"GDB basing question for newbie" Topic

Hi all. I am a hex and counter player who has recently enjoyed C&C Napoleonic. I want to take the plunge into 15 mm Napoleonics. I have selected GDB as a rule set and will be using AB miniatures. This seems like a reasonable choice to start with based on the many threads I have read.

My question is around the figures to purchase to get started. As an example I use the Waterloo scenario.

1. For the various British brigades do I buy the same figures? Are they purely distinguished on the table by the (potentially) different paint schemes and flags?

2. Looking at everyone's awesome armies I am struck by the inclusion of officers, drummers, sergeants etc. if I have a unit of 36 figures (6x6 figure bases), what special figures do I include and where do they position in the brigade. That is, do I have 5x6 normal infantry bases and one special base with an officer, drummer, flag bearer etc. I hope this makes sense.

Thank you for your time (I hope this message has formatted okay)

Oh what a Pandoras box you are opening.

There's not a simple answer to your myriad of questions.

You can start by breaking them down into simple groups.

For British infantry you either have early or you have late.

Early (Peninsula) will mostly mean Stovepipe shakos. Late(r) (Waterloo) will mean Belgic shakos although not everyone.

Plus you may/will have Highlanders in kilts and feather bonnets although not all Scottish regiments will be Highlanders.

All will be in red jackets except for some rifle armed units who will be in dark green.

If you are doing Peninsula you may have some Portuguese in dark blue or brown jackets. Not required if you are only doing Waterloo.

If you are going the whole 10 yards then you will also have some German units some of whom will be in red and some won't. Also some Dutch and Belgians (I pass on their colour schemes).

Artillery will fairly simple i.e. dark blue jackets.

Cavalry, well cavalry will be a particularly long answer.

Good luck.

Best to ask a playing friend as to what he does.

So…to use your example…6 x 6 figure based…British….1 x 6 Flank company Grenadiers…1 x 6 Flank Light company….3 x 6 Centre company…1 x 6 Command stand (various combinations…1 x officer..1 x drummer..1 x Sergeant…1 x sapper..2 x Centre company….or…replace 2 figures with a mounted officer….the world is your oyster

There r loads of sites with info…here is an example:

link

In the GDB rule book itself there is a good guide to basing

There is also a General de Brigade forum (tapatalk) and a General de Brigade blogspot …just google either of them.

If you want to do Waterloo, start by building the OOB for GdB for Quatre Bras scenario and then play it. That will be your French plus some English and some allied troops. Then from there build for Waterloo itself. That is what we have done. On the Prussian side we built for Wavre then for Ligny.

Just passed the three day threshold for posting. I want to thank everyone for their replies. Some really useful info. For one, I have decided to switch from AB to Minifigs for the broader range of miniatures to create my units.