An 1805 Austrian army is remarkably simple compared to other forces of the Napoleonic Wars.

All Austrian regiments were dressed exactly the same, and there were no super elite unique formations like the French Old Guard corps. This allows you to purchase generic Austrian foot soldiers and use them for literally any of the foot line regiments, the only difference being the colour of the facings. This is very versatile, so that your soldiers can be anywhere from class 2 to class 5 with a dab of paint, or simply your designation of class in the army list. Therefore, foot regiments can be redesignated to suit the army you are trying to build, whether a force of elite class 3 and 5's, or a raw formation of class 2's. Your infantry regiments come complete with their own battalion guns. This is not a great thing as there is no combined artillery support generally, but at least from a beginners point of view, the battalion guns do not have associated limbers, which can be a considerable cost. Battalions as you make them are considerably smaller for 1805 than for other campaigns. Compare the 10 figures for 1805 against the 16 figures for 1809, and the beginner can appreciate assembling the smaller formations, especially for 25mm figures, can be a good way to ease into a force. Later on you can add a few extra figures to boost your 1805 battalions to 1809 proportions without any great re organisation.

For wargamers, cavalry are expensive [refer pricing section below], particularly in 25mm. For the 1805 campaigns following Ulm, cavalry formations were quite small, as low as 6 figures. This can be a good way to ease into a regiment and still be useable on the wargames table. Additional figures can then be added as they can be afforded. For 20mm plastics where cavalry come in packs of 12, it can actually allow you to split the pack into 2 regiments to commence with, and boost them both to full numbers with your next purchase.

Artillery figures in metal can be comparatively quite expensive. A battery of 3 guns and 9 crew can cost three times a battalion of infantry. Add to this a limber and artillery can become as expensive to field as cavalry regiments. For a beginner, the battalion guns of the infantry can be a minor blessing, as they need not be fielded in the beginning, and they don't require limbers. Cavalry batteries and position batteries can then be added slowly to the formations once the gamer can afford to add them.

Can My Troops Be Used For Other Campaigns?

The Austrian army throughout the Napoleonic wars was a fairly consistent force. The number and types of regiments barely changed, and the uniform details were fairly consistent from 1798 to 1815 except fro the change in headwear from the helmet to the shako in 1806. There were no special 'elite' super units such as guard units, so you can field a bunch of line regiments and assign better ones with class variations. The main variations are in fact regimental infantry makeups mostly applying to the 1805 campaign, which are generally made by taking non 1805 regiments, reshuffling the figures into smaller battalions and adding extra command elements.

The cavalry did not change throughout the period except for a coat variation to the Chevauleger Regiments and the formation of two new Uhlan Regiments (3^rd and 4^th). This makes any cavalry force you wish to create useable throughout any of the campaigns Austria was involved in. The main significant variation will be the number of figures per regiment as this was in constant variation on campaign. Historical orders of battle should be used to assess numbers.

The artillery remained unchanged except for some organisational uses, such as battalion guns for 1805. These issues are easily overcome with the basing system used for Elan and batteries can be split into single guns for battalion use with ease. The progression through the wars saw the replacement of the 3lber with the 6lber for many uses, including cavalry batteries and even some position batteries.

The infantry is where there was a bit more variation through the wars. In essence the line regiments changed little except for the introduction of the shako in 1806, though the Hungarian regiments seem to be the only ones to wear them in the 1809 campaign. The formation sizes also changed through out the period, the main difference being the short lived reforms of 1805. Throughout the remainder of the period, regiments were composed of three battalions with 2 companies of grenadiers combined with other regiments grenadiers to form battalions. These variations tend to form line battalions of 16 figures compared to the 1805 number of 10, and grenadier battalions of 12 figures. To form multi period line regiments, it will be necessary to have extra command elements set aside for use for 1805 to make the extra smaller battalions.

Other infantry variations include the change of uniform of the grenz from white to brown jacket between 1810 and 1814, with most changing 1813-1814.

The Tyrol jagers were lost in the treaty of 1805, with new units formed in 1809, the main change being the replacement of the helmet with the corsehut. Therefore jagers in helmet upto 1805, in corsehut from 1808 on. No one should be fussy enough to refuse to field jagers from one style as jagers of the other style. All other details remain fairly similar. There were some reforms in regimental makeup throughout the period, but with figures based as pairs as skirmishers, there should be no trouble using battalions reorganised with additional command elements where required.

The 1805 campaign did not see the mobilisation of any militia style formations except for some battalions of Tyroleans. As the formation and uniform of these troops is not really known, for the time being jagers could be used in their place, though they are incapable of skirmishing and probably even the line formation. Outside of 1805, landwehr and freikorps were raised and will provide the main variation in Austrian multi period armies. The majority will have no 'body double' suitable within the 1805 campaign, though a number could be considered close enough to jager or grenz uniforms for fielding as these battalions. Most regular opponents should have no problem accepting this as long as the units capabilities are clearly set out.

If you consider buying painted miniatures, which is a possibility as there are people who paint commercially, expect to pay roughly four times the bare figure cost as a preliminary guide.

You may also want to consider what your items are worth if you decide they no longer suit you. Unpainted bare figures are usually worth roughly half of their original purchase price, unless of course they are now out of production, so they might increase above this depending on what eactly they are. Painted figures to a basic standard may yield prices in the range of the original bare miniature, while well painted figures can return two or even more times the original bare figure price.

How Many Should I start With?

If this is your first foray into miniaures, do not start with lots of figures. Buy maybe a battalion or two of foot soldiers, and battalion guns for them. This will let you get a feel for painting and basing, and how long preparation can take before you even field troops. This number of figures will allow you to play the part of a brigade commander so you can start on the wargames table with a commander above you who can give you advice for your first few games, and by seeing the larger division forces playing along side you, you can get a feel for how you might wish to expand your forces, perhaps by adding a light infantry battalion or cavalry regiment.

Your first goal will be to work yourself upto an 800pt army, which will allow you to field your own force without having to borrow from other people. From here you can build several different 800pt forces (light, line and reserve) or work upto historical corps formations.

As a very simple guide, one third of your force will be made up of some type of cavalry, and one cannon model for every 10 or so line infantry and cavalry. This is just a nominal guide to commence with, and not a definitive statement.

First up, there are a few simple rules you should follow before turning up at a club for an outing with your troops.

Firstly, your troops should be painted. This does not mean they have to be to a professional standard, but you should at least make an effort. Unpainted troops are a no no. Your figures should not only just be painted white, there should be some effort to show regimental colours and major pieces of equipment in the right colour, depending on the level of detail possible for the scale you are using. Your opponents may spend a fair amount of time painting and assembling their army, you should at last show some respect by trying to do the same. This does not necessarily mean your figures should have the exact right colours right down to their buttons, but do the best you can with what you have. After all is said and done, your figures are your army, and you should at least have some pride in them.

There are a number of painting guides on the internet to help you learn the basics of painting. It is not terribly hard, and like all things requires a little practice. Nor are expensive modellers paints required. With a good primer or etching coat, many cheap brands of paint from the $2 store can be used.

Secondly, it is recommended your troops are varnished. This is to protect your paint job from wear. It is surprising how easy it can be for paint to rub or be scratched off. The choice of matt or gloss varnish is entirely to personal taste, though the trend appears to be for matt. The author prefers gloss, and actually uses wood varnish, though some people tend to frown on this as it has a very slight yellowish tinge. There are many methods of varnish, but the accepted norm seems to be painting on a base coat of gloss (gloss has better wearing properties), and topped by another coat of painted matt varnish.

Thirdly, your troops should be based. Basing your figures significantly increases the speed of moving formations around the table and also helps those troops with small bases from falling over and taking all their neighbours with them. While this booklet uses base guides for the Elan rule system, you should be aware there are many different Napoleonic rule sets using many different base sizes. Many rules allow for variations in figure basing, but this is usually restricted to opposing players having their figures based the same way. Before basing your figures, it's a good idea to check what your nearest club is using so that you can fit in. Do not be concerned too much if your troops are not based to fit in with every rule system. If you stick with wargaming, your figure collection will grow extensively, with plenty of scope for their evolution to use in several rule systems that may be usde locally. The material for bases is down to personal preference, to thin sheets of metal cut to size, up to thick sheets of plastic, carboard or compressed timber. The author uses 6mm thick MDF board cut and painted, with the back face painted in national colours, onto which is written the units technical details. Others swear by magnetic bases and carry their troops around in metal toolboxes, the magnets generally keeping the troops in place during transit.

Once your figures are based, it is usually preferable to also add miniature grass to the bases for effect. This can get quite involved and artistic, depending on your personal taste. There does not appear to be any accepted standard on whether based figures need grass or not, so for beginners it is just as easy to paint the base and figure bases green and leave it at that for the time being. Miniature grass can be added in the future as desired. The most basic method is to glue your figures to the base and let dry and paint. Then coat the base in PVA white glue, cover the base in flock (miniature hobby grass you can find in model railroad stores) and let dry. Turn the figures upside down and tap the base with a spoon or such, to dislodge the unglued flock. Then make a slightly watery mix of white glue, and dab this over the top of the flock so that it forms a top coat. This should hold the flock on permanently.

It should be noted that the basing size is the rule writers way of showing the size of the formation on the table. Some figure poses are actually bigger than the base size in the rules! This is especially true of charging horses with animated riders waving their arms about. Do the best you can to fit them, but don't get stressed over it. If they overhang, they overhang.

Also, when making infantry battalions or cavalry regiments, it is usually accepted practice to make the whole unit, except command figures, out of the same pose. This seems to be an accepted standard, and for a little effect maybe one figure in the battalion of a different pose to break it up. This guide is based on Austrians, who were the masters of uniformity, so maybe all your figure poses should be the same. An example would be a battalion of infantry standing firing, with one figure perhaps loading, standing wounded, or something suitably stoic. This uniformity also helps in ordering figures (ie I'll have 10 of those thanks, instead of trying to choose 10 different figures) and also in mass painting of formations (ie all figures are the same, therefore it's easier to paint them in batches.)

Fourth. Don't touch your opponents figures without permission, even if you're just looking at them in the packing box. It's a sure way to get someone agitated. You will run into opponents who literally spend hours on each figure, their figures being their own art form and treasured possessons. You may also find the figures you are picking up are older than you and are long out of production and now rare collectors pieces. Treat your opponents figures as though they were their children. Once a game has begun, certainly never ever touch your opponents figures, even if you're trying to be helpful.

Fifth. Don't assume your opponent is an expert on all things Napoleonic. There is only one acknowledged expert on Napoleonics, and they are currently trekking through Nepal on the back of their unicorn...

Sixth. This a game, and a hobby. Relax, enjoy yourself, ask questions if you're not sure, and help out people newer than yourself. It's a social hobby, get out there and get involved.