Papal Dragoons for the Risorgimento

[Emir of Askaristan]

I've used Rebels and Patriots for gaming actions in Italy from the 1840's thru 60's. If you aren't too fussy about what your unit represents then the blunders and traits and general mechanisms seem to be a good match for the period.

Alternatively I've also used Neil Thomas's 19thC set. They work fine but I like the feel of R&P better.

[italwars]

excellent painting  and very good project that i'm following since the beginning..
I've been to the battlefield of Mentana and i understand that's not the most suited one for cavalry...anyway the Dragoon unit present at Mentana threatned the red shirts as soon as they  begun to fall back to their final position, the fortified castle and a dragoons platoon made a dismounted advance toward the ennemy...furthemore, fom my sources, the advancing Garibaldini column at the eve of the battle  was discovered at dawn by just a single dragoon trooper who faced them suddenly from a hidden path , fired a pistol shot and fell back at mad gallop  to warn Kanzler of the presence of the bandit's army coming from Monterotondo to Mentana...what followed was certainly more close to an ecounter battle even if the red shirts had managed to set up some sorts of hastly made defences.

[carlos marighela]

Not bandits but biscuits.  Biscotti not banditti. I have found no examples of biscuits being named after banditti. There is no Robin Hood Family Assortment, no Pancho Villa Cream Wafer, no John Dillinger Digestive. Garibaldi=Great Biscuit, ipso facto: Garibaldi=Great Man. 

Better name than the Eccles biscuit you must agree.

Of course one can endlessly debate whether the unification of Italy ever really panned out as planned. Arguably not.
 

[italwars]

Of course he was  a “great man” but for his British/freemasons masters not for the Italian people above all those from the South 😏
By the way and far more interesting than any historical analysis of the Risorgimento ..are those famous “Garibaldi biscuits” worth to have a try? Despite their name, they are totally unknown in my country but, since I read about many  times even in this forum, i m very curious and tempted to order them even from Amazon uk ..maybe I could change my mind about the man itself 😃

[Emir of Askaristan]

Well we have both Bourbons and Garibaldis....but neither are to everyone's taste!

Now biscuits aside I am keen to see more of Italy from 48 to 70 here, and in particularly more papal and minor state forces please!

[Yarkshire Gamer]

I see Rebels and Patriots as a skirmish game, the publishers say 60 to 90 figures. I need something more Battalion based, Mentana will be around 7 to 800 figures.

Unfortunately I'm not a fan of Neil Thomas's rules, a bit too much on the simple side for the group I game with, we like a bit more detail and period tight rules.

I will find something eventually, if not I'll end up writing something 

Regards Ken
The Yarkshire Gamer

[italwars]

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Legion d'Antibes with Foundry French Crimean with Shako and added plume, Carabineri Esteri with the same figs. Officers from various Perrys War of the Triple Alliance command sets and Perry French Guns. I will do a review of the whole Papal Army soon.

Regards Ken
The Yarkshire Gamer
[/quote]

As you rightly, mentioned the need of some other key units for your project,  take into account that the Pontifical Army soldiers, especially during the 1867 Campaign, sported various combinations of uniforms..all inspired by French but even with a lot of campaign dress options

some of the following  picts are extremely rare and, i suppose, still unpublished but they depict the real aspect of the Pope's soldiers..
PS: probably you're aware that the all French recruited Légion d'Antibes was officially called , in order to shadow her real origin, "Legione Romana"
lastly ..do you know that the swiss based Cibo's Little dudes make some nice Ponifical Subjects..unfortunatly the picts are 'nt the best ones but i can assure you that they are nice minis and even compatible with average 28mm
https://www.ciboslittledudes.com/collections/risorgimento-papal-state

same could be said for Mirliton..of which the 90% of my Papal Army is based:
https://www.mirliton.it/historical-25-28mm/italian-indipendence-wars/papal-state
Out of the "cacciatori in campaign dress" i made  both my cacciatori and foreign carabineers which are very similar ..
In practice with the "cacciatore" in short jacket and soft French type képi you can make both "Cacciatori", "Carabinieri" and "Antibes Legion" with red trousers..the white havelock or ear cover was used by every Pontifical soldier on Campaign during summer..including Zouaves...take into account that today's, 7 th of  septmber here in Rome (not far from Mentana)  i had a free day and went in the park for jogging  and i can assure you that i really suffered without my hat ....BUT..the 3 of november of 1867  in Mentana was a rainy and cold day  ...and, lastly, in case you 'll opt for Mirliton minis  don't forget a couple of Papal Gendarmes and the mini representing general Kanzler 
PS: the Pontifical Gendarmes that still exist and still behave like a sort of Political Constabulary for the Pope..( that's reason why i prefer the more fashionable and decent Swiss Guard) were, during the period in question, so hatred by the Roman populace that they were called "Sbirri" or worst "Sturacessi" that could be translated as "toileteers" or "toilet snakers"