Know your enemy

Muscovy
Huge numbers and toughness were always the strengths of Muscovites. It is similar in By Fire and Sword. Muscovites are not too good in combat: their units are usually poorly trained and equipped and have mediocre commanders. Only the new pattern units are different: soldats and reiters doubtless the best element of the Muscovite army. Still the Muscovites are very difficult to defeat. The irregular boyar cavalry can be easily beaten and panicked however the infantry is famous for its tenacity. Muscovite infantrymen and especially streltsy are renowned for their courage and close combat abilities. The huge squares of infantry protected with chevaux de fries and wooden palisades called gulyay gorod are an extremely demanding enemy especially for armies based on cavalry. The Muscovites will cause great problems to Poles and Tatars. Similarly they will be a tough enemy for the Turks unless they eld large numbers of disciplined infantry (like the janissaries). However the Swedes should easily overcome the Muscovite infantry ad they have inferior training and repower to their Swedish counterparts. However every army facing the Muscovites will be hugely outnumbered. This will be especially visible in case of the PolishLithuanian Commonwealth and the Swedes. Apart from the units with 15th and 16th century background (boyar cavalry and streltsy) and the new pattern units the Muscovite army includes numerous contingents of conquered nations: Cossacks, Kalmyks, Bashkirs and Tatars. So the Muscovite army is a whole conglomerate of various forces from which you may choose those that suit you best. Another strength of the Muscovite army that should be mentioned here is artillery. Its tactics were very straightforward (cannons shot from pre-prepared positions and did not cooperate with other formations) but the sheer number of guns will surely impress the enemy. In order to win the player leading the Muscovites must use his main advantages: numbers and tough infantry.