Hobby Project Napoleonic French Army. Part 2, So how could I ever refuse

Bonjour Mes Aimee's

GCSE French used to the full!

Part 2 of my hobby project sees me whitter on about miniatures and BASING.
I'll start with the latter

Basic basing for bases

Going back to my last post and my vague knowledge of Napoleonic wargaming across my gaming life I was also aware that basing size, regulations etc was a part of it.
I think its part of the reason I avoided looking any further. So with Napoleonic gaming decided upon basing had to be tackled!

As mentioned I read various reviews on rule sets and basing was mentioned in each one.
Some rules are very strict (for example British line infantry on a smaller frontage due to their musket drills) some are much more fluid.  As I'd picked on Warhammer Waterloo this was to be my basing standard and damn the rest!  These rules have 6 (line) infantry on a 60mm X 40mm base, 2 ranks.
Then the notion of trying other rules crept back in to my head.  So current thinking is single bases or 2 to a base and place them in an appropriate movement tray (I'll be coming to you Warbases!).
If another ruleset is played, get some more appropriate movement trays!  Bingo! It'll all work out just fine........

So we have rules, we have basing sorted, what about the models?  Firstly, what scale to choose?  This wasn't an issue really. The pics/games I'd seen that hooked me were all 28mm.  Do I think its the best scale to represent Napoleonic warfare?  No!  Probably 6mm or 10mm is best to give the full weeping arc of brigades and companies clashing and I may come back to that in future!  So 28mm, but what nation?  I can't remember the process here but I chose the French because either

A) Frazer had bought some British Highlanders and I'd better get an enemy for them
B) I liked the Old Guard models and got some cheap on Ebay
C) Haven't really painted much blue!

Maybe all three!

As for manufacturer, again there are hundreds out there but plastic was a pre requisite (more for your money!) so it really came down to Victrix or Perry. Warlord have since entered the plastics market too but as I've already invested they were too late for me.  So my army will comprise of Victrix troops backed up by Perry cavalry following some Ebay and Salute purchases I have the following:

 Plenty to be going on with!

Finally I'll add some brief notes on painting as this won't be finalised until I get cracking in earnest.
However as there's going to be around 100 models for my starting army and as this is really only a "side project" the painting needs to go quickly.  My current thinking is good old dipping and this certainly worked OK on some test guard I did quite a while ago (see below) but we'll see how it works on the line troops.

That's it for now. Future updates will be via the blog WIP until I have something more significant to show!

Au revoir for now!

Hobby Round up 2015 week 5

It's February already! Lets see what we've been doing during the last days of January.

Frazer finished this Churchill and Cromwell last week, just missing the week 4 post.

Big Papa Jon has continued to prepare some Goblins for our future Mordheim campaign.

 

 

Chris is continuing to build Night Goblins, and paint Dark Eldar Scourges.

 

 



And finally, Neil has been testing some paint schemes for his Napoleonics

Hobby round up 2015 week 4

Another week another hobby update.

Sadly not a lot to report this week, but here goes....

With Neil and Frazer looking at some Napoleonics this year, we have our first sighting of some French line fusilier figures.

 

 Now there may only be three of them and they may only be white, but its a start on the slippery slope to a table full of the mass regiments of French we're all looking forward to in the coming months.

Next up are some American tanks painted by Chris for Dave.

Three Jumbos and a Super Pershing this time around ready just in time for Dave to take to his next tournament.

While painting the tanks Chris also started the long and arduous journey of building 90+ Night Goblins.

 

23 down, loads more to go, including 60 more spear goblins, a dozen netters and clubbers and loads of spider riders.

Hobby Project: Napoleonic French Army. Part 1, The History Book on the Shelf

Bonjour!

Just getting in the spirit there.
Following up the New Year Resolutions with the first of what's likely to be a sporadic log of progress on my Napoleonic Army.


Firstly though I'd thought I'd mention why I'm bothering with Napoleonics at all, the whos, the wheres and whys!
The main reason is - it looks pretty!
Massed ranks of infantry, cavalry and artillery batteries smashing each other apart all whilst wearing fancy uniforms and flying impressive banners.
Who wouldn't want that?!

Check this pic out as a random example plucked from the web.
Not that I'm planning on going THAT large with a force.

There's also a feeling that Napoleonics is "true wargaming". Difficult to quantify but over the many years I've been playing wargames I've been aware of Napoleonics and it appears to be one of the stalwarts of wargaming and possibly even lead to modern wargaming as we know it.
I've no real evidence to back this up of course, just my own perception!
I must add I have no real knowledge of this period of history, pretty much none. Not even watched that much Sharpe and I also have no desire to leave the Fantasy (Tolkien got me into this mess!) or Sci Fi behind.
Just another fun gaming avenue.

Is that the 2nd or 3rd regt Carabiniers, didn't think they had those silver buttons until after 1812?


I feel its at this point I should mention I'm not looking to represent specific historical regiments in the games I play so things like the correct colour of a regiments collar facing and the length of a jacket of a French lineman matters little to me, as long as it looks good on the table!
That would make a lot of Napoleonic gamers spit into their beards!
This may change the more I look into and read about the period though.
For example I had plans to create some French artillery from a box of British and just swap the heads, the uniform is near enough, surely?
However having read a bit more I know that not only is the uniform different the guns are also different in design.
Different enough for a casual onlooker to realise? No, but enough to bug ME now I know!


So Napoleonics decided upon but what rules to play?

This is a potential minefield!
So many rulesets.......
Internet research didn't help much either for as much as some people love one ruleset as many people hate it!
A few rulesets made it out ahead of the scrum namely, Blackpowder, Grand Armee, General De Brigade but I settled on a random one - Warhammer Waterloo from the now defunct Historical section of Games Workshop.

Reviews ranged from "I've read the rules and they look ok" to "I wouldn't touch it, its got Warhammer in the title" but no one actually seemed to have played a game!
About the time I (and Frazer) were looking Waterloo was on a half price sale. This seemed a great bargain and a good way into Napoleonics. We both bought in.
I'd already purchased Foundry's "Napoleon" (eh, whats the turn sequence? How many in what formation? How do I even move? Next....) and General De Brigade (hmmm, these seem ok, good in fact but I'm a little lost at some of ther historical references. I'll come back to these) but wanted something more "entry level".
The Warhammer familiarity might just help, as did the half price!

So the book turned up and I knew I'd made the right choice. All the elements I'd come to expect from a Napoleonic ruleset (Officers and command ranges, formations like march column, square etc) were there wrapped up and presented in Games Workshop fashion (clear diagrams, lovely pictures of models etc) and army lists to help me get my head around what I "should" be fielding.
Its got a load of scenarios, siege rules, history (fluff!!) and a comprehensive Waterloo campaign.
Plenty to be going on with.

Well I think that's enough of a grounding for now.
Next time I'll go over choices of models and the bugbear that is basing........

"FORM SQUARE!!"