Garde à Cheval (ETW Unit)

Garde à Cheval (ETW Unit)
Class	Heavy Cavalry
Unit Size	60 Men
Weaponry	Sabres
Morale
Melee Attack
Ranged Attack
Defence
Charge Bonus
Accuracy
Range
Ammunition
Region	Russian Home Regions
Recruitment Cost	1250
Upkeep Cost	310
Turns to Build
Unit Limit
Building Requirements	Winter Palace
Technology Requirements	None
Attributes	Inspires nearby units Can form Diamond Formation Can form Wedge Formation

The Garde à Cheval are gentlemen of quality, hand picked from the best families, who protect the monarch.

Overview

The Garde à Cheval are a court regiment where appearance is just as important as fighting prowess. The gentlemen of this unit (and they are all gentlemen) are not the common sort of soldier, and they are not respected by the rest of the army. Often, they are also unloved by the people too, as they stand with the monarch, and this can mean taking a Sabre to their own countrymen.

Historically, from 1721 the Russian throne was protected by a mounted guard regiment, a unit drawn almost exclusively from the nobility. Because of their duties and control of access to the Imperial family, the Garde à Cheval had significant political power. Although drawn from the nobility, the original guards were not appointed for their military skills: as the bodyguards of the Empress Elizabeth, they were chosen for their other “endowments”. The Empress had a roving eye, and a taste for handsome young men of good blood. A certain kind of stamina was also required! This kind of behavior merely served to confirm the prejudices against Russians in the more refined (or so they liked to think) royal courts of Western Europe.

Details

Garde à Cheval are useful for routing enemy units and making severe casualties on the enemy flanks. However they lack the speed and endurance of Light Cavalry.

Factions

• Russia