

Archers. These are Persian, Isaurian, Indian or Armenian Infantry armed with bows and wearing little
if any armour. They were used in dense formations with the option for the Persians to use large shields
as pavisse.

Royal Archers. An elite body of reliable archers usually accompanying the King

Skirmishers. Isaurian, Armenian, Kurdish, or subject infantry, armed with slings or javelins operating
as skirmishers.

Only one of the following Generals upgrades can be choser

Portents. The player can take the portents before the battle. This allows the General to re-roll one
failed Command roll once during the battle. Take the Command test again—if successful the order is
issued and the General can continue giving orders if you wish.

Anushirvan (Khosroes.) As a great administrator, stand back and allow your planning to bear fruit on
the battlefield. A failed command roll by any leader can be re-rolled until such time as a re-roll is
failed, the bonus is ended and no more re-rolls are allowed. Take the command test again – if
successful, the order is issued and the leader can continue giving further orders if you wish. A leader
can only make a maximum of one re-roll per turn.

However, Anushirvan, like all later Sassanid Generals, prefers not to fight and instead manage the
affairs of the army from a fixed position - the elevation of a throne! Hence the reduced fighting ability
and movement restricted to 20cm.- even when looking for a unit to join when his ground is overrun.

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