A Little Trip to Sicily - Garibaldi's Thousand

As a change from my WSS stuff I have been pottering about with other figures from my collection.  First up were my Garibaldini and Neapolitans, lovely figs who deserve to be out of their boxes more than they are. Last week at the club we gave Smooth and Rifled a go. Not a bad set of rules but a lot of +1die for the this and -1die for that and dividing by multiples of 5,7 or 9 for hits which got John and I's grey matter buzzing a bit. However it was a good game and fairly close.







As I have enough figs to try "Men Who Would Be Kings" we agreed to give them a go next week. It's supposed to be Zulu/Sudan/NW Frontier but the period is correct and equipment is correct so it's going to be shifted to 1860 Sicily. 

The figs are from Gringo40's and are tall 28's. Very well sculpted and cleanly cast with plenty detail and character. I have had these for a while and been stuck with what to do with them. They've been rebased at least twice. 

An attempt to try Neil Thomas's 19th C rules worked fairly well but they're not really skirmish sized games and I didn't want to get into big battles. The Lardies Sharp Practice set had promise and they have a supplement for the period too. However I find their rules...fussy...which is a shame because they are well written and very well supported. 

I have four units of Garibaldini - a mix of Redshirts and Picciotti bandits. They are supported by an improvised cannon and its crew - actually the "come and get it" gun from Boot Hill (another excellent range of chunky figs). Most of them were painted by David Baker, but the Picciotti include some by Stuart Asquith which I purchased online together with a few by my own hand.

I plan on adding another unit come time if this works out well, perhaps some white coated British - an odd mix of rifle volunteers, idealists and thrill seekers from the slums of Liverpool and Glasgow! The Picciotti will have "Field craft" to represent their ambush skills and but for all of the Garibaldini to be poorly armed. That should push them to close and make it likely the Bourbon troops will leg it....I hope.

Facing them are Naples "finest"....well some of them. Two units of line infantry, never enthusiastic at the best of times and conscious of propping up an unpopular regime. They are stiffened however by a unit of Cacciatore, one troop of cavalry and a gun and crew. All of these troops will be downgraded as poor shots or unenthusiastic for the line and cav so although there are plenty of they will not be in the best of shape.

If it's a  I will be looking to get some papal troops next. I have some French and Garibaldi's attempt to take Rome also provides another angle to this period. Oh and Ged at Gringo40's now has Piedmontese.....