Slow work completing the infantry and cavalry requirements of the French/Allies list. Ran out of the Russian spares and have now dipped into my spare Austrians for the remaining infantry divisions (Division Compans and the two infantry divisions of Poniatowski's V Corps). Just finding the necessary focus to complete the painting is the problem at the moment. Tried stepping away and tackling other interests to get back on track but it's been extremely tough as I am finding myself over the task. But I have to bite the bullet and plough on ahead regardless to keep to my schedule and ultimate goal. My outcome from this dogged persistence is below.
With these two formations done, I can now concentrate on the one remaining infantry formation - the formidable French Imperial Guard. Am in two minds as to completing this elite force. Apart from certain elements within this corps - the Guard artillery and Young Guard - this rest of this formation sat out the entire battle as spectators.
To my mind, what was the point then of having them there if they were simply going to stand there and watch others die before their veteran eyes; that was my first thought. Surely they were elite troops who could have made a difference as Murat and the other generals hoped at a pivotal moment in the battle. Yet Napoleon had sound military reasons for withholding his ace trump card, so various sources state. Not a military strategist or tactician but it just begs the question given that Napoleon chosen the most straightforward bluntest form of attack that was simply a meat grinder.
Finally broke down into figures the final amount of artillery required for this project. One hundred and thirty three model guns is a sizeable amount - even for historical reenactors. Artillery is always a premium in historical games, just like cavalry. I remembered my first introduction of the ratio of all three teeth arms when a teenager all those decades ago. It was infantry who provided the bulk of one's historical force. Next came cavalry (small but large enough to represent the mobile attack force). Finally artillery came last: they provided just enough fire support to be of value to one's tabletop tactics but never too large to overwhelming and dominate the other two teeth arms. That Introduction to Wargaming 101 has served as a foundation for all subsequent wargaming. And it is no different with this project which is simply on a grand scale.
With nearly three thousand miniature infantry and over seven hundred cavalry required, one hundred and thirty three model guns seems insignificant relative to the other two teeth arms. Relative. Yeah. At this point, one with more sense will turn about and screams, "Help!" But as this is a solo effort there is no help. Fortunately, this is the only big project I will ever do which seems cold comfort like an insufficient sea breeze on an extremely boiling hot day. And by big, this project is big. Bigger than anything I've ever attempted or am likely to attempt in the future. A fellow gamer recently commenting on my project jokingly recommended to Leipzig as a future project. I had to laugh in nervous response.
In order to find ways to resolve these moments of lacklustre drive I choose to engage in other distracting activities. One such activity relates to an important part of Part Three: organising the officer command stands. I am using 60mm scratch build bases for my field commanders - divisional and corps level. I calculated I need over eighty such bases which was half expected but nonetheless surprising. A spare sheet of MDF and a 60mm hole cutter drill bit is all that's needed. The acquisition of this drill bit is the first expenditure since starting this project. It won't be the last however as I expect to purchase more artillery kits in the coming months because I have a large shortfall in Napoleonic guns.
FYI: I have broken this immense solo project into three Parts which developed this way once I realised I need to order this growing mess. Part One involved completing the Russian infantry and cavalry (DONE); Part Two is achieving the same with the French/Allies (NEARLY COMPLETED). Part Three will "finish off" the lists by filling out the artillery and command stands requirements.
Also included in Part Three will be the terrain/fortification builds - the Grand Redoubt, the Bagration fleches, and the various noted villages along with the standout terrain features like the mound at Utitsa, the orchards west of Utitsa, the Russian orthodox church at Borodino, the shelled ruined of the village Semenovskaya, the important streams that crossed the path of the French assaults, the various trestle bridges across the Kolocha. And so on.
Of course, all this isn't possible without a suitable gaming table. Again, like much of this scratch build, the table will be purpose-assembled for this occasion. I have managed to narrow my size of my battleground to the essential relevant areas - using the Russian temporary fortifications as my central axis of attack. Napoleon's plan of attack also makes this task easier. The physical design of the table is currently up in the air as my primary focus remains on completing the infantry and cavalry formations. Do I go 3D or 2D on design and layout? Undecided. The former would add a further "spectacular" impact; the latter is most practical as it allows for ease of formation placements without concerns over unbalancing that can irritate. Added complexity has a tipping point; finding the balance is paramount.
Allowing the ideas to sort themselves out in one's mind is an effective tool in creativity. Unless one has a clear idea to start with, this approach definitely saves on unnecessary stress and worry providing your faculty for creative visioning is operating 10-10.
Yes, Platov and Uvarov's raid happened but that can be transferred to a second smaller table.
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