Help me choose my next project

[mmcv]

I'm getting close to being able to play my 2mm Crimean War battle of the Alma game, just some terrain to finish making. While there are a few directions I can go with that particular project I suspect I'll be putting it on the back burner once it's in a playable state and maybe just adding a few units here and there to expand into other battles in the Crimea.

In the meantime that leaves a bit of a gap in my ongoing projects that I'd like to start researching and planning to fill. I like to have ongoing projects in a number of different eras at once and while I have a fair few ongoing in the ancient, medieval and early modern world, the musket and rifle era is a little sparse.

So I'm putting it out to the forum, what are some fun and interesting conflicts to get into in the period? Preferably something I can do with Pendraken ranges but open to other things too.

A couple of caveats. GNW and LoA are very tempting but I feel are a little close to my ECW project, so I'm resisting them as motivation to get my ECW stuff done so one of them can take that "slot". AWI I've already skirmish project in. 20th century is a no go too, as while I have a few temptations there (RJW, WW2 Pacific, Korean War...) I don't want to distract from my Great War project.

My usual approach is to pick a particular battle that interests me and start building towards that, usually planning small and medium armies along the way to get playing then expand from there. I am also open to skirmish level projects if anyone has inspiration there.

Therefore, I'd appreciate any suggestions for what conflicts, campaigns or battles people find particularly fun and engaging for 18th/19th century warfare?

Why do you find it fun? How is it to research? How does it play on the table? How do the armies and figures paint up?

I have or know of a few rules for the period so fairly flexible on that front. I've also a decent overview knowledge of the period so this is more where I should deep dive.

Also don't feel limited to European conflicts, as I've interests in ones on multiple continents, and I'm not beyond picking up something more obscure amongst all the headliners in the period.

[Ithoriel]

"Now for something completely different"

I'd suggest the Senguko Jidai in Japan but it is well outside your 18th/ 19th Century time frame.

The technologies and weapons are not so different from the ECW but the society, styles of fighting and look of the armies are vastly different.

Pendraken have a nice new range of figures and buildings too.

Worth a thought?

[FierceKitty]

Of course, Sengoku armies are great fun. If you're serious about going a bit more modern, however, the range of SYW stuff is comprehensive and attractive, while the battles are extremely different from ECW.

[fsn]

Ooh! The obvious ones are those wars that shaped Europe in the C19: Schleswig, Italian Unifications, Austro-Prussian and Franco-Prussian.

I'd also look at the Russo-Turkish war of 1877 and (I think I heard Leon talk about) the Russo-Japanese war of 1904 though that may be a bit close to WWI - though I would argue that WWI 1914 and WWI 1916 and WWI 1918 are pretty different conflicts.   

ACW has to be a runner. Easy paint jobs and plenty of source materials. I like it 'cos it can be pretty simple. Just 3 arms to think about, no worrying about the difference between light and line; heavy and hussar.  You can then add a bit of complexity with Napoleons and Gatlings, smooth bore and rifled, Zouave and Sharpshooter. Great for first timers.

C18. Nah. I got nothing. Basically a bit boring between Malplaquet and Marengo. 

[John Cook]

Therefore, I'd appreciate any suggestions for what conflicts, campaigns or battles people find particularly fun and engaging for 18th/19th century warfare?

You could do a lot worse than consider the early Peninsular War with Pendraken's new range.  I've gone for Talavera because in addition to the British you have the Spanish with a host of light/regular/militia units, and with the French there is the German division comprising Baden, Hesse Darmstadt, Nassau and Frankfurt troops, plus some Poles.  Alternatively, if you want something a bit smaller in scope, the same range lends itself to Maida.  The British include some interesting Corsican and Sicilian troops, the French have Swiss and Poles.  Not much cavalry though, just a couple of squadrons.

[fsn]

You could do a lot worse than consider the early Peninsular War with Pendraken's new range.  I've gone for Talavera because in addition to the British you have the Spanish with a host of light/regular/militia units, and with the French there is the German division comprising Baden, Hesse Darmstadt, Nassau and Frankfurt troops, plus some Poles.  Alternatively, if you want something a bit smaller in scope, the same range lends itself to Maida.  The British include some interesting Corsican and Sicilian troops, the French have Swiss and Poles.  Not much cavalry though, just a couple of squadrons.

Good idea.

Eastern Spain during the Peninsula is also an interesting area. A secondary theatre but includes the Spanish, Sicilians, British and a host of guest appearances.

[mmcv]

"Now for something completely different"

I'd suggest the Senguko Jidai in Japan but it is well outside your 18th/ 19th Century time frame.

The technologies and weapons are not so different from the ECW but the society, styles of fighting and look of the armies are vastly different.

Pendraken have a nice new range of figures and buildings too.

Worth a thought?

I agree that Sengoku is a fascinating period, which is why I already have a project well underway on that one

Of course, Sengoku armies are great fun. If you're serious about going a bit more modern, however, the range of SYW stuff is comprehensive and attractive, while the battles are extremely different from ECW.

SYW is definitely a strong contender. It's one of those I know a bit about broadly, but it's such a complex web of different things going on at the time that it's hard to get to grips with from casual reading. Any suggestions for a particularly interesting battle as a good starting point? I'd probably be tempted by something with Freddy and the Prussians.

Ooh! The obvious ones are those wars that shaped Europe in the C19: Schleswig, Italian Unifications, Austro-Prussian and Franco-Prussian.

I'd also look at the Russo-Turkish war of 1877 and (I think I heard Leon talk about) the Russo-Japanese war of 1904 though that may be a bit close to WWI - though I would argue that WWI 1914 and WWI 1916 and WWI 1918 are pretty different conflicts. 

ACW has to be a runner. Easy paint jobs and plenty of source materials. I like it 'cos it can be pretty simple. Just 3 arms to think about, no worrying about the difference between light and line; heavy and hussar.  You can then add a bit of complexity with Napoleons and Gatlings, smooth bore and rifled, Zouave and Sharpshooter. Great for first timers.

C18. Nah. I got nothing. Basically a bit boring between Malplaquet and Marengo. 

Italian Unifications, Austro-Prussian and Franco-Prussian are all tempting, though given the size and scale of them I'm wondering if I stick to 2mm for them, as my Crimean French could easily be repurposed as a starting point and the forces needed are generally huge. I have had some interest in Italy lately it's ripe for smaller battles and skirmishes, particularly with Garibaldi. I'm not sure if it would sustain my interest enough for a huge battle but could have some fun at smaller levels.

Russo-Japanese War is definitely interesting, but it's very close to WW1 in terms of how it was fought and I think might be too much of a distraction. I'll likely do it at some point and even have a few rough outlines of how it would look, but I want to get further on my WW1 stuff first. I agree there are very different wars to be had in the Great War. I'm doing big battle early war and skirmish level mid-late war, both Western Front, but will likely get into the other fronts at some point in the future. 

Russo-Turkish war is an interesting proposal, one I don't know much about and a little different. Will do some reading.   

ACW is definitely another contender. My dad has always been interested in it and has a stack of books on the topic and I've enjoyed learning bits about it too. It is a fascinating conflict and an interesting bridge on the industrialisation of warfare between Crimea and WW1. There's also plenty of battles and campaigns to choose from. Any recommendations for a particularly interesting one to get into? I've played a test game of Gettysburg which is the "obvious" choice but there are so many to choose from.

You could do a lot worse than consider the early Peninsular War with Pendraken's new range.  I've gone for Talavera because in addition to the British you have the Spanish with a host of light/regular/militia units, and with the French there is the German division comprising Baden, Hesse Darmstadt, Nassau and Frankfurt troops, plus some Poles.  Alternatively, if you want something a bit smaller in scope, the same range lends itself to Maida.  The British include some interesting Corsican and Sicilian troops, the French have Swiss and Poles.  Not much cavalry though, just a couple of squadrons.

Thanks for this, Napoleonics have always been a bit daunting to me as they can be quite overwhelming, but the Penisular seems like a good place to get started. Maida might be a nice place to start then build up to Talavera, etc, from there. Lack of cavalry doesn't bother me too much as I'm not the biggest fan of painting horses, though that may give me less of a feel for the essence of Napoleonic warfare. Will read up on it a bit more and see.

Thanks all for the suggestions so far, keep them coming

[Chad]

As a variation of the Austrian-Prussian you could look at that part of the war against the Bavarian and Federal armies. There is information available on the campaign, army organisation and uniforms. The Bavarians are in Pendraken range and with those and the Saxon figures you can easily create the Hesse-Darmstadt and Wurttemburg forces. There is a small brigade of Austrians involved. There also sufficient figures in parts of other ranges to use as proxies for some of the smaller Federal contingents. The actions are relatively smaller than in the main theatre of the war as well.

[mmcv]

As a variation of the Austrian-Prussian you could look at that part of the war against the Bavarian and Federal armies. There is information available on the campaign, army organisation and uniforms. The Bavarians are in Pendraken range and with those and the Saxon figures you can easily create the Hesse-Darmstadt and Wurttemburg forces. There is a small brigade of Austrians involved. There also sufficient figures in parts of other ranges to use as proxies for some of the smaller Federal contingents. The actions are relatively smaller than in the main theatre of the war as well.

Interesting, I'll have a look into this.

[FierceKitty]

Leuthen is always popular, and shows Fred at his best. Torgau, Kunersdorf?

[mmcv]

Leuthen is always popular, and shows Fred at his best. Torgau, Kunersdorf?

Thanks, gives me some to investigate.

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

You could do a French Napolionic Corp  with no Frenchmen in it, alsorts of German states Italians etal

[DecemDave]

Seconded (or is it thirded) for the Peninsular to take advantage of the new and existing ranges.  If you are happy to bend history just a little you can have French in an array of uniforms and headgear, Spanish in all sorts of pretty colours and a few guerillas loitering around the table edges.  Lots of tactical challenges 

[Chris Pringle]

If I were to offer just one dimension to help you choose, it would be asymmetry: how different are the opposing armies' weapons and doctrine? As a general rule, asymmetric opponents make for more interesting tactical tabletop challenges. Eg: Franco-Prussian (Krupp and needlegun vs Lahitte and Chassepot); Austro-Prussian (Lorenz vs needlegun). And once you get into those 'hyphenated wars', if you're not too fussy about headgear or greatcoats etc you can reuse the armies against different opponents (Crimean Russians vs Hungarians; Austrians vs Hungarians, French, Prussians, Danes, Italians; Prussians vs Austrians, French, Danes; and so on).

ACW loses out a bit on the weapons & tactics asymmetry dimension (though the armies still differ in other ways). But, since you asked for nominations, a couple of my favourite ACW battles that have produced great games are Chickamauga and The Wilderness. Paradoxically, the notoriously dense wooded terrain generates games that are all about maneuver - it limits the effectiveness of artillery which can otherwise pin everyone down in protracted firefights.

Good luck in finding new projects that suit your tastes!
 

[Westmarcher]

With Pendraken's excellent range, multiplicity of nations, interesting battles and Kronoskaf's superb website to draw information on uniforms, flags, equipment, organisation, battles and personalties, the Seven Years War has to be a favourite contender - and that is just the European theatre.