I strongly recommend Nafziger's collection
http://www.cgsc.edu/carl/nafziger.htm
Simply search for "1866" or "1870", or any battle name.

Its good to see so many others enjoying this period. Do you think Leon might give us a playroom of our own (The Hyphenated Wars perhaps) covering SH, AP and FPWs? Of course some mightn't want their own forum here, there's 1870 and BloodandIron over at Yahoo but since we're all gaming with Pendraken figures it sounds sensible to me.

Also, since we're all enthused by the period (a minority period), and we're all into 10mm (a minority scale) perhaps we should be a bit less spikey with each other (here I hold my hand up as a guilty party) or am I being abnormally sensitive?

Re books on the period I finally managed to track down an ex-library copy of Richard Holmes 'The Road to Sedan'. £90 but that's a lot cheaper than any of the other (good/excellent non-library stock) ones I've seen recently. Also has anyone read Mike Embree's new book on Radetzky yet, I'm still waiting for my copy from Helion. Finally re Stuart Sutherland, does anyone have inside info on the progress of 'The Austrian Army of 1866'. I corresponded with Duncan Rogers a while ago and although Stuart has apparently dropped out of the project, they're still planning to publish this year but they've been planning to publish 'this year' since 2005.

Cameronian

Check Helion's website. I think the Austrian book is on there.

Sutherland gives slightly different strengths than those from Molinary, but not enough to make any difference to a game. He does, however, quote the battery crew strengths as follows:

1st shell battery - 160  2nd shell battery - 156  3rd shell battery - 162  4th shell battery - 111
1st rifled battery - 154  2nd rifled battery - 160  3rd rifled battery - 159  4th rifled battery - 162
1st horse battery - 181  2nd horse battery - 175

I am building forces for the other German States, Bavaria, Baden, etc. Whilst not all figures are available, in 10mm it ispossible to use other figures. For example, Prussian Jager are close enough for Nassau Line.

Cheers

Chad

Very active subject it seems. What rules are yall using to game this period?  I was looking at Bruce Weigle's  1866 - any comments on those rules 

Blaker

My wargame friend and I were part of the testing group on '1866'. I f you want to play at the grand tactical level then they are very good and the amount of information on the period they contain is excellent value for money. They include the Danish War of 1864 and adjustments for smaller scale games. For smaller actions, however, and am using 'Black Powder' and have just started with 'Die Fighting'. I couldn't get used to Bruce's idea of just chnaging the unit size for small actions without modifying the ground scale, etc. (but that's just me).

I briefly tried Polemos Franco-Prussian Rules with a view to using their 1866 and 1859 suipplements, but found the artillery totally ineffective (unless I was doing something wrong!).

'Chassepot & Needlegun' are not bad but very bloody.

Hope this helps

Chad



Hope this helps.

Thanks Chad that helps   

Speaking of rules - any suggestions to game the Italian Revolt of 1848-49 and the Hungarian Revolt of 1848-49?  Hmmm and of course, suitable minis for the armies involved.?  If this needs to be another topic thread, please, move it I dont want to disrupt this lively discussion on 1866 which I find very interesting and very very helpful.

Cameronian - I'm all for the non-spikey approach.  On the whole I think this is a very civilised forum compared to some I could mention, and everyone seems to go out of their way to help - but if I have inadvertently "spiked" anyone, I too heartily apologise.
Blaker -  being a megalomaniac when it comes to little metal men I like rules that allow me to have huge battles in a reasonable time frame. After a fair bit of experimentation this has led me to the Real Time Wargame rules sold by Keith Warren of Realistic Modelling.  They have two similar sets for 1866 and 1870, both (now, since SALUTE!) contain campaign rules and a system for fighting only part of a big battle if that is all the figures you can muster, and both give a flavour of the period that I find irresistable. And they are simple enough for even me to understand, which is a pretty powerful combination!   I have all Bruce Weigle's fantastic sets 1869, 1866 and 1870, and consult them all the time on OOBs, scenarios,, etc, but I still come back to the Real Time rules. 

Mollinary

Cool Thanks Molinary I will look those rules up.   I am basically looking for rules that will allow me to game on a table no larger than a 4ft x 6ft and easily understandable for kids ranging in age from 10 to 16.. I teach wargaming classes during the summer months and have been wanting to introduce the lesser know conflicts prior to WW2. Hopefully opening the eyes of the younger generation.  Ive been doing this for 15 years and been using Pendraken  minis for at least the past 10 years.

Some classes the kids paint up armies and them play with them and then they take them home. Some classes, I paint up all the armies (this is starting to hurt as I get older) and the kids learn to play the battles.  

During the early years of these classes, I was painting up to about 160 armies a year so the kids took home painted armies, then I wised up and started having the kids paint their own armies and then they got to take them home  

I have found that everyone on this forum to be very helpful and very informed about all the periods that are discussed. This has to be one of the "Best" Forums on the web as to the quality of members - Thank you Dave, Leon and the rest of the Pendraken crew for having this forum  

Blaker,

    These rules might suit you very well. They are essentially designed for a corps on corps action, and work on a 7' by 5' table, but I am sure they could work on 6' by 4' .  10" equals a kilometer in ground scale, so your table would be about 7kms by 5kms.  Don't be put off by the square measurement and movement rather than using a ruler.  It has a bit of a boardgame feel, but you soon get used to it, and it gets rid of a lot of fiddling/arguing over whether troops are just in range, or if all the battalion is in a wood.  The stacking limit (yes, also a bit like a boardgame) of 8 units in a 1km square alsio requires you to think carefully about deployment, and sequencing of the movement of reserves. This is something I really like, as it is what I feel a general should be doing.  Also the rules have only two basic formations for infantry -  a manouevre formation and a combat formation. In manouevre formation you have more flexibility in terms of distance to move and ease of change of direction, but cannot fight. Once you change to combat formation, you cannot change back to manouevre during the game. This means you have to think very carefully about when to make the change, with what proportion of your force, how far from the enemy, facing which direction.  Mistakes made at this stage are very difficult to correct, unlike most wargames.  As you can tell I am sold on these, and hope others who try them out like them as much as I do.

Happy gaming,

Mollinary

I'm sold on Field of Battle (1866 variant).

I too am converting my FPW and APW to Real Time Wargames rules. I am also looking forward to the publication of Paris, City of Light, which is the FPW Republican phase of the war. These rules could well take off in the Liverpool club.
DP

I have Field of Battle on my list to try.

Chad

Chad, I've done two sets of cards for FOB 1866 and am well on with my rules revision; if you can wait until July I'll send you a set (pdf). The cards can be downloaded from the Piquet-FOB-Files section over at Yahoo Piquet (I'll be putting a French/Prussian set up before Christmas). In fairness to Brent Oman you should really buy a set of FOB, mine are a bit 'bare bones', Brent's are much more explicatory.

Cam

I do have FOB and have been working my way through other rules. They are next.

I have done Black Powder data sheets, which worked ok. Currently trying 'Die Fighting' for an 1870 game and will then try an 1866 game. July is a bit of a wait, but any help is appreciated.

Chad

OK, give me a couple of months, I'm almost there but busy with work at present. You might want to print and cut the cards, they were designed to be printed on special pre-punched sheets but I'm sure good quality card and a guillotine will suffice. BTW I never use measures, calipers for movement and range sticks for shooting.

Cam

Have joined the Piquet Group. Saw your pics. Most impressive. Are they based as per the standard FOB basing?

Cheers

Chad

Quote from: cameronian on 20 April 2011, 10:07:06 AM

Also, since we're all enthused by the period (a minority period), and we're all into 10mm (a minority scale) perhaps we should be a bit less spikey with each other (here I hold my hand up as a guilty party) or am I being abnormally sensitive?

I too must plead guilty to oversensitivity. Put it down to temporary loss of sense of humour, for which I apologise.

Nice figures, by the way.

Nice figures, by the way

Too kind. The Saxon Artillery looked like leprauchans until I splashed a bit of army painter over them!

Quote from: Chad on 22 April 2011, 08:58:34 AM
Cam

Have joined the Piquet Group. Saw your pics. Most impressive. Are they based as per the standard FOB basing?

Cheers

Chad

Thanks for the kind comment. No. My figure scale is 1 figure = 70 men, 1cm = 25m, 1 stand = a half battalion or one battery or one squadron (jaegers s different, 1 stand = 2 companies). Movement and ranges will be based on this.

Cam

What are the base sizes?

Chad