Russian Players

[Basilacius]

basically the same as xenofon's thread about byzantium players:

1 name the reason why they are your favourite faction

2 name your favourite unit of the Russ

3 what should change?

I'll start:

1 Their isolated location witch gives you great time to prepare yourselves, and it is possible to encounter the Mongols witch I love to do

2 hands down Dvor cavalry

3 perhaps better spearman

[Berdiche Knyaz]

1. Mainly for two reasons, 1. is that they are alone and have time to prepare and can also have different ways to attack, and 2. is that it's Orthodox and they don't have to listen to the annoying crap the Muslims and Christian Factions put up.

2. Berdiche Axemen

3. Use Swords, like the Shashka for infantry units, use the Lithchina mask for the Berdiches which they CA lied for putting in, better spearmen, remove or change the use of Druzhinas and Boyar Sons, and put in Lances for Horsemen.

[Kallum]

1 orthodox religion, no pop
2 cossack musketeerrs
3 better spearman, lances for the heavy cavs and perhaps more swords

[Tanta]

Russians?Very god faction!Thay Army very original.Only thing that boders me is that on start you dont get Kiev.And Kiev was The largest city in the year that game starts.

[Basilacius]

I agree with you Tanta, Kiev should be theirs, from there their legendary siege of Constantinople began

[Kallum]

But how would you like the empire to be then? Every city from Kiev till Novgorod? Or just Kiev? I think that all the cities from Novgorod till Kiev really takes out the fun out of a russian campaign

[The Noble Lord]

I agree with all of the above .

[Berdiche Knyaz]

Yeah OR at least they Kiev deserves to be a faction even though Novgorod broke away. I'm sorta wanting Muscovy as a faction also but they weren't a major faction till the 1400's. But maybe if you defeat Kiev as Novgo or Novgo as Kiev then it would be cool to become Muscovy.

I feel that CA didn't do enough work on Russia that much as everybody else, I'm also mad that the Berdiches did not get the Masks, they should've also include the Streltsys.

[Kallum]

you mean some sort of Kalmar union event?

[Berdiche Knyaz]

you mean some sort of Kalmar union event?

Yeah

[eggthief]

hm well reading the point 3's, Id say try playing novgorod with SS 6.1 and the battle for the baltic submod. Dismounted boyar sons carry swords instead of axes and the elite unit of the faction is an uber spear unit.

[phyacis]

If you play "the longest road" mod it has both kiev rus and novgorod rus (starting in the respective cities).

I like playing the russians, and found that to be the best mod for improving them. It almost makes the too powerful though, as it's easier to hire mercenary units to patch up their early infantry weakeness etc. Awesome mod though, regardless.

[Kallum]

The mod I really liked for the Rus was Stainless steel you could play the kiev and Novgorod rus. Though kiev was somehow vastly overpowered always in my games. Taking over whole of turkey but never georgia or Armenia. Despite the same units for both factions Kiev always owned Novgorod in my games. I'm going to check that mod out you mentioned eggthief sounds really interesting

[Basilacius]

but doesn't a some sort of kalmar union event for the rus make them a little bit uber strong? I mean strong russians are great but I always liked the situation the AI has there. Total balance between the Poles, hungs and the Rus never have seen any massive empires there, unless the HRE and the byz moves in

[Kallum]

really? in all of my games poland usually owns everything that comes across it's path

[Double A]

Yeah, true. Maybe it's because they go on every Crusade and get a billion stacks of elite units.

[Nasri]

1. Location-since their pretty isolated and surronded by rebel settlements Orthodox-Don't have to worry about Pope and I find I don't have to worry about Crusades against me.
2. Cossack Musketeerrs and their Horse Archers
3. As said before better Spearman and also maybe more swords.

P.S Poland usually dominate Eastern Europe in most of my games unless I am there of course as Russia

[crazedwombat]

I've decided to play Russia like the USSR. Complete isolation. I've taken the line of forts from smolnsk to bulgar and they're my front line which I hold, the rest are all cities. Now I'm going to run around the map by sea and land to raid a settlement then sell to the byz, then go further away and raid a settlement and sell all buildings then give to venice or turkey. I'm using kiev and poland as a buffer against mongols and timurids.

[Kallum]

I've decided to play Russia like the USSR. Complete isolation. I've taken the line of forts from smolnsk to bulgar and they're my font line which I hold, the rest are all cities. Now I'm going to run around the map by see and land to raid a settlement then sell to the byz, then go further away and raid a settlement and sell all buildings then give to venice or turkey. I'm using kiev and poland as a buffer againstmongols and timurids.

nice idea going to try that to

[lifeonmars]

1. location
2. realistic huge area of expansion
i don't like being portugal and conquer russia for example
3. unique units
4. 1 front