One of the things that struck me as I was taking part in the recent Ivangorod 1914 re-fight was the similarity between the sizes of units used in OP14 and my ITCHY AND SCRATCHY wargame rules ... and in several other sets of rules (e.g. BATTLE CRY, MEMOIR '44, MEMOIR OF BATTLE). All the rules seem to have gravitated towards unit that have the following number of figures:
15mm-scale OP14-style 'armies'
A Fezian Army of three Corps and a reserve Division. Each Corps has two Divisions – each having two Brigades/Regiments – and an Artillery Brigade equipped with 96 Field Guns.
A Britannic Home Service Corps. It has three Divisions – each with two Brigades – and an Artillery Brigade equipped with 48 Field Guns.
A Britannic Foreign Service Army of two Corps and a reserve/lines-of-communication Division. Each Corps has two Divisions – each having two Brigades – and an Artillery Brigade equipped with 72 Field Guns.
20mm-scale OP14-style 'armies'
A German 1944 Infantry Division. It has two Infantry Regiments and an Artillery Regiment with 48 Field Guns.
A Russian Rifle Division. It has three Infantry Regiments and an Artillery Regiment with 48 Field Guns.
It would appear that I could certainly field sizeable OP14-style 'armies' in 15mm-scale ... and that 20mm-scale OP14-style 'armies' might make it possible to re-fight quite large battles in a small space.
If the opportunity arises, I may well take this 'experiment' further. The problem is that when I set out the figures to see what OP14-style 'armies' would look like. I was reminded that my ITCHY AND SCRATCHY wargame rules still need further play-testing and that their origins lie in an idea that Archduke Piccolo had to fight grand tactical/strategic-level wargames. That said, by adopting OP14-style 'armies' and reducing the weapon ranges used in my ITCHY AND SCRATCHY wargame rules I might just be on the verge of developing a set of rules that could be used for fighting grand tactical/strategic-level battles.
This 'experiment' has certainly given me plenty to think about over the next few days.
- Infantry: 4 figures
- Cavalry: 3 or 4 figures
- Artillery: 2 (or more) figures + 1 gun
15mm-scale OP14-style 'armies'
A Fezian Army of three Corps and a reserve Division. Each Corps has two Divisions – each having two Brigades/Regiments – and an Artillery Brigade equipped with 96 Field Guns.
A Britannic Home Service Corps. It has three Divisions – each with two Brigades – and an Artillery Brigade equipped with 48 Field Guns.
A Britannic Foreign Service Army of two Corps and a reserve/lines-of-communication Division. Each Corps has two Divisions – each having two Brigades – and an Artillery Brigade equipped with 72 Field Guns.
20mm-scale OP14-style 'armies'
A German 1944 Infantry Division. It has two Infantry Regiments and an Artillery Regiment with 48 Field Guns.
A Russian Rifle Division. It has three Infantry Regiments and an Artillery Regiment with 48 Field Guns.
It would appear that I could certainly field sizeable OP14-style 'armies' in 15mm-scale ... and that 20mm-scale OP14-style 'armies' might make it possible to re-fight quite large battles in a small space.
If the opportunity arises, I may well take this 'experiment' further. The problem is that when I set out the figures to see what OP14-style 'armies' would look like. I was reminded that my ITCHY AND SCRATCHY wargame rules still need further play-testing and that their origins lie in an idea that Archduke Piccolo had to fight grand tactical/strategic-level wargames. That said, by adopting OP14-style 'armies' and reducing the weapon ranges used in my ITCHY AND SCRATCHY wargame rules I might just be on the verge of developing a set of rules that could be used for fighting grand tactical/strategic-level battles.
This 'experiment' has certainly given me plenty to think about over the next few days.
Hi Bob,
ReplyDeleteI wondered when you might think about that! Seriously though, I think that would be a lot of value in such an approach and to add to the 4, 3 and 2 figures point these are the most common multiples of figures used via most of the WRG rules.
It just goes to show what a sound idea it is!
All the best,
DC
Definitely a possibility for my 19th Century Ruberian and Azurian Armies here!
ReplyDeleteDavid Crook,
ReplyDeleteSometimes the obvious is the thing we ignore too easily.
I am certainly going to give the idea serious thought ... along with following the route of standardising the building blocks of my wargaming armies on 4, 3, and 2 figure 'units'.
All the best,
Bob
Archduke Piccolo,
ReplyDeleteI think that it would be very suitable for your use with 19th Century Ruberian and Azurian Armies. OP14 'evolved' from Richard Brooks' earlier rules for re-fighting battles from the Austro-Prussian and Franco-Prussian Wars so they should be just the ticket for your project.
All the best,
Bob