Of Covenanters & Collections

 It's been a really busy week in my studio, so I've been thinking more than doing as it were.

I did receive the first 4 regiments of Covenanter infantry from the painter, and they are now stuck down and glossed, waiting for a delivery of matt varnish, which has been on backorder for 3 months.

So far I've got 10 units of horse and 4 of foot along with 9 artillery pieces. Still to come are 8 more foot regiments and 2 units of mounted and dismounted dragoons. Then it's a quick basing job, pop the flags on (which have been ready to roll for about 5 months or so) and I can start to drive the godless Royalist scum from my lands.

Here are a couple a of pics:

 The cavalry consists of 2 regiments of 'Buffs' with carbines, 4 with sword and then 4 units of lancers. They are 9 figure units representing about 200 men each.

The infantry will be 4 brigades of 3 regiments representing units of around 700 men. 8 units will be in the traditional Hodden grey, whilst three will be in the red coats issued for the Irish campaign, and 1 painted as the Minister's Regiment. It's a way to get a little colour into the 'Grey Wall' and I think it will look nice when it's all deployed on a large table.

I ordered a few more packs of the Lemax snow covered fir trees, bringing the total to 126 assorted sized firs, which will hopefully give me all I need.

What I have been thinking through, is the way forward with regards to collecting.  

The large collection of a given period, looks great, but even with a 12 foot+ deployment zone, there's a finite number of pieces that may be deployed and moved around in a meaningful and enjoyable manner.

I firmly think, after much reflection and scribbling of notes, that 350-450 models per side is more than ample.

Unit sizes, particularly where formations are linear becom a little more important, once you try to even perform a simple wheeling formation on a table of between 4 and 6 feet in depth, so a figure of 18-24 models per infantry unit seems to allow manoeuvres , whilst still providing a challenge. The lowerfigure count also means that where you played with 360 infantry in 10 or 12 units, you can use 18s and get 20 units, opening up brigade scale movements, rather tha the ballet dancing movement of one unit and then another. It also means more flags and therefore more colour on the table top.

If you stretch to 20 figures with 5 figures on a 6 figure element, you have a nominal 24 figure unit which can be posed with more dynamism and again, with 360 models you get 18 units all of a healthy yet manageable size. My Scots unist are nominally 36 men but contain 32 models with a full strength pike block and 4 elements of 5 musketeers. The units seem more animated, even in pretty static poses, because you can jig the figures around on a base, a little more easily.

 So I think that perhaps this is the way I will go in future.

I've also finally accepted that sometimes, just sometimes, there's an argument in favour of skirmish games. But, wait a moment, because I don't mean 10 men per side, but rather 75-100 figures allowing for multiple groups on each side capable of undertaking several military objectives in unison.

I'm planning British/Canadian and Union forces for the escalation of the 1861 Trent Affair, which will follow the 350-450 per side rule. However, I'll also be basing them individually and using movement trays, so that with the addition of 100 or so Fenians, also singly based, much of the army will be able to do double duty, defending the crossing between Canada and the Northern States from incursions of Irish Nationalists.

The tried and tested concept of a core collection with branches will be used whenever possible so that I can get more bang for my buck, and play more varied games in the appropriate modes.

And that's about all for this week, but I hope that you've enjoyed hearing about the ideas I am formulating to get the most from my hobby.

TTFN