"First 54mm Napoleonic Game" Topic

As this board is still quite quiet, this is our first game with my 54mm Napoleonics using Neil Thomas's Napoleonic Wargaming rules…

mikelewis.info/littlewars/?p=709

I wish inexpensive cavalry was readily available.

Are the Italeri figures still available? They did some very nice French Hussars and others in this scale.

OoP as far as I know.

You can still get some of the sets from retailers such as the French Carabiniers

Mike

Nice!

What figures are you using on the circular Prussian command stand?

Black Hat Miniatures, how did you like how the rules played out for the period? I'm thinking of using them for the MexicanAmerican War. By the way, nice looking game.

I like your use of Schleich trees. Trees that do not look too small are one of the few drawbacks to this scale.

@79thPA

I believe they are from the Allied Command set.

@Paulcollins

I have played the Napoleonic Wargaming Book rules a fair amount with other scales and really like them. They are fairly simple and straightforward but retain the flavour of the Napoleonic period. Because you cannot charge another unit until you have more stands than it, it encourages a firefight before a charge or good use of artillery to reduce units first.

We played a revolutionary period game with Prussians vs French a while back and that had real flavour with 8 base french columns (that ha no firepower) grinding slowly towards Prussian lines that had to fall back before them as they couldn't charge them – just reduce them by firepower – gave a great game which the faster moving Prussians eventually won.

Mike

Thanks for that info. Black Hat Miniatures. I'm going to give these s serious look for the MAW and see how they do.

Nice report

Yes, this board is new and so quiet, but hopefully more to come. I am pondering the step myself. I have a lot of 54s but cavalry is the perennial problem. ACTA make a reasonable selection, but the older Italeri sets are very elusive now. Waterloo 1815 has sets of the dragoons still available at reasonable prices.

I am lucky in that I now own the 54mm All the Queen's Men ranges which has a fair amount of cavalry in it for Waterloo (in metal) so I have a ready source to plug the gaps…

Mike

Probably out of my price range in metal sadly, but I would be interested in seeing the range if you have a link please

link

Only have the Curassiers pictured so far, but full details of what is available are in the price lists… All available as castings.

Mike

@ Marc

If you can be bothered to build them all, could you not acquire 54mm Airfix Napoleonic cavalry kits? – with head swaps they give you cuirassiers, carabiniers, British heavy and light dragoons, Landwehr cavalry, and so on.

You'd have to pick them up individually off the 'Bay but they can surely be had for less than £15.00 GBP a figure as job lots.

I'm pretty sure I still have the Italeri Scots Greys in 1/32 knocking around – off sprue but unpainted.

Tempting 4th. Just wish Airfix would re-release the bloody things

Some prices in eBay are a tad high for me. But I am looking

There are also the Britains Deetail range – even more pricey

ANd I hope Mr Kinch will not object, but a link is in order

link

Stunningly good

Marc

Set up "Airfix 54mm job lot" and "Airfix 54mm spares" and you will get a trickle of auctions of spare parts from which you can cobble together what you need.

The cuirassier with the Life Guard's helmet makes a passable carabinier. The unused cuirassier helmet goes on a Scots Grey to make a heavy dragoon. The Scots Grey's helmet and a bit of Milliput turns the Polish Lancer into a grenadier a cheval. The French infantryman's head turns the lancer into a British light dragoon. On the Bengal Lancer's head he makes a nice Landwehr uhlan. The cuirassier with the lancer's torso makes a nice French dragoon. And so on. You actually don't really want intact kits if you are cross kitting.

Maybe I binned it too soon. It does look nice all sprayed in gloss varnish. My rationale was that 54mm units of 12 figures take up little more room than 30-figure 28mm units.

Kingkit has a few Airfix British Lifeguards in stock at the moment for a reasonable price. And some Greys.

Crossposted on Little Wars Revisited: I am planning to use the Neil Thomas Napoleonic Wargaming rules on June 18th for a 54mm Waterloo refight. I plan to divide the table up into thirds and give each of six players an eight unit command. My question, having just read through the rules, is whether generals are represented on the table and, if so, what their effect is on their units. I see some nicely painted generals in the photos in this thread, but I cannot find any mention of them in the rules. Are they there just for show?

Nick
The Napoleonic rules abstract a few things, like artillery, because he limits you to eight units. The General (only one) stays with one unit all the time and gives it a bit of oomph. I wasn't happy with this and devised some simple C&C rules. I've posted before, but my version of NTs rules are here:

link

This may give you some ideas. Alternatively, it's worth looking at the C&C rules in his 19th century book.

Jeffers, thank you very much for sharing your house rules!

Marc – have a look at Helmet Soldiers. £5.00 GBP for a cavalry kit and lots of spare parts.