I've been wondering about the Reichsarmee and their...shall we say "polyglot"...appearance during the Seven Years War. Much of this is due to the units being made up of contingents from multiple countries.
It's difficult enough in these days of the Internet to get people on the same page. Imagine what the tailors and outfitters of literally dozens of small towns had to do.
Which really got me to thinking. What if I painted a Reichsarmee unit, using castings from all the different companies? Then, what about asking different people to do so?
For example, the Baden-Baden regiment was made up of 42 (yes, Virginia, forty-two) different contingents. They had a uniform cut in the Prussian style, with white small clothes, trousers, and facings.
So, give THAT information to a dozen or three gamers. Ask them to paint ONE figure from their lead mountain and send it to a single person to base (the basing will "tie them together").
So, everything from Minifig to Stadden via Foundry and Front Rank, all in one battalion. Do the "size forward, size right" drill, with the largest at the flanks.
And then I find out the Kapiti Fusiliers did so, albeit with all Front Rank French Napoleonic figures. See http://web.mac.com/nataliendpeter/Site/Napoleonic_Fusiliers_Batt.html
Anyway, said regiment could then become a traveling show, going to Big Battalion games or conventions. It would probably be best given to an organization, perhaps the SYW Association.
So, crazy?
Sounds like fun. I would be willing to contribute. :-)
ReplyDeleteIt isn't crazy, but there is a HUGE difference between certain manufacturers. This photo:
ReplyDeletehttp://tinyurl.com/3c8s5h
. . . shows the extreme difference between some of the popular figures.
However, if this isn't a problem for you, go for it.
-- Jeff
Not crazy at all! Given my current lack of painting output, I'm not sure I could contribute, but it sounds fun. Another possibility might be if Bill Protz/Der Alte Fritz were interested in hosting such a battalion in the Big Battalion games.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds just crazy enough to be fun and interesting! IRL, many of the Hesse-Cassel SYW regiments had companies which were recruited within the smaller graftschaften - e.g., Solms-Braunfels - so that's an entirely wonderful idea! How many do you have in mind as representing a "company"? Six? Four?
ReplyDeleteAccording to Pengel & Hurt, Baden-Baden had 10 fusilier and 2 grenadier companies, totaling around 1513 men, plus 2 3pdr cannon.
ReplyDelete1st Battalion
Baden-Baden, 2 companies
Ottingen-Wallenstein, Ellwangen, Schwarzenberg, Fugger 1 company each
2nd Battalion
Hochstift Konstanz, Uberlingen, Truschess-Scherr, Truschess-Wolfegg, Mindelheim, Memmingen, all 1 company each.
They don't identify which companies were the grenadiers.
Convert this to BAR, for example, and you have a lot of figures. Too many. So let's just say one battalion, with grenadiers. Using the BAR big battalion, that's 66 figurs (12 of them grenadiers), plus a gun crew with 4 more.
Ed
A very interesting idea -not only for the kaleidodoscopic look of one 'historical' unit, but as a collective effort.
ReplyDeleteDifferences in height can be largely compensated at the basing stage - and I believe that, historically, taller men were put in the rear rank?
Go for it, it's very promising.
Jean-Louis
Definitely a fun idea, I would happily recruit for the unit (Prussians, now where could I get some of from?)
ReplyDeleteSteve