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Old July 26th, 2009, 05:37 PM
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Post Re: MA al-Nadim - The thousand and one nights (Now version 0.2!)

Sorry for being late - those were my hashishiines.
I think they should be sacred, even if they won't probably be blessed often. However, it may be fixed through #onebattlespell...
Considering your troops I think that it's better to replace (or add to) militia with bedhouin raiders who come only for loot - a widely used practice which survived until Ottoman times. I made those average quality lightly armed infantry and horsemen which fight only one battle just like Ermor gladiators (using #copystats, of course). They may be used as either attack force in early game, or as chaff later.
(Also, we made many troops using improved robes for armor, adding also turban and turbaned helm). Another thing I did was including both light stealthy troops and corsairs. Light raiders fought on foot but used horses for faster movement - thus Move 3.
Another thing I consider important is particularly good horses providing faster movement - this also giving a better offense to light lancers you seem having some small problem with (these are Arabic horses, so heavy Ghulams do not have them)... As for camels per se I just gave them a supply bonus. Camel troops can be made better if you consider that early Muslim armies used camels to transport their archers up to 4 per camel (I'd made just 2) and arrows for them. So, I propose to include a new "camel bow" (or somesuch) with unit description mentioning additional arrows and give camel archers 2 such attacks. Combined with animal awe, it would be quite good, I think. Another possible summon is cheetah.
As for commanders, I included also "Baghdad thieves" as spies. Another type you seem to forgot is khadi - judge (thus patrol bonus) and low-level priest. Higher level capital-only priest can be named Hoji.
Mystics are good and I also thought that alchemists should be also researchers. I made another mage's type - sorceress with Nature and Air magic, as these are often mentioned in tales. I thought about making some access for Buried in Sand for these nations as it's thematic, but am not sure.
As for genies I think you don't need to go for Marids as "water genies". Actually, the name came from something with sense like "infidel" (actually, various genie names were often used interchangebly, but that's another story). So I decided that while all EA genies are sacred, by MA some choose to follow the Prophet and other choose not to. The former became "faithful jihn" - sacred, including both troops and mage-commanders (male and female, with different magic), while the latter became "marids" - non-sacred, but their commanders are stronger mages (troops would be either absent or easier to summon).
And your ghuls are great!
I can add my opinion on genie races if you want to make a common work, but I must warn you that this is mostly based on Persian sources.
What certainly should be included is a spell summoning genies to build a palace!

Here are also Alhazred and Old Man of the Mountain if you want them (maybe magic should be slightly reduced; monsters Hassan summons are assassins and disciples - stealthy sacred raiders which are normally capital-only):

#newmonster 2867
#spr1 ""
#spr2 ""
#copystats 1071
#name "Hassan"
#descr "Old Man of the Mountain himself"
#hp 10
#size 2
#prot 0
#mor 11
#mr 16
#enc 3
#str 10
#att 11
#def 14
#prec 11
#mapmove 2
#ap 13
#gcost 300
#rcost 1
#armor "Turban"
#armor "Desert Garb"
#weapon Poison dagger
#magicskill 8 3 ---2?
#magicskill 7 2
#magicskill 4 2
#magicskill 5 2
#holy
#stealthy 20
#ambidextrous 4
#domsummon 2830
#domsummon20 2837
#wastesurvival
#mountainsurvival
#incunrest 10 ---?
#goodleader
#poormagicleader
#poorundeadleader
#startage 200
#maxage 160
#end


#newmonster 2868
#spr1 ""
#spr2 ""
#copystats 333
#name "Abd al al-Hazred"
#descr "That the man is mad, even himself wouldn't disagree. However, he has
an affinity to summoning and communing with genies of the most unusual kind.
This makes him somewhat useful to rulers and sorcerers, though most times his
answers are understood only by himself. He is said to going to write a book
which would summarize the wisdom he has gleaned, but whether or not it would
be actually useful is not known even by the wisest..."
#clearmagic
#hp 9
#size 2
#prot 0
#mor 13
#mr 19
#enc 3
#str 9
#att 8
#def 9
#prec 10
#mapmove 2
#ap 13
#gcost 0
#rcost 1
#armor "Turban"
#armor "Desert Garb"
#weapon fist
#weapon 367 --- Horror mark
#magicskill 4 3
#magicskill 7 3
#magicskill 1 2
#magicskill 5 2 ---?
#fear
#horrormark
#researchbonus 5
#douse 2
#magicbeing
#wastesurvival
#incunrest 8
#goodmagicleader
#okundeadleader
#end
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