28mm NAPOLEONICS WITH SMALLER UNITS

[vtsaogames]

Many thanks all - lots of food for thought. I like the look of the Perry rules.J

They play well. Do make sure you have a lot of dice. 

[Sweign]

I love Emperor of the Battlefield.

I'm trying to post a couple of pics of a 28mm test game, but failing. Try emperorofthebattlefield.com

We used two stands of 8 figures in two ranks per battalion. Four stands with four per stand is fine too. That might even be better.
Cavalry units represent a two or three squadrons together. A large unit is 50% wider.

Other scales work the same way. There is no rebasing or conversion tables needed. Your measurement unit is half the width of a normal sized infantry battalion in line.

It is designed for 1:1 or multiplayer games where you command up to a Corps each. The biggest game I have taken part in had ten players. Only three knew the game but by the beginning of the 3rd bound the author was sitting back with a grin on his face while the players happily got on with commanding three Divisions each..

[SteveBurt]

I use Lasalle v2 for smaller battles with the battalion as a unit, Blucher for bigger ones with the brigade as the unit. 4 x 40mm stands make a unit for Lasalle, 2 x 40mm stands make a unit for Blucher. The latter allows me to play very big battles.

[Phil Portway]

Shako II uses the figure battalions you suggested

I use 15mm 18 man Battalions

[fastolfrus]

I started out playing Napoleonics in true "old school" style with 48 figure units (although they were actually 50-54 figures).
The infantry were organised as 4 "companies" of 12 figures each plus a battalion command of 2-6 figures (officer or two, standard or two, and possibly musicians). But we all liked to mix our chosen units so to max things out we might have the 4 companies painted with 4 different sets of facings.
Cavalry regiments were 28 figures for heavies and 32 figures for light, organised as two squadrons, but most of us had very few cavalry.

That may not help your predicament, but there are ways to bend any set of rules.