In order to avoid having more lead and pewter than the armor of all Napoleon's Cuiraissers, a sensible approach to 15mm wargaming would involve the concept of substitution. At the risk of horrifying modelers who have named each of their troops and give them different colored eyes and moustaches in 6mm, here are some reasonable approaches to stretching your troops out for more conflicts with less time accumulating and painting figures.

1 ) A Roman Legionaire with a red shield that is oval would be satisfacory for 400 BC to 0 AD. The Feathered Helmet versus plain just can't be noted on the table from three feet away.
2) A Late Hoplite is fine for a Carthagian spearman, Italian spearman and to flesh out most armies as a warrior in captured armor.
3) Thureophori are fine as Thracians, Illyrians or Hellenistic warriors.
4) Barbarian Gauls could be Germans, Dacians: some could be Vikings (just a few in an army).
5) Skirmishers can be generic for most armies - 50 or so generic types without helmets with javelin could fight in many armies.
6) Arab warriors can be mixed in with all arabic/eastern armies from 600 until 1900. They are not out of place in Mamluk, Ottoman, Mongol, Arab slavers groups.
7) Vikings can be Saxons, Barbarians, or mixed even in a medieval army.
8) A Norman knight could fight in any army from 1000-1500 with Knights. Archaeology shows plenty of chain mail being used even in the era of plate.
9) A Swiss pikeman could be a Landsknecht. War of Roses footman, or even a Polish or Russian Renaissance footman.
10) A generic English Civil War foot soldier can be used from 1600-1700 in any western army colonialist expedition.
11) Marlburian infantry from a distance can be in any 1700-1800 army.
12) Some Napoleonic Austrians can be used for the Austro-Prussian War in 15mm, Seven Year War Austrians and French are similar.
13) A grand Mobile infantryman or a Russo-Turk Russian looks much like a Union infantryman.
14) ACW Southerners resemble Boers.
15) A Zulu can be anything from a Nubian to a Congolese or Matebelle.
16) Fuzzies can be Ethiopians. Asantes, Maoris or South Sea Islanders.
17) WWI French or British could be Spanish or Russian Civil War infantry or even Sino- Japanese or Chinese troops.
18) Cossacks are good from 1500-1945.
19) WWII US can be North Vietnamese Regulars for Vietnam War from a distance.
20) The Crimean War can be fought with Napoleonic figures in a pinch.

In point of fact, a clever wargamer would have all his troops in greatcoat and shako and only paint Napolenic Command Stand uniforms red, white, green, blue/white and Prussian blue.

In conclusion a prepared gamer could fight twice the battles with half the troops with planning and substitution 15mm. If only I realized this 30,000 figures ago!

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