Swordsman, or any Eggy specialist...

I just started my first Eggy campaign last night. Didn't have a lot of time, so I autocalced my way on a Jihad to Antioch. Tonight I'm going to put the time in to actually fight my own battles.

How do you think the Eggy units fight compared to Euro units? I've done a Spanish and a Danish campaign so far before this, and I've played MTW and RTW extensively. This unit lineup is not as similar to either of those as I would have thought. They look to be more cavalry and infantry focused now.

Is it possible to rely on my peasant archer and archer militia to deliver decent damage? Can my units, esp in the early game, stand up one to one against crusader units (I've got the first one heading towards Jerusalem).

From reviewing the units, I plan to rely on Saracen Infantry for my main line, and then Mamluks for cav and horse archers (not real good with HA though). Then I'll fill in with Archer Militia for missiles.

Oh and how often can I start a Jihad?

One thing I am enjoying is the economy. The starting cash kept me afloat, and now that I'm holding Antioch and allied to the Turks, I'm doing rather well. Compared to my first experiences in Europe, this is a refreshing change.