Thanks Last Hussar, definitely more interesting
I have a few similar spreadsheets for various rule systems

FSN, I've not thought of using Excel for managing a game

I like the OOB and Army Point calculation idea. Slightly envious of your skills, gentlemen (although I do believe at least one of you works in IT ? & so second nature to you?). I rarely used spreadsheets in my working career and, of course, when I did, they had been made up by someone else. Until literally a few weeks ago, I had a guide on Excel which I had for 15+ years (thinking' "one day I'll learn about this") but threw it out as part of a purge to make more room in the house and on the basis that I had never used it, so will likely never do so .... But now the ideas on its potential come to light!  D'oh!    

Well its not me!  However I do get phone calls from around the site asking for help. Latest was to write a risk assessment calculator. Typically these things need to be easy for the user to update, so add a data sheet which shows the numbers, use drop down boxes to make sure no misspellings in a choice so the computer can find what its looking for, and have those drop downs refer to a range on the data sheet, rather than define the entries. That way the user can rename stuff as needed.

If you want to try yourself start with learning vlookup and hlookup.

I am always up for an intellectual exercise though.

I have thought of an automation sheet, but my opponents wouldn't want to use it.

vlookip! A favourite on mine.

I'm also fond of matching an indirect with an address, and the sumifs and countifs functions are very useful.


Anyway, I am eagerly watching for the post. I have re-organised, repainted and rebased my ACW forces* and found myself to be 9 infantry figures short. Command figures I have aplenty, but my standards have risen (no pun intended) and want a certain homogeneity in my armies. 

So, I dashed off an order to Pendraken.

Union command ...

and ...

Confederate command.

Why?

I have no idea.

So I put in a second order which definitely includes some infantry in kepi. I've just mounted the penultimate arm - the dismounted cavalry ... on painting sticks ... and eagerly await the 9 infantry so I can complete my Confederates ... and so can say I have finished a project. (Again.)



* Rather small 6x32 men infantry bttns, plus 2x20 man cavalry regts, plus 2x2 gun batteries on each side. I chose 1861 so all my Confederates look as if they know what a uniform is, and march under the Stars and Bars and not the Battle Flag. They have been great fun to paint and put together; they are two exactly equal forces (except the Confederate General has a dog). I have said before, and shall say again the ACW is a great beginners period.

Zouaves.

They were an early ACW thing, weren't they?

Depends whose...
Pope had them until 1870.
French used them in Crimea, Mexico, Algeria, Italian Wars of Independence and others up to the Franco-Prussian War, they got around a bit...

Oh.....So you've stopped watching re-runs of the Boat Race, then ! *

Cheers - Phil

*Private joke.

Sumifs and countifs make me look good work.

Certainly living up to its title this thread - not a clue what they are talking about, but zouaves still doing their thing for the French army in WWI. Spahis at Sedan in WWII. American zouaves a pale imitation of the real French ones, who had been around since at least the 1840s.

I have to say it was the pale imitations I was thinking of.

I have (nearly) two nice little ACW forces. 'Cos I'm a numpty  I looked at the Pendraken catalogue. I was actually looking for other artillery pieces aside from the 12pdr Napoleon ... and saw the huge variety of Zouaves.



An attached Zouave Regiment could be quite pretty.

I particularly like the 10th New Zealand!

We (The U.S.) quickly moved to picklehaubes in the early 1870s in reaction to certain events in Europe.

Quote from: d_Guy on 09 April 2019, 05:17:33 PM
I particularly like the 10th New Zealand!

That had me confused till I had a better look at the pictures 

You forgot the Tiger Zouaves
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisiana_Tigers 

Will.......Stop going on about Zouaves, and answer my question about the Iranian cavalry. 

Cheers - Phil

Iranian cavalry?