How to pike the russians

Conflict between the Swedes and their various neighbours between 1670s and 1721. Including topics on Danes, Saxons, Saxon-Polish, Russians and anyone else the boys in blue were mixing it with!
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Gunfreak
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How to pike the russians

Post by Gunfreak » Wed Feb 08, 2017 5:39 pm

So I'm hoping my first warfare russians show up next week.

But how to pike them.
The easy way is the classic with a separate pike base behind the regular basis. It's also nice because then you can field the russians with out pike. Which they apperantly didn't use at all times.

But I remember that some times the russians deployed pikes along the whole front. And that might look cool. The major upside here is that you'll actually be able to see the nice pike figures. Instead of them hiding behind the other fallas.

Also given that russians only used 1:6 pikes, by spreading them along the front will make them seem fewer less dense.
Dfogleman2
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Re: How to pike the russians

Post by Dfogleman2 » Wed Feb 08, 2017 6:00 pm

i believe that according to the 1708 regulations, every other man in the front rank was to be armed with a pike and a pistol. Thus 1/8 of the men were to have pikes. How many regiments had them, I don't know. Since the infantry in the flying column that fought at Lesenja were mounted while on the march, one wonders whether they had pikes, but this doesn't rule them out. I believe that someone posted in an earlier thread that the evidence of whether the Russian infantry had pikes prior to 1708 is spotty.

Personally, I have alternating pikemen and musketeers in the front line in some of my regiments and all musket in others. I'm sure that whatever you do will be fine and look great, too!
RogerC
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Re: How to pike the russians

Post by RogerC » Wed Feb 08, 2017 7:41 pm

I stick mine in the middle base in front of the flags, looks nice and there is a practical element here, if they are spread over the front they are easy to catch with your fingers when moving them. In the middle they are to a certain extent protected. My look like the below.

Image
Gunfreak
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Re: How to pike the russians

Post by Gunfreak » Wed Feb 08, 2017 7:47 pm

Yes, that is also an advantage.

I think I'll stick to the "official" BLB basing with a separate pike base behind.
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