Monday 30 June 2014

Thoughts on 15s...


Last Thursday at the Uni Austin and I played a game of Black Powder, a generic Peninsula scenario with a British rearguard making use of a good reverse slope position, and bags of Jonny Crapauds coming on 'in the same old style' - no news there then...except we dusted off my old 15/18mm collection!


And this is emphatically not a Batrep! When one is a sad old buffer of my ripe years and are playing a bright young law student, trust me you don't have the time or concentration to spare to take photos of the ensuing action!


So these were taken before the game started, hence you may notice a certain theme emerging! The bulk of these are AB from Eureka, but there are some Minifigs and Eureka in there too...


However it has struck me that I have all too few photos of my 15/18mm collection, small as it is, and it was time to remedy this and perhaps even show them off to the blogosphere!


Like most wargamers, I have found it hard to stick to one scale religiously, and the advent of cheap but beautifully sculpted 28mm hard plastic figures from the likes of Victrix, Perry and Warlord, and the wide open spaces available for gaming in more spacious Australian homes and public spaces has meant that 28mm has really been the focus of my gaming recently...


Which is pretty bloody daft actually. When it comes to Napoleonics, well any genre really, I find it hard to control my incipient megalomania - the bigger the better in terms of scenarios and battles! Which should lend itself to the smaller brethren, to be able to stage a bigger battle footprint on the same table space.


And of course, metal for metal, 15/18mm is far cheaper and more portable - weight is a real concern when you insist on staging unfeasibly large games and provide the bulk of the figures! Nonetheless, there is little room for logic when it comes to my toys, and I guess until some brave entrepreneur embarks on producing hard plastic 15/18mm Napoleonic, 15s will remain a backwater for me - even though the talented Mr Anthony Barton MBE (well its only a matter of time, surely!) has thankfully taken up sculpting his amazing AB range once again for the Waterloo 200th...

How did the game go? Harrumph! Well since you ask, I was on the ropes as the attacking French pretty much throughout the game, but managed to claim a draw on the technical grounds that we didn't get time to play through the agreed 8 moves...

14 comments:

  1. Well, I've only played 15mm (except for RPG's games!), so I can not compare with another scale...anyway, nice looking troops, and not so bad result!

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    1. Thanks Phil! Yes I'm very happy with a draw these days!

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  2. "When one is a sad old buffer of my ripe years and are playing a bright young law student, trust me you don't have the time or concentration to spare to take photos of the ensuing action"

    Tsk! You're only as old as you allow yourself to be :)

    (Same age as me, don't forget ... ;-) )

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    1. How rude! I think you have a few months seniority over me...Lol!

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  3. I've only just discovered your blog, but found it inspirational. I must admit, the appeal of Napoleonics is also what makes it daunting, i.e., the sheer scope of variety. It's good to see that there's room to explore, and light at the end of the tunnel. I'm also planning on using BP, and Mr. Barton's wonderful figures. Do please keep up your good work.

    FMB

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    1. Thanks FMB, most kind. I guess thats what blogging's all about! I think you've made the right choice with BP, a good introduction that doesn't take itself too seriously, but as you get to know more about the period, actually a pretty authentic set of rules so long as you front load with the right stats and special rules...

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  4. Great looking 15/18mm Napoleonics. I agree about the larger footprint for larger games with smaller figures. That said, at arms length - I think 28mm has it on 15/18mm. Best, Dean

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    1. Hi Dean, and thanks. Yes, 'at arms length' is exactly right - you can't beat 28mm for on table prescence!

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  5. Great stuff Sparker - I ys very much enjoy your battle reports.

    As to the question at hand, I much prefer gaming nowadays in 15mm which seems to me to allow more scope for manoeuvre than 28mm, and the recreation of larger segments of battles (if not the whole thing itself).

    I agree with you in that painting 28mm figures is far more satisfying however, and will always appreciate the "heft" of a decently-fed Front Rank figure.

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  6. Your 15;'s look great, even if I am also solidly in the 28mm camp; have tried painting 15's and I really dislike doing them.

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  7. Thanks guys, I couldn't agree more - its quite a conundrum, 28s look and feel great and are a pleasure to paint, but in terms of game play and historical scenarios 15s offer more possibilities!

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  8. You've posed the ultimate question, when will some brave entrepreneur embark on producing hard plastic 15/18mm Napoleonic? That will be a watershed for the hobby, no doubt. Lovely 15/18s by the way!

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  9. Hello Mr Sparkles

    Of course you have Napoleonics in more than one scale. I'm looking forward to seeing your 40mm Napoleonics as well! 8O)

    I have a currently still born 18mm AB Figures project under the gaming table. They really are nice figures though scale creep is a bit of an issue me thinks. And a friend has some lovely 40mm figures ... sorry, got to go now and get some holy water, garlic etc to keep him and those thoughts at bay!!!

    A lovely collection. No bent bayonets etc stood out as a little bent which is great.

    Salute
    von Peter himself

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    1. Thanks your vonship - 40mm?! Resist, Resist!

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