6mm ECW - Colonel Overton's Regiment of Foot
Today, we have a teaser for a forthcoming project! After the success of Two Splendid Lines, the 6mm regimental-level American Civil War game, I'm currently researching and planning a similar game (as yet nameless) which will be an English Civil War equivalent.Players will take command of a battalia of pike and shot, and have to use them in concert to defeat an enemy battalia. Unlike most P&S era games, where the two are lumped together and just treated as one all-arms unit, in this game each wing must be ordered separately to work together.
I'm a member of Colonel Overton's Regiment of Foot (as my Facebook friends will know from my semi-regular pictures), so when I ordered the 6mm Baccus figures, I decided to recreate our distinctive New Model Army red coats. Their opponents will probably be either Irish or Scots - to be decided.
They were a pleasure to paint, and I have ambitiously decided to try and recreate the regiment 1:1 scale, so several hundred men are represented. This currently equates to 24 men per stand (30x40mm), and 12 stands for the regiment - nearly 300 in all, which is an average size for a regimental battalia.
A big part of this project was the research. There's a lot of material on ACW drill available, because of its popularity in US reenactment circles, and its relative proximity in history. Much less is written down for the ECW, but I was helped with a research trip to the National Civil War Centre in Newark, where I was allowed to use a first edition (1620) copy of Animadversions of Warre, a contemporary drill manual. The feeling of using a real military manual for my research, that might well have been used by an officer in the Civil War is quite indescribable.
Anyway, teaser picture as promised! The finished regiment - apart from being based - will have four more bases of shot on the flanks, and also some stands representing colours, officers, sergeants and other assorted regimental bigwigs.
You also get to see what colour my spare bath towel is. Maybe they're marching across the Irish Sea.
Ed
"Fortunately, at this time of day, the low tide made marching across the sea a viable option."
ReplyDeleteSomewhere there is a picture of me as one of Prince Rupert's Bluecoats. Our girls were better dressed...
That's the only reason I do it, I just like the dresses. On others, I hasten to add...
DeleteSplendid stuff. I can see the new Supercampaign shaping up nicely.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about the thrill of old drill manuals. I was lucky enough to handle one of a similar vintage in the Royal Armouries library.
Cheers,
Pete.
Thanks Pete, wow that really does sound incredible! How did you manage to swing that one then?
DeleteIt was through uni. As part of my BA they ran a module looking at old weaponary and armour in conjunction with the Royal Armouries in Leeds. During a trip there they brought some interesting bits out of storage for us. The library is open to the general public though, I think that you may have to book in though. I've used it for research myself in the past.
DeleteCheers,
Pete.
Good shout, thank you for the tip!
DeleteVERY nicely done Ed!
ReplyDeleteWhy thank you! Rest assured it isn't detracting from the writing, which proceeds apace...
DeleteHello Ed:
ReplyDeleteNice to visit your blog again after far too long.
The photo is quite fine and makes me regret the end of my own re-enacting days. However, all those ominous clouds rolling in make me wonder what ECW troops carried in the way of raingear.
I would love to see a copy of your ACW rules, if you are willing to share pray drop me an email at madpadre(at)gmail(dot)com.
Cheers,
MIke
Well it's jolly nice to see you again, my dear friend.
DeleteIt is one I'm rather pleased with, the rainclouds are traditional Old English Bank Holiday rainclouds, which soaked us through about an hour after the picture was taken.
I shall send you a copy of the rules immediately!
Most impressive job Colonel, they look superb!
ReplyDeleteThanks Phil, glad you like them.
Delete300-odd figs in a regiment look splendid like that.
ReplyDeleteMy knowledge of the English civil war is scrappy to say the least but I'll be flowing this closely for sure if past campaigns are anything to go by.
Thanks mate! Yeah I've always wanted to do a 1:1 scale unit at some point. My own knowledge could charitably be described as patchy, but I find that's half the fun of picking an unfamiliar period and doing all the research.
Delete