Lemm's introduction to the Saracens

[Lemminkäinen]

Saracens are all about synergy. They have it all - magic, shooting, close combat specialists, but they, even more than the other factions, need to work together to achieve the best results. Saracens also have a bit trickier time in getting the command points to last, as they have lots of juicy and enticing orders that cost permanent command points.

• Nazir ibn Hamid ibn Hajad, the charismatic leader of the starter box is a very solid fighter. For just 38 points, you get a very nice CMD-value of 5, Charisma and Helaer 5 - Nazir is very good at supporting his troops. When it comes to combat, he isn't bad, but not stellar either. He has nice a CBT-value and damage table, but even though he has 16 Life Points, his lack of PR and DEF of only three means that you don't want him to be in fights all that much. Still, he works wonderfully as a second wave, dispatching softened enemy fighters.
  
  His unique order sets up an interesting dilemma. It is good, no doubt about it, getting DEF 6 for much of your band and DEF 5 for even the lowliest grunts is a huge boon. It works only on the first exchange of blows, though, so a canny opponent will set up charges with lesser grunts and then follow up with mightier fighters. But the real decision is on what turn you should use the order, as it costs a solid three permanent command points. So using this tends to put a bit of a hamper on your command point pool. Still you want to use it rather early so as to garner maximum benefit from it before your fighters start getting wounded and dying.
  http://www.helldorado.fr/factions/les-sarrasins/nazir-ibn-hamid-ibn-hajad/index.php
• Chams Al Majid, the Djinn is simply awesome for his points. He is a solid fighter and has DEF 5 and a nice 12 Life Points to keep him alive for awhile. Getting no wound penalties is also a nice bonus. Very fast with MOV of six and Intangible, the Djinn can easily get where he is needed. But all of that isn't his main attraction. His main attraction are his magical capabilities.
  
  You can choose from three Auras to aid your war band. +1 to CBT in 4" radius coupled with Nazir's Charisma gives the Saracens lots of combat, to say the least. Or perhaps you'd like to get +3 to the movement of Muslim fighters? Certainly makes closing in on the enemy rather quick and gives the ability to re-deploy quickly to put pressure on a different part of the battle field. Naturally a hugely powerful ability in scenarios. And, like a TV-Shop commercial, that is not all. Call now and get safety from ranged damage near the Djinn with a permanent aura. For 25 points, this guy is an absolute bargain. Plus, he looks really cool!
  http://www.helldorado.fr/factions/les-sarrasins/chams-al-majid/index.php
  
• Hashishin is the Arabian assassin and he fills his duty with ruthless efficiency. Armed with a pistol and a a pair of blades, all of his strikes go through two points of armour, which makes his damage tables look rather nice, really. Couple this with his high CBT-stat and you have a very powerful fighter. DEF five and 12 Life Points are his way of surviving with a nasty surprise of Fanaticism coming into play once he is on his final four Life Points. CBT seven is rather huge, don't you think?
  
  For the low low price of one permanent command point Hashishin can teleport 10 inches. Yeah, good luck with keeping your vulnerable fighter safe against this silent killer. Did I mention that he ignores control zones?
  http://www.helldorado.fr/factions/les-sarrasins/hashishin/index.php
• Pillar of Faith with the shield is very solid fighter. DEF 4, PR 3 and 10 Life Points keep him around for quite a while and his already nice CBT of five is further enhanced if the enemy gangs up on him. He also has throwing knives to keep him busy when not in melee. Giving +1 PR to allies in base to base contact is another nice bonus, though note that it doesn't work with Sanctified Warriors who already have PR 3.
  
  The most interesting thing about this Pillar is his ability of Attraction 3, though. His high PR and nice DEF means that some opponents have a really tough time dealing with him, so attracting them to him can be a very nasty tactic. His unique order again costs permanent command points, so think carefully before using it.
  http://www.helldorado.fr/factions/les-sarrasins/pilier-de-la-foi/index.php
• The Other Pillar of Faith goes around with a huge Halberd, Reach two and all. Compared to his partner in Pillardom, he has a lower PR, no Attraction and no throwing knives, though he has a bit better damage table. His unique order is another huge dilemma. OTOH it give the Pillar +1 to DEF and PR making him very survivable indeed, but two points of permanent command is a high price to pay. If you use the order and the Pillar gets killed, you are down three permanent command points, which is as much as Nazir's unique order.
  http://www.helldorado.fr/factions/les-sarrasins/pilier-de-la-foi2/index.php
• The Panther eats Lemures. That's his job and he is good at it. He can also cause all sorts of nasty malus states on enemies, which is very useful. The problem is that he gets wounded really quickly, so even though he has very nice DEF 5 and PR 2, he tends to die rather quickly if the enemy realizes his dangerousness.
  http://www.helldorado.fr/factions/les-sarrasins/panthere-de-chasse/index.php
• Last we come to the lowly Sanctified Fightes, the grunts of the Saracens. They are really nice grunts, though. PR 3 means that the enemy has to kill them in one go almost, as hitting often but weakly is an exercise in futility against these guys. Their combat stat doesn't look like anything to write home about, but when they get a bit of support from friends they quickly turn into very nice fighters, so remember to give them those assist bonuses.
  http://www.helldorado.fr/factions/les-sarrasins/combattant-sanctifie/index.php

[Jadin]

Thank you for this write up. I noticed that a lot of the models have an ability called Charisma. I read the english translation of the rules and it mentions only Charisma X bonus to CBT stat. What does just base Charisma do?

[Tobyn]

When an ability is X something, if there is no number then X is assumed to be 1.

Could i thank you you for the great write up and also ask if you could be any chance do a little one on the Wave 2 and 3 releases? 

[Lemminkäinen]

When an ability is X something, if there is no number then X is assumed to be 1.

Could i thank you you for the great write up and also ask if you could be any chance do a little one on the Wave 2 and 3 releases? 

Thanks! And I will do the waves, too, but it might take a while. No more than two weeks, though

[Lemminkäinen]

"No more than two weeks" my posterior region! Anyway, hopefully better late than never:

• Tarik Ibn Malik Ibn Rushd is 80 points of pure combat power. As a leader he has Charisma and CMD of four, which are nice but nothing spectacular. Since he is so many points, you will find it a bit tricky to take lots of other models with a CMD-value, which means that usually a warband led by the Prince is a bit low on CMD-points. It is rather likely that your opponent will get Domination at first, but with Prince's close combat abilities, that should be corrected in a timely manner.
  
  Speaking of his combat abilities, they are indeed handsome. CBT7 means that you will most likely be hitting the high end of the damage table, so the relatively low damage values aren't much of a concern, really. As the damage table also include a couple of nice malus states to inflict on the enemy, Tarik is rather nasty in close combat through the basics alone. Add to this his Counter Attack and Man at arms 2 abilities and he can really do a number on his enemy.
  
  On the defense Tarik is nothing to sneeze at, either. DEF 4 is average, but PR 2, 12 Life points and the fact that you need to inflict 11 points of damage to get him into wounded state means that this guy can take it. Add to this is skills and especially the Rapid Strike (Defense) means that killing Tarik needs a lot of dedication. Especially as he can with just one CMD point heal his wounds up to the CBT-value of the foe he killed.
  
  Which brings us to his orders. Tarik can lower the enemy DEF to a lousy three no matter what it began as. This is absolutely huge and makes Succubi cry. Combine to this the fact that when Tarik is on the field, killing the opposing Leader will win the Saracens the game, and your opponent will certainly think twice before going into a duel of Officers with the Prince.
  
  As for his weaknesses, there really aren't many aside from his points cost. One thing to look out for, is really durable opponents like the Damned of Sloth and such, as Tarik can only do so much damage per round and you don't want to waste his potential killing unworthies while the opposing elites do a number on your other troops.
  http://www.helldorado.fr/factions/les-sarrasins/tarik-ibn-malik-ibn-rushd/index.php
• The Hunting Eagle is Tarik's loyal companion, but he is something of a double-edged sword, so be careful. Models within three inches of the Eagle can't give nor receive orders. This means both friends and foe, so keep the Eagle away from Tarik when using this ability (it is temporary and passive, not permanent, mind you). The Eagle also isn't all that durable, so all in all a tricky model to use, but absolutely devastating when used right. Keeping it floating near the opposing commander means no Vae soli or Vae Victis among other things, which can be a game winner in some circumstances.
  http://www.helldorado.fr/factions/les-sarrasins/aigle-de-chasse/index.php