Happy that in just a few weeks I've managed to clean and assemble 34 figures: 20 S&S Musketeers, 10 Romanoff Musketeers, and two S&S Mounted Officers. Especially since this is a much larger stage in the bag-to-table process than with 25s! Painting I believe will be faster since the figure is bigger and easier to work with, and I don't plan to do much more detailing than with my 25s. Well, maybe for the officers... :)
Next up, I plan to keep on assembling! I've 20 S&S Unarmored Pikemen, and 5 Foot Command from both S&S and Romanoff. As there's a bit more room for personality with them, command figs are always fun. My plan is to assemble figures for regiments, then paint the regiment as a whole to bring more character and unity to the unit. Also, since I don't have a specific set of rules for which I'm basing them, I need some time to think about that. As I'm writing my own rules I plan to play with, I have plenty of latitude but it certainly takes up more thought than just basing them for Pike and Shotte or something. Also, I promised myself I couldn't buy any more figures until I fully assembled all of these! Then as the regiment building system gets under way, I may need some specific purchases to round them out.
I've ordered some bases from Corsec, and when they arrive that'll be another post with pics. After I get those I'll mount the figs on the bases for painting convenience and also to start experimenting with the novel action sequence and conventional firing system I'm working on for the rules.
Next up, I plan to keep on assembling! I've 20 S&S Unarmored Pikemen, and 5 Foot Command from both S&S and Romanoff. As there's a bit more room for personality with them, command figs are always fun. My plan is to assemble figures for regiments, then paint the regiment as a whole to bring more character and unity to the unit. Also, since I don't have a specific set of rules for which I'm basing them, I need some time to think about that. As I'm writing my own rules I plan to play with, I have plenty of latitude but it certainly takes up more thought than just basing them for Pike and Shotte or something. Also, I promised myself I couldn't buy any more figures until I fully assembled all of these! Then as the regiment building system gets under way, I may need some specific purchases to round them out.
I've ordered some bases from Corsec, and when they arrive that'll be another post with pics. After I get those I'll mount the figs on the bases for painting convenience and also to start experimenting with the novel action sequence and conventional firing system I'm working on for the rules.
As to basing, I'm of the opinion that pikes should be in a denser mass than the muskets with their lit matches . . . so that's how I plan on basing them.
ReplyDeleteI will have standard 2" square bases for my 28mm figures. This will allow two mounted figures. It will also allow five pikes on a base and three musketmen.
A "standard" unit would have six bases -- four of matchlocks and two of pikes/command . . . but other sizes are certainly doable.
-- Jeff
How many ranks will the foote be in? if one, it'll be quite tight and if in two will they just always be uneven?
ReplyDeleteThe drill books of the period give a generous space around each man, plus additional space every several files for them to countermarch by rank down the 'empty file'. There's no indication of varied space between pike v. shotte, and the formations are much more open than later when drill was maximized mathematically. They also didn't march precisely and the space between ranks was nearly double what we do now for close-order drill, about three feet.
On the other hand, you can use the figure strength of the bases as 1d6 each for combat purposes, so the higher figure count for pike means that they melee better than shotte, and you can give cavalry a bonus dice if they charge or something. So shooting 2d6 pistols or 3d6 muskets (but at a longer range) and 0d6 for pike might be a very doable and fast game mechanic.
Personally, I'm buying 3"x3" bases for cavalry [2], guns [1], generals [1-3]. and pike [6 in two ranks], and 1.5"x3" stands for muskets [3], command [3] and personalities 1-3]. I was going to have 6 shotte in two ranks of three just like pike but decided I wanted to give players the option to deploy the pike in a single rank [representing three real ranks]. At first the formations will be 1 pike and 4 shotte + 1 command per regiment, but I'll add additional stands for larger regiments later as I paint more.
Personally, I think that the real crucial issue is correct frontage which then translates into correct ground scale definition which then becomes correct ranges.
Well my base size was dictated by my opponent who has 2" square steel bases. He bases all of his figures on washers and uses rare earth magnets to attach them to his bases . . . so that's what size we'll use.
ReplyDeleteNominally each base will have 4 men (whether pike or shot), but I just like the look of it the other way . . . and it saves two figures per unit (i.e., 12 shot and 10 pike representing 16 and 8 respectively). The actual number of figures on a base won't affect the number of troops.
Oh, and yes the muskets will be staggered representing two ranks.
-- Jeff
ReplyDeleteFrom here: http://theminiaturespage.com/boards/msg.mv?id=317762
daniel S for the win:
[quote] syler.com/drillDemo/menu.html provides an excellent introduction to the how 17th C formation distances worked. Unlike later periods there was no fixed frontage or depth but rather the unit would increase or decrease width/depth as needed.
The Dutch used a width of 3 feet for each file of pikemen and 4.5 feet for each file of shot when calculating the space a battalion of infantry needed. In addition the pike had a gap of 6 feet between themselves and each "wing" of shot while the wings of shot were divided into 3 sub-units each also separated by 6 feet gaps. (To allow for fire by rank using 'divisions' link
In addition each battalion was to have a 100 foot gap between it and the next battalion to allow for manouvers and the use of open order. [quote]
I'm now considering 2x3 pike or 2x2 shotte on a 3x3 base [the shotte base
divided in half for deploying in Double Ordered Line of 3 ranks deep].
This will also simplify combat calculations as the figs will represent the
combat strength of the base. Yes Pike will melee with a base of 6 dice v. 4
musket dice, but they won't be able to shoot or "project" their combat
ability. So the base cost will probably be equal I'm thinking.