First, a caveat. I have been interested in this army for 40+ years. At one point I wrote a paper about them in college based on original sources (in Spanish translation- I could not find them inEnglish and not read Catalan). Overall, I have enjoyed playing these armies very much and I have no desire to criticize the lists, which do very well at capturing the flavor of the army.
I would however like took a few questions about the reasons for a few design choices. I have no wish to claim that the choices were wrong or should be changed, but I cannot puzzle out the reasons for the choices and I am curious.
(1) Cavalls Armat/ AlforratThe list allows 2-4. I completely agree with the classification of these troops. The army would be better if 2-6 were allowed, since 6 stand units of lancers are much better than 2x 4's but this is a balance issue. It would make a player's life much easier if the Alforrats were only required to field 3-12 instead of 4-12, so that one 6 tand of mixed knights could be fielded without a second TuG of less effective sergeant/Alforrats. what wa the 4 minimum selected? I ame you know more about this than I do a my research was done years agon on sources I no longer have easy access to.
(2) lighter Alforrats- I wonder why these were included as a wholly separate troop type instead of an upgrade, If they were considered an upgrade it would allow them to be employed much more usefully, at least in the Anatolian variant. I do not recall separate bodies of charging Alforrats versus skirmishing Alforrats, but doubtless you have access to materials I have not seen.
(3) the 'fluff' portion of the list mentions that the Almoghavars in Greece may or may not have had access to greater personal protection. WHy is 'protected' mandatory for these troops without the option to regrade them a unprotected FoF? (BTW, I agree that downgrade of most Almoghavars to Average from Superior is likely justified). Was an option to make them Average/unprotected/ FoF considered at least as a regrade? Just curious.
(4) I understand perfectly why the Alan contingent ha to be allied,and the fighting between Catalans and Alans on campaign and the subsequent defection of most of the Alans supports limiting the ally to Mediocre. On the other hand, even after most of the Alans left, about 1,000 remained with the COmpany IIRC, and these are not allowed for. In addition, about 6,000 Turkish cavalry were recruited to fight with the Company and I don't see any way to include these until the Greek list. Obviously, I have missed something important here and I'd be grateful for enlightenment.
5) Finally,the army is limited to 3 generals plus a very risky mediocre ally that can only lead Alans. I don't believe one can justify takingRoger DaFlor as Legendary so your best command is TTC,which given that this army's best asset is speed and maneuverability,hampers the effectiveness of the army against the very opponents they were successful against, Turkish horse archers.Since they routinely beat the Turks like the proverbial drum, I wonder what they are limited to 3 generals. Again, I assume you know more than I do about this; I am just curious.
Thanks for your patience.
Dave
Quote from: AntiokosIII on March 09, 2022, 08:25:19 PM
5) Finally,the army is limited to 3 generals plus a very risky mediocre ally that can only lead Alans. I don't believe one can justify takingRoger DaFlor as Legendary so your best command is TTC,which given that this army's best asset is speed and maneuverability,hampers the effectiveness of the army against the very opponents they were successful against, Turkish horse archers.Since they routinely beat the Turks like the proverbial drum, I wonder what they are limited to 3 generals. Again, I assume you know more than I do about this; I am just curious.
Having used the Catalan Company in Anatolia a couple of times, and also faced it I feel able to comment on the generals question - at least in terms of usability.
I have used it with a Competent army commander and 2 Talented subbies and this is plenty enough IMO - including against shooting armies. Having faced it with a Seljuq army it is really tough to face as long as it can narrow the table a touch; I haven't beaten it with my Seljuqs.