15mm Napoleonics

[ghostbear 2591xp 0]

hey folks,

I’m considering dipping my toes into Napoleonics, but I’m thinking 15mm is the scale I’m going with. What manufacturers does everyone recommend in that scale?

[torros 23839xp 0]

This is one of  those How long is a piece of string questions

 

It also depends where you live

 

The best are AB now from Eureka in Australia but sold by Eureka miniatures in the States. They are expensive though

After that there’s Old Glory via Blue Moon and reliable Essex. There is probably lots  more but I’ve only ever done Napoleonics a in 6 and 10mm

It will be expensive unless you just want to do Sharps Practice or its like in 15mm

 

[chaingun 1939xp 0]

I agree with all @torros has said. But if you live in the U.K then you can get AB Napoleonics from fighting 15s.

Again as @torros has said, you could take a look at Blue Moon miniatures, they are a company from the states but again you can get them in the U.K from Old Glory UK

The old 15mm range from Old Glory can now be obtained from timecastmodels.co.uk these like Essex miniatures are a little smaller than the Blue Moon or AB.

What rules are you going to use?

 

 

[torros 23839xp 0]

Sorry I thought I remembered the OP being in the States. Apologies if I got that wrong

[jackie 647xp 0]

Laselle is a good rule set gives the flavor but does not bog down with too many rules and charts.

[phaidknott 7250xp 0]

Best miniatures that are a joy to paint – AB miniatures

Best miniatures on a budget – Old Glory (Timecast in the UK)

If this is your first time into Napoleonics, I’d try to stay away from the British Army. Reason for this is they formed in two ranks (rather than the more normal three), and in most rules are very “shooty” (resulting in the game being can to reach the British line to melee before getting shot away). Instead I’d go for the armies of the European mainland where the armies fight each other in the same manner. So you have the option of going in for a firefight (pointless against the British), trying for melee etc.

So the “first” army is French (as they are the superpower in this era), and then you have a lot of options for the enemies (Austria, Prussia, Russia). This is of course if you are planning on mass battles rather than skirmish.

My favourite ruleset for this period is “General De Brigade: Wargaming the Age of Napoleon”. It’s a battalion level game (where the units are normally a battalion for infantry and a regiment for cav), and pretty fast (although a bit bloody). They also have some campaign/scenario books out as well (six of them I think) to get you started.

 

 

[ghostbear 2591xp 0]

Sorry, I was a bit vague there. I’m in the U.S., but I don’t mind ordering from the U.K.  I’m honestly not sure on a rule set, though I am leaning towards the new Black Powder or Sharps Practice 2.

[phaidknott 7250xp 0]

Well you could always go for the War of 1812 (very rare to see on a wargames table, so you might have to collect both sides), but you’d have to do a lot of research as there quite a few interesting units (like the British Regts raised in the Caribbean, and the US milita regts). There’s Native American units and all sorts in that war. Plus as both the British and American units fight in two ranks it’s a more even fight.

But you might find it harder to find an opponent. Speaking of which do you have any possible opponents in you club or area (as this might dictate what rules and theatre you might want to start collecting)?

I’ve got 15mm Naps, but in this day and age if I was to do it again I’d probably go with 6mm and a figure ratio of 1:20. If you’re planning on the mass battles it’s easier to transport and you don’t need as big a table (I remember when our club rented a hall for a weekend to refight Leipzig, the table was about 24 feet by 18 feet (with a hole in the middle where the town was) and we had about 5000 figures on the table with a dozen players…and yes that was a 15mm game).

I’m not a fan of Napoleonic “skirmish games” as I feel…well basically all skirmish games play the same (just the uniform changes and the ranges). You don’t get the “feel” for the period. BUT if you have other around you that already play/have armies..then join the throng. If not…then the worlds your oyster and you can do “daft” things (like the war of 1812) 🙂

 

 

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