"1859-1866" Topic

I haven't seen anything on these wars in this space for quite a while. So what are you up to? Rules, games, pictures, figures, scales etc.

Painting 15mm Danes for 1864. Here's a few a did earlier link

They will be taking on the Austrians that have been waiting 5 years for some opponents: link

Dave

Dave

They look good. Are these based for Volley and Bayonet?

Dave

Not painted anything new since last year (some Garibaldini), but ran Magenta over Christmas and did Koeniggratz before that. The Austrians lost:)

Martin,
What rules did you use?
Dave

Dave,

you get the opposition I have a few corps of Prussians, painted quite nicely! (And some Bavarians, Saxons and Wurtenburgers) A 12 x 6 table and a beer fridge!

Tally Ho!

Yes V&B, although I'm thinking of trying Black Powder.
Dave

"What rules did you use?"

My own, what else:) A loose adaptation of Richard Brooks 'Terrible Swift Rules' ACW rules, unimaginatively called Rifle & Kepi. Regiment bases, division sized units, so similar scope to V&B.

I second Volley & Bayonet…. Anyone heard from Bruce Weigle about his upcoming 1866 book?

Joe Collins

Martin, you ran Koeniggratz? Wow, very impressive. The wholke battle? What size figures and what ruleset? I plan to get into this period with 6mm baccus.

Gents,

The long-promised "1866" rules are currently being formatted; with luck, our distributor should start getting copies early next month. The booklet itself looks to be about 100 pages, like "1870" and "1859/64" and will have the usual 14 battle scenarios (8 in Bohemia, 5 in Germany, 1 in Italy) and all the OBs and historical stuff I could throw in. And yes, it is possible for the Austrians to win occasionally, but as the notes and scenarios make evident, they had more than just doctrinal and firepower disparities to overcome <sigh> K-gratz is all there, every battalion, but it's huge: 12.5 corps plus cavalry and arty reserves… and that's not counting the Saxons/Elbe Army around Problus (another scenario). Better to do this one with a whole club participating, or with reduced number of stands! I'll post a triumphant notice of availability when the rules achieve IOC.

Bruce

"K-gratz is all there, every battalion, but it's huge: 12.5 corps plus cavalry and arty reserves…"

This sounds like a classic case of trying to apply a bottom up design to a problem. Koeniggratz is indeed a big battle (as were most in this period) so it makes more sense to adopt a top down design approach to gaming this period. As Martin says: "Regiment bases, division sized units" Forget individual battalions – each base is a regiment, units are divisions. Makes the whole thing much more playable.

"Better to do this one with a whole club participating,"

Unnecessary if you follow the design approach described above.

"or with reduced number of stands!"

I hate bathtubbing.

"Martin, you ran Koeniggratz? Wow, very impressive. The whole battle? What size figures and what ruleset? I plan to get into this period with 6mm baccus."

I think he said "Rifle and Kepi":
PDF link

There's Bruce!

Great news… can't wait to purchase!

Joe Collins

Here's Bob Cordery and Richard Brooks' take on Solferino as a wargame:
link

Testing Battle of Magenta (1859) the French assault to cross the canal scenario right now, 15mm Freikorps and Minifigs, Principles of War rules, 6x4 table. I'll have pictures soon.

Terrain/fields: canal, hedges, woods, rice paddies, creek, lemon trees, sugar beats, corn, apple trees, wheat, olive trees, roads, rail tracks, bridges, and various buildings.

"Martin, you ran Koeniggratz? Wow, very impressive. The wholke battle? What size figures and what ruleset? I plan to get into this period with 6mm baccus."

6mm, albeit with division sized manouvre units. A project I've been planning for some years. I can't see the point of playing APW/FPW if you don't do the biggest battles. It is like doing Napoleonics and never playing Borodino, Leipzig or Waterloo.

The numerous Corps sized engagements in 1866 make for good games with lots of lower level rules, and 1859 features a very wide range of engagement size indeed. Montebello is one of my favourites, can you rout the whole Austrian Army with one regiment?

I have also re-done Koeniggratz using V&B and each base representing a division in 15mm. It still took up a whole snooker table and one very long day. Well worth the time and effort.

Now about that French battalion that beat up the Austrian army …

Schlesien – snap but with 10mm Pendraken figures, 6mm Timecast buildings & ..er.. Future War Commander rules

Here are some photos from the start of another Battle of Magenta playtest (mentioned above):

link

Very nice.

That looks very good

We have played Montebello several times using Regimental Fire and Fury. A unit is a battalion, which works well with that sized battle.

We have also played Solferino using a SHAKO variant. Not a bad idea.

Personally, I would like to get our group to try 1859 with strait old Fire and Fury rules with a unit being a regiment.

Mark

Playe on the KonigGratz map today on a Kreigspeil (Non historical). Would a KS game not be better.