My 10mm Napoleonic Rules - Brigades and Bearskins!

Hello all!

Whelp, I've finally finished typing up version 1 of my grand scale rules for Napoleonic wargaming!

Here it is!

Brigades and Bearskins - Napoleonic Rules for Small Scale Miniatures!

Now, much like Muskets and Moustaches, the system is supposed to be rather simple. However, I feel like the orders mechanism, combined with the Steady! mechanism, makes the game VERY simple to play and yet quite effective at conveying a sense of scale appropriate for Napoleonic conflict! To be frank, I think they are the most fun rules I've come up with yet! Skirmishers that degrade enemy morale before the fight even begins, horse artillery that can gallop right up and begin firing, aggressive officers who push forward in spite of your best intentions and inept officers who simply cannot seem to get it right... that, plus the promise of NEVER removing a single miniature you worked hard to paint makes it all, I think, a winner!

I have to ask a HUGE favor of everyone, of course... I plan to use these rules at Fall In 2009. However, only I have reviewed them, so I desperately need some help giving them a look over!

So please... grab them, give them a read, and let me know if there are unclear parts or if there are weak parts or parts you like!

Thank you all SO much in advance... I appreciated all the feedback on Muskets and Moustaches, and I doubly appreciate help with a set of rules I plan to use with *gulp* other people!

Update on my 2009 Fall In Napoleonic Game...

Hey all!

Just thought I would share the info on the 10mm Napoleonic game that I am hosting at Fall In 2009!

The game will be at 6 PM on Saturday evening, table IK15 in the main ball room.

I do hope that folks stop by... so far, I think two folks have volunteered to play. While I believe the official limit on players is six, I'll bring enough troops that honestly I hope to be able to accommodate... well... anyone!:)

I'll be posting the rules for the game in the next few days... I think I am all done with them, but I want to give them a going over to make sure I don't forget TOO much!

Thanks all, and hope to see you in Gettysburg, drinks in hand! And thanks again to Andy for letting me register very late in the game!

Organizing and collecting miniature armies

So... thanks to a recent comment about collecting armies and my own particular way of going about it, I thought I would post a little something about how I collect armies.

I have three basic rules when I plan a collection:

1) Plan it all out from the start
2) Make sure it is nicely proportioned
3) Make sure it is symmetrically planned

Okay, first to alienate all of the blog readers... ... I believe a wargames army can be done.

Ahhh! There, I said it!

I know there are many people who will see this as a total sacrilege, but to me one of the GREAT pleasures at the start of a collection is simply planning it out and knowing, from the very start, where the end line is! I usually try to buy the whole thing in one go, and voila!

I also try to make my collection nicely proportioned. For example, my regular line infantry should greatly outnumber my guards and lights, but I often like my lights and guards to be roughly equal. Cavalry should be a nice mix of the different types, but they should be equally represented. Artillery, officers... I like it all to be nicely proportioned.

I also try to make sure the army is balanced in terms of numbers and is... well... for lack of a better term, symmetrical? For example, take a look at the French army in this post... when making it, I wanted it to neatly divide up. Four line infantry regiments and two guard regiments and two light infantry regiments... three cavalry types (light, medium, and heavy) that both split in half. Two batteries of artillery. Two groups of foot officers. Even with the army officers, there is one mounted one for each "half" of the army. I am not sure WHY this is so satisfying to me... but it is.

Here are a few examples from my current and planned collections. My 25mm Napoleonic Russian army is, for me, a "major" collection. This means it will be larger and will feature full support in terms of limbers and such. My 25mm Russian army will consist of...

1 group of mounted officers
4 Line infantry regiments (x32 men each)
2 Light infantry regiments
1 Guard regiment
2 regiments of cuirassiers (x5 men each)
2 regiments of hussars
2 regiments of cossacks
2 batteries of artillery with limbers and supply wagons (x3 guns each)
2 groups of foot officers
2 centerpieces (which will include a small unit of Pavlov Grenadiers)

This was my planned army from day one, and bought all in one go. I don't really plan to add or change anything here... although, I have to admit, two units of militia might be nice:)

My 25mm Napoleonic Austrians, however, are a "minor" collection. "Minor," like "major," doesn't refer to any real set idea; it simply means a collection that I intend to be smaller in scale than my "major" collections. As such, they will have smaller units and fewer of them.

My Austrians will consist of...

4 regiments of infantry (x24 each)
1 regiment of light infantry (x24)
1 regiment of grenadiers (x24)
2 regiments of cuirassiers (x5)
1 battery of artillery (x2 guns)
1 group of foot officers
1 group of mounted officers
1 centerpiece

While not as large as one of my "major" collections, it allows me to put together what I consider to be a nicely balanced army with all of the major branches represented.

So... those are my basic thoughts on collecting a wargames army! I find that planning ahead not only ensures a nicely balanced army, but it also gives me a set point to aim for AND keeps me from the dreaded "I'll just buy this... oh, and this..." and instead allows me to FINISH a collection and move on to something totally new!

If you feel like sharing your OWN thoughts on collecting, please do!

25mm Nap. Austrians - Artillery

Finally, back to some new miniatures!

I've actually got a decent amount of painting done in the last few months, but because of camera problems was unable to post any photos... However, here is one of my newest units; my 25mm Napoleonic Austrian artillery!

Now, my collection is split into two catagories; major armies, and minor armies. The majors are the Russians and French. My minors are the Austrians and, eventually, the British.

Keep in mind; major and minor does not relate to the historical relevance of the armies. Rather, it refers to how large I intend the collection to get! My French and Russian armies are bigger... lots of infantry, two groups of light, medium, and heavy cavalry, and two batteries of artillery.

My minors, however, will be smaller; fewer units of infantry, less cavalry and artillery. As such, this will be my ONLY Austrian artillery battery. Also, note that it does NOT have limbers or caissons, as my "major" armies do. That doesn't mean they are any less nice, of course!

Austrian artillery is rather fun to look at. The browns and yellows are a distinct contrast to the whites of the infantry, and they look awful nice together. The figures themselves are very nice; all are Sash and Saber, and the artillery feels properly sized, compared to most toy soldier artillery!

Overall I am very happy with how these fellows came out!

As mentioned, figures courtesy of Sash and Saber!

Play my game at Fall In 2009!

Hey all!

It is official! I'll be running a 10mm Napoleonic game at Fall In 2009 on Saturday night! I do not have the exact time or table number yet, but I do hope people can come and play! I'll be using the figures and scenery seen here.


I'll be posting the rule set in the next week or so... I have to say, it is a great little rule set, a fun and simple way to push soldiers around AND get a good feeling game!

So please; if you are interested in playing, let me know!

Favorite Wargame room

Only in this poll could Jay White's wargames room, which is an absolute IDEAL man cavern, with beautiful hardwood, huge size, easy access, and enough booze to kill a thousand people, get only one vote.

I suppose it speaks for the quality and beauty of the rooms!

If you haven't already checked out my collection of the finest wargames rooms I could find, please check them out here!

My Favorite Wargames Rooms!

(Photo courtesy of the Echoes of Glory blog)

Stinking hobby shop...

Argh!

Imagine my anger when I show up at the local hobby shop, limited shopping list in hand (some balsa, some static grass, a little paint) only to have them have NONE of it in stock.

I love that we have a good sized hobby shop nearby... but it kills me that they are a bit run down, and barely even keep stock on the shelves. Then, when you ask when they will get something in, they do not know. Come on, guys!

So... I am stalled on finishing my Austrian artillery, although I might take a temporary picture of the guys using a Russian movement tray or two. Next up? Hmm... Austrian Grenadiers? Or Austrian cavalry? Decisions decisions...

Purchase plans at Fall In...

Hey all!

Well, it is coming up on that time... Fall In!

While I am hoping to host a game (anyone interested?) Fall In is also a great time for buying! So I have been thinking about what my purchases might be! To be honest, I need very little... I have three armies worth of unpainted miniatures waiting for paint, and a Russian army to finish off, so I am not going to buy much. But that doesn't mean I'm not buying ANYTHING, of course!:)

I think I will be looking for six different things.

1) The Flames of War Parachute Rifle Company: I need an OpFor for my Germans, and being that I've watched Band of Brothers about 73,000 times, I figure Easy Company would be a fun project.

2) A good mounted Austrian commander for my 25mm Napoleonic Austrians: I am not sure where to find a good one, so if anyone has any suggestions about manufacturers I'd really appreciate it... I am thinking about a pair of Front Rank figures, but am unsure about if there will be a vendor there I could talk to in advance to ensure they have the figures?

3) A pack of Foundry figures; namely, the Austrians under French guard. I plan to use the Austrians for a centerpiece for the Austrians... maybe a vignette of camp life?

4) Two packs of Perry French; namely, the Young Guard sitting on their packs. These guys will serve as the focus of my second Russian centerpiece (to compliment the Blessing of the Pavlov Guard) as captured French under Russian guard. For the life of me I cannot remember the name of the company that generally has all the Perry miniatures down at the convention... does anyone know which company that is? I'd love to ensure they have the packs, which they did not have last time... (A little edit; these just got put on hold to be picked up at Fall In, so huzzah for Age of Glory!)

5) A few Russians to act as the aforementioned guard! Hard to find an appropriate figure... maybe Front Rank?

6) Static grass.

I think that might be all I need to find, although there WAS one other thing that was in my head... too bad it is gone now:( Anyway... if anyone can remember the company that is always there with the racks of Perry Miniatures, or can recommend a good mounted Napoleonic Austrian commander, I'd greatly appreciate a hand!:)

The Workbench

Hey all,

Just finished up the movement trays for my Austrians... the light isn't the best, but at least you can see a bit... they REALLY match up much better with the rest of my 25mm Napoleonics... and now I TOTALLY want to put them all on the table together!

A Day of Gaming

Howdy all!

Well, I gamed a bit yesterday, and some other folks gamed as well, so I thought I would snap some photos!

First up, I joined in a very early test of "Look Sarge, No Charts." While the first visual of the bases was something to behold ("Look Sarge, Charts on my Bases!") once you read what each number was it was very, very simple... I actually liked that aspect of the system. Unfortunately it went very slowly as it was everyone's first time, so what can you do.

More importantly (for this blog, anyway) was that there were two very pretty games going on next to us. First up was a large Flames of War game; I missed most of it, but at least I got to snap a photo during cleanup.

After that was a Seven Years War game, played under Sam Mustafa's "Might and Glory" rules and using Jay's beautiful scenery and figures... here is a link to his blog, which has TONS of beautiful stuff on it! Do go by and enjoy!

Of special note... a few great stands of skirmishers, a wonderful Islamic army (Ottomans? Turks?) and a great poured resin river. A good looking game is KEY to me, so it was nice to see! A few guys still needed their dull coat, so don't get too worked up if they may look a TOUCH shiney.

Anyone want a game at Fall In 2009?

Hey all!

This will be my last Fall In, and I was wondering... would anyone want to take part in a 10mm Napoleonic game, featuring the figures and scenery from this blog? Rules would be my homemade ones (which I guess I would need to formalize) and basically it would be an excuse to push toy soldiers around while drinking...

Anyway... anyone interested?

The Workbench

Not tons to see here... just getting more done on my Austrian artillery! Here are two crews... there is a bit left to do on them (a touch of paint on some of the brass and gold spots, eyes, and then basing) but they look like they will turn out nicely.

As for the guns themselves, one gun has its undercoat and is just waiting for the yellow... the other is just primed. Another few days hopefully and I can knock this unit out.

After that, I've got to make the movement trays for the infantry units... I've been putting that off, thinking they can stand on their own since they do not have individually mounted figures, but to make the collections really MATCH they need it.

Who knows... maybe I'll start the bases now actually? Do I have the balsa...?

Just ordered some Space Wolves...

Howdy all,

Just ordered my first GW figures in AGES! A friend was kind enough to get me a gift card to a toy soldier store that does not carry any historicals, but DOES carry GW stuff... so I figured I'd give some futuristic soldiers a try! It might be a short bit until I get to them, but still, it should be interesting...

Oh, and I must say... FIFTY BUCKS for five PLASTIC figures? Games Workshop is officially smoking crack, and I am SOOO glad I do not play any of their games.

I will likely be selling these guys when I am done, so if any Warhammer players read this blog...:)

The Workbench

Hey all!

Well, I can't get my darn regular camera working, so no real unit showcase of the Austrian infantry I finished... sorry, whenever I can get it up I will!

However, in the meantime I figured I'd post what I am working on now; namely, two artillery crews for my Austrian army! These guys look good, with the brown jackets and yellow carriages... can't wait to finish them up! It is lovely to do only eight guys, I must say... I can just FLY through them!