Skirmishers

At the level of game that my variant of the Piquet rules will be aiming at, (multiple Divisions on the table) the individual battalion decisions about skirmishing are assumed to be handled by colonels at a local level and thus do not need representing with figures. The exception to this that I am going to try is where a large proportion (50%+) of a unit is dispersed into skirmishers. There were a few regiments in different armies who were highly trained light infantry or very high calibre soldiers who could cope with unusual circumstances. Or so poor that it makes no difference if they are in line or skirmish (I am thinking of Revolutionary War Levee en Masse here.)

My representation on the table for this situation will be:

This shows the skirmish line, which can be covering neighbouring formations and the rallying point (practise was to have a reserve of some sort for skirmishers for form on.) As I write this I am thinking that the individual skirmish figures could also be used to show where a brigade has attached companies of riflemen (as per the British in The Peninsula and the Prussians post 1813 IIRC.) I am toying with the idea of a combat resolution card just for skirmishers but I am not decided yet if that come under the category of "no business of the Brigadier" and an unnecessary complication.

Anyway, here are my first few individual skirmish figures painted up. They are supposed to be the Voltiguers from a line regiment. The figures are Victrix 1807-1812 French infantry that I aquired a few sprues of on eBay. I didn't like the chunkiness of these compared to my slim Alban Miniatures French but I have mitigated the effect a bit by swapping the heads for sparePerry Miniatures hussars heads.