6mm French - 200 Point Blucher Army

After pausing for Christmas and Boxing day I've completed my French 6mm army up to 200 points in the Blucher rules. I will be of course making this army bigger than it is, but first I will be doing 200 points of Austrians.

This has been my first foray into 6mm as a scale, using Baccus 6mm figures, and I'm really pleased with how quickly painting the figures is and I really like how they look all based up.

The Army so far.

I Corps: 1 Elite Infantry, 3 Line Infantry and 1 Foot Artillery.

II Corps: 1 Elite Allied Infantry, 1 Elite Infantry, 2 Line Infantry, 1 Allied Infantry, and 1 Light Cavalry (Hussars).

III Corps (Cavalry): 4 Dragoons, 1 Horse Artillery.

The army is in fact the same as the list I have been using in 10mm just for ease of use and because I have found it fun to play. I will be adding more units up to 250 and then probably 300 points which should distinguish it.
I'm really pleased with how these have turned out, and in only just over a week.

Next, on to the Austrians!

6mm Beginnings - French Elite Infantry

I recently received my first orders from Baccus 6mm for my French and Austrian armies. I plan on using these to play Blucher at my local club. The units will be based on 60mmx30mm bases like my 10mm figures. 

 The contents of the delivery will enable me to create 2 reasonable sized armies for the Blucher rules.

So far I've painted up 3 units of infantry (2 elite infantry, and 1 elite allied infantry in Blucher terms) and I'm very pleased with how they look combined with the basing.

Volley! At Farnborough, After Action Report

 Today I attended a Blucher tournament at my local wargames club and I took a bunch of photos. I played as Peninsula French, and had a great time.

Game 1: 
In game 1 I was attacking my Ottoman opponent.

My opponent has set up with all his infantry, artillery and his 2 objectives behind a river. His masses of cavalry are set up in the top right. I wan't confident in attacking across the river, so I deployed to try and wipe his cavalry, if I could break them his army would probably reach it's break point.

Large numbers of Turkish and French cavalry would engage around the forest on the right flank, but it would remain fairly indecisive.

My dragoons have fallen back after heavy combat with the now much dispersed Ottoman cavalry and reform behind reinforcing Badenese Infantry in squares, and fresh Westfalian Chevaux-Legers. On the far right Turkish cavalry remain immobile in front of a line of French infantry, neither wanting to advance upon the other.

At the end of the game the fighting has been very inconclusive. Sporadic infantry fighting across the bridge and all the cavalry fighting on the right actually resulted in 0 broken units on either side when the time was up. The result is a draw, with a slight advantage for my opponent holding more objectives, which he began with for rolling the defender.

Game 2:

In my second game I was matched up against against the Hundred Days British, and rolled to defend. This was an extremely short match and so I only have 2 images.

The centre of the map is dominated early on by my dragoons, preventing the British advancing off their hill.

The only other image of the battle shows 2 British corps stuck between my 2 main corps. The fighting was fierce, but at the end of the fighting 5 British units had been routed to 2 French, and the British army had broken. A convincing win for the boys in blue.

Game 3:

In my third and final game of the day I faced a very different British army. This one was from the Peninsula and so featured a number of Spanish and Portuguese allied units. 

On the left flank I have a corps of Infantry deployed forwards of one of my objectives in order to defend from the hill. My opponents Heavy Dragoons have forced my leftmost infantry into squares but my own Dragoons are forcing the British infantry in the centre into their own squares, both sides would be punished by artillery for this.

On the right flank I have taken the role of defender slightly more liberally and am pressuring hard. I am pretty sure forcing my opponent to spend his precious momentum points dealing with this flank made defending my left far easier.My Dragoons and horse artillery continue to dominate the centre, forcing any attack to halt.

My Dragoons here have charged in to destroy a weakened battery of Heavy Artillery in the centre (already removed). A unit of British Infantry have already been broken by the Horse Artillery in the centre, whilst my foot guns on the hill deal heavy damage to the Brits forced into square to their front.

Several turns later 3 of my Dragoons have moved to support my right flank infantry. The allied Spanish and Portuguese cavalry have been moving back behind the infantry squared unable to stand up to the French cavalry. This has allowed me to reorganise the infantry who had been taking punishment from British musketry.

Towards the end of the game the French left flank is thinning out, but the Heavy Dragoons remain wary to advance into squares and musketry. By this point artillery is too exhausted to really threaten the squares, and so attacking will have to be by brute force.

However the both players focus has been on the right flank, where French Dragoons have made it behind the squares to threaten the Allied horse behind, whilst French infantry trade long distance shots with the infantry (French infantry are just out of shot to the left). The French Dragoons would charge with mixed success, but neither player would gain the advantage and soon the game would end. The result was a spirited draw, although a minor win for my French, with 2 British units broken to 0 French whilst maintaining control of 2 objectives.

At the end of play I won an Arc of Fire marker for coming 3rd out of the French commanders. I had thought there were 14 participants, though on retrospect their may only have been 12, and I think we all had a great time. Lance did a great job hosting the event, and though I felt the rules were fairly advantaged for the defending player I don't think it affected the enjoyment of the games at all.

I have a selection of Photos from other games, although I am not sure what most of them are they are

they all look like good close games.

Shots of Other Games

French (left) vs Ottomans (right)

I think this is Prussians (left) vs French (right)

French (left) vs Russians (right)

French (left) vs Prussians (right)

French (left) vs British (right)

The Finished Brits - The completion of all 3 armies.

Having now finished the final army at Talavera, the British, the project as planned lies completed.

In the future I may make a game board/the relevant terrain for the battle and maybe even get some friends together to play it, but for now this is all. Unfortunately all my units have their Kings and Regimental colours the wrong way round, this was an error I realised early but I decided that uniformity would be best, maybe I will fix them at some point.

I'll post some pictures of the British, and a few where I've laid all the troops out on my bed, which is the only space of roughly the right size for the game that I have currently. Coming in at a little under 1.5k troops, I really like how the whole thing looks.

Thank you for reading, if you want to see the French army click here and for the Spanish click here.

The British

The British Army

The armies laid out on my bed

The French viewed from behind the British Lines.

Half the British - The Penultimate Milestone?

In the past couple of weeks I haven't been able to get that much painting done, but I have crept over the 50% line for the British. This is probably the last real milestone before the final completion of the British army, and unless I decide to make a terrain board, for the whole Talavera project, except for playing the battle of course.

 Some Pictures of the progress since the last update.

Donkin's Brigade, featuring the 60th Rifles, incorrectly given grey rather than blue trousers by myself.

Half the British army at Talavera. Much smaller than the French and Spanish Contingents!

A start on the British, Talavera, and the first Test of my Troops.

To start this one off I have finally made a start on possibly the last great milestone of the armies at Talavera de la Reina, my British army. Not wanting to ignore the new Pendraken sculpts my army shall therefore be half belgic and half stovepipe as Shakos are concerned. If/when Pendraken get around to doing some Stovepiped boys I plan to get some to fix that, but I'm not that worried frankly as most people wont notice at 10mm.

Only some Line Infantry and Light Dragoons so far, but the start of Wellingtons tidy little army I hope.

I have finished the base I plan to use as the main part of Talavera on the game board, and I'm very happy with how the 3mm buildings from Supreme Littleness have come up.

Talavera

On friday I attended my local wargames society for the first time and played a game of Blucher with some of my French against my opponent's 6mm Russians (I am aware crossing scales is heresy for some people but frankly it was hardly an issue at all, and not that noticeable whilst playing our opinions).

My army was forced to attack and my experienced opponent thrashed my in experienced blundering first game with the rules. It was however good fun and I hope to attend again soon. Hopefully acquitting myself better in future.

My left flank, outmaneuvered and stranded. Transfixed by cossacks to their flanks they were unable to assist my beleaguered centre.

Building a town: Waiting for the British

I haven't updated the blog in a long time, but I've now finished my Masters degree program so I've more free time to dedicate to looking for jobs and the Talavera project of mine. 

I'm expecting deliveries from MM and Pendraken of British soldiers in the next couple of days, so there's nothing to update on that front yet, but I have been using the 3mm buildings I bought from Michael at SupremeLittleness in order to create a Talavera base. and I'm really happy with the amount of buildings I can get on my base to represent Talavera whilst still having space to show a garrisoning unit. The space for a unit base will look like the town square, or something equally appropriate, when the town is not garrisoned.

I hope you agree that it looks pretty effective.

Pictures; 

The Army of Estremadura

Having finished the Spanish army for the Battle of Talavera (for the Grande Armee scenario) of 467 figures, I can now make this post calling an end to this part of the project. All the Figures are from Magister Militium, except the Carriage of Cuesta and the Mules which pull it which are from Pendraken.

I will be returning to University for 4 weeks to finish and submit my MA dissertation, so will not be starting the British army for the battle until after then at the earliest.

And on to some pictures.

 

General Cuesta's carriage. He was wounded in the Battle of Medellin and so had
to be moved around in a mule drawn Carriage.

Cuesta and the Divisions of Zayas and Iglesias.

The Divisions of Portago, Manglano and Bassecourt.

Henestrosa and Alququerque's Cavalry Divisions.

The Army of Estremadura

Basing the Spanish

Quick status update. 

Having now finished all the figures for the Spanish army I now have to just base all these and the full army will be completed by the anniversary of the Battle of Talavera.

The guys who need basing.

Over 200 Spaniards

I thought I would make a quick update, as I've been painting still even in my silence. I haven't painted much except more of what has already been seen, I plan to paint up some cavalry next though for some variation.

As is the army has crept over 200 figures and is shockingly almost 50% completed.

Spanish Updates

I haven't painted as much as I would have liked since my last post, but I do have all the infantry for the 1st Division as well as the command base for General Cuesta.

Zayas' First Division has a mixed bag of troops, but should be one of the most solid Spanish divisions. Still to come for this division is the artillery, and Zayas' command base.

General Cuesta was injured during the disastrous battle of Medellin and so was moved around in a mule drawn carriage. I am unsure if I am finished with the carriage as it is now, or if I might come back to it. I do however really like it as an unusual command base, and can't wait for him to see the field, despite his Poor rating.

***EDIT***

I finished Zayas' command base and the artillery base so, here is Division 1, with an appearance from General Cuesta, and all my currently painted Spanish troops.

Starting the Spanish Army of Estremadura

With the French army, and my Exams, done and behind me it is time to start the Spanish Army of Estremadure, led by the much maligned Cuesta.

In my plans the Spanish army at Talavera weighs in at just under 500 figures, and most of them a pretty rough selection of infantry, although to spice up the army I will be modeling Cuesta, who had been incapacitated in an earlier action, in a donkey drawn carriage, although the models for that have not arrived here yet. All the other figures have arrived however, and so I will be starting the way all products should begin. Line infantry.*

*Technically the first Line unit is done, owing to it being the unit I had painted for my French army, until I learned Joseph's troops real uniform. Instead I am technically painting a new unit for the French army which just had its Spanish Soldiers swap sides.

The Spanish Roster. Painted Troops Highlighted Green.*

Loyalist Spanish on the left, Josephino troops on the right.

In 10mm even an entire army can fit into half a dozen small plastic bags.