Russian faction, which /non-artillery/ units are "late"

[Dark_Magician]

Early on the Russian army is made up of spear and archer militia supplemented by woodsmen and Kazaks. The early Russian infantry units are relatively poor compared to those available to other factions but it is the mix of strong missile and melee cavalry units, such as the Cossack cavalry
http://pc.ign.com/articles/731/731089p1.html

Cossacks are a group of several peoples living in the southern steppe regions of Eastern Europe and Asiatic Russia, famous for their self-reliance and military skill, particularly horsemanship. Cossack may also refer to a member of a Cossack military unit.
The name entered the English language from the French Cosaque, in turn, probably via Polish from the Ukrainian Kozak rather than the modern Russian Kazak. It is ultimately derived from a Turkic social term qazaq meaning "adventurer" or "free man". This term is first mentioned in a Ruthenian chronicle dated 1395. Cossacks (Qazaqlar) were also border keepers in the Khanate of Kazan.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cossack

Тhе initial target for the Russian kingdom should be expansion through the occupation of nearby rebel settlements such as Smolensk and Helsinki.
http://pc.ign.com/articles/731/731089p1.html

History
Main article: History of Helsinki
Founded in 1550 as a rival to the Hanseatic city of Reval (today: Tallinn) by King Gustav I of Sweden, the town of Helsingfors struggled in its infancy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helsinki#History

Berdiche Axemen
Wielding the mighty 'berdiche' these axemen strike fear into the hearts of their enemies, just before striking into the hearts of their enemies! Berdiche Axemen receive plenty of training to wield their fearsome two handed axes and are armored appropriately with armor from mail up to heavy brigandine.
http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%91%...B4%D1%8B%D1%88

Berdiche
Berdiche appears in Russia in XVI century as Strelets and town militia weapon. /../ it was also used as support to firearm.
http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%91%...B4%D1%8B%D1%88

Tsars Guard
Often found guarding princes and high ranking nobles these formidable and hardy cavalry units fight with a spear and are well protected by either heavy brigandine armour, cloth armor lined with metal plates.
http://pc.ign.com/articles/731/731089p2.html

Tsar (Bulgarian, Serbian and Macedonian цар, Russian царь (help·info), in scientific transliteration respectively car and car' ), occasionally spelled Czar or Tzar and sometimes Csar or Zar in English, is a Slavonic term designating certain monarchs.
"Tsar" was the official title of the supreme ruler in the following states:
Russia from about 1480 (or 1547) until 1721 (after 1721 and until 1917, the title was used officially only in reference to the Russian emperor's sovereignty over certain formerly independent states such as Poland and Georgia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsar

[sharrukin]

Early on the Russian army is made up of spear and archer militia supplemented by woodsmen and Kazaks. The early Russian infantry units are relatively poor compared to those available to other factions but it is the mix of strong missile and melee cavalry units, such as the Cossack cavalry
http://pc.ign.com/articles/731/731089p1.html

Cossacks are a group of several peoples living in the southern steppe regions of Eastern Europe and Asiatic Russia, famous for their self-reliance and military skill, particularly horsemanship. Cossack may also refer to a member of a Cossack military unit.
The name entered the English language from the French Cosaque, in turn, probably via Polish from the Ukrainian Kozak rather than the modern Russian Kazak. It is ultimately derived from a Turkic social term qazaq meaning "adventurer" or "free man". This term is first mentioned in a Ruthenian chronicle dated 1395. Cossacks (Qazaqlar) were also border keepers in the Khanate of Kazan.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cossack

Тhе initial target for the Russian kingdom should be expansion through the occupation of nearby rebel settlements such as Smolensk and Helsinki.
http://pc.ign.com/articles/731/731089p1.html

History
Main article: History of Helsinki
Founded in 1550 as a rival to the Hanseatic city of Reval (today: Tallinn) by King Gustav I of Sweden, the town of Helsingfors struggled in its infancy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helsinki#History

Berdiche Axemen
Wielding the mighty 'berdiche' these axemen strike fear into the hearts of their enemies, just before striking into the hearts of their enemies! Berdiche Axemen receive plenty of training to wield their fearsome two handed axes and are armored appropriately with armor from mail up to heavy brigandine.
http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%91%...B4%D1%8B%D1%88

Berdiche
Berdiche appears in Russia in XVI century as Strelets and town militia weapon. /../ it was also used as support to firearm.
http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%91%...B4%D1%8B%D1%88

Tsars Guard
Often found guarding princes and high ranking nobles these formidable and hardy cavalry units fight with a spear and are well protected by either heavy brigandine armour, cloth armor lined with metal plates.
http://pc.ign.com/articles/731/731089p2.html

Tsar (Bulgarian, Serbian and Macedonian цар, Russian царь (help·info), in scientific transliteration respectively car and car' ), occasionally spelled Czar or Tzar and sometimes Csar or Zar in English, is a Slavonic term designating certain monarchs.
"Tsar" was the official title of the supreme ruler in the following states:
Russia from about 1480 (or 1547) until 1721 (after 1721 and until 1917, the title was used officially only in reference to the Russian emperor's sovereignty over certain formerly independent states such as Poland and Georgia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsar

Hey dude, they are only off by a couple of hundred years! Give them a break, my niece makes some of the same sorts of mistakes. Besides, 1419, or 1914, it's back in the olden times, so it's all good!

[Stig]

Mod the game if you don't like it ... does it even matter

[Soulflame]

I actually think he meant that these units will be the latest tiers of the russians... so that we better know when we can build them. I don't think he's trying to say "CA messed up the history on these units'.

[Captsin]

well they did and that sucks. why, instead of modding, doesn't MTW2 just get basic historical facts down? It's hard to get into the game as the Russians if you know a little about their history.
The Berdiche Axemen are made up and not real. The cossacks didn't exist at this time and only were only part of the Russian army in the 1700's.
The Russians actually would have had a fun army to play if MTW2 got it right. Their knights were meadium cavalry and had bows and spears. More maneuverable to deal with raiders from the steppes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bogatyr

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kulikovo

Their footsoldiers were mostly peasant conscripts or spearmen with noble honour guards in heavier armour holding key parts of the line. They could have given them a distict eastern and Russian dress and we have a fun faction that looks different and is relatively simple to set up.
Streltsy would have been too late too add but maybe if you tech fast

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streltsy

Now this is very basic common knowlegde. How much fun would it be to play england if they get Scottish highlanders circa 1600 and and a made up unit called "knights of the round table"?

[Captsin]

Here is a link about Druzhina's if anyone is interested.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Druzhina

In my posted links, take a look at the pictures to see how different the Russians looked from western Europe. The Russians had no heraldry as each man dressed as he saw fit and their banners depicted icons. How cool would that have looked in MTW2?

[econ21]

How much fun would it be to play england if they get Scottish highlanders circa 1600 and and a made up unit called "knights of the round table"?

We've had both units, IIRC - the MTW highlanders and the BI Graal Knights. IMO, the MTW English and the BI Romano-British were still fun. I can overlook the odd unit. I have more of a problem when the whole faction plays wrong - e.g. MTW pseudo legions of Byzantine infantry or Almohad urban militia; or RTW Egyptians.

Right from the start with Shogun, CA has provided historically flavoured strategy games not historical simulations or hardcore historical wargames. I'm a realism fan, but sometimes I think using realism as a stick to beat CA is like criticising the Rolling Stones for not playing jazz.

[Ignoramus]

I agree with econ21, I didn't mind original Medieval's generic units, or the few ahistorical ones. What I did dislike, however, was the appalling Egyptians in Rome. That was inexcuseable.

[Captsin]

I'm a realism fan, but sometimes I think using realism as a stick to beat CA is like criticising the Rolling Stones for not playing jazz.

that's a good one! I guess you're right. It was wrong of me to expect a more realistic approach. Maybe I should learn how to mod, how hard could it be?