SCALES AND ORGANISATION - THE HYDRA : HEAD ONE

How to organise figures into units on the table that represent their real counterparts in a believable and -more or less - accurate manner? This is a nutty problem.

How to represent a representation of a hypthetical model?

Up to now I had used bases 60mm wide with 4 foot or 3 horse, a fairly common representation used for 25 or 28mm scales. 

photo - wargameinnovations.co.uk

There has also been a tendency to mount figures in 'groups' or 'blocks' to form arbitrary elements which avoid committment to specific scales. 

photo from wargamemiscellany@blogspot

I wanted to use some accurate representation but ended with an arbitrary grouping of 4 foot or 3 horse to stand for a 'company'. Two companies of musketeers and one of pikemen plus a command element gave me a battalion. Three companies of horse with a command element also gave me a squadron.

In this way a battalion can stand in line or column or square. A squadron in line or column.

..or line..

There were several causes of dissatisfaction with this scheme.

1) The battalion appears as a pike block with sleeves of shot rather than a pike-reinforced musket line. 

2) The pike base has no shot and the musketeer bases have no pikes.

3) The horse are rather dense, with a relatively short frontage.

4) If I wanted to incorporate shallow formations of shot there was little scope.

So, with nails bitten back, eyes red with poring over books and my remaining hair writhed out by frustrated fingers, I resolved to do something, anything to solve and remove  this unbudging  persistant irk.

..only, with clothes on.

The Toons of Pont (Part II)

 The pontoon train began to take shape. The basic waggons are to carry two boats. 

Each is accompanied by a supporting waggon with rails and decking and some workmen.

We dig dig dig dig, dig dig dig .. and more bloody digging...

This gives a suitable train which does not take too much table space but is cumbersone enough make a general think twice before sending it into a crowded front line.

The bases ended up being 45mm by 100mm, the pontoon waggons are still 120mm here. 

RULES

The pontoon bridge can be deployed onto a river but not onto a rivulet. Rivulets require fascines or trestle bridges.

1. No 'suitable place' is necessary but pontoon bridges cannot be used at 'rocky clefts' or near rapids or waterfalls. They may be put over a ford.

2. The following actions each require a full un-interrupted turn and must be accomplished in series.

a.  Boat waggon drives to river bank where bridge will be erected.

b. The boats are placed in the river - 4 workmen must be adjacent to the waggon at this point.

c. The boat waggon is replaced by the timber waggon.

d. The main span of the bridge is placed. 4 workmen need to be adjacent.

e. The ramps are placed. 4 workmen need to be adjacent.

f. Waggon and workmen retire. 

Models and figures can now use the bridge.

The bridge span has an artillery resistance of  6. Each boat 3. Boats can be repaired by two workmen-turns of effort. The bridge is wooden and so can be fired, burning irreparably after 3 turns of fire.

Six turns seems along time in a game, but often the bridges will be in place already as a game starts. 

My version of Goransson's pontoon column.

Next - the waggons of war.