COSSACKS: RUSSO TURKISH WAR ERA

  The addition of the Don and Caucasian Cossacks (left and right, respectively) complete the Russian Cavalry.

These two units round out the first stage of my Russian Army project which was begun back in  April: the cavalry contingent (pictured above) consisting of two divisions of Russian Cavalry plus the Guard Cossacks (the horse artillery is still to come).  In this post, as usual, you may clix pix for BIG PIX...

DON COSSACK

Each Russian cavalry division contained one Hussar, Uhlan, Dragoon, and Cossack regiment. I decided to go with a Don Cossack regiment for one of the divisions.  For these, I used the Mollo Uniforms of the Imperial Russian Army as my guide. Note the all-white furashka cap in the example.  This distinctive Russian headgear is variously depicted as white with black visor and details (and sometimes a colored band), or as all white, as above (to include visor).
 

I again went out-of-period for figures and used the Bolshevik Cavalry I of the Copplestone Castings "Back of Beyond" Range.

I decided to go with the all-white furashka as being more distinctively "Russian" and representative of the era prior to when visored caps came into more general use.  I also stuck with white strapping (as per Mollo)--there are other sources that show it as black. Probably both are correct. As with the caps, I think the white is more distinctive and representative of the earlier end of this transitional era. 

CAUCASIAN COSSACK

I decided to go with a Caucasian Cossack regiment for the other cavalry division.  For this, I used the above image from the NYPL Vinkhuijzen collection as a model.  Having painted a brown coated army before (Hungarians), I gained an appreciation for the look of brown-clad units, and was drawn to the potential of the orange and brown combination of this unit.

I stuck with the Copplestone Casting "Back of Beyond" line and used the White Russian Caucasian Cossack figures once again (I had used these figures for the Guard Cossacks).

Many different versions of brown were brought to bear on these, along with the selective use of washes and highlighting, in order to keep the brown clad riders, the brown bits (like the rifles and slings, the horse furniture, etc), and the chestnut horses distinct from each other. I also resisted the urge to embellish with extra dashes of orange and instead stuck with the understated look of the source. 

 

I've now moved on to the Russian infantry, which will be a larger project, but one that doesn't involve horses (I'm so done with painting horses right now!).

Excelsior!

RUSSIAN GUARD COSSACK: RUSSO TURKISH WAR

 

Russian Guard Cossacks of His Majesty's Own Cossack Escort

 

In this post, dear readers, we follow up from last week's post on the beginnings of the Russian Army of the Russo Turkish War project.  Following on from that, the first unit has been mustered.  These are Copplestone Castings White Russian Caucasian Cossacks from their Back of Beyond Range--technically from the Russian Civil War era, but they do a fine job representing any of the Caucasian Cossacks from the Russo Turkish War era forward. I guess that this isn't so much a conversion (as my last project was), so much as it is a re-purposing of figures to represent something other than what they are.

 

A colorized photograph of Tsar Nicholas II wearing the uniform of the Guard Cossacks of His Majesty's Escort

Officer of the Regiment, circa 1877: pretty much the same. 

Not unlike someone starting a French Napoleonic Army who begins with the Old Guard, I am kicking-off my project with a guard unit. In this case, one of the numerous Russian Imperial Guard elements.  The Guard Cossacks of His Majesty's Escort had 200 troopers on duty protecting the Tsar and another 200 rotated off service.  There may have been other sortina's (that's Cossack for "squardon" basically) as well.  Regardless, once I received the Copplestone figures I knew that I wanted to put this unit on the table.  Whether it was sent on campaign or engaged as a tactical/operational unit along with other guard cavalry is unclear--and I rather doubt that anyone playing in a game will have the depth of knowledge to cavil: "Wait a minute...aren't those the Cossacks of His Imperial Majesty's Escort? What are you about, man?"--yeah, it's not likely. But even so....

Guard Cossack

...Gazyrs aside (those are the signature bullet loops of Caucasian dress), the uniform is so close to the Life Guard Cossack Regiment of the Lifeguard Cavalry Division (pictured above) that they could pass for them at 4 foot playing distance (particularly given the fading faculties of the group in which I play).  "An easy enough mistake to make, my friend: those are the Life Guard Cossacks..." But enough of these diversions.  On to the study of my rendition of this unit (as usual, you may clix pix for Big Pix in this post):

 

I have to say that for me, Copplestone Casting figures strike the perfect balance between detail and ease of painting--and they deliver on effort invested.  I could be tempted to jump into the Back of Beyond just because of these figures. Given my complicated relationship with painting, I never thought I'd be among those who would say any figure set was a "joy" to paint--there is a first time for everything, I guess, because I'm actually looking forward to painting the next set of these  (this time as non-guard cossacks). 

Two cossacks of the regiment: fellows not to be trifled with.

Excelsior!

 

 

SEPTEMBER GAME NIGHT AND PIKEMAN'S LAMENT BATREP

 

The usual suspects gather ahead of our club's September Game Night.

This will be a modest update on hobby activity in these parts; specifically, reporting on our club's recent Game Night.  Coming out of Covid, regular attendance has not yet fully recovered.  Pre-covid, we would schedule 3 games of 6 players each, and often have a game with 8 mixed in.  We have shifted that down, planning either 4 player games or some other combination.  For this Game Night, we had a large game of 8 players and a small game (mine) of 4 players.  And it worked out perfectly. There was some concern about floating both games, but in the end 15 worthies gathered to play (2 game masters, 12 players, and 1 observer)--lower than our pre-Covid norm, but trending up and boding well for game nights going forward in the coming post-summer "gaming season." But enough of that.  As I mentioned, we had 2 games.  First, there was Don M's game, the big one, with 8 players...

...it was a Sikh Wars game using a variant of Age of Eagles...

...using Don's fabulous collection of Old School, shiny 25mm figures (mainly Minifigs, I believe) organized in big units, and lots of them!  Click pix for Big Pix...

...I was running my game at the other end of the room, so can't say much about the progress of Don's game other than to say that there were 8 fully engaged and enthusiastic gamers. Based on the noises floating across the room, a good time was had by all. 

For my part, I ran my 4-player Eastern Renaissance Pikeman's Lament Convoy Escort game.  The details of this scenario are available in my July 24 post, so I won't repeat them here.  The major addition since that playtest is that I have given the scenario a "real" name (Von Casimir's Express) and put everything together into a pdf scenario packet [Click] for anyone who would like to give it go. 

The field of Mars--with its handsome advert--ready to go...

By way of quick refresher, the scenario has the Poles (right side of picture) vs the Cossacks and Tartars (left side of picture).  The Poles have a convoy entering the table that must make its way to the bridge at the other corner. The Cossack/Tartars want to intercept it, and the Poles want to get it there. There are four Pikeman's Lament companies in the game, one for each player.  

Chris would take the Convoy...

Rob Z (aka, "Oilcan") would take the Polish Cav (one unit, the Croat Light Cav, started on table)...

AJ would take the Tartar Company...

Bob O would take the Cossack Company...

...and the game is afoot: (left) the convoy emerges into open territory with the veteran Polish Dragoons out ahead and the lead shot (Polish Haiduks) peeling off to the left. Meanwhile, the Cossack and Tartar companies surge ahead, with AJ turning two units of his Tartar company towards the convoy. There's trouble ahead, literally, for Chris...

...Rob (foreground) trying to coax the Polish Cavalry company forward. Early on, he would be plagued by failed activations that would delay the ability of the Polish Cavalry to influence events. Ralph (with chapeau at end of table) played in the playtest (as the Tartar Company) but was a spectator for this game.  Chris (left of Rob) looks on expectantly from his soon-to-be beleaguered convoy for the cavalry to arrive (not unlike a Western movie)...

...The Cossack axemen would clash with the Convoy's Polish Dragoon escort, wiping them out but taking lumps in the bargain. (Left): the reduced Axemen are poised to hit the convoy--but are are momentarily halted by a failed morale check.  These would hang around for another turn or two but then go "poof" when they failed morale and routed away (Right): Chris trying to bring up his second Polish Shot (Haiduk) unit to help fend off the oncoming Cossacks...

...a long shot of the action as Rob finally manages to get the Polish Cavalry forward in numbers...

...which would draw the attention of AJ's Elite Tartar Ulans and Dragoons...

...who would be obliged to turn away from the convoy and back towards the oncoming wall of Polish horse...

...leading to a series exchanges of fire and maneuver between the Tartar and Polish Cavalry wings, with the Winged hussars eventually swinging across to try and break through to the convoy. This would bring up a showdown between the Winged Hussars and the elite Tartar Ulans, who were the only thing that blocked them from riding down the Cossacks. An epic strength-on-strength fight swayed back and forth, with each taking and dishing out lumps but neither vanquishing the other...

...while the Hussars and Ulans tangled, Bob O was able to bring forward his surviving unit of Cossack Axemen and close with the convoy: decision to the Cossacks/Tartars!

 

It was a usual Pikeman's Lament affair, with swings and shifts brought on not only through player action but also failed activations--but in this case, both sides suffered from these pretty much equally, so it wasn't one of those games where the outcome seemed to be decided more by the dice than the players.  Most importantly, the players were good sports and rolled with these punches.  Only one of the players (AJ) had played Pikeman's Lament before, and he had only played it once. So this was in many ways an introductory game.  Despite this, the players picked it up quickly and things ran smoothly, confirming our impression of Pikeman's Lament as a particularly worthy system for club and convention participation games.  

All in all, another good way to end a week: visiting with friends and playing with toy soldiers!

Excelsior!