Starting Napoleonics - what scale?

[Bellerophon]

I want to do big battle Napoleonics - probably Austerlitz and the Peninsula campaign.

What scale of figures should I get?

Note, I'll be painting both sides likely.

Also, any rules recommendations for big battles?

[Cat]

I find that DBN works great for medium—big battles.
 
Nominally for 15mm figures one 40mm wide bases.  But like any game, works fine with any scale; if you go to a smaller scale, you can put more figures per base.  And if you change the base size, just adjust movement/firing distances accordingly.
 
The rules also specify distances for 60mm wide bases.  Many gamers use this with 1/72 plastics.  Our group is doing 60mm bases with 15mm figures; this allows us to adjust the figure count to show troop quality.
 
There is a scenario pdf that includes Austerlitz; and there are quite a few free scenario downloads, including a fair number of Peninsula battles.

Rules available here: http://www.dbnwargaming.co.uk/

Lots of game vids here will give you a good idea if the game is to your taste or not:
https://www.youtube.com/user/DBNwargaming/videos

[jon_1066]

I would recommend either 10 mm or 6 mm.  Any larger scale and battles devolve into a rugby squad taking a flag for a walk unless you have a very large table (and have painted lots of figures).

Rules - take a look at Bloody Big Battles (written for later but work perfectly well with Naps), Blucher by Sam Mustafa, or Polemos available from Baccus I think.  All are appropriate for the large battles of the period.

[mellis1644]

Whatever scale you like...

3 or 6mm gives you loads of figs and big units and are ok to paint and get out fairly fast - you just have to get the technique down.

28mm looks super impressive but painting enough of them for big battles is a task (and an expense/storage issue) ...

10/15mm you could say are compromises between the two extremes.

Personally, I have 15mm.

As for rules there are lots.... you might want to decide the rules before looking at figs as may rules have specific scales in mind.

[vtsaogames]

I have 15mm, with at least 300+ figures per army. I have Prussians, Austrians, Anglo-Dutch, lots of French, some Bavarians and Nassau, a mate has Russians.

If I were starting again I'd use Old Glory 10mm strips; 10 infantry in a strip, just under an inch wide. Easy to paint.
https://www.oldgloryminiatures.com/categories.asp?cat=10mm+Figures
Now I field 12 figure units generally. With 10mm strips the same unit would have 40 figures in double ranks and the same footprint, 4" wide in line. They have Peninsular Brits and the major Continental powers.

There are the Warlord Epic scale (13mm) though so far all they have is Waterloo.
https://us.warlordgames.com/collections/epic-battles-waterloo

For big battles I like Bloody Big Battles. Grand tactical, no forming square. The rules were designed for the later 19th century but with minor tweaks - or none at all - you can get large battles resolved in an evening with results that don't make you wonder how that happened.

You mileage may vary. Some must have column-line-square or it ain't Napoleonic.

[frank xerox]

Yup like the others Ive got 15s & 6s but if I was doing it again Id go 10 mm
Unless I was going very big battles when Id stick with 6mm

[Komsomol]

For really Large Napoleonic battles I'd go 6mm or even 2 or 3mm. I like the 10mm figures for detail and character but you are still going to end up with brigades of a tiny number of figures looking nothing like a serious unit unless you have a massive space available..

Rules - Volley and Bayonet - written for large Napoleonic battles. They don't do the column line square jig either but capture the Napoleonic flavour without the pointless chrome. Been working brilliantly for thirty years, See Keith McNelly's blog for evidence.

Bloody Big Battles - great set of rules but they are  written for Franco Prussian era where they are excellent, and tweaked backwards for Napoleonic. Never a good sign for me.  They will work but they aren't aimed at the period.

[Inkpaduta]

Smaller size, like 6mm or 10mm, and another vote for DBN.

[FierceKitty]

10mm, and I have tried 2, 6, and 15.

[Aethelflaeda was framed]

Any.

Space to play and footprint squired usually determines your scale.  The more room you might have to game or display allows you to go for bigger figures as they usually provide the most pleasure in painting and the most spectacle on the table. Time to paint them is not really an issue as painting is it’s pleasure and not wasted time.  If your space is small, go for smaller figs. 15/18s are a good compromise.

Blucher are my go to rules for big battles.

[SJWi]

Bellerophon, I'm not much of a Napoleonics gamer so can't comment on the best rules to buy. From bitter experience a few considerations. (1) When you say you want to do big battle is this just the level of gaming ( ie Division/Corps) or do you want the visual spectacle of masses of troops? IMHO 4-6 figures on a base doesn't really do the latter! (2) Do you have other gaming projects on the go at the same time? Painting both sides of any period whilst also doing other projects is a mighty painting exercise. (3) Before committing to any scale I would buy a few samples particularly of 6 and 10mm figures. I find these need a different painting style than their larger brethren and your experience may inform your decision.

All that said if I was starting from scratch in asking your exam question for myself I would probably opt for 6mm or 10mm. Baccus 6mm metals are about 8.5p each , and Pendraken's 10mm metals about 20p each. I think you can now get some nice small scale 3D printed Napoleonics as well. 

[ChrisBBB]

As BBB has had some honourable mentions here (thanks, chaps), let me point to its collected reviews:
https://bloodybigbattles.blogspot.com/2016/10/collected-reviews-of-bbb-bloody-big.html

There are some Napoleonic scenarios available in the IO group files
https://groups.io/g/bloodybigbattles
and a scenario book in preparation containing all of Napoleon's bloodiest, biggest battles, probably out early next year. Lots of Napoleonic game reports on the BBBBlog as well.

As for scale, I am committed to 6mm which has served me well. If starting again, I might go for 10mm because it is easier to tell units apart but you still get visual mass effect.

Chris

[AdmiralAndy]

You could try Absolute Emperor, generally units are 4 stands with adjustments for scales from 2mm to 54mm, as regards using inches, or centimetres.

There an Osprey blue book wargame so change from a £20 for hardcopy and change from a £10 for pdf or 2nd hand.

See if there's a QRS though as layout is apparently not the best.

[vtsaogames]

Since you are starting from scratch, I suggest the following:
Get a set of rules. Cut out cardboard bases per the rules and try some small games with the cardboard units. If the rules feel right, go ahead and mount the figures for those rules. Nothing as foul as basing up a boatload of figures and finding the rules just don't cut it.
This way, if the rules don't float your boat, get the next set, cut out more units if the old ones don't work. Repeat as necessary.

Many years ago, I lured a board gaming friend to the dark side with cardboard DBA pieces. Now he owns various DBA armies and ACW, FPW, SYW and Napoleonic forces. 

[flags_of_war]

28mm is King