Nappy Piccies

[Wulf]

One (of too many...) of my projects is the skirmish level game "Sharp Practice" by Too Fat Lardies. Like the rest of my minis gaming these days, I'd like to use 10mm minis (too retain as much reusable terrain as possible, if nothing else). I have little interest in the Napoleonic period, but I do like skirmish level games - they feel much more personal!

I intend to start with Brits vs. French, not sure where or when during the wars, but probably some Line infantry for both, some British Riflemen, some French Guard, and maybe even a gun or two each and a pack of Cavalry.

What I'm looking for is some advice on which Pendraken mini packs would give me useful figures that have enough detail and variety without looking too varied... they will be spending a lot of time in formation, but quite a lot out of it too, as the system is mostly about skirmishers! I'm looking for maybe 50-75 minis each side on the table initially, I'm happy to buy twice that to get the useful ones. In particular I need leaders - Sergeants, Lieutenants and other lower lesser ranked 'Big Men' as the system calls them, rather than generals & the like.

Also, and possibly more importantly, can anyone point me at some good online (free...) illustrations or paint guides for these minis - again, I'm not too fussed about which regiment or campaign, so long as they're paintable in 10mm, suit the figures, and are relatively distinguishable from one another!

[Hertsblue]

Great guide to napoleonic uniforms here.

http://www.napolun.com/mirror/napoleonistyka.atspace.com/napoleonic_uniforms.html

Not actually a painting guide, but pretty thorough.

[Wulf]

Very useful, thanks. It does, unfortunately, suffer from the same problem as a lot of these illustrations, not showing the rear view. Which is, hopefully, the one I'll see most of my own troops...

[fsn]

Nappies, rear view.

[Wulf]

Clearly the view from a Chasseur...

[WeeWars]

Plenty of views de arrière on my blog:

www.michaelscott.name/1809/1809blogpost78.htm

www.michaelscott.name/1809/1809blogpost76.htm

Cheers, Michael

[WeeWars]

You might like to have French voltigeurs in your skirmish game:

www.michaelscott.name/1809/1809blogpost82.htm

[Wulf]

Very nice figures - and useful pics.

They do make me wonder if Pendraken figures lack the variety for a primarily skirmishing game though.

[WeeWars]

Certainly, the larger ranges like 28mm would suit games requiring more variety of figure poses. Where 10mm might come into its own, could be to mount multiple figures on the same size of base one 28mm figure would be mounted on. I could see 10mm figures based on UK pennies in various troop vignettes giving a different and interesting look to a skirmish game. In fact, I'm quite excited by that idea!

[Wulf]

I could see 10mm figures based on UK pennies in various troop vignettes giving a different and interesting look to a skirmish game. In fact, I'm quite excited by that idea!

That's kind of what I'm using for one of the other projects, War of the Worlds - but with multiple figures on 2p pieces...

[bigjackmac]

Here's some photos of some Pendraken French and British from their Peninsular line.  Okay, I cheated a bit, but that's part of why I like 10mm so much.  I bought one pack of French and Brit Infantry (so I've got a bout 30 of both), one pack of French artillery (two guns total, which I split and gave one to the French and one to the Brits), one pack of French Dragoons (which I also split and gave the French seven plus one more to use as a mounted officer, and seven to the Brits).  I also bought a mounted General each; the Brit will serve as a mounted officer, while the French will serve both sides as a General, a mayor, a governor, a spy, a smuggler, a tax collector, etc.., depending on what I need for a scenario.  I also have some civilians and and a horse and carriage on order.


Here's the whole force.


My dastardly, whatever I need him to be for the scenario.


French mounted officer (left, actually just another regular Dragoon, but painted to be my French mounted officer) and the British mounted officer.


French artillery.


Brit artillery (really French but painted Brit, close enough for me).


French Dragoons (left) and British Dragoons (right, but actually French painted Brit).


Brit leadership (I guess I'm not finished...  I need a flag and to paint the drum).


Some of the Brit infantry.


And the French.  I don't know if you can see it, but I actually put different colors of hair on these guys (brown, sand, rust).


French leadership.  Suffering the same failings as the Brits (no flag and drum not painted)...

I'm not nearly the painter most guys here are, but hopefully this helps show what you can do skirmish-wise with some Pendraken Nappies, at a very reasonable investment.  I mention SDS, but I have Sharp Practice as well; what you see above is one pack French inf, one pack Brit inf, one pack French arty (split), one pack French Dragoons (split), and two mounted officers, for about $25.  Buying an Army Pack will allow you to fight the largest skirmish games in history, but is probably not necessary for Sharp Practice.

Hope this helps.

V/R,
Jack

[fsn]

WHEN Pendraken produce some chariot armies, I'm thinking of a hero type game. You mount one figure (hero) on an individual stand, and have the majority on multiple stands, but give the heroes some big number characteristics so they can take on a stand of cannon fodder by themselves. Works for Sharpe in the Napoleonics, Superhero, any period really.  

[Wulf]

Very illuminating pics, bigjackmac. Looks good, and just what I'm after. How many leaders/drummers do you get with the infantry, just one each?

fsn - I have toyed with the idea of playing 7thVoyage (the Harryhausen-esque fantasy version of 7TV, which is itself the expanded version of the Doctor Who Miniatures game...) in 10mm, since I have so many 'spare' ancients after basing up for Impetus.

Too many projects... 

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Looking good! 

[bigjackmac]

Wulf,

I figured this is what you were looking for.  Glad to see I'm not the only one who looks/does skirmish in 10mm.  I've actually been called crazy for it!   But it works great for me!  I have a slew of WWII batreps on my blog (www.blackhawkhet.blogspot.com) using individually based Pendraken, if you're interested in that sort of thing.

Sorry, no batreps with these guys.  I've been playing mostly WWII and Modern, and the couple fights I had with these guys were fun, but I failed to take any pics/write them up 

The Pendraken infantry packs have one officer (with sword), one standard bearer (flag not included), and one drummer, along with almost thirty infantry, which is enough for me to put on a good skirmish game.  

I bought the mounted officers to be higher level personalities for certain scenarios, i.e., the Colonel is visiting this section of the line, or your guys are escorting the Corps artillery officer that wants a closer look at the enemy positions, or the fight is going badly and the General is in peril so your guys have to spirit him away from advancing enemy troops/cavalry, or your troops are escorting the tax collector through a village and runs into an enemy patrol.  

I also bought some of the 18th century civilians and a carriage as well; you know, a fair maiden is in distress, or your troops are fighting off a punitive raid on a village by the other side, or your guys are escorting the local governor on a diplomatic mission (whom the bad guys would love to capture).

Thanks Lemmey.  These were done before I took your advice of putting a wash on my little guys.

V/R,
Jack