"Napoleonic Imaginations?" Topic

Does anyone do the equivalent of 18th Century Imaginations?

I was thinking it would be interesting to design some Imaginations for the Napoleonic era like people do for the 18th Century. I am already thinking about uniform colors for various nations/unit types…

It's only mental exercise, but I keep having this vision of a successful French Republic landing in Ireland, with Hybernian Republic uniforms and flags, followed by those of the Kingdom of Ireland. (His Majesty King Lucien?)

The other is an 1809 Kingdom of Hanover as a British ally/auxiliary.

Hmmm, Bruce Campbells Jack of all Trades character springs to mind…

A friend and I did it in High School and College, fun games. But then it is usually the company and he is a good guy, wish he lived closer.

Ruritania, Graustark, Axphain, Dawsbergen, and Bravaria (the last a combination of a typo and bad uniform information) have all made appearances in our Napoleonic games.

We have done mid-nineteenth century imaginations as stand-ins for the actual European countries:

Druckpunkt, Astroprogetk, Bravado, Demiphast, Assezbon, UPS
[United Provinces of Sanctity] etc. We mixed up the technical and military aspects so none were exact copies of actual countries during the time.

We used the map from GDW's Soldier Kings for campaigns.

It's fun to make up uniforms and flags.

Over the years I have 'developed' a world 'somewhere in the early 19th Century' part of which is a Europe-like continent where the main rivals are Rhensmark (German speaking) and Lorrandie (French speaking) along with a whole host of other greater and minor states which take their model from other European states. In my doodling moments I write up the history and create characters. I am building a division for each of the main countries and initial skirmishes have already taken place. The Rhens and the Lorrans can also represent smaller states in the Rheinbund if a more historical context is needed.

I quite fancy a Grand Duchy of Soltau, as a Confederation of the Rhine reward for a suitable French figure.

Its organisation and uniforms would be after the French pattern, with a dark peacock blue-green coat colour for the line troops, faced black, with white lace and silver metalwork. The two regiments of cuirassiers would resemble cuirass-era white-coated French carabiniers except that one regiment has black cuirasses and the other bronze. The Grand Duchy's entire army will be destroyed in Russia in 1812.

:-)

The thing is, there were so many actual imagiNations in this era that you barely need to invent one. If you want an outrageous uniform, someone wore it for real. The only thing my imagiNation has that nobody actually had was the blue-green coat, although if you look hard enough probably someone had even that.

I did not originate the idea, (but I do not remember where it came from) but the point was that Austrian cheese names were a great source of inspiration for Duchies and Archboshoprics.
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The cheese names are great. I particularly like Moosbacher and Toastkäse

No,no! Everyone knows the big cheeses are commanders, like the Duke of Cheddar and the American General Colby. The intelligence staff, on the other hand, are named after mushrooms, like Captain Shitake of the IJN.

Absolutely. The Grand Duchy of Nordmark continued as an ally of Prussia until 1806. Indeed it was the Nordmark division that was flank guard to the main Prussian Army as they marched to Auerstadt and they fought Bernadotte's I Corp and kept him from supporting Davout. Nordmark then joined the Confed of the Rhine, reformed their army along French lines and next fought in 1809 alongside their new French allies at Wagram where they held off the Archduke John's army to protect the French right flank.

I've developed Nordmark's military history from the 1st Crusade through to 1809.

I enlisted in the US Army at 18 in 1955, and was sent to study Czech at the Army Language School in California. Then 19 months on the Czech border in Germany.

When I came home, I joined the Miniature Figures Collectors of America (MFCA), and met a couple war gamers.

Eventually I "created" the central European (in an alternate universe)"country" of "Pohan' sko" – and using Airfix 20mm plastic US Civil War figures, converted and hand cast my own "army" for wargaming.

We gamed with one figure represting a company on a hexagon mat, and never had really large units. Pohan infantry "Pechota") troops had a black felt shako edged red for grenadiers ("granatnici"), green for the light troops, and black for center company men. The Grenadiers had tall, white plumes as did the Prussian Guards of Napoleonic days – made from solid core wire solder. The short tailed coat was French Dragoon green with light blue collar, cuffs and turnbacks. A waist-belt of white with about 4 millimeters of a sraight pin was the bayonet scabbard. One white cross belt held the black bullet pouch. White overalls, black shoes.

I converted Airfix US plains Indians to hussars, black colpak with scarlet bag; green dolman, yellow cords – no pelisse; held carbine in right hand; scarlet breeches in black sort boots.

Civil War artillery ("delostrelecvo")horse riders as lancers based on Napoleon's Eclaireurs of the Guard – scarlet cylindrical shako, scarlet collar, plastron, cuffs, turnbacks, green overalls edges scarlet. Did chasseurs in same uniform, but sky blue.

I flattened brass wire to make the scabbards.

No heavy cavalry ("jezdecvo"). I did not know about the Spanish Madrid dragoons of the Napoleonic wars, or I would have just used an infantry shako instead of a helmet! Green Bardin-style coat, scarlet, rose, yellow or orange facings.

Artillery gunners were from the civil war gunners, with shakos as for the infantry. The guns ("delo") were the civil war guns, essentially British Napoleonic style.

Lots of fun, and very easy to do using 50/50 tin/lead bar solder, before good figures became available in the 30 mm Stadden world. I went to Stadden/Willie 30mm, and never looked back!

GdeP

You don't need them. Just start collecting the Perry Bros' Napoleonic Confederation of the Rhine figures…

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I have had a thought about doing an "Imaginary" Napoleonic campaign using Hinchliffes range of figures, plenty of good stuff to take out of this topic, well done gents!!

I have often been tempted to the Army of Pottsdorf (country in the Blake Edwards film "The Great Race" (1965).

Anglia (Red Army, Brittanic- style, led by Egbert, Prince of Anglia) vs. Franconia (Blue Army, Germanic- style, led by Irving, Grand Duke of Franconia) in 1866.

Armies are organized for "On to Richmond" rules using a selection of Scruby 9/12mm Napoleonic and ACW figures. Great fun creating orders of battle and uniforms.

I'm currently working on a set of 1929 armies for these same adversaries.

I had a imagination for the SYW period. When I moved into Napoleonics it seemed natural to maintain a small imaginary state alongside the historical states of the Confederation of the Rhine. The states very modest military contribution is led by a aged General who first saw service some fifty years earlier with the SYW Imagination. I have two figures for him, and also of the States ruler who has also managed to live through the intervening years. One for each period. My painting ability however, is insufficient to denote the aging process.

I have done the Vulgarians from chitty Chitty bang bang.
using Strelets Crimean French light infantry, and using Hat french middle guard for the Grenadiers, I also converted Grandpa Potts as an attached military advisor. They country became well established after the deposing of the child hating dictator ;-)

Technically it is from 1908 and not Napoleonic

The closest I got was to paint up 1803 Hannoverians for "what if" games where Hannover stood up to Napoleon. I did know a gaming group where they used Nap. wargames rules, but to avoid "nationalism" they changed the nations names and I think they cmae up with their own uniforms.

I did a imaginary cavalry regiment, this pre internet age, mentioned it at a war game store and was laughed out of the place, repainted them quickly. But have thrown in my only 7yw units in a Napoleonic game as a imaginary German Prince's state

I've always wanted to make a much Larger army than Brunswick actually had in all black uniforms.