Hello Everyone,
My name is Shawn (AKA GreenMountainboy), and I am a Napoleonic wargamer. However, that was not always the case, and had you asked me a year ago if I gamed the period, I would have said "no."
My gaming started in the 80's with Roleplaying games. My group of HS friends also enjoyed the classic boardgames Axis & Allies, Shogun, and Fortress America. This continued for me through college, but it was not until after college, in the mid-90's that I 'discovered' miniature wargaming. I was casting about for a new hobby, and was thinking about painting toy soldiers for fun when a friend introduced me to Warhammer Fantasy Battles. Before that, I had no idea that such games even existed!
Well, the disease took hold, and I painted my first wargaming army in 1996-1997. Although history has always been an interest of mine, I was unaware of the vast array of historical miniatures and wargaming that was/is available. It was not until 1998 when I attended my first local game convention that I had an opportunity to play in a Napoleonic era wargame, and the world of Historical miniatures was opened up to me. I still played warhammer semi-regularly, but the game alwasy left me somewhat... dissatisfied. Some time in 1999, I met a local historical wargamer who was into WWII and I started my first historical army (Soviets, heaven help me!) for Battlefront WWII (a rules set that I still enjoy).
It was the year 2000, and back at my local game convention (Carnage, in Fairlee VT) that I had an opportunity to play a massive Napoleonic game on a 12x6 foot table filled with 28mm figures. I don't recall the host, and I don't recall the battle, but it was French versus Austrians and Russians, and I played the Austrian reserve heavy cavalry. The game was intoxicating; I recall the thrill of driving those Kuirasseurs forward, smashing units and forcing others into square, and I knew then and there that my holy grail was to have a napoleonic army of my own.
Time passed. I continued to wargame, mostly WWII now, and my collection of lead grew. my painting skills improved. The spark for Napleonics burned in the back of my brain, and I began sleuthing on the web and lurking on forums... Without a game group interested in the period, this was my cross alone to bear-- What scale? What armies? and always, always, always....what rules???? The only Napoleonic wargaming I experienced during this period was at infrequent conventions, but the fire was fed by reading history books and online lurking.
In 2004, I sold a largish collection of WHFB models, and used those funds to spring for my very first purchase of Napoleonic figures. I had recently discovered The online rules called Huzzah!, and committed myself to putting a brigade each of Austrians and French on the table. After much research, I had settled on AB figures, and purchased about 100 french line infantry and similar Austrians. Added to these, I also scored an online purchase of some painted AB Austrian heavy cavalary and and Grenadiers.
Then 'painters block' settled in... How to base the figures? Huzzah had a suggested basing scheme, but after re-reading the rules, the lack of musket fire left me feeling 'meh'.... I picked up other rules sets, but the dizzying array of choices left me confused and frustrated. Some things I knew: I wanted to command battalions, not divisions; I wanted my battalions to make little squares when charged by cavalary, and to form line or attack collumns. I wanted someone, anyone, to hand me an OOB and say 'paint this force up'.... and I wanted small-ish scenarios that I could reasonably paint up two opposing forces for in a matter of months not years....
So, the figures sat in a box on my shelf. And sat. And sat some more. I continued to play WWII with my game group, having moved on to Flames of War. I continued to get my Napoleonic fix at game conventions, and I continued to cast about for just the perfect rules set... I purchased, read, then sold Shako. Ditto Age of Eagles. I must have downloaded, read, then shredded about a half dozen online rules. They just didn't do it for me. Time passed.
Fast forward to the year 2010. Lasalle had recently been release to rave reviews, and it caught my attention. Meanwhile, I also recieved a copy of "Black Powder" in the mail, and the readablilty combined with beautiful pictures made me drool. It all came to a head when my friend Kyle and I attended the game convention Huzzah in Portland ME in April. We played a War of 1812 game and kyle was hooked. We spent the drive home discussing, planning and plotting, and I mentioned Lassale-- We both managed to pick up copies through Sam's "scratch & dent" Sale.... When I read the rules, I KNEW they were exactly what I had been looking for all these years.
Kyle agreed to pull together Peninsular British, while I would focus (initially) on the French. the figures would be AB. While I would do some some of the painting, we would work with Steve Skutel's painting service based in Las Vegas. The one catch: Kyle asked me to finish and base all his British. In a mad frenzy of excitement, I agreed.
The first order with Eureka USA was submitted in June. I already had (effectively) 4 battalions of French Line plus cannon and a squadron of Chasseurs. I began painting my the chasseurs and battery of cannon, and got the first set of figures off to the painting service. By August, they were back and I got our first units based and tabletop ready while shipping out the second batch. We based our forces around the Army Builder core lists (plus attacker bonus figures), along a reserve brigade each (Light cavalry for the French, and Heavy Dragoons for the Brits). By November, we had the core figures done and based, and I managed to get the last batch out for painting in December.
We played our first game of Lasalle over the Christmas holiday. We got a few things wrong, and it was a bit of a learning process, but also a tremendous capstone on a very exciting project. I can honestly say, we never would have gotten this far without Sam's Lasalle. The rules and presentation made Napoleonics approachable enough for me to break in, even though I am a seasoned wargamer.
I look forward to playing a lot of games in 2011, including 'paying it forward' by hosting a game or two of Lasalle at our local convention this Fall. My Squadrons of Chasseurs and Hussars are currently on my painting bench (Yes, I also paint my own figures!), and I already have the plans to develop my Austrians into a gameable force.
Happy New Year,
Greenmountainboy