MV – Love for the hobby permeates every level of Warlord Games, and the very top is no exception. Whenever our founder and CEO John Stallard mentions that he’s got a project on the go, we know it’s going to be something worth seeing, and this is no exception. Take it away, boss!
JS – What we’ve got here is my Napoleonic Spanish army for Black Powder. I was bored of painting redcoats, and I’ve got enough French, so I thought – why not Spanish? Especially since we’re in the process of releasing some fantastic miniatures for them!
I’m allergic to small armies, but by my standards this isn’t what I’d call a ‘big’ force – 12 battalions of infantry, plus a brigade of guerrillas, and four units each of cavalry and artillery. This was still plenty to be getting on with, though! One of the great advantages of Spanish infantry wearing white uniforms in this period is just how simple they can be to paint in large numbers – I started with a white spray basecoat, and made good used of thinned paints and washes to quickly and easily get my other colours laid down. Using this method, I can do a 24-model infantry battalion in around two hours, working to my principle of painting quickly and cheerfully and not worrying about any mistakes I might make – I can always go back and correct them quickly at the end!
There aren’t too many cavalry units in this force because, quite simply, the Spanish army couldn’t afford to field many! Even in the units they did have, often only half the men would have horses at any one time. I’ve done two units in blue coats and two in yellow, just to give a little variety in colour, and these models are the Spanish Dragoons which will be coming out very soon – there are a few perks to being the boss, and getting my hands on all the new toys early is one of the very best. I’ve also mixed and matched from a wide range of our command figures to make my leaders, and of course no force of mine is complete without a baggage train.
I’ve had this force for a little while now, and that’s given me time to field it in four big games of Black Powder. I’ve found that, if we use all of the various optional rules for the Spanish forces, it can be a rather ponderous beast on the tabletop, quite different to my British and French armies, but one that can absolutely surprise my opponents! The big thing with Spanish armies is that you’re not going to see commanders with a Command of better than 8, and many with a lowly 7, meaning there are a lot of failed order checks getting in the way of effective manoeuvre. The lack of any really elite infantry (things like Foot Guards) and low numbers of cavalry and artillery (although Spanish gunners were known to be extremely brave) mean that I rely on my basic infantry to do a lot of heavy lifting in battle. Fortunately, there’s nothing wrong with their shooting! Several of my opponents have incorrectly assumed that the Spaniards are a bit rubbish at musketry, and tried to engage in a shooting war with them, which has played right into my hands – don’t tell them, but what they should have done was pinned me down with skirmishers and then pressed in with the bayonet!
As much as I usually say that no general can have too many soldiers… I’ve got enough Spanish now! This force is done, done, done, and now occupies a proud place in my Napoleonics collection. I’ve been challenged by our Sales team to do a Bolt Action Japanese force, so I’m now working on something very different from the age of horse and musket indeed!
MV – Thanks, boss! If John’s latest hobby exploits have got you hankering for massed ranks and Peninsular warfare, check out our awesome range of Spanish troops today!
