Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Age of the Big Battalions => Topic started by: Vette114 on March 20, 2013, 06:24:42 AM
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So I am interested mostly in ACW and have begun collecting an couple forces, 1 union and 1 CSA. Recently I have been drawn to the times of Napoleon but haven't read near as much as I have on ACW. I was looking at general de brigade deluxe in hopes that it would give me a reference for organization and maybe some pictures to paint by.
Any good reviews or points for GDB? Is there another ruleset that would give me a good background/view of napoleonics?
Any help would be really appreciated!
Matt
"Tomorrow: your reward for working safely today." - Robert Pelton
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Sharp Practice from the Too Fat Lardies.
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GdB is a very good choice.
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Me and my dad have just started playing GdB, no complaints as yet!
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Black powder and agreed two fat lardies sharp practice and GdB.
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The 'Waterloo' book (by the now defunct Warhammer Historical branch of Games Workshop) had a fairly good historical background and painting guide included as long as you wanted French/Prussian and British plus their allies. You might be able to find a second-hand copy on Ebay or the like?
I can't comment on the rules as I've never played them but they seem to read through ok!
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Hi V
Good shout about Napoleonics I do like gaming this period and have a few armies ,we have a few members that play nap. in all scale and a few different set of rules
Age of eagle
Very good set of rules your smallest unit on the field will be Brigade (6-12 stands )! so we play these rules in 10mm and it means that you could play with 1 or 2 corps on the table which is around 30k men to a corp, very fast moving game inf brigades can move 9" in a turn so playing on a 6x4 table you are in action right away !
Shako
good set of rule Again smallest unit is a Battalion(only 3 stand to a bn = 12figs ) so more of a divisional game to play
we play these rules using 15mm as can have a good game on a 6x4 table or smaller
GdeB
A very Good set of rule i do like these rule but on a brigade setting you are looking at a battalion of 36 figs for a french bn and brit guard 40figs ! we play these rules in 15mm OR 25mm but playing in 25mm using these rules are great but you do need a BIG table and loads of figs if you are going to refight any real battle ,but just putting a brigade or 2 on the table and having a go is great fun...
all these rules are bloody good its just what tactical level you would like to play and scale to do it in ,i hope you do get into this period as the uniforms are great the tatics are mind blowing and i never get bored of gaming this period been doing it for 25+ years
I hope this help happy gaming LR,
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General de Brigade/Marcheal de France - spelling alert? - were originally written for Baccus 6 mm (1/300th) figures I believe. https://www.baccus6mm.com/index.php?content=polemos
I will eventually use them for 1/600th scale figures with "lots" of figures on a stand.
Gracias,
Glenn
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Intesting ? Will you be using 15mm frontage and how many figs do you think you will get on a single base ?
If you are going to use 15mm frontage i take it you will then use 15mm movement and shooting ranges ? if so dont you think that firing ranges will look a bit out of scale a 6mm fig firing 20cm thats 8" .?
good luck with your project hope it works out well .
LR
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Well to start quickly you should try "LASALLE". With a min of units you can start playing !
On time you can redirect to other rulesets.
Personally the best army list I ever found was from the book "NAPOLEON" from foundry wargames.
You are from ? country ?
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Conquistador
i think you might have got your rules muddled up a bit ,with GdeB and Polemos rules "General de Division"
Hi V
I think most rules you can start with min units its just what tactical level you would like to play wherther you would like to move round single battalions Or regiments or even whole Brigades at a time ,
but playing with the right set of rules at the start is a must ! there is nothing worst than rebasing your army again after you find out that the rules/scale is not your cup of tea ...
so take your time and have a good read/chat WITH people who play the rules and games first before you jump in, it should not stop you painting up your army just that you might need more command figs or less ;D
happy gaming LR
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Well I dumped some money and grabbed GDeB Deluxe, guns at gettysburg and the Albion Triumphant book. I got a membership to "Old Glory Army" and I am planning on ordering some miniatures soon. I did notice GDeB required a lot of figures but the Delixe book itself was really a good purchase.
I am thinking about using Blackpowder rules at the moment as they are a bit lighter. I am out of Montana, USA so opponents are few and far between (read: nonexistent) so if I want to interest people it will have to be with an easier ruleset to digest I think.
Thanks for all the information still working on digesting the napoleonic stuff.
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Vette114
Please go with GdeB as i think they are a CRACKING set of rules for 25mm/15mm games and they look good with them big french coloums steaming up the table and the thin red line holding steady ..
you get a real feel of napoleonic gaming when you use these rules not shore you get the right feel from the blackpower rules its just a, Blackpower game with napoleonic figs used .. If you get my meaning ?
Any way happy gaming and good luck with the project.
LR
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I have 15mm and 28mm Naps armies.
Shako II if you have the figures/time otherwise LaSalle or BP
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I´m reading now "Shako and Musket 1803-1814", an small and free ruleset that is not bad to begin this period. My favourite is, of course GdB, a fantastic and very complete rulebook.
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Since you already have ACW I would suggest that you start with the War of 1812 (US vs GB not Russia), that way you can use some of the same scenery as your ACW. Might also get some more local players since you are US based and it's your heritage.
As an added bonus most 1812 battles were quite small compared to the European ones, so easier to field full forces, not a lot of cavalry (so a bit cheaper too).
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Conquistador
i think you might have got your rules muddled up a bit ,with GdeB and Polemos rules "General de Division"
Hi V
<snip>
Every bit the Modern Major General...
I should have pulled the books and copied the covers...
Gracias,
Glenn
;D :o
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Hi Conquistador
not Modern Major General just a Rifleman :P
yes you should of pulled the book out and had a look that way i would not have to of posted a thread about GdeB starting of as a 6mm set of rules ;D,
Oh gaming 1812 would be a good ideal as its over your side of the pond thing is you lads lost that one. ;) IF you do like the look of GdeB there is a spin off called British Grenadier which is set for action in america (AWI and 1812 )which plays very well as well ..
we play it a lot at are club and is one of the best set of rules i have ever played with .
happy gaming all LR
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"Which rules should I use?" is a question that often leads to massive flame wars.
There are so many different game mechanisms out there that it is very easy to find a set that you hate with a passion, but very difficult to find a set that you will enjoy.
When getting into a new period I tend to use a few selection criteria and then go looking for rules:
- What space is available?
- What do I want the game to LOOK like?
- What size limit do I want to put on the project?
- What are the others around me doing?
A few other rulesets to consider:
- DBN - Napoleonic DBA
- FoGN - the latest from the Field of Glory stable
- War & Conquest
"But wait!" I hear you say. W&C is an ancient set. True......
http://scarabminiatures.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=41 (http://scarabminiatures.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=41)
Buy the rules and get a lifetime of amazing free army lists.... including 7YW, ACW and Napoleonics.....
John
Auckland
New Zealand
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Well I jumped in with both feet on the ACW stuff and joined the old glory army. I am going to order a pile of the blue moon napoleonics as soon as I can and work on bringing some local players to try out general de brigade.
I will put up a link to my blog with some painting pics and overviews of the stuff I buy.
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He Vette,
Montana! can you teach sheep to play?...lol. just kidding! I have been playing Napys on and off for 25 years and still dont know that much about it but I do love painting them and playing! I have used several rule sets and have friends who played many other sets, seems that Napoleonics (in-our area, Los Angeles) have always suffered from "what rules to play" syndrome where no-one can agree on which rules they like so they all end up not playing!
Some of us have finialy settled in and began playing Age of Eagles (AOE) the rule set based on one of the best selling Civil War rules ever written, Fire and Fury. We played them on and off for 2 years, also trying shako, Valmey to Waterloo, General de Brigade.... but AOE was the best for us. Give a great level of play, the level tha napoleonics is really about, Divisions of Brigades forming Corps. It plays fast, simple, elegant, and gives a good account and feeling for the peroid. Units are not hard to build and you can start playing with just a few. AOE also has a great Yahoo group dedicated to the rules that can and do ansewer you questions in all most real time! This group and the rules have been going strong for over ten years!
I gather you are doing you gaming in 15MM? Perfect AOE was written for that scale and given you situation of trying to get people to play would fit in well. The ACW rules Fire and Fury it was built on would be a great set to use for your ACW battles and then by using AOE most of the players would already know the game mechanics as they are virtualy the same. Much of you scenery wil work for both games, roads, rivers, trees, even a few of the buildings would crossover.
If you are ever down this way give me a shout and well have you over for a game!
Good luck!
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Before investing in a set of rules, I'd suggest you read a couple of history books first to get a feel for the period. This will help you decide if you want to play skirmish actions, large skirmish actions (Sharpe Practice), regimental sized gamers, grand tactical games, or something else. Everyone has their favorite set of rules. I've published three different sets over the past 20 years, including the recently released Fate of Battle, each focused on a different scale of battle. The question is really what sized game do you want to play.
I like the The Art of Warfare in the Age of Napoleon by Gunther Rothenberg and Napoleon's Campaigns in Miniature by Bruce Quarrie as introductory texts. While it is a kids book, the American Heritage Junior Library book on Waterloo is also good.
Personally I feel someone new to the period should start at a regimental-sized game, where you worry about formations and skirmishers, but you can command a brigade or division. That will get you all the things you read about in the common texts that make this period unique from other periods.
Buck Surdu
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Whilst people are here Answering Napoleonic based questions are there any coloured plastics upto 1/72 scale in red and blue? (a la Brits and Frenchies) I'd love to get some Nappy inspired games in but don't want to spend the time painting.
Cheers in advance.