Onto the Field of Battle - Deploying the Muscovites

It is time.
After weeks of preparation and relentless efforts to muster and train the forces, the Golova is finally ordered to move his troops into battle against the Ottomans...

So today he moved out to fight a first resounding defeat against a much larger Ottoman force...

More details on the battle might follow in a later post, if I ever feel like working my way through the foto-editing.

The Golova - Russian Skirmish Force Command

Time for another update on my ongoing project.  Next week I´ll have to be ready to field at least the most basic skirmish force for our wargaming day. To work towards that goal, I´ve greated my Commander and russified the Musician and Bannerman from the Totentanz Mounted Cossacks Command set.

Together, thes should make a nice command stand to represent my Golova, the commander of my Muscotive Skirmish Force.

With all the work done so far, I´ll have to finish the Command Stand and the last two Boyar Son cavalrymen to get a basic playable skirmish force on the table.  I´ll probably have to lend a unit of cavalry to represent a skirmish sotnia if need be - but we´ll see.

Then I can focus my attention on adding the Reiters and paint mounted Cossacks to represent my Servant Cossacks when mounted and moving on horseback.

So far, my Scratch-Build Boyar Sons unit looks like this:

Two more to paint.

Recruitment Rapport - Mustering the Tzarist Forces

The buildup of my Muscovite Skirmish Force is progressing.
Since my last entry, more Miniatures have been sculpted, painted and purchased.

Dismounted Servant Cossacks -  left and middle base with my own designs, right base with Totentanz Foot Cossacks - lovely figures :)

 First member of my Reiter unit who are supposedly better-performing than any of the other cavalry options in my intended build....

 

...such as the Boyar Sons, one of which can be seen below.  These are the Muscovite Levy of the Nobility and are said to perform poorly.

 

My intended build for the first skirmish games: 

Basic Skirmish Force with 2 Boyar Son Sotnias replaced by 2 Servant Cossacks of equal strength (4 FSP) 

• Servant Cossacks (3 Bases)
• Servant Cossacks (3 Bases)
• Boyar Son Sotnia (2 Bases)
• Boyar Son Sotnia (2 Bases)
• Boyar Son Sotnia (2 Bases)
• Additional Skirmish Sotnia (3 Bases) - for the Miestnichestvo  Special Rule 

•  Reiter Sotnia  (2 Bases)  (+1 FSP):  + 2 bases by the "Ludiej Unas Mnoga" Special Rule
• +4 Boyar Son Bases (+1 FSP)   - to bring the base force up to strength 
• Skirmish Sotnia (+1 FSP)

This will be the guiding template to build my force. Most of the Base Force is complete, the most annoying part is the Additional Skirmish Sotnia as I don´t know if I´ll actually use it in my first engagement.