Representing a BIG Battle with Blucher

The versatility of the Blucher rules is very refreshing after playing so many sets of rules over the years. One area that really is appealing to me is how easy it is to fight a battle on a small area with fewer miniatures - and I am talking about big battles here, not small actions.

French Brigades mounted for the Blucher rules.

Over the weekend I fought out several large engagements featuring at least three to four corp per army - French v. Russia in this case. To show off some of the scaling options available to Blucher players, I used a BW of 3cm with infantry units two stands strong, artillery and cavalry one stand strong. Each unit of course representing an historical brigade of 1,500 - 3,000 men. With such a small BW to be used for the battles, a small play area was required. In my case this was a 2' x 3' board - PERFECT.

A French corps deployed for battle. 6cm BW is my standard, with 4-6 stand units. Perfect for a 6' x 4' table-top.

The same French corp represented with 3cm BW's. Units are basically half sized, and thus half the table space is required.

The changes of course had no effect whatsoever on the game-play. The only change was the size of the units on the table-top and the basic measuring distance for all shooting, movement, etc. Normally I would be using units of six infantry stands and four cavalry/artily stands for each unit, and the BW would be 6cm on a 6' x 4' table. Such a larger representation of units looks fantastic, giving that "mass" feel and look to the battle. But that isn't the only way to play of course, demonstrated here.

A smaller practice battle in preparation for the weekend using the smaller scale to represent units - 3cm BW.

This versatility is wonderful. It means I can have somewhat faster moving battles on a much smaller table-top without sacrificing any of the rules used in Blucher.



Some of my  Blucher DIY cards I down loaded from the Honour Games website.

Of course, Blucher is only one part of my journey through the Napoleonic wars. Other fantastic rules are in my clutches and not only are great reads, but wonderful games as well. 2016 will be a wonderful year of battle, to be sure.

Just Made Some Dice Pods!

The other day I spent some time making some little "dice pods"; small 20mm bases textured with a pocket to hold a small micro-die. Handy to say the least! I can use these little gems with most of the rules I play, including L'Art de la Guerre, Black Powder, GdB, and Blucher. Although I am no fan of blatant markers on the tabletop, I can't deny the usefulness of these little guys. Perhaps I will make some with casualty models on tem, or broken wagon wheels, etc. For the moment these work just fine.

The little 5mm sized dice fit snuggly in the "pod" so they won't get lost.

Different colors of dice work perfect. I also like the bases being flat/square so that they fit along side units.

Random Thoughts on Napoleonic Rules

(NOTE: Random thoughts alert! I am writing this way too early in the morning for me.)

For anyone that follows my other blogs - or YouTube channel - you will know that the Napoleonic period is new to me in terms of wargaming. Not that I am new to the history, as new to collecting and fighting battles on the tabletop. However, I did read quite a few rules sets back in the day, such as WRG 1685 rules, Napoleon, Napoleon's Campaigns in Miniature, Empire V, Tricolor, etc. I even played a few battles with my 1:72 scale plastic toy soldiers. However, this exposure led me to believe that I would never be able to afford all the real painted -up minis the period seemed to suggest I needed. I mean, back in those days you needed hundreds upon hundreds of painted miniatures to fully appreciate the era. The research was no big deal, although that could also be somewhat intimidating.



My growing collection of 10mm Napoleonics.

As time went by, I soon got distracted by other periods, and other rules. Now a days I am a big fan of WW II history and wargaming, as well as another long time favorite of mine, ancients! Such wonderful periods to collect and play. However, it wasn't until I explored the wonderful scale of 10mm miniatures that I actually considered going back to that wonderful horse & musket era we call Napoleonics!. Oh boy!

I have been madly painting and collecting my new found love - 10mm miniatures - for the armies of France and Russia during the 1812 invasion of Russia. While doing this I have also been looking deeply at a whole slew of rules sets currently on the market. Surprisingly, I have found very few that stand out for me. Keep in mind, wargaming to me is a very personal thing. I have my likes, and my dislikes, which you may agree with or not. Doesn't really matter since this is my hobby, as much as it is yours. We all have our own likes and dislikes, and that's all well and good.



A mass of French on the march!

The rules that do stand out for me at the moment are General de Brigade - it has the tactical old school feel of Napoleonic battle, Blucher - because of its really well written, easy to play, and grand flavor I like -, and  Black Powder - due to its simple nature and "tool-box" like usefulness. There are a few others I can see myself playing as well, or at least having a go with just out of curiosity: Lasalle, Elan Deluxe, R&E, and Napoleon's Battles IV. I am still not fully convinced on any of these rules except for the three I first mentioned above.

Saxons!

One thing I also intend to do is try out all those old sets of rules I explored in my early days of wargaming - like WRG 1685, and Tricolor. Why? Because of the nostalgia, if nothing else. I have heard good things about some of these rules, and some folks still play these rules to this day! Says a lot about them to be sure. But for me, it is more about going back to a time when I thought I would never be able to afford the massive collection I am working on today. Back to a time when I would read these rules sets and just dream... and dream. Now, here I am, and I can actually play these rules! Imagine that?!? Ahhh... dreams do come true, now don't they?!

BatReps to follow! Onwards my friends.

Progress: Izoum Hussars!

I finally finished these guys off and added them to my growing mass of Imperial Russians. Not my best effort, but they will add some strength in opposition of the French. The basing was a little different, kind of like what I did with the artillery pieces - started with a darker shade of brown earth tone. I am still not fond of this color scheme, preferring the lighter chestnut tone. The lighter tone makes the figures stand out on the tabletop even more.

Hussars support the assault!

The standard bearer for this unit will not be used at this point. A good friend suggested to me that I could use this model to represent a captured French flag - or Saxon, or whatever. What a great idea really. Perhaps I will add this model to a command stand or something. That would look perfect.

Two units worth of Russian grenadiers on the painting desk.

Next up are the Grenadier units. I am working on two units at the moment - about 100 figures in all. So far they are about 80% done as far as painting. I still have the shako cords and metal bits to paint up, not to mention basing and flocking. Also, I am not sure what these guys will be regarding regiments/division. I want a little variety in my armies , so I don't want everything to come from the same division.

Russian grenadiers.

Looking over what I have so far, I should be able to start fighting some battles with these guys very shortly - even right now! However, I am going to wait a little bit. I am afraid if I start playing battles I might slow down the painting. I do in fact need to get at least 300 more figures painted up - Russians!

Cannon, Flags, and Hussars... oh my!

Well, I finally got my two batteries of Russian cannon based up. They look pretty damn good if you ask me. The only thing I did a little different on these guys was painting the bases a little darker brown than I usually do - I prefer the lighter earth tone. However, they do actually stand out a little bit. Perhaps this is a good thing as being able to distinguish these guys from the French is kind of important in this scale - 10mm. Anyway, I am quite happy regardless.

The Russian hussars were a pain. It wasn't until I had them all painted up that I realized from speaking with some friends and doing a little research that I realized the hussars shouldn't have a flag in their regiment. I ended up painting up an extra trooper to fill in for the said flag. Not a big deal with this size miniature really. At this point I am sitting here waiting for the wash to dry before applying a de-shine to them and texturing the bases up.

I now have two units of Russian grenadiers waiting to be painted up this week Almost 100 models altogether. I have to remember to get all my research done on these little guys before going any further in the painting. I don't want to make the same mistake I did with the hussars.

Anyway, I must say it is a fun ride - this Napoleonic ride I am on. After all these years of being in the hobby, to finally look at my own little growing collection of models is a fantastic feeling. I am very eager to try out a bunch of different rules, including the classic WRG rules from days gone by.

 

 

The Russians Are Coming!!!

Very excited at the moment. I finally finished off my first TWO units of Russians today: two battalions of the St. Petersburg division.

All in all I am quite happy with how they turned out for me. The green coats are a little dark - and they should be, but I may go back and add a few highlights of a lighter shade just to make them stand out a little bit more on the battlefield.

I also finished the painting of four guns with a ton of crew as well for the Russians. At the moment they are sitting here as their bases dry after some texturing was applied. Tomorrow I will add some light and dark brown washes to the texture, highlight, then flock in my usual way. At that point they will be completely done and added to my growing mass of troops.

Also on the paint desk is a regiment of Russian hussars - the Izoum regiment. These guys are about 60% done so far. I just need to finish off some details on the uniforms, paint up the flag - not even sure what this looks like yet - and all done and ready for basing. After these guys I will start painting up two units of grenadiers. Hopefully by the end of the week these will be almost done as well, if not completed.

I am really impressed by the 10mm scale miniatures. I was hesitant at first - being a devoted 15mm collector. I took the chance with some Old Glory 10's and WOW! I am impressed indeed. They paint up so well and fast all I can say is I am hooked on this scale. What do you guys think?

My Wargaming Life, Ancients!

If you haven't heard of the *NEW* My Wargaming Life website - started and run by wargamers - then you must have a look. This site is fantastic, allowing those who sign up to the site to upload pics, leave comments, and join the forums. Full of like-minded wargamers of all genres. What is nice about the group is that it is divided up in to separate sub-groups for different periods or genres of miniatures wargaming. Two such groups I have listed below along with the links to get there: the Ancients  and the DBA Gamers groups - both of which I currently admin.

Defffinately worth signing up and getting involved directly with supporting the ancients wargaming community. Of course, there are plenty of other groups to join as well on the site - such as Flames of War, WW II, Napoleonics, 10mm, 6mm, the Black Powder Challenge '15, and more.




My Wargaming Life (Ancients)

My Wargaming Life (DBA Gamers)

Some Project Changes

Been a while since my last update- damn! I have been so involved with other projects and school that I let this one slip a little. However, I have been thinking about my efforts so far as of late. One thing I have decided on doing is going over to the dark side of skirmish wargaming with this period. A big deal for me, since I don't play too many skirmish type games. What I mean by "skirmish" here is basically any game involving individually based models organized in small units - or acting as individuals. Here is what I have decided so far:

• remount existing (some/all) collection on single figure bases,
• deciding on some rules to use

For rules I am opting to try several really. The main one that stands out for me is the old stand-by, Smooth & Rifled. In addition, I will also be playing with the soon to be released rules, The Men Who Would Be Kings, by Dan Mersey - which I did some play-testing with. I played S&R quite a bit three years ago with the ACW, and I liked them. I am pretty sure these will fit the bill at the moment. There will be others I am sure.

You may be wondering at this point why I am switching over from Black Powder and "unit" based rules. Well, the main reason is time and money. I am not so sure I am willing at this point to build up armies - in 15mm anyway - for larger battle rules such as BP. Skirmishing is actually perfect for my interest level at this point. In addition, since getting in to 10mm Napoleonics, I am strongly considering collecting 10mm models for my Colonial period bigger battles. Those little 10mm models have definitely captured my imagination and opened a whole lot of doors for me in this hobby - like Napoleonics. But I digress.

At this point in time, expect to see a complete conversion of my current 15mm collection over to individual based models. This will allow me to take advantage of my collection, and deal with time constraints as well.