"Bataille de l'Ancien Regimes" Topic

Bataille de l'Ancien Regimes by Bill Protz

What would be the minimum number of figures needed to have a fun game? I see very large battalions in battle reports, that is something that I can build up to, but it's not easy to start with.

Thanks

A brigade on brigade action can be a lot of fun. Have your players decide on the battalion standard. We are have everything from 30-60. Half battalions vs. full and with generally 12 figure squadrons in support. So I'd say 200 total per side would be a lot of fun.

For our Jacobite Rebellion games, the Highlanders generally have 30 figures and the Government battalions have 30-45 figures, so,there is no need to have 60 figures unless you want to build up to that number.

Cavalry squadrons can be 12-15 figures.

And I've used it with 24-figure battalions and 12-figure squadrons. It is very flexible.

Jim

Thanks for all the replies, besides a pleasing visual of big battalions, is there any advantages to game play with them.
What do you give up when using smaller units. FYI, planing to raise the army as imagination force, so I have flexibility in organization of my units.

Cheers

For me it is all about the aesthetics of the "big battalions." Except for the artificial depth on the field (a problem with all rules) it just feels/looks right.

So long as both sides are fairly consistently sized you don't give up anything in game terms by going with smaller battalions. I'd just add that in my experience two 30 figure units are not the equal of one 60 because of the relative fragility of the former.

I have played "BAR" for about 10 years. Using everything from 16 Figure Battalions to 60 Figure Battalions and several stops in between. I like the aesthetics of bigger units, and the challenges brought upon by using Little Divisions and the maneuvers of the drill manual.

My advice to you is to understand the space you will have available to play and make your determinations based upon that knowledge. As I have found both benefits and detriments to using smaller and larger base units.

Some of our more enjoyable game have been with Smaller Units, 16 and 24 figure battalions. In part because you have enough space to maneuver and adjust and it is not just a straight ahead slog. The down side is when one player is able to significantly out gun an opponent in a localized situation the smaller units lack the staying power.

I have also played in some large games with maybe 10 to 12 brigades a side with 48 and 60 figure battalions which utilized multiple tables. It's a grand spectacle and one I recommend everyone to play in at least once.

TheGG is correct playing a large game on a 60 foot table is a great spectacle. But to be honest can be tedious and restricting. In my opinion units of 24-30 are perfect for manoeuvre and allowing a table size small enough for all to join in the banter.

My current table is 10x6, I have space to add more square footage on both ends. I guess I could build battalions in stages 18(2 deep) -> 32(2 deep) -> 48(3 deep).

Thanks again, I guess next step is to order the rules!