Napoleonic Operations Group


Introduction

 

Objective: refight battles of the Napoleonic Wars with 25mm figures.

 

I intend to use actual battles as scenarios with a unit = 3 to 5,000 real chaps to scale down the figures required.  This may mean some 'adjustments' to actual ORBATs, but as the objective is FUN and not accurate representation (if that is possible) I'm not particularly bothered.


Key players

 

Jef & Ian 

A member of the NOG is referred to as a Napoleonic Operations Group Gaming INcumbent (NOGGIN).


Armies

 

So far I have increasing numbers of Austrians and some French and Bavarians. If you want to join in you don't have to stick with one nation but I suggest one Noggin takes the lead on a nation to ensure we don't end up with 3 Imperial Guard corps. With regard to collecting your 'army' here are the standard unit sizes:

 

Infantry: 12 figures (16 for Austrian Line)

Cavalry: 6 figures.

Artillery: 1 model gun and crew.

Skirmishers: Groups of 6 figures.

Generals: general + ADC on a single base for the army commander, officer on single base for the rest.

 

There are a lot of nations to choose from, but in this scale the minor nations will be represented by (often) a single unit in the larger scheme of things. The main protagonists were France, Britain, Spain, Russia, Austria and Prussia although I would advise against Britain and Spain as that severly limits your options. Minor nations with substantial forces were Italy, Bavaria, Poland and Sweden.  But don't be too upset if you find your favourite Pavlovski guard doubling as Hungarian Insurrection if we find ourselves short of the right troop types.

 

Obviously, there are many 25/28mm figure ranges out there.  For reasons of nostalgia* and economy** I am using Warrior figures (50p each) and Hat/Esci plastic guns, especially as they just fit nicely between larger 28mm and smaller plastic 20mm figures.  In fact, if you just want to dip your toe in the water plastics are a good place to start. With Hat, Perry and Victrix now making 25/28mm plastics wargaming in this scale with quality toys is becoming affordable again.

 

* my first 25mm figures were Warrior Austrians to fit in with another gamer's Airfix collection in Staines (Paul Carson - a decent chap and hopefully still wargaming). This was 1986 when Warrior sold armies for £11.95 each!

** an infantry unit costs £6.

 


Rules

Used to use SHAKO 2, but have recently discovered and tested Neil Thomas' Napoleonic rules which played a fast and entertaining game, seemingly with the right outcome.  As we have had difficulty remembering SHAKO from one game to the next, NT's rules seem to fit our purposes nicely. I have made a few minor amendments (such as the artillery rules, which were too abstract for our purposes) but they are basically 'from the book'.


Basing

 

I found this the best for flexibility and ease of use (i.e. they stand up!):

 

Infantry: Two 60x30mm bases and two 30x30mm bases. Enables units to be formed as lines, columns and squares with ease.

Cavalry: Three bases of 40x40mm.

Artillery: One base 60mm square per gun & crew.

Skirmishers: Individually mounted on 1p coins.

Generals: Circular bases, 70mm and 50mm in diameter, depending on rank.


Background info

 

Armies, Flags and Uniforms


FAQs

 

 

NOG questions