In our previous Epic Battles: Revolution! sprue focus articles, we’ve covered the ‘generic’ infantry sprue, the British, and the Hessians and allied troops. Today we come to the last of the first wave of sprues, and it’s the turn of the Continentals to take centre stage!
This frame is small but mighty, packing no fewer than five different troop types into its compact layout – we’ll begin with the Continental Militia, of which you’ll find three strips, plus a command strip. With their relative lack of drill or discipline, these chaps have turned up in whatever clothes they’ve brought from home, and stand relaxed with their muskets grounded or slung. Don’t be fooled by their rag-tag appearance, though – these men are determined to make a stand for liberty!
Next we have a quartet of riflemen, armed (as the name suggests) with very long ‘Pennsylvania’ rifles. These men – frequently hunters and outdoorsmen – are expert shots and capable of wreaking havoc on the enemy at long range. Although few in number and not trained for any kind of line fighting, they make for exceptional harassing and screening units, and are a complete nightmare for enemy commanders – it turns out that sitting on top of a horse while wearing a big hat and looking important makes you a very tempting target indeed.
Speaking of commanders, you’ll find one on this sprue! Clad in a very fine coat indeed, and armed with a sabre and a brace of pistols, this gallant horseman is ready to lead your forces into battle, hopefully interpreting your dice rolls into tabletop orders.
Similarly mounted and ready for battle are the two Continental cavalrymen who round out the frame. One is a rather rough and ready type, clad in buckskins and wielding a carbine, while the other is sabre-wielding and uniformed professional, one of the soldiers in Casimir Pulaski’s nascent cavalry formations. These can be grouped into units based on their weapons, or combined with each other and even ‘spare’ commanders to create more ad-hoc formations – either way, they’re the last thing a group of redcoat skirmishers want to see charging across the battlefield! While cavalry didn’t have an enormous role in the American War of Independence compared to many European conflicts, cavalrymen (usually of the ‘light dragoon’ type) did play an important part, particularly on campaign, and besides – you can’t have a Black Powder army without any horses!
This sprue wraps up the Black Powder Epic Battles: Revolution! initial launch range, but keep an eye out for plenty more epic announcements in the future!
Are you ready to fire the shot heard ’round the world (or at least ’round your gaming room)? Then…
