Starting with Napoleonic or Historical Miniature Wargaming

[@tabletopgeneralsde310]

Great one my friend, thanks for pointing these things out. Many people are overwhelmed by the wide range of possibilities.

[@totalburnout5424]

Thanks. I got a little confused in the middle, too many thoughts. But the end worked again, I found.

[@tabletopgeneralsde310]

@@totalburnout5424 no worries, most of the time I am lucky to come along with one take, but sometimes I need up to 10. Everything is fine buddy.

[@totalburnout5424]

@@tabletopgeneralsde310 😆 Mostly more then one take for me. Still learning. 😉

[@tabletopgeneralsde310]

@@totalburnout5424 we all can learn something new, everyday, we only have to be willing and be aware that there is more to learn out there. Have a nice weekend, greeting to your wife in the garden.

[@totalburnout5424]

@@tabletopgeneralsde310 Greetings back to Your family. 👍🏻

[@percyblok6014]

One thing about scale, as well as Napoleonic rules sets, is the ultimate fighting force size desired to game at. 10mm Napoleonics is my desired size due to the desire for battallion and army level battles. When it comes to WWII, I use 28mm because I like platoon to company level games.

[@totalburnout5424]

For Napoleonics 10mm is a solid choice. If I were to start again, 10mm would be a real option.. or epic scale?

[@Malinski66]

I have taken to giving out the advice to new players/collectors/gamers in the historical space: PLAY - in lots of games with others minis. While doing this ask lots of questions! BOTH SIDES - once you have chosen an era, game system, scale, or setting that you plan to start gaming with and/or collecting, get enough minis done for one small battle - where you have BOTH SIDES of that battle in hand, this way you can introduce more new folks to your games and you are never left unable to at least do that one battle. You could only need to have two (2) minis for a sword duel or a tank engagement. GO DEEP - after getting some games under your belt, grow your forces, or move into campaign actions or have a goal of super-detail collecting of a specific formation, down to the supply wagons and the camp followers. Perhaps this GO DEEP might be to commit to running a specific series of historical battles, or a really detailed battle like 1:3 for troops. Ultimately that first choice is best made for something you truly have a passion for as this will provide the great impetus to keep going once the first rush is over. read more here: murdocksmarauders.blogspot.com/2022/01/new-player-advice-play-both-sides-go.html

[@totalburnout5424]

Nice Blog, by the way. Would agree on most points. Rebasing is a bit demotivating. You loose some options to get other ones. So the first look on any rule system is "How do they base?".

[@Malinski66]

@@totalburnout5424 thank you. For the basing issues, most of the time I can 'shoehorn' in my system - as I fit it around the Napoleon's Battles AND SHAKO (first print) from the 1970s and 80s. Since then I have managed to use the same bases in dozens of other systems. And even used them in a pinch with another game players system of basing that was in mm about 5% different from mine. In the end the action played out about the same.

[@totalburnout5424]

@@Malinski66 Napoleons Battles basing seems to be very flexible. I use it and even Little Wars TV, because Age of Eagle' s basing is the same.

[@douglascroyle9522]

I started with 25mm figures in the 1970s. At first it was Ancient Greek and Persian, then ACW. I didn't get into Napoleonics until the early 90's but painted 15mm because that was the game scale of choice for that game club. I noticed immediately that a 15mm table is about 3- 4x bigger than a 25mm one. Choose an era. Choose an army. Build several units for each side. This allows you choices of sides and gives you units to sponsor new players or share with visitors. You have a whole world, land or sea, historical, sci Fi or fantasy. Enjoy. My new and exciting projects, 28mm Pike and Shot. Don't be afraid to experiment. If I were just starting out I would seriously consider the new Epic 12.5mm ranges by Warlord. I will be buying an few epic army sets and critiquing them. Being able to put full combined arms armies on a table with one purchase is a great move for a gamer from a supplier. And no, I am not affiliated with them. My one concern for the epic battle boxes is the sheer number of figures to be done up. On the other side is the anticipation that comes with the completion of that size of a project. May your victories be glorious and your defeats noble attempts.

[@totalburnout5424]

As for two armies and epic scale I am on your side. Which surprised me is: "a 15mm table is about 3- 4x bigger than a 25mm one." If you lower the footprint of your units with scale, you should end with the need of a smaller table. I too started with 28mm and played a lot of games. But recently I´m wandering off to smaller scales, even thinking about 6mm.

[@stuartsimpson3696]

great information many thanks, I am coming back to the hobby after many years. a lot of the manufactures that I bought my 15mmNapoleonic figures from are gone or at least I can not find them. are you able to provide a list of 15mm manufacturers and web links for that scale. Would great appreciate it

[@totalburnout5424]

@@stuartsimpson3696 I'll take a look. Some of those I knew have also disappeared.👌🏻

[@totalburnout5424]

I'll put my list in the community threat today. Maybe the community can still contribute something more. 😌

[@Michael-ws7rc]

A useful video, thanks.

[@totalburnout5424]

Thx for watching. 🙏

[@AzraelThanatos]

One major thing to consider when moving into historical games is to look at who is playing them near you. Locally, other than Saga, the only fully historical games are WW2 ones...I think that's largely due to being right by a military base and there's a decent number of retiree vets as well. There are a few going into the Napoleonic Era, though at a smaller size thing, something like Silver Bayonet is drawing people in with the more fantastic side of it...and several years ago, Ronin pulled several in as well with the more cinematic and mystical side of things mixed into it. Silver Bayonet is a great way to get people to start with Napoleonics in an area with more fantasy and scifi players as it lets people start with the models and lets them start small with more familiar things (Both in terms of less feeling a need for button counting, and that you have the Frostgrave/Stargrave framework). I'd considered the era myself and I'm largely in the dark ages stuff, mainly with Lion Rampant...though that started because most of my force is useable both there and with Dragon Rampant and I tend to prefer the touch of something else mixed into historicals.

[@totalburnout5424]

It´s a bit the "leader or follower" question. Started myself as "leader" working on two to three WHFB armies. At the end we played campaign with a dozen players. Then my role changed to that of a follower. Following along. But system hopping can become a problem as follower. Today.. after/between Covid... we will see. You can change your environment. Most games are played because someone started. And Lion Rampant is a nice game. The Osprey stuff is mostly easy to learn and operates beautiful.

[@rudiratlos9530]

very nice. Enjoy

[@totalburnout5424]

Thx.

[@timbuktu8069]

My advice on buying armies: 1) Buy the entire army at once. Companys have a bad habit of stopping a line of figures in a very inappropriate time. Another line while of the same scale may not be compatible. 2) Buy both sides. Don't fall into the trap of buying one army and your friend will buy the opponent. Sooner or later your friend will move to a different hobby and/or state. If you have both sides, you can invite anyone to play.

[@totalburnout5424]

The second one would be my first priority. Two armies are.. a huge invest in money and time, but your chances of playing more than double.

[@davidcollins2648]

I chose 36 man battalions in 20mm. After 4 years of painting i still don't have the size armies I wanted. In hindsight I would have done them in 24. Cavalry was only in 12's for a regiment so that was ok. Given the wide variety of plastic units available in 1/72 (20mm) I don't know why more people don't use that. Much more affordable than 28mm or anything cast in metal.

[@totalburnout5424]

The meta figures are more solid in my opinion. Painted my first WW2 in 1/72 softplastic. Mixed results and a lot of bend guns. But... easy to get and Costa effizient.

[@Malinski66]

unless you cast your own murdocksmarauders.blogspot.com/2008/04/bright-and-shiny-entire-british-force.html

[@totalburnout5424]

@@Malinski66 Quite ambitious. Thought about this as teen as it was almost impossible to get the miniatures you wanted. But I never did it myself.

[@davidcollins2648]

@@Malinski66 Impressive collection but my interests have shifted from making full armies to painting for its own sake and spending a small eternity on every unit.