Hi everyone,
OK, the game at the FLGS didn't work out for various reasons. In particular, there was an episode where a British Light Dragoon regiment of 12 figures frontally charged a French attack column of 27. The French got off a shot, causing one or two casualties, but then the British rolled zero hits. None, nada. Nary a 4, 5, or 6 to be seen. The French caused enough that when the Close Combat Casualty Table was consulted the remainder of the British evaporated to raucous shouts of "The Game is Broken!"
I rechecked the mods several times, but found no errors. So, scratch a couple R2E converts. Me? I thought the result of a small regiment frontally charging a close-packed column wasn't that far-fetched.
Anyway...personally, I'm excited again about Napoleonics and have decided to build up a new project around Gerard's IV Corps/Army of the Moselle at Ligny. [Note: I can neither confirm nor deny that the sudden appearance of plastic Prussians had anything to do with the picking of Ligny ] Scraping up the figures squirrelled around the house produced:
2 boxes each Perry French infantry, dragoons, hussars, and cuirassiers, plus 18 Perry metal French chasseurs a cheval and a full foot battery of 6pdrs (no limbers).
Gerard's 6th Cavalry Division included the 6th Hussars, 8th Chasseurs, and the 6th and 16th Dragoons. So I'm good for the chasseurs and the hussars, but short for the two dragoon regiments. Or am I?
Here's a question for the group: when you start a project like this, how do you organize your units? This is my first foray into 20:1. Do you tend to organize strictly to the Orbat at hand, or do you pick the appropriate regiments and then build to "paper strength" so that they are more useful in other scenarios? Paper strength of 4 squadrons is a hefty 24 figures, at least!
I spent a sizable chunk of the weekend cleaning, assembling, and priming cavalry figures. Monday I will pick up some primer, and hope to start getting in some weekday evening sessions. Another question (if you're still here): how much time do those of you with huge collections actually get to spend painting?
And one last question: I am not a good, nor fast painter. I know, practice makes perfect, etc. The Army Painter system intrigues me. Have any of you used it for Perry French plastic infantry? I've only got, what? 26 battalions to go!
Ed
P.S. Just out of curiosity, I counted. This is my sixth time "starting over" in Napoleonics since 1984.