I have access to a pretty large space that we can use to run a truly huge game sometime during the summer. I will cover the cost of the space so there will be no cost to the players.
The space will accommodate two tables 6'x30' or some permutation thereof. This leads to the next questions;
1. what period/scale to play.
2. what rules to use,
3. how do I round up enough minis/terrain/serious players to bring the whole thing off?
Things are still very much up in the air on all of the above. Please make your suggestions in the comments.
Only players that are willing to make the commitment to a weekend of gaming (none of the "I got to go do..." bullshit) and are willing to help provide figures/terrain/time/tables/labor/beer will be invited to join.
I am thinking of using the space to run a game using my 25mm ironclads models over the summer as well.
So, if there is a game you have been just aching to play but could never find the room, this is your opportunity.
I can commit to a two day festival of gaming delite, so long as the two days are July 5th and 6th. Mi Esposa is out of town and I can have the kids stay with the grand mama, so can I boogaloo until we puke (at least Kris). My game suggestion is the long threatened Sicilian adventure. John, you have threatened to do this for years. I suggest Flames of War figures and John's Armor rules so that the whiney will not need to feel whiney. I have a sizeable Italian force (John, you do not have anything near enough Italians in 20mm), and a sizeable Brit force. I can also contribute some Krauts. Terrain to be determined, but all mine will be available. I also have two of the 2.5 x 8 tables and one of the 2.5 x 5 tables plus a card table and four folding chairs.
ReplyDeleteSo what say you?
Battle of Leipzig
ReplyDeleteSame rules we used for Borodino
John:
ReplyDeleteAre we ready for A BRIDGE TOO FAR?
Can provide 15mm WWII, or 28mm WWII-Modern-SF plus terrain/buildings.
1/2400 Naval Campaign is also an option
I have the 15mm Germans for the Italian Campaign plus more Brits and Americans. Terrain in that scale as well.
May 15-18 I will be at FT MIEGS for the DRUMS con.
I have a ton of WW2 in both 20mm and 15mm, a Napoleonic French Corps with extra cavalry and artillery along with a Prussian Division and simply silly amounts of Spanish, at the risk of being run out of town I have enough 30 Years War to do a monster game alone. I also have piles of Ancients in 25mm and 15mm.....
ReplyDeleteHow about you shoot a Pike up your arse? I have the Pike if you really want the "True Ferndale" experience. I can not even contemplate wasting 2 hours of my life, let alone 2 days on a 'pot and snood' 'custerfluck'. Although based on the inane slow pace of the period I can see two days of gaming passing and the game still not getting done (or even contact being made).
ReplyDeleteOn a serious note (God knows pike and snot is not a serious period), perhaps if a decision is made now, we might be able to add some terrain or other bits needed at the con this weekend.
I still stand by the Sicily idea, but I am also totally fine with Leipzig, although I have concerns about terrain depending on how the board is set. On that front I have a strong Austrian corps and can get some French together on the off chance they are needed.
Can we agree on the July 5-6 date since I see no objections posted thus far?
Rich Uncle Patrick can't do that weekend, if I remember correctly.
DeleteLeipzig what scale are you plan to use. I have french army, Old Guard, Young Guard, light infantry, and regular line. To include a complete Polish army. Next tons of Austrian with light, heavy and dragoons. Plus Brits, and Russians. All in 15mm. some terrain, few buildings. I can buy more.
ReplyDeleteLike the rest of folks I cover a lot of area across history. ACW have figures but their not paint in 15mm
Ancient 25mm Roman, celts paints and unpainted Spanish. Saxons, Norman,British Romano painted. Crusader piles of not paints.
I would be interest in playing. As 5-6 July is shutdown at the tech center at GM. If all goes as planned I will retire in September. Unless a certain position comes open with a German firm. I can't past up that job as I will going to Germany 7 times a year.
Let me know..
Gary
With 600,000 men at the Battle of Leipzig doing it with the Borodino rules would need roughly 10,000 miniatures...........have we anywhere near that? .... or roughly 1,000 battalions of foot/regiments of cavalry
ReplyDeleteLets start taking a hard inventory before we go too far down that path
Sourcing from Napoleon-Series.org...
DeleteGrande Armée of Napoleon I
1. Northern Front: 113 battalions, 44 squadrons and 27 batteries
2. Southern Front: 154 ½ battalions, 167 squadrons and 62 batteries
3. South-Eastern Front: 45 battalions, 58 squadrons and 14 batteries
4. Lindenau-Leipzig: 8 battalions, 14 squadrons and 2 batteries
Total on 16 October: 320 ½ battalions, 283 squadrons and 105 batteries
5. Reinforcements (16-18 October): 35 battalions, 47 squadrons and 8 batteries
Total on 18 October: 355 ½ battalions, 330 squadrons and 113 batteries
Allied Army-Group
1. The Army of Bohemia: 243 ½ battalions, 258 squadrons + Cossacks and 57 batteries
2. The Army of Bohemia - Southern Wing: 129 ½ battalions, 91 squadrons + Cossacks and 36 batteries
3. The Army of Silesia: 107 battalions, 90 squadrons and 31 batteries
4. The Army of Poland: 45 battalions, 41 squadrons + Cossacks and 11 batteries
5. The Army of the North: 57 battalions, 72 squadrons + Cossacks and 17 ½ batteries – excluding Swedes
Total: 452 ½ battalions, 461 squadrons + Cossacks and 116 ½ batteries excluding Swedes
I haven't researched the numbers myself (and I'm not sure how big "Squadrons" are for the purposes of our game. It's just one stand, right?), but if correct the numbers are staggering. I'd say we'd have to start planning it now if we really want to be able to do this properly.
What rule set are you planning to use? I'm making a guess you are planning to 15mm for the battle? All my 15's are based 4 figures to a stand. and sabot for two stand. The troops are set up for LaSalle.
DeleteGary: It's a rule set called "Old Trousers" from an old Wargames Illustrated (with a few changes). Email me (It's my user name with no spaces @gmail.com) and I'll email you them in PDF form.
DeleteAnd I think that should be fine. We play 4 Figures per regular infantry stand, with skirmishers being 2 figures on half-sized stands and 2 Riders per cavalry base. I don't know the exact frontages, though.
Gary, our basing is pretty much the old Empire rules basing, about 8mm per figure of infantry and 12mm or so for cav, as long as things aren't wildly different there should be no trouble fudging things. I am going to do a full inventory of painted and based figures and a list of unpainted figs to see exactly where I stand, everyone else please do the same. Leipzig is so huge we have to consider Lutzen/Bautsen/Dresden as alternative subjects.
ReplyDeleteJohn,
ReplyDeleteI found this on line. The basically 6 battles at Leipzig. Here is the link:
http://www.slitherine.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=196&t=38633&sid=f1fcbf304bdb16a042199587c6e73469
You will find link to each small battle. With a complete break down of the armies, troop type and a nice battle map. Check it out. Maybe small battles leading up to the final big one. Basically bring what is left of army. If it hasn't been complete destroy. My are base like the old empire rules.
Check out this link for Lasalle. This is how my troops are based. I do have a complete Polish Army. maybe need some more cav. Lasalle is at the bottom of the page
http://www.sammustafa.com/honour/downloads/
Definitely might be the best way to do it. Riffing on the idea of multiple battles, perhaps we could integrate the larger view as a way of figuring out where we fight our battles? Abstract the size of the armies on a battle map, and when they come into contact play the smaller-scale contact points on the game board. After so many turns, the CinCs get a chance to react, shift forces, etc. We could even have multiple boards running at once.
Deleteokay here is a quick count for the Army of the North.
ReplyDelete3616 figures for French inf using 36 figures per battalion= 4 stands of 8 figures per stand
929 figures for the Prussians same battalions as the french
Swedes need to find a battalion count
1856 figures for the Russians using 48 figures per battalion 6 stands of 8 figures per stand
Next would the Austrians be using small or large battalions.
Like John said it is going to take a fair number of figures. Quick of my french I is about 22 battalions. and about 25 polish battalions.
Suggestions?
Scenario - Lindenau 16 Oct 1813
ReplyDeleteFrench Order of Battle
IV Corps Commander - Bertrand (Skilled)
12th Division - Morand (Exceptional)
1 small average veteran French light infantry unit
1 small average veteran French line infantry unit
1 small average drilled French line infantry unit
1 small average veteran French medium artillery unit
Combined 15th/38th Divisions - Fontanelli (Skilled)
1 small average drilled Italian line infantry unit
1 small average drilled Wurttemberg line infantry unit
1 small average drilled Wurttemberg Chevaulegers unit
1 small average drilled Italian medium artillery unit
1 attached officer
1 skirmisher attachment
Leipzig Garrison - Margaron (Skilled)
1 large average conscript French Provisional line infantry unit
1 small average drilled Baden line infantry unit
1 small average drilled Baden medium artillery unit
Combined Cavalry Division - Cernay (Competent)
1 small average drilled French Dragoon unit
2 small poor drilled French (Provisional) Dragoon units
1 attached medium artillery
The Austrian III Corps
III Corps - Gyulai (skilled)
1st Light Division - Liechtenstein I (skilled)
1 small Tyrolean Jager unit
1 small Grenzer unit
1 large Chevauleger unit
1 small Dragoon unit
2 attached artillery
1st Division - Crenneville (competent)
1 small Grenzer unit
1 small Hungarian infantry unit [Note: attached from 2nd division as not all of that division was "off-table" with Murray.]
2 large Chevauleger units
1 attached artillery
2nd Division - Murray (competent)
2 large average drilled German line infantry units
1 small average conscript German line infantry unit
1 small heavy artillery unit
1 attached artillery
1 attached cavalry
1 attached skirmisher
3rd Division - Hessen-Homburg (skilled)
3 small average drilled German line infantry units
1 large average conscript German line infantry unit
1 small medium artillery unit
1 attached cavalry
1 attached artillery
1 attached skirmisher
Mensdorf/Theilemann Streifkorps - Theilemann (skilled)
1 small superior drilled Prussian Hussar unit
2 small Cossack units
1 attached artillery
Total Points = 1108
unit french 4 stand per unit
Austrian 6 stands per unit
Less figures need, out come should be quicker?
as far as the cavalry "squadron" goes, as this question was asked, If memory serves(about) 4 squadrons was the paper number of cavalry "companies" in a "Regiment". a cavalry regiment is roughly tactically the same denomination as a infantry battalion or artillery battery, but cavalry (I could be mistaken but i don't think so) charged in successive waves of squadrons (companies) and this is why they are counted this way. as opposed to Infantry where the battalion is (pretty much) the lowest organization for independent action, exception light infantry companies. this is a very general observation, and there are invariably innumerable exceptions. so dividing the number of squadrons by 4 would give you the "Rough" maneuver unit number.
ReplyDeletedepending on the number of figures we can come up with, It may be the best thing for us to play this as a few large linked battles, as previously suggested.
at the current time I cannot financially contribute to this, but this will change in the near future. I would be down to purchase French, and I will purchase Austrians but they will have the cool helmets to not correct for late war, but if we need to make up numbers thats my offer.
as an aside, Myself and Mike both have very large ACW armies, with around 100 Union Infantry maneuver units and 80ish Confederate between us, and lots of artillery and even come cavalry.
~Joe
Update on cavalry regiments. I have french heavy,dragoon, hussars and lights, Found 2 regiments of unpainted hussars and a regiment of Dragoons.
ReplyDeleteAustrians heavy, lancers, dragoons, lancers and other lights. Mounted for Empire/Lasalle rules.
My plan is to post what I have completed on my blog. That everyone can see what I have finished. Plus figures in work.
Also in my digging I came a cross Russian Guard units and Battalion of regulars. Next plan is to find my huge box on unpainted figures. It is amazing what I found on my hobby room hanging from peg broad. A lot of heritage pack I bought back in the early 80's with Bill Parrish..
I remember Heritage, lovely figures, but tiny by today's standard for 15mm, the 20mm stuff they did was pure crap however
DeleteI suppose we could also do a Brigade level ruleset instead of a battalion one???
ReplyDelete~Joe
painted three regiments of Hussars this weekend. Ordered some bases from Litko. On to the dragoons and French line
ReplyDelete