Russo-Swedish War of 1808-1809 or "Finnish War"

[AzSteven]

Rawkins original book had lots of errors and was sold in printed format. The later update was much better but only distributed as a pdf on CD-ROM I believe. I guess you might find it on the second-hand market. All hope is not lost though for the English speaking people. For images the Swedish Army Museum published three books on Swedish uniforms in Swedish/English. These are, remarkably, available online for free:

https://sfhm.se/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/SFHM_skriftserie_Svenska_armens_uniformer_del_1_kavalleriet.pdf

https://sfhm.se/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/SFHM_skriftserie_Svenska_armens_uniformer_del_2_infanteriet.pdf

https://sfhm.se/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Svenska-armens-uniformer-Del-3-ovriga-SFHM-skrift-nr-18C.pdf

The Army Museum also publish yearbooks of which one is dedicated the the Napoleonic wars. This one sold on Swedish ebay for 7 GBP;
https://www.tradera.com/item/292215/673701892/between-the-imperial-eagles-swedens-armed-forces-during-the-revolitionary-and-

To avoid major mistakes on Swedish Napoleonic uniforms there are three different styles. A brutal summary

1798/1802: Jacket with lapels
1806/1807: Jacket with single row of buttons
1810; Double breasted jacket

To this you could add the use of earlier uniforms from the 1788-1790 war, undress jackets, civilian militia dress. greatcoats for cold weather etc.

Another good online source is:

https://www.hhogman.se/uniforms-army-sweden-1800s-infantry1.htm

Just wanted to add - the Swedish Army Museum in Stockholm is absolutely a hidden treasure.  If you ever find yourself in Sweden, try to visit.  The pamphlets linked above were also available there physically, as well as many other books (in both Swedish and English) covering this conflict and others that rarely get attention.

[Swampking]

It's easier to hide the uniform differences in 15/18mm but yes, Nap. Brunswickers would do in a pinch if no 28mm miniatures are available. I believe the Perrys did Norwegian dragoons in shako but if  they didn't, you can use British dragoons in the shako (you'll have to remove the sabertache).

Again, the differences in the uniforms are easier to hide in 15mm; however, the above should provide you with a few ideas.

[Calvin59]

I played Shakos and Bayonets for a while, but I also wanted to switch to Sharp Practice, but I'll have to learn all the ins and outs of that rulebook. So I'm waiting for my friend to proofread it so we can start testing it in September. But if we're not happy with it, we'll move on to Shakos and Bayonets.
As for One-Hour Skirmish Wargames, I'm not familiar with it at all; you seem to really like it. Perhaps it requires far fewer models than Sharp Practice; you need roughly 50 models per nation? Are there any lists, especially a Swedish list? 

[Calvin59]

Thank you AzSteven for your intervention about the Swedish Army Museum, for the moment I have not planned a trip to Stockholm, but perhaps this museum has a site where one can see the publications for sale. 

[Calvin59]

It's true, Swamp King, that it's easier to hide details in 15mm than in 28mm. Yes, the Perry brothers made Norwegian dragons. I'm reading everything that's been sent since this thread began and I'm learning a lot. 

[traveller]

I played Shakos and Bayonets for a while, but I also wanted to switch to Sharp Practice, but I'll have to learn all the ins and outs of that rulebook. So I'm waiting for my friend to proofread it so we can start testing it in September. But if we're not happy with it, we'll move on to Shakos and Bayonets.
As for One-Hour Skirmish Wargames, I'm not familiar with it at all; you seem to really like it. Perhaps it requires far fewer models than Sharp Practice; you need roughly 50 models per nation? Are there any lists, especially a Swedish list? 

I think Board Game Geek is good for reviews, comparing games and rule systems. All these three systems get high marks between 7.9 and 8.6 (scale 1-10) but the most interesting is the ”weight” number which express the difficulty level (1-5)and here are some differences:
OHSW 1,67
M&T 1,75
SP 2,86

I personally avoid games with weight/difficulty above 2-2,5 as they tend to be time consuming to learn and play. I want to be able to play a game in max 3 hours. I manage OHSW in 1,5-3 h and M&T in 2,5-4,5h. Most of the games from TFL, like SP, are quite detailed and realistic which means they take a lot of time to learn and play. Both M&T and SP offer detailed force lists while in OHSW you build your force based on points for different weapons and attributes, which makes it quite flexible. I usually use 15-30 miniatures per side. It also has some ready made scenarios with balanced forces included. OHSW does not cost much so I recommend you check it out:

https://www.amazon.fr/One-hour-Skirmish-Wargames-Small-unit-Napoleonics/dp/1526700042/ref=sr_1_1?crid=WTZD9LSD0V83&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.rsBs1nrQRMSuCJV2ilovwNxpBpC1CPMFM5lyIlUwwgjGjHj071QN20LucGBJIEps.ONFfcHGc7evN-Y-5kPCQ21UxS7KIGkZ7m9jfeVCUT1o&dib_tag=se&keywords=one+hour+skirmish+wargame&qid=1747804929&sprefix=One+hour+skirmish%2Caps%2C113&sr=8-1

[Swampking]

Attached is an example of using Napoleonic Brunswickers (in this case, artillery) as 1814 Norwegians.

The miniatures are OG15s (Old Glory 15s). I'm still working on the guns but this should give you some idea of how to adapt them.

[Calvin59]

Thank you for your analysis and the advice to buy OHSW, but I'm going to wait a little longer to play a few games of SP and see if we like it with my friend. With your advice, we'll have the option to turn to OHSW.
How do you manage the miniatures? If you play 15 to 30 miniatures, after a while you might not know which miniature you played. Have a sheet with the names of each miniature.
In the meantime, I'm still waiting for the Swedish miniatures and bases to arrive before starting this project. It's always a long process, but you have to be patient. 

[Calvin59]

Thank you again, Swampking, for the photo of your Brunswick gunners. They look very good, and when your artillery pieces are finished, your plates will become dangerous for infantry and cavalry.
I stopped playing 15s a long time ago and only played 28s, and the club I'm at only plays in this scale. 

[Swampking]

No worries!

I only play 15mm. I have some larger scale miniatures but not for gaming.

Like I said, it should give you a few ideas on how to 'adapt' various miniatures to suit your needs. I'm a firm believer in converting miniatures (either with paint or the blade) to get what you think works.

[Calvin59]

I'm going to take a closer look to see what I could do with the Brunswickers.
Everyone has their own preferred scale. In fact, at the beginning of June, we're going to the club to play a major 1870 battle using the Black Powder rules, using miniatures from a friend who really likes them. In April, we played another period, the Thirty Years' War.
But I'm straying from the subject of Swedish army troops to the Finnish War. 

[traveller]

Thank you for your analysis and the advice to buy OHSW, but I'm going to wait a little longer to play a few games of SP and see if we like it with my friend. With your advice, we'll have the option to turn to OHSW.
How do you manage the miniatures? If you play 15 to 30 miniatures, after a while you might not know which miniature you played. Have a sheet with the names of each miniature.
In the meantime, I'm still waiting for the Swedish miniatures and bases to arrive before starting this project. It's always a long process, but you have to be patient. 

You draw one card to get the number of actions you can make with all your miniatures during that phase, so it is max 13 and average 6-7. Some miniatures make two actions so in average you only have to keep track of maybe 4-5 miniatures. If you have a problem with this you can always use tokens to show which ones that have taken their action. If you want to have a bigger game you can let all miniatures that are within the leaders zone of control do the same action as he does. It is still no problem to keep track 

[Calvin59]

Thank you for explaining this rule to me. I just posted a question on this forum about OHSW, asking for opinions and feedback from players who have tested it.
I also wanted to ask you what color the Swedish gun frame is. 

[traveller]

I would say typically blue, but older guns might have a more grey tone. Here is an actual example from 1814:

[Calvin59]

Thanks for the photo, this way I have a document that gives me the color of the cannons. This way I could make an artillery piece that could support my infantry.