"What in the world are those, ANTS?", or, "where did you get those tiny things?", and "you paint those better than I paint my 15mm troops.
Napoleon on a Quarter
These quotes are just a few of the many comments I have received when Napoleonic miniature gamers get their first look at my army of 5 mm (1/300 scale) troops produced by Ros Heroics of England. Even THE COURIER found 5mm troops extra-ordinary, as shown by its reaction to one of its volley fire questionnaires where, when a reader indicated that he played in 1/300 scale, an 'exclamation point' appeared after the figure scale. What is needed is a closer look at these "ants" which, in my opinion, are the next miniature gaming scale.
Consider if you will, those of you with 15mm armies, the reaction you received from gamers with 25mm troops the first time you mentioned your idea of adopting the 15mm scale. I am sure it was similar to that which I have received about my 5mm. I started gaming in 25mm, then went to 15mm, then Scruby 9mm, and recently followed the downward trend to 5mm.
I purchased 5mm troops on a "lark" -- I was fortunate enough to study in London for five weeks during the summer of 1981; 1 was visiting local wargaming clubs (introducing them to TANK CHARTS, my ruleset for WWII armor battles) and while attending a meeting, held at the National Army Museum, a gamer produced a horde of Zulus which were to 'attack' a British outpost using 5mm miniatures. A close inspection of these figures indicated a very nicely done molding job. My interest sparked, I ordered Ros Heroics' Napoleonic line (yes, even armor gamers enjoy a good Napoleonic battle now and again).
When I received the miniatures I was more than pleased. The figures were extremely well molded for their size, far beyond what I had expected. I found the selection of figures very good; there are 35 French selections, 3 Polish, 6 Bavarian, 22 British, 2 Portugese, 7 Spanish, 9 Prussian, 11 Russian, 11 Austrian, and 4 Swedish, with pontoon trains and revetments also available. The cost is very reasonable. $2.50 (depending upon the state of the dollar overseas) will buy a bag of infantry, cavalry, or artillery, a "bag" containing either 52 infantry (45 troops, 2 officers, 2 drummers, 1 mounted officer, and 2 standard bearers), 21 cavalry (18 troopers, 1 bugler, 1 standard bearer, and 1 officer), or 6 guns with 30 crewmen.
For about $2.50 one can purchase a regiment; for $25.00 a corps, and a small army for about $50.00 (the ENTIRE Bavarian army at 1/33 scale costs less than $50.00). Indeed, cost, in terms of both the time needed to prepare the troops for use and the monetary outlay needed to raise the unit, is one of the more attractive aspects of this scale.
Another important consideration is the time it takes to get the troops from the bag to the battlefield. In my experience one can prepare fifty infantry in about two hours, with cavalry units taking about twice as long.
Thus a person who religiously paints his troops for no more than two hours a week can field a division of infantry a month. This is about one-fourth of the time it takes to paint a similar number of 15mm troops. Further, due to the small size of the figures, little detail work is needed to make the figures look good. Note, however, that a 10/0 brush is essential in painting this scale.
My own army is a good example of how quickly units can be produced. After one year I have at my disposal (painted and mounted) 50 regiments of French, 35 of Austrian, 35 Russian, 30 British, 8 Bavarian, and 12 from the Rhine Confederation. If I keep to my present painting schedule of about 4 hours a week, I will be adding in excess of 12,500 men (at a scale of 1/33) to my army each month.
Another advantage to the small size of the 5mm figures is that a ground scale of 1" = 50 yards can be adopted, changing the normal table 9' X 5' area used in gaming into a battlefield whose dimensions measure some 1800 yards by 6000 yards. For example, the battlefield of Austerlitz (5 miles X 21/2 miles) can be played on a gaming surface measuring 8' X 18'. For those of you who like to see things the way they would have ACTUALLY appeared on the battlefield can increase the ground scale to 1' = 100 yards, which IS 1/300 scale. Thus, what a individual figure looks like at 9' is PRECISELY what a commander would see at 900 yards.
A good indication of what can be done in this scale is a recent battle our group fought between the French and Austrian armies (the battle was generated out of a campaign we are playing). On the French side were 22 regiments of infantry, 15 regiments of cavalry, and 7 artillery batteries. Facing them were 24 regiments of Austrian infantry, 18 of cavalry, and 8 gun batteries. This battle was fought on a board measuring 4' by 6' with the battle finally being fought across the width of the field. In that battle 1740 figures of Austrians (57,420 men) were arrayed against 1324 French figures (43,692 men), and all on a standard coffee table! I must again stress that the battle LOOKS GOOD; if it did not I would not waste my time playing it.
A further advantage with this scale involves the generation of terrain for the tactical battlefield. Today a plethora of buildings, hedges, and trees are produced for 1/285 scale armor gamers, and this material can be modified for use with 5mm Napoleonics. Also, Ros Heroics produces European buildings for use with their 5mm scale. Our group uses homemade terrain, and it works out very well in our games (at this scale you don't really concern yourself with what each individual building looks like).
For those of you concerned with the amount of punishment your troops take in each battle (broken musket barrels, chipped paint, etc.) I suggest you look into this scale. In the dozen or so games I have played in 5mm I have noticed little damage being inflicted upon my troops by the players. At this scale you honestly have to DESTROY the figure before the damage becomes apparent. Even if this should happen it takes little time (about 10 minutes) to paint up a replacement.
Of course, not everything is fantastic about the 5mm scale. Their size sometimes makes them difficult to handle unless properly mounted. I have found that placing fewer than 3 infantry figures on a base will cause headaches during the movement phase of the turn. Other than this one minor drawback, however, there is nothing that the 1/300 scale miniatures does not have over the larger scales. The arguments you have heard in favor of the 15mm scale can be quadrupled for the 5mm scale.
Once on the battlefield the 5mm troops look superb. Because of their size, the INDIVIDUAL figures do not stand out as they do in the larger scales where each separate miniature catches the eye. Rather, one observes a MASS of troops, giving the players a feeling of controlling a division rather than a number of regiments. This distinction may be hard to visualize, but it is a "feeling" which does occur. Neither does one lose the color of the Napoleonic battlefield. You can easily pick out the various troop types by the overall color of the unit and still concentrate on the individual figure. For the serious wargamer, I believe that the 5mm size is the best way to go.
Needless to say, 5mm troops have not been easy to purchase (it takes from two to six weeks to receive an order from England, and an international money order). This problem has lately been solved, however, with the Barbour Trading Company, P.O. Box 2637, La Habra CA 90631, now carrying most of the Ros Heroics line. (ED NOTE: I believe they may also be available from ENOLA GAMES, P.O. Box 1900, Brooklyn NY 11201.) 1 suggest that if you are at all interested in this scale you order one "bag" to see what these miniatures look like-at $2.50 (actually $3.00 with postage) how can you lose?
Please note that Napoleonic era miniatures are not the only type of figure available in this scale. One can purchase Persians and Carthaginians, Romans of all periods, Barbarians, troops from the Byzantine Empire, Normans, Saxons, and the like, troops from the era of the English Civil War and the age of Marlborough, Prussians from the Seven Years War, Yankees and Confederates, Zulus and Colonial troops, and even 1/300 scale micro- armor.
Hmm, I wonder what the guys would say if I substituted Greek war elephants for my cuirassiers?(!!)
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