With the Choke Peninsular Campaign now in the rear view mirror, thoughts turn to what next.
My home brew concoction of rules worked pretty well, though I was not totally satisfied with some aspects. Everything was too clean and precise in the heat of battle, not the disorganised chaos that it should surely be. The ranges of the muskets and artillery too, just didn't seem to feel right at this scale. Something I need to think on.
I do like to represent each regiment as opposed to just brigade sized units but even in 6mm that takes up a lot of space, I had a total of 25 Union infantry regiments, split between six brigades for VI Corps alone in the campaign.
I would like to fight a larger engagement in my next campaign/battle, and below shows how the three brigades of 1st Division would look, opposed to a total 12 units needed at regimental level. It certainly takes up less space, but I do lose the personality of being able to name each individual regiment, and it looks nowhere near as impressive.
I do own a number of Civil War rule sets, so changing to one of them wouldn't be a problem if my own set continues to disappoint. Glory Hallelujah! in the Black Powder system does have that chaotic movement factor that I have so far failed to replicate in my own.
The rule set is very enjoyable, and with the added bonus of Civil War twists to the core rules it, could and should, work just fine for larger battles. I do have enough infantry stands to represent every brigade that fought at Gettysburg on both sides, not that I could ever fit the whole battlefield on my table of course. I have enough cavalry too, but may be a little light on artillery for both sides.
I have some thinking to do it seems.
The good old practice of bath-tubbing is worth trying, set up a big battle, with an Order-of-Battle worked out in brigades and then fight with each brigade being a regiment and played with regimental based rules. I quite like units representing regiments, I feel that’s where the formation flavour and nuances are.
ReplyDeleteThanks Norm, I must admit I do like to have named regiments on the table. I shall have to look into more rule sets, I do have Pickett's Charge and Johnny Reb III has also been suggested. The Fire and Fury system too, seems to have many devotees.
DeleteRegimental is my favorite scale to plat in. You have some pondering to do, Ian. Another set to look at - and one I have overlooked for years: Fire & Fury. It comes in two flavors. Either the original brigade level rules - units are brigades, or the regimental version. The latter is readily available these days. Easy system with a lot of feel for the period.
ReplyDeleteGreat series of articles; well done!
~K
Thanks Kurtus, It seems I have a lot of reading to do, a number of rule sets have been put forward that may just appeal. I have Pickett's Charge but will look into getting hold of a couple more.
DeleteI also prefer the regimental identity. In 1/72 5-8 base regiments allow me to fight Divisional size battles on my 7x5 ft table with enough room for manoeuvre and enough detail to capture the look of the individual regiments.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, there is just something special and more personal, using regimental names.
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