French Revolutionary Wargames 1789-1802: November 2015

Wargame Rules, Ratios, etc

RAISING MINIATURE ARMIES FOR THE LATE 18TH CENTURY

I am very keen to keep my wargame rules as simple as possible, yet capture the character of the 1790s. Morale dominates the games as the opposing sides are very different. Most of the French troops are 'levee' battalions, which I have chosen to base in column as their ability to change formation on a battlefield must have been limited, nor do I believe their volley fire had any great value. Of better quality, able to change formation, will be white-coated regular and blue-coated volunteer battalions, aided by a fair number of skirmishers. The British, Austrian, Dutch and German armies are often outnumbered, but they maintain the discipline and order of typical 18th century armed forces. Interestingly, French revolutionary cavalry have little in common with their later Napoleonic counterparts, the former are few in number, often poorly mounted, and no match for those in the service of the Allies. All figures are 28mm in scale, using a 1=25 ratio.

Sunday, 8 November 2015

Battle of Callantsoog, 1799 (Diorama)

Follower of this blog, Adrian-Lloyd Pickrell, an acknowledged cartoonist, very kindly forwarded some photos taken during a recent visit to a museum in North Holland. The photos show a diorama of the successful British landing at Callantsoog in 1799, which was initially opposed by Batavian troops, allies of the French republic. I think this amphibious action makes a very interesting wargame and it is my hope to refight it in the near future. Also included here is an attractive print showing Dutch troops in this action. Thank you CB for allowing us to view them. MGB