A Start in 2018 - Sharp Practice - French and Austrian Napoleonic Wars

Sharp Practice II (by Too Fat Lardies) always seems to produce a brilliant game, even with the simplest of set-ups and a relatively low figure-count. I've decided to take the plunge and create French and Austrian forces from 1809. Everyone seems to have a Peninsular or Waterloo style army on the go (and why not!?). Up here in frozen Hibernia there seems to be a leaning towards the warmth and colour of Spanish or the efficiency of the Brunswickers. So I hoped the French would be fine for a few match-ups there.

But why 1809? Why Austrians? Well, why not? Just to be different I guess. The 1809 campaign was what drew me into the Napoleonic Wars way back when. The grand campaign is remarkable enough, but there are great accounts of smaller-scale actions that really suit Sharp Practice "big" skirmishes. And the hats. Come on, we love a good hat. The bicorn was being phased out of the French army but there were a few still knocking about in 1809. The Austrians, meanwhile, deserve some kudos for the astonishing breadth and pleasing floppiness of their head attire.

The standard Sharp Practice French forces for the Peninsular War will work for 1809. There isn't an official Austrian 1809 list that I am/was aware of, so I get to play around with the "Sharpulator" and create a force based on what I like. Which is always pleasing. There were some other clinchers too. Someone once said it was really difficult to paint white uniforms (challenge accepted - at least to "tabletop" standard, or at worst looking decent from the other end of the room). But I get to paint Grenzers, militia and Jaegers in all their glory. Then I stumbled onto the Perry website and those wonderful Hungarian Grenadiers ...

I've been hankering after some Perry miniatures for - ooooh I dunno - forever. So I splashed out. On too many miniatures. I am probably the only person to have done that. Oh yes, I underestimated how long it would take me to basecoat them all, even by spraying. And paint them. And base them. And varnish them. But the basic French force was completed nearly 6 months ago (oops I now seem to have bought some bicorn-wearing Grenadiers to paint as Italians). The basic list for the Austrians and Hungarians is pretty much there now too and there have been a few test-games to see how they work in practice.