Russia

[Agent Smith]

THE RUSSIAN MOLNYA-VOINA (BLITZKRIEG)

Although it seems to the contrary, the Russians actually start off in a very good position. With their standing army, location, and the existence of only one true border enemy, the Russians can take a very early lead and gain power quickly.

Here is the strategy.

The Russians start with two main armies (one led by Mikhail and one led by the Grand Duke Ysevolod) and one garrison army (led by Prince Vladimir). The key is to rush out of Novgorod immediately. There are four separate paths to take at once for the strategy to be effective.

1.) The First Turn. On the first turn, take Mikhail's army due west to Riga and lay siege (it should take a few turns to reach Riga). Ne mercenaries are needed. The village is lightly defended and has no wall defenses, so it is easy to take. You can wait the two turns of siege to force the Livonians to come to you, which makes the battle easier and allows you to suffer fewer casualties (particularly because they have a tendency to sen their unit of crossbows around the flank, which is easy pickings for Mikhail and his bodyguard).

While Mikhail is heading for Riga, send the Grand Duke due south to Smolensk. On the way, hire every mercenary available in preparation for the siege of Kiev (usually that is two Mercenary Spearmen and one to two Mercenary Crossbowmen). Lay siege to Smolensk and assault it ASAP. The quicker the assault, the less of a chance that the Polish will reach Kiev first. Also, leave Smolensk a castle. It will be your main region for "homeland defense."

Prince Vladimir should take a contingent of 2 Spear Militia and 2 Archer Militia east and immediately head for Moscow.

At Novgorod, begin training enough troops for a minimal garrison and begin training a small army of 3 Spear Militia and 3 Archer Militia. This army will eventually take Helsinki, which isn't of immediate need. Also, concentrate heavily on upgrading Novgorod's economic potential. I usually try to get a Port and a Merchant's Wharf ASAP to begin an economic base. With trade established with the Danes, it should be a good start. On a side note, I usually sail my starting princess ASAP to the Danish capital at Arhus before their faction heir has the chance to marry. By gaining trade rights, exchanging/giving map information, and asking for an alliance, she will most likely have enough charm to ask to marry the faction heir in the same diplomatic exchange in the same turn. This gives you a powerful marriage alliance very early in the game.

2.) The Second Wave. Once Riga has fallen, take Mikhail's army and head immediately southeast to Vilnius, leaving a minimal garrison at Riga. At this point there should be a few more mercenaries for hire, and you'll need them to effectively battle the Lithuanians. There is really not too much of a rush in assaulting the Lithuanians because you have most likely reached it in such a short amount of time. Lay siege and, like Riga, wait it out and force the Lithuanians to sally. Once captured, IMMEDIATELY changed Vilnius to a village. There is no need for another castle and it is essential for getting Russia's economy off the ground.

Almost simultaneously the Grand Duke's army should have conquered Smolensk and be heading south for Kiev. Leave a minimal garrison at Smolensk (it takes little for Smolensk to keep it in the green). The battle was most likely easy and you probably took few casualties, so the assault on Kiev should be easy. One of two things could happen when you reach Kiev: either there are no Polish in sight or they have already sent an army/laid siege to Kiev. It has been my experience that the Polish usually do not send an adequate force, and if you let them assault they will most likely fail and leave it an even easier target. If they do end up taking it, attack immediately. The Polish won't waste any time attacking you soon anyway.

By this time, Prince Vladimir should be assaulting Moscow. Simply wait the siege out and force a sally. There is absolutely no rush away from the Western front.

Build minimum garrisons in all of your towns and concentrate on economic building.

3.) The True Beginning of an Empire. With both Kiev and Vilnius under your control, the Western front is all but secure. However, at this point, you can pretty much expect an assault from the expansive Polish in a few turns (if a war hasn't already begun). I have found it most common that the Polish's main force has been used to capture Thorn, and they will usually continue marching straight for Riga. This isn't entirely a problem. If this occurs, Mikhail's main force will most likely still be in Vilnius and Riga's defense will be limited. Simply take Mikhail's army, leave minimum defense in Vilnius (the Polish don't have enough forces to lead a two pronged attack this early) and march for the Polish army. They may see you coming and assault Riga, in which case you will most likely lose. However, Mikhail will be there in a turn or two, and you can simply lay siege to Riga and take it right back. THIS BATTLE IS A KEY BATTLE. In the alternative, the Polish may attack Kiev or Vilnius, but you already have the majority of your forces there and should be able to slug it out.

With the battle won, the Polish have most likely lost the majority of their forces. Leave a minimal garrison and march straight for Thorn on a counter attack. Take it, and let Mikhail rest. This is a great defensive spot, and due to its proximity to the rest of Poland, they will most likely send assaults to Thorn or try to pass it up to go to Riga and Vilnius, in which case you can head them off at the pass.

Kiev will most likely be secure for many turns to come because of the hell Mikhail is raising with the Polish. The goal now is for the Grand Duke to amass an army (or simply take his existing one) and head east. Start building Kiev to be an economic city and build a decent garrison to fend off the stray Polish army (usually 3 or 4 each of spears and archers will do the trick, but 2 and 2 will most likely suffice). Caffa in the Crimea is a pushover and you should be able to roll right over. again, because there is little to no risk of attacks this far east, leave a minimum garrison and head for the Grand Duke's final location: Sarkel. Take it and rest. Leave Sarkel as a castle, since it will become your first bulwark against any possible Mongol invaders.

Prince Vladimir, after taking Moscow, should take whatever measures necessary (training more militia, hiring mercenaries) to head southeast and take Ryazan. Convert Ryazan to a vilalge and prepare for the final push to Vladimir's last destination: Bulgar. Take it, convert it to a village, and breathe a sigh of relief.

If you haven't yet, make sure you take Helsinki at any point along this path with a small force from Novgorod. One extra port is always nice.

4.) The Result. Because of limiting military training to small garrisons where attacks will most likely not come, the income generated later will become extremely large for the Russians. By the end of the second wave, where I usually have Novgorod, Helsinki, Riga, Vilnius, Kiev, and Moscow under my control, an income of anywhere from 3,000-5,000 florins per turn will be coming in. By the end of the blitzkrieg, you can expect between 6,000 and 8,000 florins per turn. Since most of Russia will be small villages to start, you'll often times find yourself building every building possible before the population reaches the next level. In essence, you are sitting pretty and, most likely, you may have not even hit the 25 turn mark. In the end, your empire should include: Novgorod, Kiev, Vilnius, Riga, Helsinki, Moscow, Ryazan, Bulgar, Caffa, Sarkel, and Thorn.

5.) The Future. Taking control of Thorn is usually the last thing to occur in the blitzkrieg. From this point on it will be up to the circumstances in front of you. What I usually do is begin building my standard, professional army in Thorn and try to take out Poland as quick as possible, thus expanding your realm even further. However, depending on how things turn out in the south, you may find Hungarians at your borders, although I have rarely seen that happen, especially if you leave Iasi alone. If Poland falls, you will find yourself sitting with the ability to enjoy the game since cash will be rolling in; most of Russia is protected by the "Iron Curtain" of castles in Thorn, Halych, and possibly Iasi; and the relative proximity of the cities in Poland can be easily defended with a single professional army.

Smolensk is a great area to build a second professional army and what I call a "rapid response team." By building up a decent number of Boyar's Sons (4-6), which are available early at Smolensk, you have the capability of keeping any harassing Polish armies at bay from the get-go. They are terriffic for getting to your Western Russian towns quickly (usually in 2-3 turns) on horseback and they can rip apart any army that isn't smart enough to bring missile units along. Even a few Polish Nobles can't stand a barrage of two to three loosely formed, skirmishing Boyar's Sons attacking them at once.

The Russian cities are also set up in such a way that specialization is easier. I usually make Kiev my capital once it becomes a minor city because it literally will most likely be the center of your empire for years to come (and it was historically the capital of the Rus). Also, Kiev is a great spot to build a Theologians Guild to send your Orthodox Priests out far and wide. Novgorod obviously makes a good spot for a Merchant's Guild. Meanwhile, Vilnius and Riga make good locations for Thieve's and Assassin's Guilds to send them straight into central Europe.

All that is left is to build a professional army to stand ready at Sarkel and defend your current territory. Not much will be able to stand in your way at this point.

MY PROFESSIONAL RUSSIAN ARMY

Playing EXTENSIVELY with the Greeks in RTW, I have developed an army I tend to like when I play. And with the Russians, it works out very well, is modifiable on the fly, and is easy to upgrade as time goes on.

The main backbone is, of course, infantry for me (I can't get phalanx fighting out of my head). My infantry consists of 8 Spearmen and, early, 4 Peasant Archers. For cavalry, I take 1 General, 2 units of Druzhina, and 2 units of Boyar's Sons.

The last three spots are completely customizable for the player/need. For an assaulting force, I may place in 3 units of siege weapons or 2 siege weapons and an extra heavy infantry. For open field fighting, I may throw in 3 extra units of missile cavalry.

The key to this army is it's natural flanking and defensive pinning capabilities. The beauty of the professional Spearmen is that they are relatively cheap and they do a great job of pinning an enemy in place. Also, having 8 Spear units allows for complete coverage of the four archer units without leaving an archer flanks exposed and without spreading your infantry too thin. Even if the Spearmen take heavy casulaties, they can be replaced easily at any Caste or above settlement.

Here is my typical basic set up (excluding the 3 custom spots):

BS D   S S S S S S S S   D BS
      A    A    A    A
               G

In a typical offensive action, there are usually enough infantry to cover the entire front line of the enemy. Using loosely formed archers, begin launching arrows at the enemy while the infantry line moves forward. The Infantry's job is to pin the opposing enemy line in place while the cavalary gets set to flank it. Also, during the approach, the Boyar's Sons can be used to soften the front lines for the impending infantry charge, moving to the flank with it's accompanying Druzhina to charge together at the right time.

The result is usually devastating. The Spearmen are great at keeping the enemy i place, and the Druzhina cut through the flank like a hot knife through butter. depending on the situation, the Boyar's Sons can even wheel slightly to the rear and charge the second unit in from the flank. The General sould stay back and plug a hole in the line when necessary, rallying the troops along the way.

For defensive actions, the half hexagon is a fantastic weapon with this army:

    S S S S
  S   A A   S
S     A A     S
 BS D G D BS

All of the Spearmen should be fasing outward, with the two Spearmen units on each side facing outward to provide a straight wall of spearpoints on all sides of the half hexagon. The Boyar's Sons can be positioned outside of the hexagon on each flank to give them an easier time of marching out to harass the enemy as they approach. The rest of the cavlary should be used to plug holes.

This strategy works best on a hillside, so the archers can fire over the heads of the row in front of them without much problems. You can even lure the enemy into a defensive battle by positioning your army on the campaign map next to a mountain or hill and tempt the enemy into attacking you.

In any event, wait for the enemy to come to you and get peppered along the way. Depending on how they attack, each side of the hexagon has the ability to wheel and basically invert the original half hexagon, trapping the enemy in the middle. A swift Cavalry charge through the middle can put an end to most offensive assaults.

As the game progresses, I usually always keep the Spearmen for my infantry backbone. I later switch out the Peasant Archers for Dismoutned Dvor. The DD are fantastic, because not only do they take the place of the archers and fire long range missiles, but they are heavy infantry that can plug holes if need be thus freeing up your general and other cavalry for flanking. The Druzhina can be switched out later for Tsar's Guard and the Boyar's Sons can be switched out for Dvor Cavalry. If one really doesn't like Spearmen, they can be switched out for heavier infantry as well.



That's my Russian strategy in a nutshell. I hope you all enjoy it!

[Bongaroo]

My current campaign is Russian and I am really enjoying it. I play standard turn length, 1.1 patch, and Carls bugfixer. My early game was controlled expansion with a lot of attention paid to diplomacy. Currently I have a reliable reputation and 5 or 6 alliances with standings in all of them very good or better. My only enemy is the polish who have developed a very bad reputaion for repeatedly invading my lands. I have taken Riga, Helsinki, Smolnesk, Moscow, Ryazan, and Bulgar. Smolnesk and Bulgar are my castles with all others remaining towns. The turks took sarakel but we have yet to engage in hostilities which is fine by me. I am poised to begin a counter-offensive into Poland in retribution for their continued aggression.

My tatics have been to leave the infantry in the cities to defend my holdings and fielding all calvary fast action response armies to deal with any incursions. I have defeated many a large polish army with successful ambushes. Nothing feels better than breaking a line of unsuspecting invaders marching single file. When the ambush fails and a normal battle insues I tend to pause the game often to keep track of all the HA's. My field armies so far have consisted of a general, 2 or 3 boyar sons, 3 or 4 druza, and 4+ kazaks. The Kazaks are ineffective in melee but are otherwise fine HA's. I use them to pepper the enemy and try to get enemy units strung out for charges from the heavy cavalry. A fairly simple guerilla like strategy but effective. The large open spaces on the campaign map and ample woods to lay sieges play to the strength's of this army.

Fortunately the Mongels invaded far south and have settled around Antioch. They are now warring with the Hungarians for control of Constantanople. Since Hungry is an ally of mine I'm thinking that to help prevent the mongels from breaking out further and becoming a larger threat later, now would be a good time to send in some landing force in what used to be turky but is probably now mostly mongel. A spy is enroute to investigate the current conditions to the south.

So far a blast to play. ;)

[Unorthodox]

In my campaigns, I never ran into economic problems. I'd put it down to the following factors:

1) In the beginning, your troop choices are weak all-around. Rather than spending your money on weak cavarly that are still somewhat expensive, spend your money on weak militia that are extremely cheap. Spam your enemies and all rebel settlements with huge armies of spear militia. Low upkeep, low cost.
2) Make a determined dash to expand as far South as possible. The settlements to your East aren't going anywhere; nobody's going to take them, with the possible exception of Turkey.
3) Gamble - convert all your early settlements to cities, and fix up a specific border of castles (that will most likely be against Poland, maybe Hungary). For the majority of my early game, this was Vilnius-Halych-Iasi. Everything behind that was a city for the increased income. Before I reached those 3 settlements, I only had cities.
4) Make sure you capture as many coastal settlements, both on the Black and Baltic seas, to give you naval trade. Kiev is important.

I was consistently the richest faction in my campaign.