Basing for company as maneuver element?

[streetgang]

I plan to start with a Fenian project using the Counter Strike mini-game Army of Ireland as the basis for  homebrew rules to wargame The Battle of Ridgeway. It was a small battle (more of a skirmish); In the game, the element of maneuver (i.e counter) is a company.

I am using Pendraken miniatures on a single larger base instead of a counter to represent a company. I'm thinking a rank or two of infantry marching/advancing with a handful of skirmishers out in front. Does that sound like a decent enough representation of a mid-19th century infantry company? Any thoughts or opinions?

[fred.]

It sounds a decent approach. 

Generally the best way to see what looks right is try with some figures and some blu-tack and try some different arrangements. 

In this era (and earlier) most wargames units tend to have far more depth than their historical counterparts - who would be a very long but shallow line - but representing the skirmishers is a good way to use some of that depth. 

On any kind of figure ratio 1 line of figures would be more correct - but this tends to look wrong to the eye. 

Also think about the different troop types you have in the game, and how you may want them to look different on the bases.

[John Cook]

For me with any set of rulers the relative 'footprint' of the unit seems to always look right though I'm not sure what the difference is between your single large base and a counter to represent a company manoeuvre element.  One thing to bear in mind is that for most of the 19th Century the skirmish element was part of the battalion it was drawn from and was itself at least a company, in at least two, usually three, component parts, with the skirmish itself some 200 paces in front of the parent battalion.  The rules I use treat skirmishing in an abstract way unless the game is at lower tactical levels.


I am using Pendraken miniatures on a single larger base instead of a counter to represent a company. I'm thinking a rank or two of infantry marching/advancing with a handful of skirmishers out in front. Does that sound like a decent enough representation of a mid-19th century infantry company? Any thoughts or opinions?

[John Cook]

No idea why the above post appeared the way it did.  This is what should have appeared.

For me with any set of rules the relative 'footprint' of the unit seems to always look right though I'm not sure what the difference is between your single large base and a counter to represent a company manoeuvre element.  One thing to bear in mind is that for most of the 19th Century the skirmish element was part of the battalion it was drawn from and was itself at least a company, in at least two, usually three, component parts, with the skirmish itself some 200 paces in front of the parent battalion.  The rules I use treat skirmishing in an abstract way unless the game is at lower tactical levels.