Halfway Hill

Distractions

I have not blogged in awhile, but I have been making progress on several projects.  I have also been significantly distracted by World of Tanks, an online game that I play with my son.  I'm not a video game fan normally, but the game is quite fun.  The historical aspect has also pulled me in.

Halfway Hill

I have several ongoing modeling efforts at the "halfway point"

Warmachine

Ryan and I are halfway done with painting up two Warmachine Armies from the starter box. 

Painting is also complete on a Convergence of Cyriss battlegroup, but the basing work is only halfway done.

This hasn't stopped us from playing.  

Ryan once again quickly defeated me this morning - taking out my Warcaster early in the game.

Bolt Action

I have my US infantry primed up.  I also have started work on the bases for the HMG and 60mm Mortar.  I'm planning a separate post on this project once it is complete.

I scored a good deal on a Squadron sale of 1/48 Hobby Boss Shermans.  I couldn't resist starting the model build.  

A warning for anyone building Hobby Boss tanks - watch out for needless steps.  The mid-production 75mm Sherman has several options for road wheels, but the instructions are not clear.  I almost built extra road wheels....a tedious effort.

As a secondary distraction, I discovered that the Tamiya 1/48 models can be bought significantly cheaper here in Korea than from US websites.  I'm tempted to shift my BA plans from the Japanese to a  German opponent to keep costs down.

DBA

I have MDF-based road and river pieces ready for finishing.  This project has been on hold since the BA and Warmachine bugs bit.

Napoleonics

I haven't touched my 15mm Napoleonic project in almost a year.  This isn't a priority since I don't really  have an opponent. Ryan likes DBA and skirmish games.

Lots of fun ahead!

Grenzer Battalion

Grenzer #5 Regiment command element

I finished off a small Grenzer Battalion for Lasalle (and DBN).   This unit is composed of figures from a Battle Honors set titled "Grenzers and Jagers."  There were not enough Grenz figures for the six bases needed in Lasalle, and the figures didn't mix well with other figures that I purchased.

I decided to field one of my Lasalle battalions with the "half deployed" option - four bases and two additional skirmish markers that can deploy to other units. Since the regular Austrian infantry is weaker in skirmishers than the French, this option should work fine.

The unit represents Grenzer Regiment #5.

I'm putting Napoleonics aside for awhile.  My next project is a DBA Persian army although I need to stop procrastinating on my terrain project.

Wishy Washy Wargaming

Now that my holiday is over, I'm back to long hours and little hobby time.  However, I made some great progress over Christmas break on Napoleonic figures: Austrian and French.  Having studied the pros and cons of double row-based 10mm and 15mm to death, I had settled on single row-based 15mm figures for DBN and Lasalle.








Excited about making quick progress, I painted up enough figures to cover the following for DBN:

• six French line infantry stands
• three stands of Confederation of the Rhine cavalry
• four French artillery stands (heavy and medium guns, planning ahead for Lasalle)
• one Austrian Jaeger stand
• two Austrian Grenzer stands, with extra figures for Lasalle skirmish markers

Indecision and Fear Strikes

The project was humming along nicely.  Once all of the painting was finished, I glued the figures to bases.  I then decided to de-base twelve Austrian infantry stands, painted last year, that are based in double rows.  That way, I could finish the ground cover for all of the stands at once.  When I began trying to scrape the ground cover off and pry figures loose, I realized that the risk of damaging the figures was very, very high...

Instead of destroying the Austrians, I took a test run of de-basing a single row-based French infantry stand, painted during my 10mm vs. 15mm test.   De-basing is not easy!  I couldn't imagine scraping 100  Austrian figures loose.  As I debated my plan, my son commented on how great the double rows looked...

So, throwing rational thought and my hobby budget out the window, I'm reverting to my original plan.  I'll be basing my Napoleonic armies in double rows.  I'm working on more French and Jaegers to round out the stands prepared already, so I will post photos soon.


WW II Rules....

I bought BKC II recently, and I an impressed with the rules.  I've been planning to tackle WW II as my next big project, using 10mm.  BUT, I have now stumbled across Bolt Action, a new ruleset co-produced my Warlord Games and Osprey.  Rick Priestley is the author.  Having read several reviews and game reports, Bolt Action's lower echelon game looks appealing.  It would be a very different experience than my big unit AWI and Napoleonic games.  If I went with 28mm, I could try my hand at painting this larger scale.  The only downside is the sense of scale on the table. Even on a 4x6 table, the tanks and infantry sure look to be close to each other.

I could go with 15mm, which would be much cheaper and allow me to recycle my terrain, if nothing else.  15mm would also let me play BKC II easily enough, although 10mm is more appealing for that scale of game.

I've got plenty of time to consider my options, and I may pick up the Bolt Action rules to learn more.

In the mean time, I have plenty of fun ahead in painting my Napoleonics and tackling a terrain project.  I should mention that Ryan is making progress on his DBA Thessalian Army, too.

Multi-Prong Progress

I have taken a few days off and made progress on three wargame related activities.

DBN Work in Progress

DBN

I inventoried my  unpainted 15mm Napoleonics, separated out the figures needed for DBN, and started painting.  When first planning my DBN armies, I had focused on fielding every possible element for a French and Austrian army list.  Now I plan to select options that maximize reuse in Lasalle instead.  I am painting French Line, French Artillery, Austrian Jaegers and Grenzers,  and Confederation of the Rhine Cavalry.  I have more figures waiting for clean-up and priming.

DBA

To help him choose an army, Ryan and I played some more DBA, using available elements from my Spartan and Macedonian sets to simulate the Late Greek Thessalians fighting the Aitolians, a Psiloi heavy army. I wanted to try my hand at a light force. The Thessalians won both matches.

Round One

In the first game, the Aitolians ended up as the attackers, so Ryan placed minimal terrain on the board.  My Psiloi didn't have much bad going to use to its advantage, and Ryan protected his camp with Auxilia.  Despite my efforts to move around and flank him with the Light Horse and Auxilia, the Cavalry ended up killing off three Psiloi and the Light Horse element

Round Two

In the second bout, the Aitolians were defending, so I placed two steep hills (compulsory), a river placed 600 paces from a battlefield edge, and two woods as the terrain.  This gave me some additional options, but Ryan used Auxilia to secure two bad going terrain areas.  The river ended up as paltry, so it didn't have as much of an effect as hoped on the Thessalian's maneuverability.  The game took quite some time as both armies tried to gain advantage through maneuver.  The Light Horse spent much time moving, drawing off cavalry elements but otherwise not helping much.  My final strategy was to try to attack two cavalry and the Thessalian camp with the four Spear elements.  Before I could move the slow spear across the board, four Psiloi were individually picked off.

Ryan has decided on the Thessalians.  It met his requirement for a cavalry heavy force, and he wanted something within the theme of my collection.  We can play the Late Thessalians against the Macedonians, Spartans, and Galatians.  We have primed up some Essex hoplite figures that I already owned, so he will try his hand at painting tomorrow.  We also ordered Warmodeling (Fantassin) Thessalian cavalry elements and some more Essex Hoplites and Psiloi for his project.

BKC Inspiration

I just finished an excellent WW II history, An Army at Dawn, by Rick Atkinson.  The book covers the War in North Africa in 1942-1943, starting from the US and British joint amphibious landings to the fall of Tunis.  Having read little on the North Africa campaign, this book was a great primer.  It is the first of a trilogy, so I plan on picking up the next book which covers operations in Italy.

If I choose North Africa for my Blitzkrieg Commander II focus, I have some ideas now on the units and weapons that made the biggest difference for the Germans and the Americans.  The Germans will definitely have a Ju-88 Stuka for support.  I will mix up the American tank force to include Shermans and the weaker Stuarts.

I will do a lot more research this winter on the forces and also look at reuse for the US units for an Italian campaign.  The Afrika Korps paint jobs will not work for Italy considering that no Germans tanks left North Africa before the surrender.

WWII & Napoleon

Having considered my next project options, I compromised.  I bought the Blitzkrieg Commander II rules (ebook version) and deciding to move forward with 15mm single-row based DBN armies - Austrian and French.

My rationale was simple: I had a box full of Nap figures primed and ready to paint, so I resisted the temptation to keep them in the box and buy a lot of WWII miniatures instead.  I was also encouraged by the continuing sale of Essex Miniatures at 50 percent off at the www.wargamesminis.com webstore.  I was planning to buy some hoplites to complete an Arcananian Army for DBA, so buying the Napoleonic figures was a good deal in terms of shipping.  I now have plenty of figures to paint for several months.

As discovered through my comparison of 15MM and 10MM figures, I won't be able to reuse every DBN stand for Lasalle later on, but the difference is minor.  When I buy the final batch of Napoleonic's from another webstore, I'm going to buy a batch of WWII 10MM figures, too.  I might even buy a sample of 6MM for comparison sake.

Another reason that I decided to hold off on WWII miniatures purchases is the VAST range of options, in terms of theater, campaign, and army for this war.  Working on an overseas Army post, I am fortunate that the library has a great military history section, particularly for WWII.  The contrast in the availability of reference material for classical armies, Napoleonic armies, and WWII is stark.

Having started out with an AWI and Napoleonic armies, I easily found reliable material on uniforms (down to button color) and order of battle on the internet and in the county library back in the USA.  I bought a few books that provided solid reference material for my painting efforts, allowing me to paint figures for specific regiments.

In trying to finish a double-row based armies for Lasalle, I ran out of steam with the painting and realization that I wouldn't field two armies for a year or longer given my available hobby time. Discovering the WADBAG Unofficial Guide to DBA turned me on to the Ancients period, and I have had a fun year cranking out multiple armies and actually playing games.  However, the lack of reliable information on many of the Classical/Hellenistic armies in terms of uniform design and colors was both liberating and discomforting compared to Napoleonics.  The DBA lists kept me out of order of battle research, thankfully.  My reading of Xenophon and Herodotus certainly indicate that orders of battle are not very precise in the source material...

With WWII, the material even in our small library is overwhelming.  The BKC Army Lists provide numerous options in terms of armored vehicles and infantry forces.  I will want to focus my initial forces around historical units, so I have some reading ahead of me.  Simply choosing a theater will be a chore!  When painting begins, I won't be short of reference material, that is for sure.  I'm leaning toward Tunisia 1943, but I wouldn't be able to reuse the Germans for the European theater due to the paint scheme.  I picked up "An Army at Dawn" by Rick Atkinson to learn more about the Tunisia campaign.

I will post a Blitzkrieg Commander II review in the future.  For now, let me say that I am very impressed with the rules design, clarity, and integration of the game concepts.  The game appears to have the balance of command and control and combat just right for the intended force echelon.  I have been lurking on the DBA Yahoo Group and watching the debate on DBA rules clarity for months now, so BKC II was a joy to read. The game site is: http://www.specialist-military-publishing.co.uk.

My last post garnered some great comments, thanks readers!  I will share my thoughts in future posts on both the AWI rules and ideas for Army/Corps operations that seem to be lacking in games I have reviewed thus far.  As a teaser...

At the Army/Corps level, logistics, intelligence, and leadership of other leaders are important factors in warfare - can these operational level factors be represented in a miniatures game while keeping it fun?  Using terrain at a larger scale, focusing on the next terrain features more than the current battleground, is also a decision factor.  Can a game depict operations at the operational level successfully?  There are plenty of smaller scale games and theater level campaign systems out there - what about the middle level of warfare?

Finally, I have been thinking about ways to design rules that include features appealing to younger gamers and that teach military history (beyond button colors!) through the gaming process.  My draft AWI rules are an attempt at this goal.  Maybe it is a Quixotic effort, but I would like to see younger gamers get involved more in the historical miniatures hobby, not just in Sci-Fi and Fantasy.

The Next Project

As my Macedonian/Hellenistic Morph army winds down, I am contemplating a few new projects.   The  first priority will be improving my terrain collection.  After that, I need to make a decision on what is next.

DBA 3.0

I could start painting up a Persian army for DBA, but I am a wee nervous about changes to the Army lists until DBA 3.0 is finalized.

DBN
I could return to my DBN project. After analyzing the costs and doing a test painting run, I was leaning heavily toward a switch to 10mm.  I'm not so sure now.  I have sunk money and time into 15mm Austrians double row-based for Lasalle and already bought a batch of additional French and Austrian troops.  I may go with single row-based elements for DBN.  In theory, I can use them for Lasalle as well.  With rebasing and some more paint work, I could have single row DBN armies assembed pretty quickly. Ignoring sunk costs (time/money) the switch to 10mm makes sense, particularly for the aesthetic value.  However, it is hard to rationally ignore completed 15mm elements... One reason I am considering this compromise, even though I like the look of double row bases, is a new interest  (really a revived old one) - WWII.

Blitzkrieg Commander II
When I first started down the wargaming path, I stumbled across Flames of War when buying some collectible cards for my son at a hobby store.  In running the cost numbers, I started looking at other options that didn't involve a huge investment, settling on AWI.  (I definitely didn't appreciate the addictive nature of the hobby regardless of era...).  Having read several rules reviews and blog accounts, I'm considering purchasing BKC II and giving it a go.  I would go with 10mm or possibly 6mm for this WWII game.  On all accounts, the rules are well written and fun.

Ideas for an Army-level Game
I remain intrigued on the idea of wargaming at the army/corps level.  I have yet to find any miniatures game that simulates the decision making of an army or corps commander-decisions about logistics and intelligence as well as maneuver operations.  I have an idea for such a ruleset. I could reuse miniatures for BKCII for testing the Army-level rules.

Working on my AWI rules
I have a nearly complete set of rules for AWI that have been tested locally.  I would like to be able to share them and possibly publish them once I return to the States.  I need experienced gamers to test the rules, though.  The rules incorporate innovative ideas about leadership and unit capabilities that seem to appeal to younger (teenage) gamers.  I am interested in promoting the next generation's involvement in historical gaming.

HOTT
Re-reading the Lord of the Rings trilogy recently got me interested in HOTT, but I think that idea has passed for the moment.  The rules look fun, though, and my son Ryan seems interested.

Choices, Choices!

Russians and Prussians

I'm finishing off the element reuse analysis with a look at the Russian and Prussian armies.

Russians and Prussians attack at the Battle of LeipzigAuthor: Andrei nacu at en.wikipedia, February 2008, public domain image

Alexander's soldiers
For the Russians, I compared two DBN Army lists, 1800-1806 and 1813-1815, to a Lasalle infantry division supported by light cavalry for the Conquest and Liberation periods respectively.  The first DBN list requires a total of 22 elements and the second list requires 25.

Prussian Blues
With a last name of Frederick, I've always had a soft spot for the Prussians.  It's unfortunate that they fared so poorly early in the Napoleonic War.   I compared the DBN 1794-1806 list to a Lasalle infantry division supported by Saxon infantry for the Conquest period.  I also compared the DBN 1813-14 list to a Lasalle infantry division supported by an infantry Abteilung brigade for the Liberation period (the Saxons were apparently distracted by 1813).  The first Prussian list requires 34 elements and the second list requires 28.

Reuse Recap


Fielding the early Russian army would be an efficient way to start my Napoleonic wargaming.  The DBN list only requires 22 elements, and I could reuse all but three elements for Lasalle later.  Of all the comparisons made, this force supports the highest level of element reuse.  The DBN Austrian and later Prussian lists tie for second, with only four elements left behind when playing Lasalle.  The early Prussian force has the worst reuse level, followed closely by the British Peninsular Army List.

Will my painting laziness push me toward a Russian and French combination for my first effort?  When I first considered Napoleonics, I was leaning toward the Peninsular theater due to my reading of the Sharpe novel series.  I switched to Austrians and French once I bought the Lasalle rules due to the appeal of the Austrian Avante Garde Division.  Now, I'm not so sure.  My current reading might also be influencing me.  I'm thoroughly enjoying Russia against Napoleon by Dominic Lieven.

Peninsular Recycling

Let's continue to look at miniature element stand reuse for DBN and Lasalle, focusing today on the Peninsular War.

Battle of Salamanca
Illustration von J. Clarke, Koloriert von M. Dubourg, 1812, {PD-1923}

DBN Peninsular Armies

DBN provides army lists for the French and British forces on the Iberian Peninsula as well as a special list for the British Light Division.  For the reuse analysis, I am comparing all options for an army list to a basic Lasalle force with the exception of the British Light Division. In this case, I selected enough elements to field the Light Division as I would in a game. The French Army list requires 26 elements, the British Division 30, and the Light Division 16 (as I have fielded it).

Lasalle Peninsular Forces


For the comparison, I used a French Infantry Division supported by Lt Cavalry in the Peninsular period.  The Lasalle British lists include an Infantry Division and a Light Division.  I used a Portuguese infantry brigade as the supporting force for both comparisons.

Reuse Levels


As you can see, most DBN elements for the French can be used in Lasalle.  The same isn't true for the British because DBN uses a number of unique irregular forces for the Peninsular armies.

Will this discourage me from tackling the Peninsular campaign for my first Napoleonic armies?  Or will the play value of the DBN irregular forces make up for the extra work?  Some testing might be in order...

Military Estimates

My recent 10mm painting session led to a recalculation of painting time for my planned Napoleonic collection.  The newest data indicates that I will be able to make progress much faster.  I completed the second batch of 10mm figures at the rate of 55 minutes per base or stand, much faster than the original test results of 93 minutes.

 15mm in the front, 10mm in the rear
(Please ignore the prehistoric-sized flora in the background)

Using the same assumptions as the original analysis, I calculated paint time for DBN and Lasalle Forces.  (See the "Battle of the Scales" post for more information.)

DBN and Lasalle Paint Times

The DBN armies are the French 1805-1812/1815 list and the Austrian 1801-1808 list with all options.  The French Lasalle Force is an infantry division and supporting curaissier brigade.  The Austrian force is an Avante Garde Division supported by an infantry brigade.  The time saved approaches 50 percent.  It was interesting to see how much faster I can start playing DBN compared to Lasalle.




Army Creep

If Napoleonic miniatures are as addictive as Ancients, I won't stop at two armies.  I recalculated my "weeks to complete" analysis for multiple Lasalle forces, estimating five hours of hobby time a week.

The new estimates are motivating.  I should have enough figures painted to play DBN in 11 weeks and Lasalle in 25.

Happy 4th of July!

10mm French Elite

I finished up the 10mm Old Glory French Elite Company figures, practicing my 10mm paint skills and evaluating the efficiency gained in painting larger batches.  For my time comparison test, I painted enough figures for a single double row-based bases for both 10mm and 15mm scales.  As expected, paint time was much faster per base when working on a larger batch.  There is probably a learning curve factor at work, too.

I painted three bases as French grenadiers and one base as voltigeurs.  I will use the grenadiers as elite infantry for DBN, and all five bases (counting the base from the original paint test) will also serve as companies in five Lasalle infantry units.  The figure strips were mounted on craft sticks, and I  generally repeated the same paint stroke on all figures on a stick at one time.

I modified my painting approach slightly for this batch, aiming to speed up the process without sacrificing the quality of the work too much.

Thinning the Paint


I primarily use FolkArt acrylic craft paint.  For my 15mm figure painting, I often use the paint directly from the containers without thinning.  I noticed that this was not working as well for 10mm.  I either ended up with too much paint on the brush or needed to reload constantly.  I thinned out the paints for the large areas, such as the coats, boots, and shakos.  It made a big difference in the ease of painting and time.  If you thin too much, though, you are in trouble.

Sloppy to Neat


On my first 10mm painting attempt, I was very careful to not stray out of an area with the paint.  This time, I didn't worry as much about  collateral damage with the initial colors, particularly the jacket and boots.  I painted fairly quickly, and I cleaned up a few mistakes later.

Highlights


I did take the time to shade and highlight the face, coat front, and pants more.  I'm not sure that it made a big difference in the end.  You certainly cannot notice from a distance of more than 12 inches!

Hat Trick


For my first painting attempt, the shako braiding and edging took a lot of time.  I tried a different approach, pulling out a Number 4 flat brush (That's right, a Number 4!).  For the shako top edge, I loaded up the brush and lightly pressed it to the top of the hat at a 45 degree angle.  Voila - instant edging!  This technique worked well except near the plume.  I also tried to use the Number 4 for the braiding and details on the front of the shako.  This didn't work as well.  Next time, I plan to try dry brushing the details.

Fast Results


I expected to paint faster when working a large number of figures, but I was surprised at the efficiency game.  The total paint time for 40 figures (eight strips of five) was 3 hours and 40 minutes, including the final wash.  I completed the work in five sessions.  The paint time for a single base is 55 minutes, compared to 93 minutes for my first test.

I also timed the basing time.  I kept the basing simple because I was working on a tight schedule due to our move, and I had already shipped much of my hobby supplies.  I used small grey model railroad ballast for the basing, covered in a Vallejo Earth paint wash.  I finished the bases with Woodland Scenics burnt grass sprinkled over Elmer's Glue.  Total basing time was 15 minutes in two sessions.

I'll work out the paint time for a couple of Lasalle armies, comparing to my original analysis in a future post.

Recruiting an Army Efficiently

Because I'm planning to paint Napoleonic figures for use in both DBN and Lasalle, I analyzed the figure requirements for the two rulesets, aiming to build up two armies efficiently.  DBN is a corps-scale game, so it includes a greater variety of units than is necessary for a basic Lasalle force.  I evaluated the forces of several major armies to determine the level of reuse of element stands.  (A stand is a base with miniatures mounted on it.)

The analyses compared Lasalle divisions with one supporting brigade to a DBN army list with all options.

Basing Options

DBN uses 40mm wide bases for its elements.  Fortunately, Lasalle also recommends a base width of 40mm.  Lasalle is flexible on the specific basing depth, so I will be able to base figures that work for both games.

Infantry Figures

Line infantry elements are completely reusable for the two games.  DBN bases some light infantry units, such as Legere, differently in terms of figure count. Lasalle treats Legere units the same as other line infantry.  I chose to use the light infantry elements as line infantry since the figures are in a regular pattern.

Other DBN elements, such as Jagers and Guerrillas, are not as easy to reuse for Lasalle.

Cavalry


Most DBN army lists include both heavy and light cavalry.  In building up an initial Lasalle force, I will need to choose between heavy or light for the supporting brigade, so I won't be able to reuse all cavalry figures.  As my collection grows, though, I can use the remaining elements in other Lasalle brigades.  DBN has a unique cavalry element, known as skirmishing cavalry, that will not be reused.

Artillery

DBN uses heavy foot and horse artillery.  Many Lasalle forces use medium artillery and howitzers, so the reuse level for artillery might be lower for many armies.

French Attack the Austrians


Before deciding to switch to 10mm scale, I was working on a French Infantry Division and Austrian Avante Garde Division as my first Lasalle forces.  I'm not sure if I'll stick with these armies as the first part of my collection now.  In any case, let's look at the reuse level of DBN elements for a Lasalle French Infantry Division supported by Lt Cavalry Bde and an Austrian Infantry Division supported by the same.

To field a DBN French Army for the 1805-1812/1815 period, I will need 30 element stands.  I will be able to reuse all but nine of the stands for my initial Lasalle force playing in the Conquest period.  For the Austrians, the DBN army requires 28 elements; I can reuse all but eight elements for a Conquest period Lasalle force.

 Avante Garde


The Avante Garde division in Lasalle is a awesome combined arms force.  Comments on the Honour forum (www.sammustafa.com) indicate that it is a fun division to play, too.  I compared the DBN Austrian 1801-1808 army list to an Avante Garde division supported by a Grenadier Brigade, playing in the Conquest period of Lasalle.

The reuse of DBN elements for Lasalle is very high.  Only four elements cannot be used in the initial Lasalle force.  Of course, the total number of element stands needed to play this force in Lasalle is much higher: 70 stands.  The 24 reusable elements from DBN will make a dent in the painting, but I'll still have some work ahead of me if I field an Avante Garde Division.

I'll compare other forces in future postings. In the last days before our move, I was able to complete additional 10mm figures and run another time test, using a larger batch of figs.  I'll share the painting results soon.

Happy to have electrical power in Md,
Dave

Scale of Battle

Napoléon on the field of Eylau by Antoine-Jean Gros
Public domain image from Wikipedia

I have been investing time to learn the best way to get started in Napoleonic wargaming, focused on building up enough of a miniatures collection to play Lasalle, a tactical scale game designed by Sam Mustafa. Along this journey, I learned about DBN, another Naps game that is radically different and piqued my interest. DBN was inspired by DBA, an ancients game that I play. Alex Testo and Bob Carter created the game. 

Game Scales

My recent posts have focused on a scale decision: figure scale. This post focuses on a different scale: game scale. Lasalle and DBN model Napoleonic warfare at different scales. Lasalle is a tactical level game; players command a division supported by a brigade. DBN places the player in the role of corps commander.  For a corps-level game, DBN can be played on a table as small as 2 x 3 or 3 x 3 feet.  This will be a plus for me in Seoul, Korea, our new home in two weeks, because of limited space.  DBN also supports playing the major battles of the Napoleonic Wars, such as Eylau, in a reasonable play area because each figure stand represents a brigade.

A Choice Not a Decision

Unlike the difficult decision on selecting a figure scale, I will be able to enjoy both games with the same miniatures collection.  I can choose to play both.  I have had a few days to read the DBN rules now and received some great information from the members of the DBN Yahoo Group. The rules are well written and much easier to understand than DBA. My first exposure to Nap rules was a couple of rule sets that were complex and suitable for an experienced player.  Both DBN and Lasalle have the complexity level that seems right for me and my 12-year old son, who is my main playing partner.  Both games are also appealing because they don't require paperwork and endless consultation of complex tables.

Charting an Efficient Path


In comparing the rules, I noticed that some figure stands needed for DBN may not be used in Lasalle, at least not initially.  I'm planning to collect enough figures for a Lasalle division and one supporting brigade for two armies.  DBN armies are truly combined arms corps, with a mix of different foot, cavalry, and artillery.  I won't be able to use all of the units in the initial Lasalle forces.  I'm analyzing combinations of Lasalle and DBN armies to determine the level of consistency for different national forces.  More information to follow in a future post.

The Battle of the Scales

15mm and 10mm French Voltigeurs

I have finished the painting time and cost analysis for a group of Lasalle Armies to support my decision making: to switch or not to switch.  As noted previously, I have bought and painted up a small number of 15mm figures, and my other wargame miniatures are all in this scale.  Concerned about the time commitment to get playing as a new Napoleonic wargamer, I decided to invest a small amount of time in comparing two 15mm basing options (double rows of infantry and a single row of infantry) with 10mm figures, based in double rows.

As described in a previous posting, the cost difference between 10mm double row bases and 15mm single row bases is marginal, when you are comparing the cost of completed figure bases.

Painting Time


My painting test indicates that I could finish single row-based 15mm figures slightly faster.  I used the test results for infantry figures and added a 15 percent time increase for cavalry, artillery, and commander elements.  The chart below depicts the painting time, in hours, for the three options.

While I'm comfortable that the 15mm painting test is a reasonable estimate, I'm less sure of the 10mm test.  The test figures were my first attempt at painting 10mm figures, so I expect that I can speed things up with practice.  


The testing is also limited in two areas for both scales.  I only painted a small number of figures in both tests, so my test didn't capture the efficiency of painting a larger group at once.  I also didn't consider time spent cleaning up and priming figures.  I believe that the clean up for the 10mm figures went much faster.

Integrating the Analysis


Paint time and cost are only a few factors that will influence my decision.  I ran a multiple factor analysis that includes qualitative factors, such as the appearance of the miniature units.  I weighted each factor and used a logarithmic rating scheme.

The (Preliminary) Winner is...


10mm

Considering all of the factors important to me, I'm seriously considering a switch to 10mm scale for my Napoleonic collection.  I like the "mass" look of double-row bases, and the cost and time savings compared to 15mm double-row bases is significant.  I already have an AWI 15mm figures based in single rows.

Before making the big jump, I plan on painting eight more strips of French flank company figures.  Once we arrive at our new home, I may test paint a group of cavalry figures, too.

The Long Road to Lasalle

Even with a change in scale or basing, it will be a long time before I can field two Lasalle armies.  I can spare an average of five hours a week for my hobby time.  At that pace, it will be almost a year before I'm ready to play unless I can find fellow players in Seoul, Korea that happen to have a common interest.

Fortunately, I found another game, with a completely different operational scale and approach from Lasalle, that integrates the benefits of DBA with Napoleonic gaming: De Bellis Napoleonicis (DBN).  DBN requires a much smaller number of elements to play, so I plan to use basing that works for both games. This approach will allow me to play sooner while I work on a collection that suffices for battalion-scale rules like Lasalle.

I received the DBN rules last night, so I'll post a review and my plan for creating a collection that works for both games in the future.  My first impression is very favorable.  I've wondered if I could find a corps-level miniatures game, and DBN appears to get the mechanics right.

The French Rapidly Advance

French Line Infantry - painted 15mm and primed 10mm figures

I have finished the first phase of a painting time test, comparing the paint time for 15mm and 10mm infantry figures.  I will use the test results to help in choosing a scale for my Napoleonic armies.  I don't have a lot of time to devote to painting, so the time test and the cost analysis shared in the last post will be important.  Of course, I will also consider other factors, such as my preference for the looks of the two scales.

Test Conditions

I will track painting time for eight 15mm figures and ten 10mm figures.  Because I had already cleaned up and primed the 15mm figures before deciding to perform a test, I won't compare this part of the work.  All figures are primed in white paint and mounted on craft sticks.

Eight 15mm figures is enough to create one double row-based stand or two single row-based stands.  The Old Glory 10mm figures are cast in groups of five, and the ten figures are enough to create one double row-based stand.  I plan to play Lasalle and DBN with the armies.

Based on the results, I will project the total painting time for four Lasalle armies, using the same armies as used in the cost analysis.  I plan to estimate the additional paint time for cavalry, probably applying a 15 percent time increase for each cavalry stand.  I welcome thoughts on how much longer three cavalry figures take to paint as compared to eight infantry figures.

15mm French Line

For the 15mm test, I chose four French line infantry figures and four French Voltigeurs. The figures are Battle Honors Line Infantry, 1809-1812.

I aimed to paint quickly, so these figures are not my best work.  I didn't perform much highlighting, and I kept the details simple.  If I'm ever going to finish a couple of Lasalle armies, I need to advance rapidly.

The painting and wash was completed in five sessions.  I made a few tactical errors on the paint order, such as forgetting to paint the hair until the last session.
Session 1 - 33 minutes - Flesh, boots, ammo bag, shako, pants, small clothes, jacket front
Session 2 - 21 minutes - jackets (blue)
Session 3 - 39 minutes - backpack, rifle, plume/pompon, canteen, bed roll, collar, epaulets
Session 4 - 55 minutes - base, yellow on Voltigeur pompon, rifle barrel and bayonet, hilt, hair, touch-ups
Session 5- 8 minutes - light burnt umber wash

Total Paint Time: 2 hours, 36 minutes

The Results

I'm satisfied with the results even though I was painting faster than normal.   Overall, the figures were easy to paint.  Here's a shot of the Voltigeurs:

I used a medium grey to shade the shirts near the cross belts, providing some contrast.

The line infantry were even easier to paint because of the rifle positioning.  I didn't need to fiddle much with cross belt shading or details on the front of the figure.

Here's another shot.  The 1st company of a French battalion wore green pompons on the shako.  I chose to paint  1st company soldiers to speed things up because I needed to use green for the Voltigeurs' plumes.

Scaling Out

At this painting pace, I could paint one double row-based French battalion for Lasalle in 10 hours and 24 minutes.  With single rows, a battalion would take 5 hours and 12 minutes.  I recognize that this test may not represent actual paint time precisely.  I normally paint more figures at once which is more efficient.  However, I also normally paint when in the same room as my wife while she is watching TV.  We chat during the painting which also slows me down. For the test, I was down in my hobby room and uninterrupted. Overall, this estimate seems reasonable.

Mark Severin ran a test speed painting British 15mm figures which is posted on his website, www.deepfriedhappymice.com and his result was consistent with mine.  He cleaned up, primed, painted, and based 24 figures in four hours.  The painting time was 2 hours and 30 minutes.  I was not trying to paint as fast as possible, and I don't plan to do so when I work on my armies.

Up Next

I'm anxious to see how the paint time compares for 10mm .  I bought a pack of Old Glory French Flank Company figures for the test.  They are cleaned up and primed.

As a relatively new wargamer who hasn't had the chance to attend any conventions, this was my first time seeing 10mm figures.  I was impressed with the level of detail at this scale.  For example, the figures have a plate and braiding on the shakos.  Clean up wasn't too bad, but I had to be careful when trimming the flash on the plumes and bayonets.  I managed to break one half of a plume off...

We are in the midst of moving, but I plan to use my birthday (today) as an excuse to hide in the basement and paint for an hour tonight after the packers have left.  I hope to share a post with the paint results in a day or two.

Comments Welcome!
Dave in Ellicott City, MD, USA

A Question of Scale

From the beginning, I planned to cover all of my wargaming interests in Xenophon's Ghost: Ancients, American War of Independence, and Napoleonics (for now).  I also aim to explore factors in the historical wargaming hobby that are entry barriers for new players, particularly youth.  I happened to start playing DBA simultaneously with the blog start-up, so my posts have focused on DBA almost exclusively.  It's time to turn to a new topic: Napoleonics and the entry barriers of cost and initial painting time required to start playing.

Returning to Lasalle

The end of painting my Macedonian Morph Collection is within sight, and the recent release of Maurice, by Sam Mustafa, prompted me to peruse my Lasalle rulebook.  Mr. Mustafa's Lasalle rules are designed for tactical level Napoleonic games.  I picked it up as I finished painting and playing American War of Independence games over the first 18 months of my wargaming life.  See Sam's website, www.sammustafa.com for more information.

Sam's rulebooks are reknown for photos of well-painted miniatures, and he recommends infantry basing with double rows of figures.  The units look great, and I decided to give it go, fielding an Austrian Avante Garde Division and a French Infantry Division.  I made it through two Austrian large infantry units before burning out.  The painting effort and investment to field two Armies is significant as a new player. DBA was appealing because of the limited number of figures needed to start, so I set the Napoleonics aside.

Considering a Scale Switch

Nonetheless, I do want to complete two Lasalle Armies, and I began pondering a switch to 10mm figures for my Napoleonic collection for multiple reasons.

• Cost - I estimated that I might save quite a bit of cash.
• Time - I might be able to paint more quickly, given the limited detail.
• Variety - my AWI and Ancients figures are 15mm.

Before jumping to 10mm, I have decided to perform a cost analysis and a painting time test.  I did a similar painting test for DBA, trying my hand at two 6mm Elephants to compare the scale to 15mm. 

6mm Carthaginian Elephants

I decided to stick with 15mm for DBA, but I might use 6mm in the future for the American Civil War or Seven Years War.

Green Eyeshade Analysis

For the cost comparison, I planned for the reality that two Armies won't be the end of the story.  I expect to continue growing my collection over time.  I planned for expanding my collection in the following phases:

• Two Armies to get started
•  French Infantry Division with Cuirrassier Bde
• Austrian Avante Garde Division with Infantry Bde
• Two Extra Brigades
• French Infantry Bde
• Austrian Hussar Bde
• British Guards Division with Dragoon Bde
• British Infantry Bde
• Russian Grenadier Division with Reserve Artillery Bde
• Russian Dragoon Bde

The chart below compares the cost of this collection for two different 15mm basing approaches and 10mm figures.

The figure counts used for the analysis follows:

• 15mm single row basing - 4 infantry or 2 cavalry figures per base
• 15mm double row basing - 8 infantry or 3 cavalry figures per base
• 10mm double row basing - 10 infantry or 3 cavalry figures per base

I used pricing from several websites:

• 10mm figures: http://www.oldgloryminiatures.com/ with the Old Glory Army membership cost included.
• 15mm single row basing: Battle Honors or Old Glory figures from http://www.warweb.com/
• 15mm double row basing:  http://oldglory15s.com/catalog/ using the figure packs suitable for Lasalle.

Although I really like the look, the cost analysis helped me to decide against 15mm double basing.  I cannot afford the investment given my other interests and limited hobby budget

Excluding Sunk Costs

Making a decision between single row 15mm bases or 10mm bases won't be as easy.  I have already invested time in painting up two double row-based units, and I have purchased and primed enough 15mm figures for several more units.  I decides to compare the costs of my additional purchases, excluding sunk costs.

As you can see, the switch to 10mm will initially be more costly.  I'll need to spend $264 instead of $192 to get two Armies fielded.  As my collection expands, 10mm will save me money in the long run, but not by much. The cost difference for the entire collection is only $86.

The Painting Test

Given the minor cost difference  (not to mention the psychological cost of not using the already purchased and painted 15mm figures), I am proceeding with a painting time test before making my decision.  I definitely like the look of double row basing, a plus for 10mm.  I'm still unsure if I will like the look of the smaller figures.  I bought a 10mm French Flank Company pack from Old Glory, and it was primed up today.  I'll try to post the painting test results soon.  We are in the midst of a major overseas move, but I'm trying to finish this little project before my kit is packed up.