After playing in Steve Thompson's Sharp Practice game at Hotlead (these are pictures of actual game I played in too), I started thinking about my fledgling Napoleonics collection. I have one box of Warlord Prussian Landwehr (which I reviewed last year) and 60 odd Russians I got two Hotlead's ago in the Bring & Buy.
I had been thinking that wasn't really enough to do anything with and I'd need more. Not being able to afford a lot more I put them away.
But at Hotlead I had had a pretty good time with a pretty smallish army (2x 24 figure units, 2x guns and an 8 figure cavalry unit). So I started thinking about my Napoleonics and realized that the box of Warlord figures would make a fine unit and the Russians would easily organize into at least 2 units.
In Sharp Practice figures are organized into Groups of 8-10 figures, and then the Groups are organized into a Formation. A Formation can have a flag and a Big Man with musicians to help him issue orders. A Group may have a lower ranking Big Man like a sergeant.
The Warlord Landwehr will easily sort themselves into 3x 9 figure Groups plus a command element of Big Man, drummer and ensign. The Russians have been resorted into 2x Formations. A Line Infantry Formation of 3x 9 figure Groups plus Command Group and assorted Big Men and a Grenadier Formation with 2x 8 figure and 1x 6 figure Groups plus Command Group and assorted Big Men. There's also an 8x figure Group of chaps with their muskets at the high port who would probably make a nice detachment of Jaegers. The also have an artillery piece.
I have enough Russian gunners to man two guns. I can probably get a second gun from Mike.
Hurray! Instant army! By the time I get all the infantry painted I will probably be able to save some money to buy a few cavalry and expand the Prussian contingent. Mike already has enough French to fight them if he can find enough extra command figures to make the Big Men.
Now I just need some time to do a bit of painting for myself....
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
Hotlead 2011: second batch of pictures!
Some more pictures emailed to me by an attendee showing a few other games.
Some Napoleonic skirmish action |
Cacadores and Rifles vs. Voltigeurs |
Green Jackets and Voltigeurs Rules. |
Byzantines vs. German Imperial troops in Italy 11th cent. |
He must be doing well. |
Lovely masses of infantry! |
The reason why I keep doing this. |
A new hero |
Hotlead 2011: First Pictures
My friend Peter took a bunch of pictures when he wasn't manning the trenches at the Bring & Buy. He has kindly given permission to publish some of them here. I made all the pictures small to save on page loading. click on each to view at full size.
Getting started Friday afternoon. |
Pirate game. |
Pulp adventures |
With silly hats |
Pasha Dan shares some fashion advice. |
New Vendor. My local video rental store and GW dealer. |
Ooooh shiny..... |
Some very pretty Turks in a Sharp Practice game. |
Sipahis. |
Heroic defenders of the Electorate. |
General view of the games, Friday night. |
Setting up the Bring and Buy Saturday morning |
An insanely detailed 15mm War of 1812 lake battle. |
Mike is a deal hunting machine! |
Keith's 15mm ACW game using Black Powder. |
The very popular Chariot race game. |
Saturday. We're in full swing now. |
Mike M's 20mm AWI game. |
More AWI |
Mike has almost made a religion out of using the 20mm figures. |
ECW using FoG:Renaissance rules. |
More ECW |
Bir Hacheim in 20mm with Rapid Fire! |
B. of Helicarnassus in 15mm using DBM. This GM has been working his way through all of Alexander the Great's battles. Bringing a new one each year. |
More Pulp! |
The Bring and Buy has a brief and rare lull. |
Something going on in Mesopotamia in the 20s.... |
Punic Wars. 20mm. Might of Arms rules. |
Rabbitman asks about something. |
Keith's Wild west shootout. Also a perennial favourite. |
Keith, (standing, red shirt) Hotlead founder and GMing machine! |
Battlemechs battle over Quebec City! |
Sunday morning. Still a good crowd. |
The VSF Bring and Battle gets rolling. |
Pete's Russians and Canadians. Why are they on the same side? Martian mind-control maybe? |
The British camp. HRH Queen Victoria excorted by Sir Harry Flashman VC. |
A flying machine made by one of the youngsters. He used it to good effect. |
Pasha Dan gets some help with the rules. |
The Mississauga Dragoons charge! |
Pete's spar torpedo finally hits something! |
Stopping the Martians! |
"I'll be ready for them again. I know their weakness." |
This kind of says it all for VSF I think... |
Silly unit but awfully well painted. |