"Napoleonic Wargaming scales for beginners" Topic

All,

I'm finding myself short of time to finish my current Napoleonic projects, so i've decided this week to provide a high level overview of the common figure scales used for Napoleonic Wargaming, in an attempt to assist any new starters who may be looking to dip their toes into Napoleonic Wargaming

link

Of course, any wiley old campaigners are also welcome to leave their comments and opinions as well!

Kind Regards

J

I think those are fair comments and a well balanced view. I think scale is also a function of form, i.e. what type of gaming you like – 40mm and to some extent 28mm are much better suited for skirmish gaming while 15, 10 and 6mm (the latter my favourite) are in my view best suited to grand tactical (also my favourite)

Mention the older 25mm scale too…

Interesting post, thanks

You left out the ships…

Particularly with regard to Napoleonics, I think Wellington was right that color is nothing, the silhouette is everything. The mass of infantry of all nations appears as a mix of black, white, and red bits at ordinary viewing distances. I think it's very difficult to distinguish the subtle shape differences between headgear in any scale smaller than 15mm. So I would say that smaller scales put a premium on flags (and gun carriage colors) to be able to distinguish the sides apart.

I agree with much of the overview, though I think something in the pictures to establish scale would have been helpful. The same coin throughout, perhaps?

Frederick, I think you missed "tactical" somewhere in there--or maybe it was assumed? Personally, I tend to use 28mm for brigade/division size battles, and 5/6mm once there's a corps or more on the field. (Leipzig in 2mm is still a work in progress.)

54s, old boy. I'm working on Russians and Wurttembergers now.

You've got some nice looking collections. Napoleonics is one of those periods that you can easily justify multiple figure scales for.

I have a handful of 30 mm figures from the olden days, and lovely figures they are, too. I think they've been in one battle since I got them in 1974. Perhaps not the most popular of scales nowadays.

Grelber

Good point to Robert – I did kind of lump in tactical with grand tactical, but you are quite right – different feel for brigade work versus a corps – I fall on the Corps type battles

The 1/72 scale is another option. Just saying…

1/72 is discussed in the blog…

Thanks guys for all the comments

I'm intending to do a size comparison of all the figure sizes at a later date, but I don't have some of the sizes myself or in my collection – so will have a shop about and see what I can pick up for cheap and go from there.

Kind Regards

J

the one true scale 1:72.

40mm and certainly 28mn is just fine for non skirmish wargaming…those smaller scales are fine for those without a well honed painting talent. If you like to paint start with 28mm and then dabble in 40mm.

25mm still good size.
link

Nice write up with pictures of the size. Do 15mm now 18mm myself, at time it was cost and availability and don't regret them. Have suggested to others starting 1/72 might be way to go as becoming a good supply of figures available.