| Rosenberg | 16 Jul 2023 12:31 p.m. PST |
Underated? How do you use them in a set piece battle? Maybe if there was a Divisional/Brigade Empire format?
You can have fun with them in campaign scenario's.
Unformed charges may be the answer.
Anyone skirmished with them? |
| 14Bore | 16 Jul 2023 1:37 p.m. PST |
Mostly flank guard, have had them cover a full army retreat to hold off infantry. And have fought in battles, not doing well of course but 1 pull has gotten a reward bonus for beating a better Landwehr cavalry Regiment. |
35thOVI  | 16 Jul 2023 1:41 p.m. PST |
Any rules set I have played, they are almost useless. It takes total luck for any positive result. Were they really that useless in pitched battles, or is there a bias in the accounts. Seeing that most accounts I have read are written from the French perspective. Most Napoleonic accounts up until recently, have been from the British, French or French Allies perspectives. Just my perspectives. |
| 14Bore | 16 Jul 2023 1:41 p.m. PST |
Empire they and Prussian Landwehr are next to useless but to wear out other opposing cavalry.
But every unit can't be cuirasiers and half the Russian cavalry was Cossacks. Cossacks did beat French line a few times and if at it long enough the die rolls will tell out. |
| Frederick | 16 Jul 2023 2:35 p.m. PST |
Unreliable and no match for battle cavalry in a stand-up fight; useful for recon, harrassing the enemy, threatening supply lines/flanks – but don't expect any battle-winning charges And as noted, the Russians did have an awfully lot of them |
| DisasterWargamer | 16 Jul 2023 7:23 p.m. PST |
Agree with the above – use them as light cavalry to scout, flank, chase broken or breaking units, or screening force. On occasion to wear out cavalry before using heavy units to follow up. I do give them an extra + in winter actions; particularly around terrain features |
| 79thPA | 17 Jul 2023 9:55 a.m. PST |
As above, use them to try and turn flanks or chase down broken units. Nobody wants a horde of Cossacks rolling up their flank, so units have to form square or get detached to deal with the enemy. Sometimes they can serve as a speedbump for a turn or two. |
| 14Bore | 17 Jul 2023 12:12 p.m. PST |
The 1st Bashkirs ( front Left) are the worst of them but they are in the oob so there they are |
| 21eRegt | 19 Jul 2023 11:48 a.m. PST |
Generally throw-away troops, but I once saw them melee with a French Dragoon regiment, which has a 95% chance of winning the melee. They rolled a 97 and the Cossacks victory roll routed them off. So miracles do happen. |
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