DWilliams | 08 May 2017 6:49 a.m. PST |
Drummers involve extra time and effort to paint, and technically were non-combatants (these are my excuses for not including them). How about you? Do you take the time and effort to include drummers in your miniature armies? (a) Yes, I always include drummers and/or musicians. (b) Sometimes I have them. (c) No, I do not include drummers and/or musicians. |
Rich Bliss | 08 May 2017 7:08 a.m. PST |
I use them when I'm painting large units. Say bigger than 12 figures, In smaller units they dominate the visual impact too much. |
Perris0707 | 08 May 2017 7:10 a.m. PST |
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Night Witch | 08 May 2017 7:14 a.m. PST |
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Old Wolfman | 08 May 2017 7:16 a.m. PST |
A;usually mounting them with the unit command stand. |
robert piepenbrink | 08 May 2017 7:17 a.m. PST |
I try for them whenever possible, with a distinct bias toward drummers in "reversed" or "livery" coats, so they'll stand out. Rich is right, of course: give a 12-casting unit an officer, a drummer and a standard bearer, and it looks like a color guard. But that's why I try never to have a formed horse & musket infantry unit under 24 castings, and won't add a second standard-bearer before 32 castings. |
Mike Target | 08 May 2017 7:20 a.m. PST |
a, as is right and proper. |
smolders | 08 May 2017 7:46 a.m. PST |
A…its nice to break up painting rank and file with a nice musician |
Winston Smith | 08 May 2017 7:51 a.m. PST |
How can you do AWI or SYW and NOT include them? Or Jacobites without pipers? That depends on how much you like to paint of course. I do. Years ago I bought out a store's stock of the Copplestone sculpted SYW Freikorps Prussians. It included far more drummers than any Brunswick or Hessian armies could ever use. Plus Grenadiers with drums and fifers. So I painted up all my leftover musick in canary yellow with various simply fabulous facings and did the Band at Bennington. They were an unarmed baggage guard, but key figures in TSATF that never checked morale. So, musicians are definitely useful. |
Patrick Sexton | 08 May 2017 7:57 a.m. PST |
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Titchmonster | 08 May 2017 8:07 a.m. PST |
B. If I have them I include them or in some regiments that have multiple bns I use a drummer in the first. |
daler240D | 08 May 2017 8:13 a.m. PST |
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Col Durnford | 08 May 2017 8:36 a.m. PST |
I do have a few in my ACW collection. I use them as Rally markers. |
Gunfreak | 08 May 2017 8:52 a.m. PST |
I hate painting them, but all my units that should have them, have them. |
Joes Shop | 08 May 2017 8:55 a.m. PST |
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Coyotepunc and Hatshepsuut | 08 May 2017 9:21 a.m. PST |
If there is a reason to include them over not including them, then I do. To answer the topuc question (different than the post question,) no, I am not a fan of drummers. |
Extrabio1947 | 08 May 2017 9:25 a.m. PST |
A. As a drummer myself, I'm a bit partial. 😁 |
nickinsomerset | 08 May 2017 9:26 a.m. PST |
They can be a pain, but were part of a unit so my cadre base will have one, or two! Not a fan of points systems where one has to pay extra for standard bearers, drummers etc when they would be a standard element of any unit, Tally Ho! |
WarWizard | 08 May 2017 9:56 a.m. PST |
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robert piepenbrink | 08 May 2017 10:23 a.m. PST |
You know, there's an old Phil Barker card draw set in which musicians are actually necessary--as are standard bearers and officers. And the units' performance grows more sluggish as the command elements are shot away. A little glitchy in small games, but I bring it out for AWI now and then. |
The Virtual Armchair General | 08 May 2017 10:23 a.m. PST |
A!!! As a producer of miniatures and rules writer, Drummers (and other appropriate "musicks") are more or less indispensable adjuncts of play. Their purpose was crucial both for moral and command and control. Use of drums on the battlefield in Western Armies began in the 17th Century, where they quickly assumed an importance out of proportion to their material value. Loss of drums to the enemy was a shame and proof of failure almost as profound as the loss of Colors. The drive to recover them from the battlefield influenced battles and the future performance of the affected units. Leave out the Drummers? Then why allow for any musicians, or the Colors, for that matter? Even if only to add the hint of martial splendor, including them in relevant forces is as basic to war games with miniatures as the rest of the figures themselves. A ruffle and flourish to "Winston Smith," for good measure. HAARRUMMPH! TVAG |
Winston Smith | 08 May 2017 11:04 a.m. PST |
Trained hoplites marched to the tune of a flute. |
Frederick | 08 May 2017 11:37 a.m. PST |
Mostly – when approporiate; pretty much all my SYW units have them except for Jaegers and also most of my ACW units As noted none for my legions of Romans – they have a proper cornicen |
Winston Smith | 08 May 2017 11:38 a.m. PST |
Lest one think I have fallen off the Serious Wagon and gone all Whimsy with my drummers described above, blame Brunswick. Those ARE the colors for the drummers' uniforms. They do stand out, which is of course the intent. If you are going to paint up whole armies with the supremely irritating "white straps on dark uniform" meme, then you may as well spend an extra 5 or 10 minutes on drummer's lace. And if you are doing SYW or WAS British with all the regimental lace, you don't do drummers??? That makes no sense at all. |
wrgmr1 | 08 May 2017 11:59 a.m. PST |
A) but the are a pain to paint. |
doug redshirt | 08 May 2017 12:10 p.m. PST |
C, why waste time on it. I do them sometimes, but I think my units look just fine without them. If I am doing Colonial, the bugler or piper is much more important anyway. |
21eRegt | 08 May 2017 1:26 p.m. PST |
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Dagwood | 08 May 2017 1:54 p.m. PST |
A, but as an Ancients player, it's usually trumpets rather than drums as such. But I am planning an Indian army, which will have two musicians on each command stand, either drummers, gongs, or cymbals. |
etotheipi | 08 May 2017 5:41 p.m. PST |
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altfritz | 08 May 2017 7:40 p.m. PST |
I'm with Winston. Why not just use counters if you ain't going to bother. |
basileus66 | 08 May 2017 10:59 p.m. PST |
I use them as otherwise would be a waste of perfectly good figures, and I am not that rich to allow myself the luxury of wasting minis! Said that I don't like the look of musicians as integral part of a unit in Ancients armies, so I use them to decorate general's bases, or as markers, in separate bases. |
Winston Smith | 08 May 2017 11:26 p.m. PST |
You're right about that. Buying by blister packs, if I left the drummer out of the unit, it would only have 23 figures. That won't work. |
piper909 | 09 May 2017 12:02 a.m. PST |
A, A, and A again! I never miss adding bandsmen if I can get the figures. Throw a war without music? The idea is unthinkable. By the way, etotheipi, where did those groovy figures come from and how can I buy some?? (If they're 25mms) |
Piquet Rules | 09 May 2017 5:56 a.m. PST |
C. Drummers suck. I used to use them. Not anymore. I'd rather have real fightin' men in my units. |
etotheipi | 09 May 2017 3:09 p.m. PST |
where did those groovy figures come from and how can I buy some?? They are 25/28mm figures. The singer is Dazzler from Monsters and Mutations HeroClix. You can get her anywhere crappy old Clix are thrown in a $.25 USD bin. The other four are Wargames Factory Celts or Germans with Mississinewa Minatures guitars. I think they're out of business and their accoutrement line was not picked up by anyone. You could probably make one from a few layers of thin card (hmmmmm … a project). The drumset has two orc drums (the topic of this thread … musician figures) as toms. The bass drum and cymbals are made from two types of round shield, spear shafts, and sword handles. The bass drum also has a pedal on the other side. |
Doctor X | 09 May 2017 8:47 p.m. PST |
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95th Division | 22 May 2017 10:32 a.m. PST |
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