| Porkmann | 19 May 2012 12:27 p.m. PST |
I own the rulebook but have not yet played any games. So I hoped some seasoned BPers could help! About to put together my first army (1840s) and I was wondering if my ideas for an army make sense or if the units are too small. I was planning: Two Infantry "Brigades" First having: 2x 24 man Regiments (1x Leibgarde & 1 line)
Second comprising one "line" and two Landwehr regiments Cavalry brigade of 2x 12 man regiments. (Lance armed Hussars and Schwere Uhlanen) Artillery 4x pieces with crews. Command figures would be the CiC and his AdC plus 3 Generals for each of the brigades. Does this sound workable or do I need to add something? Thanks in advance. (These are 28mms) |
| DeanMoto | 19 May 2012 1:00 p.m. PST |
I am clueless as to the period you're building your brigades for, but for my British & French Napoleonic brigades, I like to have them in combined arms. – historically correct or not. It just gives the players more options during game play. For instance I'll have two infantry battalions along with a cavalry unit and an artillery battery for one brigade. Again, this is not based on anything historical, but feel it fits the flavor of Black Powder well enough. Dean |
| Porkmann | 19 May 2012 1:57 p.m. PST |
My army is for an ImagiNation and thus I have a good deal of leeway! The Corps d'armee style is a good idea. by the 1840s even the most backward and reactionary states would have wised up to this. Would you recommend two or three such "Korp"? I will rethink – thanks Dean. |
| Pictors Studio | 19 May 2012 2:11 p.m. PST |
I usually field mine as either infantry or cavalry brigades unless the oob calls for something different. My brigades are you usually three units strong at a minimum. Again unless there is a historical reason to do otherwise. |
| Who asked this joker | 19 May 2012 2:11 p.m. PST |
If you are asking in game terms, I would think that a player could handle that amount of troops. As for organization, only YOU can answer that. It is YOUR world after all!  |
| Royal Marine | 19 May 2012 2:30 p.m. PST |
Black Powder works well with about 16 units per player for a 2-3 hour game. The forces you suggest are sound well balanced and will give a good game for a few hours. Have a look at the Carlist Wars for ideas as this appears to be the closest for your imagi-nations. |
| Maxshadow | 19 May 2012 6:48 p.m. PST |
I think it could do with another brigade of 3 line infantry for balance. |
| Happy Little Trees | 19 May 2012 11:32 p.m. PST |
You could pair the Landwehr with a Line battalion each. Maybe three brigades of one Line & one Landwehr. And the Leibgarde on its own (if thats allowed) or paired with some other 'special' unit. (Grenadiers, Fuziliers, Gentlemen Pensioners). So 4 brigades plus Cavalry & Artillery. You style it as the Line regiment recruits from the same area the Landwehr is from and that's why they are brigaded together. Also a second cavalry force would let you have cav on each flank. Don't know if that's too much to build for your tastes but gets to RM's suggest 16 units--8 Inf, 4 cav & 4 arty. |
| UnfortunateWound | 20 May 2012 3:43 a.m. PST |
Larger brigades are generally a better idea, re breaking, and for giving the amount of friction expected by the rules designers. As others have said, a "brigade" can be anything from a battalion to a corps, so feel free to mix things up, unit-type wise. Flick through the rulebook, check out their battle reports and adapt it to what makes you happy =] |
| Porkmann | 20 May 2012 4:24 a.m. PST |
Thank you for all the suggestions. Having not played it is of value to hear from those that have. Mixed "Korps" seems sensible and would allow me to model them in a more interesting manner. The uniforms of the units are (mentally) sorted out so now I just have to get chopping. |
| UnfortunateWound | 20 May 2012 5:23 a.m. PST |
Absolutely. I believe that many more Eastern armies (Prussia, Austria, Russia) even fielded mixed divisions on occasion too. |
| Runicus Fasticus | 20 May 2012 6:28 p.m. PST |
you really want the larger brigades…with only two battalions….when the first battalion breaks,,,the brigade is gone ,,has to retire from the field.I field 4 or 5 battalions and a field gun battery per brigade for infantry and from 2 to 4 cavalry units plus horse artillery. Runicus |
| bill5549 | 21 May 2012 9:00 a.m. PST |
For Napoleonic BP I average 3 to 4 battalions plus a gun for an infantry brigade and 2 to 3 cavary regiments plus possibly a gun for a cavalry brigade. I have never used the optional brigade morale rule – I find it to drastic. For AWI games, which are usually smaller affairs, I often have brigades of just 2 or 3 infantry units. |
