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This is a continuation of the ongoing discussion over the last month or more (mostly on the TRIUMPH! playtester discussion forum, which is going to be phased out now that we have this larger community TRIUMPH! forum up and running) regarding the Druzhina cavalry of the Early Russians.

Without briefing everyone about the long ongoing discussion, the changes to the Early Russian list are as follows:
(old version: 4-8x Javelin Cavalry Druzhina)
Now:

• 1-3x Knight (Malaia Druzhina)
• 3-5x Javelin Cavalry (Grid Druzhina)

The Malaia (small) Druzhina isn't a perfect match for the group of best-armed warriors of the Druzhina (there would also likely be others fighting among the heaviest cavalry who were not part of the elite part of the Druzhina who formed close advisors and bodyguards for the Princes), but the name works well enough to differentiate from the Grid' (junior) Druzhina who would have formed the rest of the mounted forces.

The Malaia Druzhina are Battleline (must deploy in the center) and the Grid' Druzhina are not, as they were often used as a screen and on the flanks, whereas the heaviest cavalry (rated in TRIUMPH! as Knights) were kept for a decisive charge in the center.

In addition, the 0-4x Horsebow option was previously listed as Chorni Klobuki (settled Turkic horsemen) but now the color text is changed to include the possibility that a few stands would be poorer Russian nobles fighting in Steppe style, as it seems that sometimes groups of Russians fighting with horsebow would be brigaded with Chorni Klobuki.

(Yes, I'm aware that you can't see the color text yet, but it does exist, and you will see it soon. You should already be able to see the color text for the first 20% of the armies, the rest is coming)

This should rectify the matchup issue between Early Russian armies and their steppe opponents in the Pechenegs, Cumans, and Mongols without screwing up their interactions with the Lithuanians and Early Polish and Teutonic Order.

Comments and reactions welcome, as always.

David,
Sounds good the only other suggestion I might make is to look into an option for a stand or two of Bad Horse to represent the "Opolcheniye" which appears to have been not Druzhina, but mounted townspeople and farmers.

I suspect these guys did not fight mounted though by choice and probably dismounted to fight if possible.

The only source I have for them is a Russian book describing that they would mount up to follow their lord because if they did not have a horse they could not keep up.

Rod wrote:David,
Sounds good the only other suggestion I might make is to look into an option for a stand or two of Bad Horse to represent the "Opolcheniye" which appears to have been not Druzhina, but mounted townspeople and farmers.

I suspect these guys did not fight mounted though by choice and probably dismounted to fight if possible.

The only source I have for them is a Russian book describing that they would mount up to follow their lord because if they did not have a horse they could not keep up.

That sounds like strategic mobility, not troops that would normally fight mounted. There are lots of examples of that sort of thing -- Vikings would often steal horses when they landed their ships so they could raid farther inland, but they never fought on those horses. Bad horse is for troops that fought mounted (although not very good at it).

A very special, selfish request. Can the General be ammended to troop type Jav Cav OR Knight? I have a beautifully painted General Knight stand I would love to place on the table. Besides, wouldn't the General want to be at the head of that decisive charge of his heavy cavalry?

Kontos wrote:A very special, selfish request. Can the General be ammended to troop type Jav Cav OR Knight? I have a beautifully painted General Knight stand I would love to place on the table. Besides, wouldn't the General want to be at the head of that decisive charge of his heavy cavalry?

Generals are just Knights in that army. The change was made some time ago; it still needs to be uploaded to Meshwesh.

David Kuijt wrote:

Kontos wrote:A very special, selfish request. Can the General be ammended to troop type Jav Cav OR Knight? I have a beautifully painted General Knight stand I would love to place on the table. Besides, wouldn't the General want to be at the head of that decisive charge of his heavy cavalry?

Generals are just Knights in that army. The change was made some time ago; it still needs to be uploaded to Meshwesh.

Glad to hear that! Thanks DK.