Questions from a newcomer

[sonicReducer]

Hi chaps,

I hope this is an appropriate place to post this. I'm not new to wargaming - I played Warhammer and Warmachine in the past, but have sold off everything bar my Infinity collection (Ariadna)

I'm a big fan of the Sharpe novels and TV films, and quite interested in the Napoleonic period in general. I introduced a close friend to Sharpe and he proceeded to go the whole hog, including starting a British 28mm army.

I'm quite interested in starting up a French force, but before I do so I have some questions before I plonk down some cash

- Should I be choosing a particular period to base the army in? e.g. 1812, 1815, etc

- Is it easy to find guides to uniforms, equipment, colours etc to keep things authentic?

- Do players tend to only play the same period based armies against each other or is it a bit more relaxed?

- Should I just pick a particular ruleset and hope for the best, or go with whatever my opponents are using?

- Is it viable to base minis singly? e.g. put each mini on magnets and then be able to put them 4x4 or 6x4 as I wish, or am I better off just choosing one way to base (I assume this will be based on the ruleset)?

- Do the rulebooks say what units would be used in the army or do I need to research it myself? e.g. Hussars but no dragoons

- Does anyone know of any good places to play around Manchester? I live in Salford but confess that free time is very sparse due to my young family

Many thanks for any help!
Richard

[Churchill]

Ray.

[sonicReducer]

Thanks for the help Ray! I'm currently looking around for a club nearby, I think there are 2 that aren't too far from me so I will see what they are playing.

Currently reading the Sharp Practice rules - smaller games with less minis suit me a bit better as my free time is a bit limited

Rich

[obriendavid]

Rich, the best thing to do before you start picking a period and painting figures is to decide what time of game you want to have as there are plenty of Napoleonic rules out there to cover small skirmish actions, brigade/division sized battles up to grand tactical battles.

Once you have decided on what type of game you want to have then pick a period that interests you. You have already mentioned an interest in the Sharpe series and there are lots of small unit actions you could take from those stories to keep you going for a while. A good way to build up a force is to start skirmish gaming and do that for a while whilst building up your force to regiment/brigade size and then have a go at the higher level and see how you get on.
Hope this helps?
Dave

[EvilGinger]

Sharpe practice contains a nice primer on basic Napoleonic drills and National idiosyncrasies This with a figure to man ratio of 1:10 makes a very nice set of Battalion to Brigade rules. This is good for re fighting sections of a larger battle & getting the feel of the period.

Ginger

[quindia]

Hi, Rich! Welcome to the forum!

I have some articles on my neglected website that may serve as a guide for building a small army. Though the step-by-step is British, the same rules would apply for the French...

Collecting a Wargames Army

The Napoleonic series is the fourth line down. There are also lots of photos of both French and British in the gallery (coincidentally, also the forth section).

If you like Sharpe Practice, there is a forum here that discusses all aspects of the game. A great way to start a collection is to pick a published scenario that appeals to you and collect the models you need to play it.

Hope this helps! Feel free to keep asking questions here as well - there are loads of experienced gamers here who are happy to help drag you... err... help you get into this period!

[sonicReducer]

Brilliant, thank you all so much, I really appreciate the help.

Will keep reading and seeing what the clubs near me are like

Richard