Rebasing my Crimean War Figs - Project Alma

 Some time ago I read Matakishi's Blog article about his Crimean War project. I've already based my 16thC figures on the 80x60 units bases which he uses for his projects. I am a big fan of Neil Thomas's books and have amended his Napoleonic book rules into a set which gave some good games. My Crimean war figures were individually based and as the collection grew this became a bit clumsy. I was using movement trays and things were getting fussy...

And I want to do a big Crimean war game for my Birthday in July. 

Put all that together and there's a big case for rebasing. So I went for it. 

My British will be the Guards Brigade, the Highland Brigade and two line regiments and the 95th rifles. Supporting them will be light cavalry in the form of Lancers and Hussars along with several guns. 

Facing them are 3 brigades of Russian Infantry, 12 units in total , with Skirmishers, Cossacks and Artillery in support. 

The infantry will be two stand units, each of 6 figures for the British and 8 for the Russians to simulate  their bigger units. Cavalry will be in two stands of 3 and one gun will represent a battery. Skirmishers will be units of 6, but these will be based on 3 round bases of 2 figures. 

I have enough figures to do all of the British, albeit I need to paint two units and I am short of some of command figures for the last 3 Russian infantry, but that's very easily fixed. My figures are a mix of Warlord plastics for the Russian infantry and Great War for most of everything else. 

For rules I will either be sticking to Neil Thomas's 19th C set or I will take Rebels and Patriots a little bit off piste and and use the units in there as regiments - this partly influenced the number of figures on my bases. Originally my units were 12 and 18 strong, 16 is the size of a large unit in R&P, so easily accommodated. I like the activation rules and the blunders in R&P and while the Crimean war may not be that rule sets intended scope is it smack bang in the middle of its range. Homemade rules are a third option.

I know the Russian regiments were much much bigger than the British. But this disparity in scale is lost by the execrable performance of the Russian army. Their big units on the table are still a threat, because they can soak up damage allowing them to close and they are supported by some decent quantities of artillery. The challenge will be in their deployment. The British command is poor - their challenge will be activating to defeat the larger number of Russians before they are overrun. Well that's my hope - I'm keen to see how it plays out and if it goes well I may fill out the Armies to include British heavy cavalry, Turks or French and some Russian Hussars and Dragoons and do Balaklava too. 

(I am also keen at some point to use the Russians against 1848 Hungarians, Neil's rules make this very do-able....but more on this another time...I'm sworn to secrecy!).

So I plan to have the figures finished by the end of April and terrain ready by the end of May. I need some slopes but have plenty polystyrene to use. I have buildings and everything else. 

This week I've painted 5 guns and crew and finished painting the 42nd highlanders. Not a bad start...one British regiment to go and then I need to do a LOT of basing!