Gunfreak | 30 Sep 2016 12:03 p.m. PST |
So I started with 15mm Napoleincs some 8 years ago. Then a few years ago I realised I'm not longer a 15mm gamer. As that scale now is not very represtaned in my colection. And while I had done most periods from Ancient to Modern, I've always conciderd my self a Napoleoincs guy first and formost. The books I own are 90% Napoleonics. And since I joined TMP my bookmark has been on the Napoleonics board. But I'm now thinknig of changing it. While I still have painted manbye 120 Napolonic figures, I have just sold some 450 of them. And I think my 18th Century stuff is now quite alot bigger. I have 7 finished Napoleonic units,( 3 of which I'm trying to unload) While I have 14 18th century units done(3 SYW the rest NYW/WSS/GNW) with close to 350 Late 17th cenutry early 18th century figures painted. I also have way more 18th century figures waiting to be painted vs Napoleonics waiting to be painted. So I'm thinknig of changeing my TMP bookmark to 18th century |
Winston Smith | 30 Sep 2016 12:19 p.m. PST |
I bought 15mm British Napoleonics and then sold them. Twice. I got into them the first time because I was under the delusion that Real Wargamers played and had vast armies of Nappies. See, Ancients, Colonials and AWI didn't count. Then I realized I had no interest in the period at all. So I sold them. I have no clue why I wanted to do it again, but I did. Sold them too. |
Bashytubits | 30 Sep 2016 12:22 p.m. PST |
I used to have an ENORMOUS collection of 15mm Napoleonics, all painted to a high standard. I sold them off when our gaming group imploded years ago. I am planning on getting back into it but am going to go 10mm or 6mm because I want to game battles not skirmishes in that period. |
Saber6 | 30 Sep 2016 12:25 p.m. PST |
I have close to 10,000 15mm Napoleonics, I think I'll be buried with them |
Yellow Admiral | 30 Sep 2016 12:35 p.m. PST |
I've had a giant stack of boxes full of painted 20mm plastic Napoleonics in my shed for about 5 years now. Never played with them, not even once. Of course I have even more half-painted and unpainted. I've always wanted to play Napoleonics, and I thought buying a painted collection would jump-start the project. I find the history of the period endlessly fascinating, I continue to collect books and rules, I enjoy painting/crafting/studying the pageantry and scenery, and I am continually window-shopping for more figures. Unfortunately, I generally dislike playing Napoleonic miniatures games. Napoleonics has to be the most pedantic, picayune, argumentative gaming genre I've experienced. It's the only period I can think of where a "tense rules argument phase" would be appropriate on every QRS. - Ix |
Saber6 | 30 Sep 2016 12:43 p.m. PST |
Ix, are the South Bay Gamers still around? Most of them that I played with (a dozen years ago) seemed better than that. |
deadhead | 30 Sep 2016 12:46 p.m. PST |
Some of us have never had our figures fire a shot in anger, nor thrown a dice! There is a place for folk who just collect the figures, even if the manufacturers curse us. I order maybe 20 figures from the Perrys, in 28mm, maybe a couple of dozen from Fighting 15s ABs. I think it is amazing they do not dismiss those like me, as a complete waste of their time……….seriously……..but I am grateful |
Stosstruppen | 30 Sep 2016 12:56 p.m. PST |
I had a good size collection of 15mm Napoleonics 12 years ago, but my group had imploded and then I was laid off for an extended period so I sold them all to help pay expenses. I had figured at the time I could never paint all the 15mm troops I would need to game with. So then I went to 6mm and have a whole hoard unpainted. Recently I decided that I wanted to do 15mm again for the peninsula. And, since 15mm.co.uk had brought back the old TTG line I went and bought a pile of those……. |
Hafen von Schlockenberg | 30 Sep 2016 12:57 p.m. PST |
Tens,Bashy,tens! Take a look at this from Historicon. I went by several times,just to gawk: TMP link |
Bob the Temple Builder | 30 Sep 2016 1:18 p.m. PST |
After several false starts over the years, I am currently building up a collection of 25/28mm Napoleonic figures. I am mainly using figures that were sold pre-painted with issues of a partwork published by Del Prado. I am renovating the figures (the paintwork has suffered over the years), gloss varnishing them, and basing them on painted green MDAf bases. Very old school! Since I started I have acquired quite a few more figures via eBay, bring-and-buys (flea markets) at shows, buying a complete collection from Stuart Asquith, and gifts from other wargamers. |
Yellow Admiral | 30 Sep 2016 1:35 p.m. PST |
Ix, are the South Bay Gamers still around? Most of them that I played with (a dozen years ago) seemed better than that. The SBGC is not only still around, it's currently at a high point of activity. Most of them are sweethearts and gentlemen, but few of the old guard play Napoleonics anymore and none of the newer members have been converted, so I occasionally dip a toe in a convention game. I think one of the biggest problems creating tension in Napoleonics games is that there are more rules sets than players, and no two gamers seem to agree what the important aspects to simulate should be. I had a couple years of positive experiences with another group in the area playing a lot of bicentennial Napoleonics games in 2012 using FOB 2, but that wound down over the next few years and most of those collections are sold off now. - Ix |
Yellow Admiral | 30 Sep 2016 1:36 p.m. PST |
That Historicon game looks gorgeous. They even got undulating countryside. <drool> - Ix |
14Bore | 30 Sep 2016 1:41 p.m. PST |
I only have 1/2 of Saber6 but they can weigh down my coffen at a burial at sea. |
Who asked this joker | 30 Sep 2016 2:27 p.m. PST |
I still have a large collection of 15mm minifigs. I bring them out for battle a few times a year. I still have a great time gaming the period. |
Footslogger | 30 Sep 2016 2:47 p.m. PST |
Whatever other projects I may dip into, I always come back to Napoleonics and WW2. In recent years, the rise of plastic 28mms and a new set of rules (Blucher) have together got me on a roll. Sometimes I worry that watching "Battle of Britain" and "Waterloo" as a child has influenced me for all time. Then I think, why is that a problem? |
1968billsfan | 30 Sep 2016 3:20 p.m. PST |
Ah !! Some people have been bought by Satan and have left Napoleonics. Sad. |
Militia Pete | 30 Sep 2016 5:41 p.m. PST |
SOld off the 10mm and the 28mm Prince August armies. Never again… |
Northern Monkey | 30 Sep 2016 6:41 p.m. PST |
I'm new to the period. The idea of collecting hundreds (thousands?) of figures always put me off the period. Sharp Pracrice changed all that. Really enjoying the period and painting a nice variety of units. |
CATenWolde | 01 Oct 2016 2:45 a.m. PST |
When I first started wargaming, I did Napoleonics, only Napoleonics, and Napoleonics in a big way … A few years ago I realized that I hadn't actually played in a while, and I had been planning on switching from 15mm to smaller figures, so I sold off my 15's, and bought a pile of Adler French Rev period French (beautiful figures, sadly lacking Austrian foes) and Total Battle buildings. I then thought – hey, why not take a break and paint up an easy ACW army while I get my Napoleonics going again? That was 4-5 years ago, and I haven't painted a Napoleonic figure or hosted a Napoleonic game since then. It's safe to say I burned out! Part of it was frustration over figures – not having what I wanted in the scales I wanted – another part of it was definitely frustration over finding rules that fit my own needs that others were willing to play on a regular basis – and another part was that it's simply not a big part of gaming here. A perfect storm! I do hope to get back, and keep thinking that "this is the year". Cheers, Christopher |
Oh Bugger | 01 Oct 2016 3:21 a.m. PST |
I have Peninsular French and Spanish and oh yes British all painted. Not a single game played so far. No idea why. |
Trajanus | 01 Oct 2016 3:37 a.m. PST |
My first period was ACW but I hankered after Naps. Played for years with a small collection of 15mm but made the mistake of buying far too many so just got turned of painting. This got worse as the figures got better and you could paint more detail. Continued playing with other people's armies until we all decided that rules for the period sucked and we couldn't get a game we liked at a size of battle that was convenient for us to play. Up shot was figure games died out and the only Nap action now is "Blucher" using the unit cards. Horse and Musket wise I'm virtually 100% ACW again with the very occasional dip into AWI. |
Gonsalvo | 01 Oct 2016 5:39 a.m. PST |
Napoleonics were my first love in the hobby, that is),and still are. Just finishing some British Artillery to add to 6,600+ 28mm figures I already have. Even better, Barry and I are playing the next game in ouir LANNES campaign tomorrow! |
Captain Gideon | 01 Oct 2016 8:16 a.m. PST |
I was into Napoleonics for most of the 80's and I had painted several thousands of French,Prussians,Austrian's,Russian's,French Allied and a tiny bit of British for myself and 2 others. I also gamed with a good group in the East Bay for several years but slowly that all went away for various reasons. And over the years since I wasn't gaming Napoleonics anymore I started selling off my 15mm Napoleonics until I only had my French left. But last year I had to sell those figures along with my 15mm Samurai figures and some others to pay for the burial of my Beloved Cat who passed away last June. What I do now is mostly Naval which covers Pre-Dreadnought,WWII and the other Naval gaming like Aeronef/Imperial Skies,Star Wars and Star Blazers. But when I was doing Napoleonics I had a great time doing it and I still like the period but gaming Napoleonics is a thing of the past for me that is. |
coopman | 01 Oct 2016 2:37 p.m. PST |
I have a huge collection of 15mm troops, most of it given to me by a close friend that couldn't find anyone in his area that was interested in gaming the era. Now I've got the figures and very few gamers in my area that want to play Napoleonic battles. |
John Thomas8 | 01 Oct 2016 6:04 p.m. PST |
As the happy recipient of Gunfreak's sell urge, I'm much closer to my goal of about 1,000 figures per army and getting ready to bash together commander cards for LFS V3 solo gaming. I couldn't imagine trying to paint all of that though, too many "fashion divas" critiquing things for my taste :-) |
DJCoaltrain | 01 Oct 2016 6:13 p.m. PST |
Started 15mm Nappys in 76-77 with Prussians and French. A year later did some Russians and Brits. The last ones I did were Austrians and some Confederation of Rhine. I sold my Austrians and Russians. Then My French including CoR. My Brits minus a few units. Finally my Prussians minus a few units. Haven't used them in decades. I have nothing against the era, but most folks around here are doing 25/28mm. I play but I don't paint them anymore. Also, the rules just got too complicated. I do miss the pageantry, but not the rules or arguments. |
jambo1 | 02 Oct 2016 2:02 a.m. PST |
Napoleonics were my first love but sold of everything I had many years ago, now I game late 17th and 18th century stuff, but I still do have some Napoleonics and still am tempted to buy!! |
Dave Knight | 02 Oct 2016 3:10 a.m. PST |
I have played Napoleonics off and on over the years but my small 15mm collection has lain unused for a while now. However they do have an outing planned in November as a Hordes of the Things army |
Weasel | 02 Oct 2016 9:42 a.m. PST |
I knew one guy who loved painting Napoleonics but only played WW2 and scifi. |
Mserafin | 03 Oct 2016 8:05 a.m. PST |
I have been a Napoleonics gamer since I was a kid. Since then, I have come full circle. Started with Stadden 30mm, of which I couldn't afford enough to do anything. Switched to 20mm Kriegspielers and Airfix. Then went deep into 15mm (Heritage and Minifigs). Sold all those, now I'm doing 28mm. I compared my Front Ranks to my elder brother's old 30mm Staddens, and the Front Ranks make them look underfed teens, so I'm essentially back to 30mm. Except this time I can afford them… |
Murvihill | 03 Oct 2016 9:36 a.m. PST |
These things are cyclical. I have tons of figures, have continued painting them but haven't played with them for some time. In a few years I'll start playing again and in the meantime have more figures painted. |
Oh Bugger | 03 Oct 2016 11:54 a.m. PST |
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John Miller | 04 Oct 2016 4:59 p.m. PST |
Gunfreak: Speaking as a guy who has done Napoleonics, in 15mm, since the mid 80's I believe this period requires somewhat more dedication, (if that's the right word for it), than other periods. So many different uniforms, so many different organizations, so many different formations, etc. And many of the above changing several times during that era. As a period it certainly doesn't lend itself to the "beer & pretzels" approach, IMHO. I began to get discouraged recently while reading the vast differences of opinion expressed here on TMP regarding almost every military aspect of the period. Also the issue of "scale creep" I find extremely annoying. The group I have been playing with for twenty years or more seems to be breaking up, although that has nothing to do with the period, figure scale, or rules set used, as far as I am aware. I have just now come to the conclusion that I still enjoy Napoleonics. The color, spectacle, romance, great historical characters, still enthrall me. I am not going to abandon the period or the figure scale. For all its' problems, when I see a Napoleonic game in the "grand manner", done as is so often pictured here on TMP, I loose any doubts I have and any desire to abandon what has given me such great pleasure for so many years. Just an opinion. John Miller |
Bill N | 04 Oct 2016 9:19 p.m. PST |
I used to do Napoleonics in 20mm. Then one day I realized the 200 French infantry I had recently finished painting were barely enough for a weak division, those horse units I was so proud of had to grow by a third to pass for a regiment, and getting a decent looking highlander was proving beyond me. Later I realized that a few hundred figures would probably be enough to do most of the AWI battles in the south, and that 28mm were so much easier to paint. |