French Revolutionary Wargames 1789-1802: May 2018

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, 13 May 2018

CERAMIC ROWBOAT BY MANOR WARE POTTERY

A visit to a local charity shop furnished a fun item. It is a ceramic rowboat, made by a company called Manor Ware, which unfortunately ceased trading in the late 1980s, typically making holiday souvenirs for coastal towns. Can't say what it originally cost but I paid £2, and a quick repaint job has furnished a nice little ornament for my war-games table.
MGB

Monday, 7 May 2018

5th Regiment of Foot and Staten Island Light Dragoons (c.1775)

Two more units have joined my AWI collection using mainly Hezzlewood 28mm castings. The first is another line battalion, the 5th Regiment of Foot. The second is a Royal Provincial unit of cavalry, the Staten Island Light Dragoons. The latter is recorded serving on several expeditions in New Jersey before being incorporated into the King's American Dragoons.
MGB