ArtfulB

Both regular British Line Infantry and KGL Line infantry are 39pts (AT1 pp  100,102, 104). British _*Lights*_ are 42pts vs 43pts for their dashing Hannovarian counterparts, which also have rifle mixed order capability (pp 100, 102, 103). Note that the Portuguese Cacadores cost 52 points (better stats).

By Waterloo, those KGL light batallions had…[Read more]

Portugese Brigades post 1810 typically consisted of 2 line regiments each of two batallions plus possibly an independant Cazadore batallion. All batallions consisted of 5 companies , the 5th company being a grenadier company in the 1st Line, a light company in the 2nd line and a rifle armed Atiriadore company for the Cazadores.

Pre 1812, the…[Read more]

…base size is not all that important ……. as it will make next to no difference in our game.

p 19 of the BP vII rulebook.

I’ve been using 3 cav troopers on a 60mm x 45mm base for years, merely because that is the default base size you get on the free bases with a Perry cavalry box.

As long as you & your opponents are happy, fine.

Exact…[Read more]

If you have a Bolt Action/Warhammer background, you may find it useful to consider the Sharp Practice! skirmish ruleset ahead of BP.

All you need are a couple of boxes of French and British infantry and you are good to go. Any non modern 28mm scenery such as hills, trees walls etc are useable (OK that fetching purple Sci Fi tree may need a visit…[Read more]

AT1 utterly ignores the Medeterrainian Front and the operations of Marshal Suchet during the Peninsular War. After all, Albion was hardly Triumphant over there.

Not only do you get Cuirassiers, there are also Polish, Italian and Neapolitan forces alongside the Gallant Marshal (the Vistula Legion Infantry regiments belonged to his army up to 1812…[Read more]

I was referring to the Frazer’s varient for the white facings and flag.

@ T , there are two other sources of running legs – Perry plastic 95th rifles and victrix napoleonic British infantry

What was the source for that png?

Btw if you look at that NAM link I posted, those kilted 71st seem to be in Black Watch gear!  I don’t trust contemporary paintings either ;).

The 71st had white (not blue) facings during the AWI period and a white batallion colour,  depicted as a cross of St George on photos of some wargames figures (don’t t…[Read more]

They lost their kilts and became light infantry during refit after Corruna : (https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/71st-highland-regiment-foot-light-infantry ).

Did they keep the pipers in a ceremonial or operational role for their second visit to Spain?  Was the  instrument funded by the officers mess for their private entertainment or to inspire the m…[Read more]

I don’t think 71 HLI of the Napoleonic era used pipers, their grandads of the 71st of Foot did in the Americas.

That rockket cart is indeed the missing item from the Warlord range. Standard gun frame with the two long boxes as per your photo

It’s the appendixes in the original Sharpe novels that are of use, nay mandatory, reading for aspiring Peninsular gamers.

They could have got Chas’n Dave to revoice Mr Bean’s dialogue 😉

Getting the author to enlist Sharpe in the Sheffield based 33rd during it’s service in India was a bit extreme. Wellington never liked rockets since having been…[Read more]

Want to be the first to contact the enemy?

Follow the advice of Brigadier Gerard – join the cavalry and become a Hussar! (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brigadier_Gerard).

Perry’s do some exceedingly good plastic ones (Warlord do a cheaper French Hussar box).

As I wrote the above tome, I was looking at my French 1814 drummer (made up…[Read more]

Building an Austrian army in plastic is well covered, so far, I have resisted the temptation to build one.

The Wurst artillery should be less mobile than regular horse artillery but cheaper, guns in general have to be done using metal figures.

Perry actually produce the https://store.warlordgames.com/products/napoleonic-wars-napoleonic-austrian-i…[Read more]

Ah – I forgot,

It’s been a while since I made up my 1814 Perry drummer – you get an alternate pair of drummer arms :  right arm  hand holding both sticks, left arm open hand. Use these & omit the stick surgery above (or crop the sticks from the alternate right arm).

If I recall, the Warlord metal officier you get with a standard line batallion pack and the original Perry plastic command pack officer are both suitable as is for mixing into a running formation.

As for the drummer, don’t panic 😉

Just reach for the green stuff/milliput.

Look at the intended drummer figures body and compare what is different…[Read more]

Try converting Perry 1814 Plastic French.

The command sprue has an officier with a single lower body and two upper body options. There are also two skirmisher sprues with rank and file running, cut these in half and add to the officers.

Carefully chop the standard bearer in  two and glue a running rank bottom to suit or use his arms on a…[Read more]

Hi John,

I’m based over Wyre, near Fleetwood.

Not driving, the club based at Harlequins is utterly inaccesable even when Boris’ puppet masters tell him to lift the lockdown.

Once upon a time, there was one hosted at Blackpool Library. 🙁

I have a variety of Peninsular 28mm forces – British, French, Spanish, Polish, German (von Pirbreck’s…[Read more]

As per the excellent reference above, 4 Batallion and 1 Grenadier (Grenadarios) companies per Batallion, officially no skirmishers.

You get 1 Grenadario (short sword backpack) per strip in the Warlord Portuguese box.

There is also an Osprey  Portuguese-Army-Napoleonic-Wars-Men-at-Arms series on the subject.

According to Albion Triumphant…[Read more]

Trent Miniatures make a top hat head, I use these with Victrix French Guard figures for the rank and file plus Perry top hat command figures to make up my middle period Spanish Guards brigade.

Your spares box and a needle file are your friends for building a plastic Spanish Army.

Any bell topped French shakos in your spares box can be reduced to…[Read more]