"Best model size and battle size for Napoleonics, and why?" Topic
61 Posts
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Glenn Pearce | 07 Sep 2018 10:30 a.m. PST |
Hello Lion in the Stars! 6mm is unique in many ways. The figures produced by Baccus6mm for example have an amazing amount of detail for their size, but you only have to paint what you want. Once you understand how to paint 6mm, you learn that painting collars, cuffs, turn backs and facings is actually pretty easy. Should you, however, find it too tedious than you just don't paint them or anything else that you might think is too small. Some people do speed painting which has very little detail actually painted, but from three feet away they look marvelous. Can't get away with that very easily in 15/18 or 25/28. So it's very similar to what FM is doing with his 3mm stuff. The only difference is the detail is there if you do want to paint it. I forgot to mention another great selling point for us to get into 6mm was its very close in size to micro-armour. So we were able to utilize all the same terrain items for two different periods. All our games are focused on the commanders in chief and their senior commanders no matter what size of battle we play. We only play historical games. They are all group games with an average of 6-8 players. Some of the larger games Waterloo, etc. attract even more players. So one player would be Napoleon, another, Wellington, another Blucher and the rest are their various corps commanders. If enough players show up then Divisional commanders are allotted. Hope this helps explain it better. Best regards, Glenn |
Glenn Pearce | 07 Sep 2018 10:50 a.m. PST |
Hello 4th Cuirassier! "I suspect that wouldn't work for most players…" I can certainly see why you might think that, but that's not what my experience shows. Our group has presently over 30 experienced gamers and we have seen well over another hundred or so members over the years. With the exception of a very small number who mainly had other interests anyway the positive response has been overwhelming. The commercial rules "Ruse de Guerre", sold by Baccus6mm has had nothing but positive feedback. So is that "most players", probably not, but it's certainly a good indicator for me. Best regards, Glenn |
SalTony | 07 Sep 2018 11:04 a.m. PST |
I used to be 25/28mm , Nothing like the "Eye Candy" of well painted units of the scale on a table. But I have switched over to 15/18mm , which gives you more bang for the buck and more space on the table and in storage, Manufacturers such as AB and Blue Moon have beautifully detailed figures and paint up fantastic. |
El Lobo | 07 Sep 2018 11:54 a.m. PST |
Just started my Napoleonic collection and went for 10mm.Pendraken do great figures which look great en mass and easily painted along with their excellent service( they allow you to order individual figures along with any other requests you have) I wish I had done so earlier.Good pricing on packs (30 figs for £5.25 GBP) which allows you to create large formations fairly cheaply, more units on a smaller table and easy to store away. I went for the General de Brigade rule set slightly adjusted to my figure scale, works for me and could be adjusted for your needs. |
Fredloan | 07 Sep 2018 1:03 p.m. PST |
I started collecting about 6 years ago and decided I liked the 15-18mm range for a number of reasons. The availability of nations, the detail of figures like AB and others. Small enough for large battles on a 6'x 9' table and large enough for division size games on a 6' x 4' table. I now have over 3500 AB figures painted and another 1500 or more to go. |
Yellow Admiral | 07 Sep 2018 9:11 p.m. PST |
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HappyHussar | 07 Sep 2018 10:36 p.m. PST |
Like Desert Fox I prefer no more than 12-15 units whether they be battalions or regiments or whatever. I played an old set of rules called "Melee" – it was about the only rule set I know of that allowed you to use big blocks of troops. I have played Empire II, III and V. All of those are best if you just command a corps. Column, Line and Square is best for a division at the most. I have never played Napoleon's Battles. I hear that its enjoyable and that you can command a couple of corps easily. Battalion level is usually my fav. scale. I played 25-28mm scale mainly but would like to try 15mm sometime having painted a lot of those sized figures for Johnny Reb and WRG Ren mini rules. |
138SquadronRAF | 10 Sep 2018 1:05 p.m. PST |
10mm, big enough figures to retain a degree of character. Small enough that I can get an aesthetically pleasing game on my table and allow for room to move. Create two sides and it's surprising, other people in my group have followed me into the scale. |
Nine pound round | 10 Sep 2018 2:08 p.m. PST |
15mm, because it works well for battles on the scale I like: divisions to Corps to small armies (Rivoli, yes; Leipzig, no). I have always used Empire, in part because I like the 10-18 figure battalions, which can have a degree of individuality. At that level, I feel like I am making the decisions I find most interesting/ committing whole units, rather than deciding how to time a volley, or when to switch from shot to canister. |
atommmm | 16 Sep 2018 12:53 p.m. PST |
hello, i like all of them, for my point of view: the best is of course 6mm for tactical historical acurency. 15mm is good for divisional encourter, and 28mm is for having fun with friends getting the nice mins out. Thomas :) |
cae5ar | 17 Sep 2018 7:33 p.m. PST |
I can understand the attraction of the smaller scales for accurately representing formations and large battles, and also for convenience, storage and transport. I admit to playing various games in 10mm, 15mm and 20mm. But ask yourself this question: How many players under the age of 40 play any scale other than 28mm in any genre (historical, fantasy, sci-fi)? Take demo games or wargaming magazines, where 28mm wins hands down in gaining attention for the hobby, particularly to younger eyes and for its photogenic quality. It's hard to overcome the "coolness" factor of well-painted individual figures to the casual passerby, even if the ground scale is somewhat questionable. The mass availability of miniatures in hard plastic makes 28mm more affordable and appealing than ever, which used to be a hurdle for new players. 3D printing can only increase options and affordability in this regard. The main setback that continues to plague 28mm is the time to paint; hence the proliferation of skirmish games, with fewer figures, so you can get your army on the table sooner. But who knows, 3D printing may soon provide an answer for this too, with multi-coloured printable figures which you can play with out of the box or ink shade to give a professional look in seconds. And for those who enjoy the pleasure of painting old-school style, well, 28mm has always been the scale of choice. Are we just a bunch of old farts arguing the merits of something that will be a non-issue in years to come? |
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