Well, That Tore It...

 I have for over 4 decades, pretty much avoided Napoleonic wargaming like the plague. 

Why?

Well, to be honest, I don't know, other than I just never really felt comfortable with the hundreds of books on Waterloo, Borodino, Austerlitz et al...

Look, I think we can spend so much time reexamining the minutiae of a period that we forget we are really just playing games with toy soldiers and that of course, is why we are wargamers. I have never been a fan of refighting actual battles to the 'nth' degree.

There always seemd to be a lot of this with Napoleonics and a lot of pseudo-intellectual claptrap to go with it. I avoided it accordingly.

Full disclosure: I did play a couple of games down at the club in about 1985 using the Newbury Fast Play Rules, and will admit to having a good time.

However, I have always liked the uniforms, particularly the stovepipe shako wearing British, and the Vistula Legion, so the idea of three or four divisions of Peninsular period Naps, has been a temptation I steeled myself against, I thought, quite successfully.

I almost fell victim to the infection when Ged Cronin released his book on the Spanish and then when Jervis Johnson's Valour & Fortitude rulettes came along in a 2nd edition, I felt the black hole pull upon my very soul twinned with a similar gravitational distortion from the WoFun plastic Napoleonic range.

But I broke free, because I like a bit more variety in terms of flags etc, than the WoFun armies could offer.

Alas, I could not get the hyperdrive to kick in and so, the pull was still there when I popped up to Recon last weekend.

Yes, at Recon there was the chap who seems to be at all shows, pretending to not be a professional painter, selling his Napoleonic units on tabletop sales, thereby avoiding paying the normal trade stand prices. I was drawn to the pretty little chaps he had on offer, but managed to resist - just.

But, over lunch, the Memsahib and I discussed the Napoleonic Question and it was clear that she would take no persuading to take up the General's baton and tackle a couple of divisions of 28mm French.

Things were not looking good. Obviously I'd not kept up to date with my Napoleonic vaccinations.

And as you may have surmised, the result is that I am now in the process of sealing the deal on a nice little fully painted, Peninsular British army and at the same time find myself faced with 6 battalions of infantry from Foundry. 

Of course, because I hate painting my own stuff, these are in greatcoat (look, my figures - my rules. Deal with it!) so that I can at least get them painted before I get measured for a pine carry case.

The Memsahib has begun amassing the books and a few boxes of Perry Miniatures French, so I can invoke.

The worst thing, is that I am actually looking forward to it with the sense of thrill I got from my first four in a bed experience...

TTFN