Longbows as desert infantary ????

[fester]

I'm going into the desert with only longbows and light cavelry to see how I do.All my longbows have +2 armour and gold weapons and I intend to use them as infantry. I recently won a battle in which I had no chioce but to use LB's as infantry and was pleasantly suprised to see them cope well against cmaa.Granted I was on a steep hill but the way they minced such a unit at all made me think what a dream desert unit teched up longbows could be(I hope) Has anyone else ever tried this and if so how did it go cos I'd like to avoid a shambles if I'm heading for one but the lure of good light infantry that is also one of the best ranged units in the game is just to much!!!!!!

[Roark]

Well, I often use them as flankers when they run out of ammunition, as they have a decent attack rating. They tend to die fairly steadily in melee, though... It is infinitely preferable (for me anyway) to pack a few Highlanders and/or Gallowglasses for a trip to the desert...

[antisocialmunky]

Gallowglasses are the infantry equivalent of Spanish Lancers that can go into the desert.

[Gawain of Orkeny]

Well in mp at least Ive found the english to be the best desert faction for late and high. LBs do make great inf at v3 or 4. Also clansmen and holibars are very good desert units. I throw in a few mounted sarges and thats my whole army. Very hard to beat. In early use french. Still has holibars and clansemen plus fanatics and turc horse archers as well.

[.:vVv:.Monkey]

LBs are also armor piercing in melee, they have axes ;)

[IrishMike]

LBs are also armor piercing in melee, they have axes ;)

Aren't gonna run into many Arab units with armor to make that a great feature. Longbows could work for the exact reason I just said. Most Arab factions will use in vanilla MTW mostly low tech units early on. I've even seen the Eggy's use low tech units far into the High Period. Longbows should tear through these units like I tear into a package of starburst (which is really fast). Then basically any unit you wish to use will just have to charge to break moral and you'll find the battle is over quite easily.

[antisocialmunky]

There's always the turk factor. The simple fact that they have so many hybrid missile units makes them a worthy desert adversary.

[matteus the inbred]

Aren't gonna run into many Arab units with armor to make that a great feature

except AUM maybe, which should go through longbows rather swiftly, albeit with casualties. however, as i have discovered, they suffer somewhat in the desert, all the more so if they've been upgraded (the 'armoured' should have been clue!), so skirmish and shoot em up first and i doubt they'll be a problem. good longbows have no need to worry.

back the original post though, i like using archers and light cav in the desert too, it works well. the Turks are made for this thing, futuwwas, turcoman foot and horse archers go well with sand.

[Betito]

As you have heard, longbowmen can make for decent infantry, after they get a little beefed up with valour (try master bowyer in Wales for that) , but, in the case you are presenting us, there is a problem:


(...)All my longbows have +2 armour and gold weapons and I intend to use them as infantry. (...)

Armour works against you in the desert, so watch that detail, or might be unpleasantly surprised. Weap upgrade is damn nice, though.

[antisocialmunky]

Longbowmen.
Charge 1 Attack 3 Defence –2 Armour 1 Speed 6, 10, 11 Morale 4 Cost 350 Support cost 45

Armour 3+ is bad. Get the +2 valour and +2 armour for them in Wales for max performance.