"Starting a Nap Skirmish force" Topic

Hello,

Any recommendations on how to start a small skirmish army/force for Naps? I'm planning to start a Russian force but dont know where to start. Help in organizing an army, figure recos, skirmish rules etc would be so welcome. I recently was given a few packs of 54mm plastic russian grenadiers (…I think…) and it would be nice to try out a new period. Thanks:)

Sharp Practice.

Song of Drum and Shako's

Songs of Drums and Shakos is fun. I've built up different countries squads from the HaT figures and had some enjoyable games. Not a good game if you really really roll bad dice :0 <chuckle>

Yep, Drums and Shakos is a greeat starting place since you can start playing with 8-12 figures. Then after you have a couple dozen more done you can move to Sharp Practice.

For forces, you can model the type/mix from real formations if you like, scaling down to fit your number of figures

Here is an example of an 1812 avant-guard formation from Graf Vitgengshteyn's 1st Separate Corps ….

General Kul'nev's Avant-Guard ● general-major Yakob Petrovich Kul'nev
- 23rd Jäger regiment (1408 other ranks)
---- 1st Shef's battalion ● general-major Grigoriy Nikolaevich Frolob
---- 2nd Commander's battalion ● major Semyon Petrovich Brazhnikov
- 25th Jäger regiment (1268 other ranks)
---- 1st Shef's battalion ● colonel Stepan Vasil'evich Denis'ev
---- 2nd Commander's battalion ● major Mikhail Mikhaylovich Vetoshkin
- Grodnenskiy Hussar regiment (1044 other ranks)
---- 1st Shef's battalion ● major ?? (4 squadrons)
---- 2nd Commander's battalion ● colonel Fyodor Vasil'evich Ridiger (4 squadrons)
- Platov-4's Don Cossack regiment ● lieutenant colonel Ivan Ivanovich Platov-4 (5 hundreds, 336 other ranks)
- 1/2 of the 28th Battery Artillery company ● lieutenant colonel Nikolay Nikolaevich Antropov-1 (4x 12-lber gun, 2x 24-lber unicorn, 160 other ranks)
- 9th Light (foot) Artillery company ● lieutenant colonel Yakob Yakovlevich Sudakov (8x 6-lber gun, 4x 12-lber unicorn, 179 other ranks)

These battalion and squadron strengths are typical for the start of the campaign.

Prince Bagration and the 2nd Western Army used a rather standard mix for detachments such as a advance or rear guard : 2 or 4 Don Cossack regiments (each of 5 hundreds), 1/2 or all of a Horse Artillery company, 1 or 2 battalions of Jäger, sometimes adding 1 or 2 squadrons of Hussars and 1/2 or all of a Pioneer copmany

From the 3rd Western Army, smaller sub-unit were more varied, such as these examples from the summer of 1812 …..

General Khrushchov's Detachment ● general-major Ivan Alekseevich Khrushchov
- Zhitomorskiy Dragoon regiment ● shef colonel Ivan Andreevich Argamakov-2, commander lieutenat colonel Konstantin Stanislavovich Snapckiy (4 squadrons)
- Arzamasskiy Dragoon regiment ● major Ivan Osipovich Bartenev (4 squadrons)
- Chikilyov-1's Don Cossack regiment ● host starshina (major) Aleksandr Fyodorovich Chikilyov-1 (5 hundreds)
- 1st Astrakhanskiy Kalmyk Cossack regiment ● advisor major Ivan Vasil'evich Dublyanskiy-2, commander captain noyon (prince) Jamba-taysha Tundutov (5 hundreds)
This detachment went pell-mell into Poland at the start of the war, raising havoc and a good degree of panic as far west as Warsaw.

General Yaplitz's Detachment ● general-major Efim Ignat'evich Yaplitz
- 13th Jäger regiment
---- 1st Shef's battalion ● general-major prince Vasiliy Vasil'evich Vyazemskiy
---- 2nd Commander's battalion ● colonel Ivan Stepanovich Velizar'ev
- Pavlogradskiy Hussar regiment
---- 1st Shef's battalion ● major Nikolay Pavlovich Ostrogradskiy (4 squadrons)
---- 2nd Commander's battalion ● colonel prince Spiridon Eristovich Javakhishvili-2 (4 squadrons)
- Lubenskiy Hussar regiment, 2nd Commander's battalion ● colonel Yegor Fyodorovich Shtal (4 squadrons)
- Barabanshchikov-2's Don Cossack regiment ● esaul (captain) S[tepan ?] M[ikhailovich ?] Popov (5 hundreds)
- 1/2 of the 12th Horse Artillery company ● staff-captain Gustav Bogdanovich Braker (3x 6-lber gun, 3x 12-lber unicorn)
- 8th Pioneer company of the 2nd Pioneer regiment ● captain Ivan Fyodorovich Kutsevich

General Melissino's Detachment ● general-major Aleksey Petrovich Melissino
- 32nd Jäger regiment
---- 1st Shef's battalion ● general-major Vasiliy Dmitrieevich Meshcherinov
---- 2nd Commander's battalion ● [major Bil'ban ?] or [captain Andrey Grigor'evich Hepenin ?]
- Combined Grenadier regiment of the 18th Infantry Division
---- 1st Combined Grenadier battalion ● major Kapiton Kuz'mich Timashev-2 *
---- 2nd Combined Grenadier battalion ● major Pavel Ivanovich Kablukov **
- Serpukhovskiy Dragoon regiment ● shef colonel prince Ivan Semyonovich Javakhishvili-1 (4 squadrons), commander lieutenant colonel Gustav Fyodorovich Engel'gardt-3 (4 squadrons)
- (part) Lubenskiy Hussar regiment, 2nd Commander's battalion ● lieutenant colonel Rodion Ivanovich Depreradovich (3 squadrons)
* 2nd Grenadier Companies of the Vladimirskiy & Tambovskiy Infantry regiments and the 28th Jäger regiment
** 2nd Grenadier Companies of the Kostromskiy & Dneprovskiy Infantry regiments and the 32nd Jäger regiment

Yes – the major sub-units of 8-10 squadron Army light cavalry regiments were called "battalions", but here you can think of it as meaning "half-regiment".

I usually use tactical for Naps and grand tactical for full-on snoozes. I find I get more game for my REMs that way.

Purchase the following:
1 Box Perry Brits
1 box Perry French
1 copy of Sharpe Practice

Open boxes, glue, paint, and enjoy.

That should give you enough troops to start playing. Without breaking the bank to find out if you like the period.

I'd second the above, but with the Victrix instead; from what I've seen, Perry plastics are mostly in march-attach poses, whereas Victrix have more options for advancing, loading, crouching, running etc., if you're looking at a more 'skirmish' skirmish game.