Beginning Work on the Royal Ecossais

Saturday afternoon and evening I undercoated the first two 12-figure companies of the Gallian Regiment Royal Ecossais.  I used a white undercoat this time instead of my normal gray since I think their blue coats with red facings will stand out better.  I hope to begin actually brushing some paint on them tonight.

Eventually the regiment will total six 12-figure companies (using the large organization in the Batailles d'la Ancien Regime rules by Bill Protz.  I'm using the Old Glory castings so everyone will be wearing a Scottish bonnet.

Example of painted Royal Ecossais figures from the Old Glory web site.

 

That is, as many of you know, entirely "wrong," but they are my imagi-nation troops and I'm part Scottish in my ancestry so even the Jacobite Scots exiles wear the bonnet in my armies (He says with a big smile!). 

I do have one question - should the musicians be in the French royal livery (as a royal regiment) or in reversed colors as depicted in the Old Glory web site painted example?  Kronoskaf states that information is not available.

More later, with some pictures.

School of the 18th Century Soldier

On Monday (Labor Day in the US), I entertained six of our wargaming group with an introduction to Batailles de l'Ancien Regime rules by Bill Protz (Msr. Chevert). A quick run-through of the salient points of the rules and a brief demonstration of battlefield maneuvers led to a small game. Each of the six players had two 24-figure battalions and a battalion gun. There were three players on the Elector's side and three on the Imperium's side. One player on each side had an elite command of grenadiers.

We played on a 16' x 5-1/2' main table with back tables of 16' x 2-1/2' in the fellowship hall of my church. That gave us plenty of room. We will use the same set-up for the "real" game on Sep. 19.

In the center, Lord Sterling comtemplates how best to maneuver his command of Carpanian musketeers against his Courland opponents.

On one flank, the two elite commands (Courland grenadiers in the foreground and Carpanian grenadiers and Campbell's Highlanders in the background) contest the village of Alt Kirchendorf. The church (kirche) is a paper model built with foamcore walls.

On the other flank, the Sachsen-Wachsensteiners went up against a command of Carpania fusiliers. Both sides initial volleys were devastating since the players couldn't roll "saves" to save their lives (pun intended!)

A look across the center (Courland musketeers on right and Carpanian musketeers on left) with the church in the background. Herr von Sansing is maneuvering his Carpanian grenadiers through the church side graveyard.

After defeating a charge by Campbell's Highlanders and sending them routing onto the Electoral back table, one of the Courland grenadier battalions outflanks the Carpanian grenadiers who earlier withdrew from the graveyard.

Action on the other flank as the Sachsen-Wachsensteiners and Carpanians go at each other at point-blank range. The two lines in the background are in a melee. Both lost sufficiently to drop below 50% and force a morale roll, which both failed, sending them reeling back from each other.

The six players caught on to the rules very quickly and by the second or third turn were doing their own firing without too much kibitzing from the game master (yours truly). They are all looking forward, as am I, to the big game on Saturday, Sep. 19th.

Skirmish at Jungsteindorf

On Friday evening, November 14, Ed Youngstrom and Bill Protz held a tutorial session on the Batailles de l'Ancien Regime (BAR) rules for some of us who would be playing in the Texas Big Battalions game the next day.

Here is my take on the small action, which I am proposing was a skirmish the day before the big battle at Steinkreisdorf.

An advanced guard of Germanians clashed briefly with an advanced guard of Osterreichers over the village of Jungsteindorf. Both sides had two infantry battalions, a dragoon regiment (of two squadrons), and a 6-lbr gun. I commanded one of the Germanian infantry battalions and the pictures were taken from that perspective.

The Germanian battalion that I commanded and the 6-lbr gun march towards Jungsteindorf.

One of the two Osterreicher battalions which I was facing.

The cavalry action between the two dragoon regiments. In what would be a foreshadowing of the cavalry actions during the fighting at Steinkreisdorf, the Germanians were defeated and fled the field.

Supported by the 6-lbr (just out of the picture to the left), my battalion squares off in a firefight with the Osterreichers. I was on a small ridge which gave both of us a slight decrement in firepower. I later moved forward off of it to continue the musketry fight at closer range.

After helping me against the Osterreicher infantry, the 6-lbr was turned against the enemy dragoons who were regrouping after defeating the Germanian cavalry.

Even though it has only been five days since that little skirmish, I cannot recall who "won" the tutorial battle. But, no matter; we all learned some valuable lessons for the big battle the next day at Steinkreisdorf.