Rolica Revisited

 Rolica Revisited!

With the CDC indicating that vaccinations against COVID are highly effective, we thought it time to have a gathering of fully vaccinated gamers for the first time since the Pandemic started.  Interestingly one of the participants let me know my last Muskets and Marshals game held in early 2020, was his last game before the pandemic struck, so very fitting that we should reintroduce social gaming with  a Napoleonic Muskets and Marshals reprise.

For this latest test of Rolica I tweaked a few of the rules for the larger battalions yet again, and all worked out very well.  I reduced the fire power of skirmishers a bit, and moderated the effect of disorganization in melee. Neither tweak had any effect on the length of the game or the fun and  speed of a combat or firefight resolution.  Many, many thanks to Striker over at the Hinton Hunt Vintage Wargame Figures blog for his work on these fantastic and fun rules.  I love the old school feel of the simultaneous movement, which really helps speed the game along.

The Likely suspects: James, Stephen, Eddie, Mike and David - a great crew to open up the garage to and have some fun.

A quick review of the historical situation, a very brief review of the rules, and we were off the the races.

Jockeying for position under the glow of the Miller Lite Billiards fixture.

British canon fire opens the ball.

The 71st moves forward - they would play a crucial role in the actions ahead.

Wellington briefs his staff for his first at bat in the Peninsula.  The French on the hill in the background ready to repel the invaders.

Four companies of the 39th take up position at the top of the hill over-looking steep cliffs.  Two of the battalion's six companies have been sent to garrison a small village where one of Wellington's flanking columns have been seen approaching.

To the right of the cliffs two British battalions Come into assault position.  The Gordon Highlanders will assault up a steep slope while the 50th follow the creek bed into the valley to hopefully come up behind the 39th.

On the left the Black Watch attempt to form line while the 24th makes a run for the village.  Unbeknownst to the Brits, The two companies of the 39th garrisoned in the village have sallied forth and burst through the trees right as the Black Watch is forming into line, throwing them into confusion.  In thew distance the 42nd can hear the drums of another French battalion striking the Pas de Charge.

But wait, what is this, just as the 42nd are thrown into confusion, the Legion Hanovrienne (playing a Swiss battalion), reverse muskets and surrender to the British.  They have had enough of the mistreatment by their French overlords!

While this creates a hole in the center of the French line, the British are not well placed to take advantage, as they have to spend a while assessing the situation and finally spin off several companies from the 58th battalion to escort the Legion Hanovrienne to the rear.

On the left there is more bad news for the 42nd Black Watch Highlanders.  Their illustrious Colonel Macara is knocked from the saddle by well aimed musket ball from the ever present French Voltigeurs.  The loss of their Colonel, the surprise and fierceness of the French attack, and the impending arrival of another French battalion, is just too much and the Highlanders rout away in panic.

The sacrifice of the highlanders was not in vain however.  Having drawn the French forward, they would find themselves completely cut off from the rest of their army.

Meanwhile in the center, the 71st, spurred on by the impetuous Lieutenant-Colonel Cadogan, charge up a ravine in march column hoping to get up the steep hill and behind the bulk of the French forces.  Both the defection of the Swiss (Legion Hanovrienne), and the impetuous charge up the gorge, were historical events.  In this case the roll of a 1 on a die at the beginning of each turn triggered the start of 1 of 3 special events.  The last was yet to come...

Back on the right, despite the steepness of the hill, the Gordons have charged home, disordering the remaining four companies of the 39th.

Unknown to the Gordons, two squadrons of Chasseurs have just charged some British riflemen who unwisely burst into view on the top of the hill in good ground for the Chasseurs.  Some were able to flee to the woods, but about half of the riflemen were ridden down by the merciless Chasseurs.

The Gordons, flush with victory pursue the routing 39th unaware of their danger, and are hit in the flank by the Chasseurs, who ride them down and rout them.  At the same time the 71st Highlanders are charged by the 1st battalion of the 39th.  The 71st were almost able to form line, but the French assault was well time and once again sent another British battalion packing.  Just out of the frame on the bottom right, the 50th were gaining the top of the hill behind the French lines unopposed!

The battle hangs in the balance, but what is this - 2 battalions of Portuguese suddenly appear and begin their inexorable march to the rear of the French formations.  Another "1" at the beginning of the 8th turn has triggered the third special event!

To make matters worse for the French, with the Legere out of position and the Legion Hanovrienne gone, the British light dragoons bolt up the road past modest skirmisher fire which is ineffective due to the pine scrub which gives the horsemen some small protection, but most of all they just got lucky!

The light Dragoons will gain the top of the hill, just as the last of the French guns guarding the road are silenced due to some counter-battery fire that finally found its mark.  Almost simultaneously the 24th British line battalion also gained the top of the hill, putting a strong force of infantry and cavalry in place behind the French blocking the road, with more troops coming up fast on both flanks!  The British paid dearly for their victory, with three battalions chased from the field, but in the end the French were left unable to withdraw and reinforce the army at Vimiero.  So while the French made a good showing, loosing only 1 battalion, based on the positions at the end of turn 10, very few if any would have been able to avoid being made prisoner.

Suddenly the closeness of the battle is explained, as old Nosey apparently left the field of battle to go have a chat with the village laundresses!   Clearly that happy event was suppressed in the history books of the time...

What a fun day it was!  A special thanks to my friends who sacrificed being outside on a beautiful Saturday afternoon to spend time around a games table.  Fortunately we were able to leave the garage doors open, so it almost felt like being outside.  A special thanks to David R for taking some absolutely wonderful photographs, and to Eddie and his son James who drove eighty miles each way to join us!  Thanks to Mike for providing good beer and a thorough reading of the rules and to Stephen, whose humor when half of his force defected kept a smile on all our faces.  Can't wait for the next time!

Works in Progress - Bavarians, Colonels and Old Guard Grenadiers

 With the completion of the Dutch Grenadiers, I have started in on a few new units which are in various stages of completion.  Even more importantly, given expanded access to the vaccine, I have an actual game planned for next week with actual real live people.  I'm not sure I remember how to be sociable, so I may have to practice with my pups before the weekend!

Les Higgins French Old Guard Grenadiers are on deck for prepping and priming.  A few bayonets need repair, but most figures are in excellent condition.  I will be mixing in a few SHQ command types, which mix pretty well with Les Higgins.  There is also a Franznap Colonel and a copy of the Hinton Hunt FN 367 figure of General Cambronne, who may serve instead as General  de Brigade Michel, along with a Les Higgins Major.  Collecting this many out of production figures is no easy feat, so I would be remiss to not thank Wellington Man for finding the majority of these on ebay for me, and Rob G who contributed a some excellent extras that looked virtually brand new as well as General Cambronne.

Here we have some Der Kriegspieler Bavarian Chevau-leger.  A lot of work has gone into these to better approximate the uniform of the Bavarian Chevau-leger.   The command figures are Hinton Hunt and of much higher quality and sculpting accuracy.

While I am working on painting the Bavarians and prepping the French, a battalion of French Marines of the Guard are soaking in the Dettol to remove the old paint.  Thanks to Bill W who generously provided the Marines!

Finally we have just a few odds and ends in process.  Colonel Ralph Dundas Tindall at the far right will take over command of the Dutch Grenadiers.  Next to him is a wonderful Franznap figure of a French Vivandierre nursing her baby.  Finally there is a conversion of a Portuguese Colonel.  I need to spruce up two more of Dick Tennant's Portuguese battalions to complete the British 1st Infantry Division, so I will probably get those done before starting the paintwork on the Les Higgins Old Guard Grenadiers.

 

"1er Bataillon 3e Regiment Les Grenadiers Hollandais"

 

French Imperial Guard

3^rd “Old Guard” Infantry Division - Dutch Grenadiers

3e Régiment de Grenadiers à Pied de la Garde Impériale

1er Bataillon

1812-1813

The 3rd "Dutch" Grenadiers of the French Imperial Guard is one of those iconic regiments I have always wanted to model, so it was with a bit of trepidation that I embarked on this project.  The white uniforms of the Dutch, and the splendor of their dress makes them a challenge to paint and to do justice to their reputation.  I hope I have accomplished that here.

The Battalion is modeled from Der Kriegspieler castings number 220, with what I believe are DK command figures as well (number 20).  The pose for the figure DK 220 was originally facing forward, in a somewhat awkward knock-kneed stance.  I therefore painstakingly rotated each head about 90 degrees (thank goodness for the soft metal!), detached the lead foot from the base, rotated the foot 90 degrees and bent the knee to give the figure a more aggressive and natural position.  The leg/foot was then simply reattached with super glue, and in some instances reinforced with super glue as the twisting did stress the metal.

It was not until I started work on the back side of these figures that I realized how much detail is required to paint a unit of the old guard.  I realized that the buttons on the gaiters alone amounted to in excess of 650-700 buttons to paint!

Interestingly, the drummers wore a blue coat in 1812, not the traditional white.  The Guard had flags that were recently reissued, so used the older diamond pattern flag until 1813.  While I did not have official guards for the eagle bearer, I opted to flank him here by a couple of gristled sergeants, distinguished here by gold stripes on a red background on the lower left arm.  The chevrons on a black background above that represent ten years of service for each chevron.

 

The weight of a 36 figure battalion was too much for my light box, causing it to sink into the stool on which I was photographing them.  Yet another reason not to go down the path of 36 figure battalions!

Of course being able to form a reasonable looking square in which the colonel can shelter is an argument for painting 36 figure battalions.

The Battalion is currently lead by the subordinate Colonel, who will be replaced by Colonel Ralph Dundas Tindal as soon as he is finished.  This figure is an old guard Colonel by Franznap.

 

I love the long legs of the Franznap horses!

 

Franznap figures are beautifully sculpted, though a bit more realistically proportioned than Hinton Hunt figures, which tend to be more robust in comparison.

Colonel Tindal is in progress, made from the same Franznap figure that has had a different arm attached (the model comes with three choices), the greatcoat over the shoulder removed, and the head swapped with an SHQ old Guard command figure.  He will take his rightful place at the head of the battalion soon, and the presence of his subordinate will be a constant reminder that in time I will need to paint the second battalion of this illustrious regiment.

Next up on the painting desk, the 5th Bavarian Chevauleger!

Napoleonic Civilian Camp Followers - Laundry Day

I decided it was high time for a post to diffuse some of the masculinity of soldiers in military garb marching off to do battle.  To that end I thought it would be nice to include the oft unseen contribution of the camp followers.  Napoleonic armies had very little in the way of formalized support services, relying instead on the women who followed their men or their need for work/food, behind the army hoping to eek out a meager living.

This lovely set of "Washer Women" is available from Franznap miniatures.  The casting quality and sculpture of these is as usual from Franznap, extraordinarily good.

The new website is still getting refreshed, but should be available soon here:

https://www.franznapminiatures.com/  

I will let these photos speak for themselves other than to say that these were a joy to paint:

Next up will be some serious manliness.  The 3rd Dutch Grenadiers of the French Imperial Guard in their high bearskin hats and white uniforms are rapidly approaching completion.  I hope they will be ready for their debut within a couple of weeks.  Fingers crossed...

Hinton Hunt Waterloo Pamphlet

 A Good Friend, Terry W. and I shared an afternoon playing some engaging English Civil War miniature battles using a DBA rules variant, but truthfully after a year in quarantine, we spent most of the afternoon drinking wine and just catching up.  Terry was kind enough to share a few odds and ends he had collected over the years, and knowing my interest in Hinton Hunt miniatures, passed on this little Waterloo Pamphlet that Marcus Hinton must have put together to help peddle his wares.  I don't know how common they are, so thought I would just pop up some pictures as a curiosity for those who share my interest.

 

An old man's view of the front yard.  This is the view from some chairs we keep up by the house in the front yard.  I planted all of the flowering trees and cedars about 20-25 years ago when we bought the place. I Planted many of the smaller hardwoods too. A good argument for staying put in one place, and a nice spot to read through Marcus Hinton's words on Waterloo.

 And finally a super quick shot of the Dutch Grenadiers, slowly marching towards completion.

 

Not Hinton Hunt, but these Der Kriegspieler figures, after a lot of tender loving care, are starting to look the part!

The white backpack straps and cross belts are the only major element left to paint.  Then the fun of highlighting and more detailing begins!