We Turned Sharp Practice into a Big Battle

The latest video on the channel takes a look behind the scenes of our award-winning participation game based on the Battle of the Berezina, one of the defining actions of Napoleon's disastrous 1812 Retreat from Moscow. Rather than simply showing the finished table, the video explores the thinking behind the project and how we adapted Sharp Practice 2 to recreate a much larger battle than the rules were originally designed for.

The Battle of the Berezina has always appealed as a wargaming subject because it combines dramatic history with challenging tabletop decisions. As the remnants of the Grande Armée struggled to escape across temporary bridges over the freezing Berezina River, the French rearguard fought desperately to delay the advancing Russians while thousands of soldiers and civilians tried to reach safety. It is a battle defined by sacrifice, desperate heroism and impossible choices, making it ideal for narrative gaming.

Bringing that history to life required much more than simply painting figures. The project combined miniatures from several manufacturers, custom-built river sections and bridges, carefully researched terrain, and months of planning to produce a table that reflected both the history and the atmosphere of the campaign. Participation games demand a balance between visual impact and enjoyable gameplay, so every decision had to serve both purposes.

Perhaps the greatest challenge came from the rules. We chose to modify Sharp Practice 2 to cope with battalion-sized formations. Senior commanders activated groups of units instead of individuals, the Force Morale system was extended to create a slower-burning but more dramatic collapse, and several historical special rules captured the unique personalities and circumstances of the campaign. Marshal Ney inspired nearby troops, Jean-Baptiste Eblé accelerated bridge repairs, Cossacks terrorised broken formations, and streams of exhausted French stragglers became moving obstacles that influenced both movement and morale.

The result was a game that remained recognisably Sharp Practice while successfully handling a much larger battle. Although turns naturally took longer, the battle developed exactly the sort of momentum hoped for, beginning with mounting tension before accelerating into a dramatic conclusion.

The project also demonstrated one of the great strengths of participation games. They are not simply opportunities to display painted miniatures but a way of sharing history, discussing rule ideas, meeting fellow hobbyists and encouraging conversations throughout the day. Receiving the show's Best in Show award was a wonderful surprise, but perhaps even more rewarding were the many discussions with visitors who stopped to ask questions, roll dice and share their own enthusiasm for historical wargaming.

We Nearly Broke our Wargame

A few nights ago, Ray and I got together with Paul Brooks from Pazoot for one final chat about our recently published campaign book, 1812: The Retreat from Moscow – A Battle Chronicle Wargame. Rather than discussing the rules themselves, we spent some time reflecting on the journey that took the project from a slightly mad idea to a finished publication. We talked about where the concept came from, how it evolved during development, the challenges we encountered along the way, and the many rounds of playtesting that helped shape the final product.

It was an enjoyable opportunity to look back on a project that has occupied a significant amount of our time over the last few months and to share some of the behind-the-scenes stories that never quite make it into the finished rulebook. 

I appreciate that this is rather different from my usual video content. It's longer, more informal, and much more of a relaxed conversation than a scripted hobby discussion. However, I thought some viewers might find it interesting to hear about the realities of taking a wargaming project from initial concept through to publication.

One final apology: the video and audio quality are a little rough around the edges. The discussion was recorded over Google Meet, so it's not quite up to the usual production standards. Still, hopefully the content makes up for the occasional technical wobble.

If you've ever wondered what goes into creating a wargame publication, or you're interested in the story behind 1812: The Retreat from Moscow, I hope you enjoy the conversation.

The Retreat From Moscow Is HERE!

After months of writing, playtesting, and rewriting, our rulebook is officially launching today!

This project has been a fantastic collaboration between Paul Brooks (the man behind the Pazoot Wargaming channel), me, and my long-suffering mate Ray (from the Don't Throw a One blog).

I won’t ramble on too much—I’ve already shared several videos and posts tracking our progress, and the reception from the community so far has been incredibly positive. 

Paul has been working incredibly hard on the website, and we are ahead of schedule, so the rules are available today. If you want to grab your copy ahead of the crowd, head over to the store right now: 

👉 Order your copy here: www.pazoot.com

But wait, there’s more... To say a massive thank you for all your support, you can use the code BIGLEE10 at checkout to get 10% OFF the cover price!

The Retreat is Coming!

Every now and then, a tabletop wargaming project comes along that feels genuinely different.

Over the last few months, I’ve had the chance to be directly involved in developing and playtesting 1812 The Retreat from Moscow: A Battle Chronicle Wargame, a new historical miniature wargaming project developed by Paul from the Pazoot channel. Having now spent a significant amount of time with it (alongside my regular gaming partner Ray) I wanted to share why this is a project I’m genuinely excited to support.

This wasn’t one of those situations where I was handed a finished ruleset and asked for a quick opinion. I’ve been involved since the early stages, when the system was still very much rough around the edges. Some of the earliest versions were, to put it politely, enthusiastic experiments held together by optimism and dice rolls. And that’s exactly why I believe in it.

Over the course of months, we repeatedly tested all four linked scenarios, deliberately pushing the rules to their limits. We found balance issues. We discovered mechanics that slowed the game down. We encountered those inevitable “well, that definitely doesn’t work” moments that every game designer secretly dreads. But what impressed me most was the process that followed.

Each round of feedback was taken seriously. Rules were revised, mechanics tightened, unclear interactions clarified, and the entire experience steadily refined through multiple iterations. This wasn’t about forcing a product out quickly; it was about making sure the final result genuinely worked on the tabletop.

What makes Battle Chronicle stand out is its focus. Rather than being another generic historical ruleset trying to cover every conceivable period and battle, this is a tightly designed narrative experience. Each Chronicle is a self-contained cooperative skirmish mini-campaign built around a specific historical setting.

The first instalment throws players into Napoleon’s retreat from Moscow, placing them in command of desperate survivors struggling against exhaustion, attrition, freezing weather and an automated enemy system designed to create constant tension.

It feels less like playing a standard tabletop battle and more like trying to survive a collapsing historical disaster. For me personally, it’s also done something every good project should do: it got miniatures onto the table.

Ray and I have had Retreat from Moscow figures waiting for their moment for some time, and Battle Chronicle finally gave us the perfect excuse to build games around them and actually get stuck in.

In my latest video, I talk through the full journey, from those very rough early playtests through to why I now feel confident recommending it.

If you’re interested in historical tabletop wargaming, narrative campaigns, cooperative miniatures gaming, Napoleonic history, or the design process behind new rulesets, I think you’ll find this one interesting.

And if Battle Chronicle sounds like your kind of project, keep an eye out... The Retreat from Moscow is with the printers now, with release expected soon.

***LAUNCH UPDATE***   The rules should be available from the 1st June here and if you use the code BIGLEE10 at checkout you can get 10% off the cover price 

Battle Chronicle: Playthrough

This week’s video is a full playthrough of The Barn at Dawn, the introductory scenario from Battle Chronicle: Retreat from Moscow, which is a cooperative Napoleonic skirmish game focused on survival, isolation, and hard decisions. Set during the catastrophic 1812 retreat, the game strips away grand tactics and sweeping manoeuvres. There are no lines of infantry trading volleys, no elegant battlefield choreography. Each miniature represents a single exhausted French straggler. These men are cut off, freezing, and desperately trying to escape enemy territory while Russian patrols close in.

The first scenario is played on a compact 2x2 table using six French figures and a reinforcement pool of twelve Russian line infantry. The Russians are controlled by an automated system. They do not “think” in the human sense; they follow simple behavioural rules based on distance and line of sight. Beyond that, they advance relentlessly. Reinforcements arrive twice per Russian turn, meaning the longer the French linger, the worse their situation becomes.

The tension in this game does not come from complex mechanics. It comes from decision-making under pressure. Each French character has three actions per turn: move, shoot, search, or fight. An aimed shot costs two actions. Loot can be discovered at designated points across the table, but searching takes time, and you do not have time. Food, firewood, and bandages may save a life later in the campaign, but stopping to search could mean being overrun.

This first game is intentionally simple. It introduces movement, survival, reinforcement mechanics, and the automated Russian response system. Later scenarios expand the table size, increase complexity, and introduce additional narrative twists. But even here, the pressure is palpable. Reinforcements recycle through the pool, so while only twelve Russians may be on the table at once, the French can face far more over the course of the game.

If you are interested in historical tabletop wargaming, Napoleonic miniatures, cooperative skirmish systems, or narrative campaign design, this playthrough demonstrates exactly how the rules function in practice. More importantly, it shows how a game can create tension through meaningful choices rather than mechanical complications.

More Retreat from Moscow Testing this weekend.

More playtesting has been underway this week, with even more sessions lined up for the weekend and into next week as we hammer out the final refinements to Battle Chronicle: The Retreat from Moscow.  Each game nudges the system a little closer to where we want it. Tight enough to hold together under pressure, but flexible enough to let the story breathe. 

The system will be a co-operative narrative skirmish campaign booklet, built around small groups, hard choices, and consequences that carry forward. Every playtest has thrown up something useful: a rule that needs tightening, a mechanic that sings, a moment of unexpected drama that reminds us why we’re doing this in the first place. That’s the quiet magic of playtesting, because it exposes the cracks and the gold in equal measure.

We’re keeping our powder dry on a release date for now. There’s still work to do, and we’d rather get it right than get it rushed. But with each session, we’re getting closer to a system we genuinely believe people will enjoy putting on their tables. In the meantime, here are a handful of photos from the latest playtest session—small glimpses of a project steadily taking shape.

We Broke our own Ruleset

Designing a new tabletop wargame ruleset sounds exciting, and it is, but the real magic happens during playtesting. In this video, I talk through my recent experiences helping develop The Battle Chronicle, a brand new historical skirmish system set during Napoleon’s Retreat from Moscow. Rather than focusing purely on the finished product, this discussion explores the messy, fascinating stage where ideas are tested, broken, repaired, and slowly shaped into something genuinely fun to play.

Playtesting is where theory meets tabletop reality. Mechanics that look perfectly reasonable on paper can behave very differently once players start experimenting. Balance issues appear, unexpected rule combinations crop up, and the flow of the game becomes much clearer. Some rules turn out to be more complicated than they need to be, while others don’t deliver the tension or decision-making they promised. This process isn’t about chasing perfection; it’s about making sure the game creates an enjoyable experience that feels right for the setting.

Because The Battle Chronicle is rooted in a very specific historical moment, narrative tone matters just as much as mechanics. The retreat from Moscow is defined by hardship, attrition, and desperation, and the rules need to support that atmosphere. Playtesting helps reveal whether those themes come through naturally in play or whether certain elements undermine the intended feel. A good historical game should tell stories that make sense for the period, not just produce balanced dice exchanges.

Another key part of the process is clarity. Designers often know what they meant when writing a rule, but new players only have the text in front of them. Watching others interpret the rules highlights unclear wording, inconsistent terminology, and assumptions that need to be explained. Fixing these issues early makes the finished ruleset far more welcoming and easier to learn. Beyond mechanics and wording, playtesting also reveals practical improvements: when tokens would help, where reference sheets are needed, and which parts of the game benefit from simplification. These small refinements can dramatically improve the overall experience.

In the video, I share why this stage of development is so important, what it has taught me about rules design, and why thorough playtesting builds confidence in a finished product. If you enjoy tabletop wargaming, historical settings, or thoughtful hobby discussion about how games are made, this behind-the-scenes look at the design process should be right up your street.

Introducing Battle Chronicle: The Retreat from Moscow

 

Last weekend marked the beginning of a brand-new miniature adventure, and it feels good to finally lift the fog of war just a little.

I’ve been working with Paul from the Pazoot Channel on a project called The Battle Chronicle. Paul has been deep in rules-writing mode, while I’ve been handling playtesting, staging the games, and—alongside my mate Ray—capturing plenty of photos and footage as the project starts to take shape on the tabletop. What you’re seeing in the pictures here is our first big playtesting session, where ideas stopped being theory and started becoming desperate little struggles in the snow.

So what is a Battle Chronicle? Each one is designed as a self-contained narrative skirmish mini-campaign. Inside a single booklet, you’ll find a complete skirmish ruleset, four linked scenarios, and a tightly focused historical theme that drives the action forward. The goal is to create something that feels like a story unfolding, not just a series of disconnected games.

The first Chronicle is set during Napoleon’s retreat from Moscow. The focus is on survival: stragglers clinging together, shattered formations, collapsing morale, and constant hard choices. It’s built as a cooperative experience, with players working together against an automated enemy system. In play, that has already led to some wonderfully tense and unpredictable moments—exactly the kind of drama this period deserves.

For Ray and me, this project has also been the perfect excuse to finally put our Retreat from Moscow collection on the table in a proper, story-driven way. Instead of one-off encounters, we’re seeing units carry their scars from game to game, and decisions in one scenario ripple into the next. It feels closer to history than a casual pick-up game ever could.

If you’d like a quick glimpse of how it looked in action, I’ve posted a YouTube Short showing moments from this very session. And next week, I’ll be releasing a longer video where I talk in more detail about the playtesting process, what we learned, what broke, what surprised us, and why playtesting is such a crucial part of building any set of rules. There’s plenty more frostbite, panic, and last-stand heroics to come.

Hells Devils: Kalmyk Horsemen in the 1812 Campaign

When I first began putting together my Russian army for our Retreat from Moscow project, I wasn’t expecting to fall down a historical rabbit hole. But while flipping through the Blandford uniform guide for the Retreat from Moscow, I was immediately hooked by the mention of the Kalmyks and Bashkirs. They looked like they’d galloped straight out of the Middle Ages and into Napoleon’s nightmare — mounted warriors in fur hats and brightly coloured robes, firing curved bows and launching hit-and-run raids on the retreating French. Needless to say, I immediately realised that a Kalmyk unit would be integrated into my Russian army at some point.

Ray and I are loosely building toward a game based around the Battle of Berezina, and right there in the Russian Order of Battle was a Kalmyk cavalry regiment. It was the perfect excuse to bring these exotic, half-forgotten warriors into the heart of the drama — and maybe give my French opponent a few headaches on the tabletop.

So who were the Kalmyks? They are Europe’s only Mongolic ethnic group, descendants of the Oirat-speaking Mongols who migrated westward from Central Asia across the centuries. By the early 17th century, they'd settled on the arid steppes between the Don and Volga Rivers and established the Kalmyk Khanate under Russian suzerainty. Their name for the Volga, Itil, meaning “pastures” in their archaic script, sums up their deep connection to the land and their nomadic lifestyle.

Even under the Russian Empire, the Kalmyks continued to migrate seasonally, moving their herds and yurts across the vast steppe, although they gradually transitioned to more permanent settlements with wooden houses and Buddhist temples. By 1798, Tsar Paul I formally recognized the Don Kalmyks as part of the Don Cossack Host, granting them status and privileges in return for military service.

To the soldiers of Napoleon’s Grande Armée, the Kalmyks must have looked like ghostly echoes of a much older enemy. These were men who rode like Mongols, dressed like Mongols, and fought like Mongols. Small in stature but fierce in reputation, they struck an intimidating figure with their flowing robes, shaggy fur hats, and flying topknots. 

Their gear might have seemed outdated compared to the polished muskets and sabres of the European powers, but it was deadly effective. Their bows were masterpieces of steppe craftsmanship — horn-backed, wrapped in birch bark and horsehair to withstand the damp Russian winters. With sinew strings and expert marksmanship, these bows could launch arrows over 500 yards, well beyond the reach of a typical infantry musket.

In battle, Kalmyk cavalry used their speed and agility to their advantage. One commonly reported tactic was to ride within 40 paces of the enemy, loose four arrows in quick succession — some riders even carried arrows between their teeth for faster reloading — and then finish the assault with a lance charge. It's the kind of asymmetric warfare that’s hard to model on the tabletop, but devastating when used right.

The Kalmyks played a notable role in the chaos of Napoleon’s retreat from Moscow. Their hit-and-run tactics and deep knowledge of the land made them ideal for harassing the retreating French columns, preying on isolated units, baggage trains, and stragglers. There’s even a famous account from November 1812, when a wounded French general arrived at a hospital in Krasnoye with an arrow still lodged in his body — complete with a brightly coloured plume sticking from the shaft. The French soon nicknamed the Kalmyk “hell’s devils,” and it’s not hard to see why.

Though often overlooked in popular accounts of the Napoleonic Wars, the Kalmyks were still in the saddle right to the bitter end. On March 30, 1814, Kalmyk cavalry rode into Paris alongside the rest of the Russian army. They even set up camp on the Champs-Élysées, where Parisians gathered to watch these exotic horsemen race and perform riding tricks — a living reminder that some of the Empire’s enemies came from far beyond the Prussian and Austrian heartlands.

For wargamers, the Kalmyks offer something truly different in a Russian Napoleonic force. They’re light cavalry with a unique flavour — and perfect for those of us who like a little asymmetry in our games. Whether you're fielding them in a sprawling retreat scenario, a skirmish-level ambush, or just adding some spice to your cavalry wing, they’re guaranteed to get noticed. They also provide a chance to paint something visually striking: robes in rich colours, horsehair plumes, exotic tack and saddles — a refreshing change from the parade-ground greens and greys of most Napoleonic uniforms.

And, of course, if you’re like me, there’s just something irresistible about including warriors in your army who feel like they’ve stepped out of a different era altogether — and still managed to ride all the way to Paris. These models are grom Gripping Beasts range of medieval Mongols, for a different era entirely, but still perfect for the 1812 campaign.

Budget Terrain for our Retreat from Moscow Project

Recently, Ray and I spent a full day tackling a big part of our ongoing Retreat from Moscow tabletop wargaming project: creating a massive winter wargaming mat and winterising a collection of custom-built river terrain. The result was a dramatic snowy battlefield for a fraction of the cost of a commercial gaming mat, plus a set of icy rivers ready for Napoleonic misery. 

Rather than spending £100+ on a commercially available snow mat, we went down the DIY route using a large white fleece throw as our base. Fleece is a brilliant option for terrain builders—it’s lightweight, flexible, absorbs paint well, and drapes naturally over hills, books, or other sub-surface terrain features.

We laid the fleece out on a flat surface and began building up layers of paint. The goal was to replicate the subtle variations you get in real snow—areas of slush, icy shadows, windblown drifts, and patches of churned-up mud or earth. We used diluted grey, brown, and white emulsion, lightly sponged and brushed to avoid flattening the texture. The key to success here was patience. We worked in layers, letting each dry before adding the next. This not only gave the mat a convincing natural look but also helped prevent it from becoming stiff.

Once the mat was complete, we turned our attention to a set of river sections we’d commissioned some time ago from Last Valley, who do superb custom terrain. These rivers needed a serious cold-weather makeover to match our new snowy setting. We added sand and grit to add texture to the earth areas, and when dry, we painted them with Earth Brown. Then a quick drybrush of white emulsion added a frosty 'frozen earth' look. The last step was adding our snow mix and frost grass tufts. 

The fleece cost £20, and we probably spent about £50 on paint and tools, so this was significantly cheaper than buying a commercial battle mat. More importantly, it has been painted to our specific requirements and is 7ft by 7ft, ample for our needs. 

If you want to see the results for yourself, check out the YouTube Short! We packed the highlights of the process into a quick clip.

Cossack Sled Guns During the Napoleonic Wars

This week I have finished converting a few figures to make an unusual unit for the Retreat from Moscow.  Russian Cossack units, apparently employed an innovative solution to winter warfare: sled-mounted light artillery. These "sled guns" helped maintain Russian mobility and firepower across the frozen battlefields. Standard artillery carriages often failed in deep snow and extreme cold. From what I can find, these small-caliber guns — typically 2- or 3-pounders or small licornes — were mounded onto wooden sledges. These sleds, fitted with runners instead of wheels, enabled the guns to move swiftly across snow and ice. 

The sled designs varied from simple flatbeds to reinforced frames capable of absorbing recoil. Often, sled guns were hauled by small horse teams and fired directly from the sled, sometimes anchored to stabilize against recoil. Cossack sled guns fit seamlessly into their hit-and-run style of warfare. Small detachments used these guns to ambush French supply columns, harass stragglers, and raid lightly defended posts. Their light weight made them ideal for fast attacks and rapid withdrawals.

During the 1812 retreat from Moscow, sled guns would have contributed to the constant harassment of the Grand Armée. Although not powerful enough to shatter major formations, the psychological impact of mobile artillery attacks in the depths of winter was significant. French morale, already collapsing under starvation and exposure, deteriorated further under the constant threat of sudden artillery fire. 

The gun in this model is scratch built, utilising two small prussian artillery pieces and their carriages to make one sled gun. The sled itself is made from parts of the gun carriages and is a rough approximation of the custom built sleds described and illustrated in the picture above. For crew I used cossacks from Wargame Foundry's Seven Years War range, replacing a rifle with a sponge/rammer and a sword with a slow-match.

If you want to see more, check out my latest YouTube Short showcasing this model. And if you want to see more of the 1812 Retreat from Moscow project that Ray and I are working on check out this video on my channel.

Wild Raiders: Cossacks for the 1812 Retreat from Moscow

Another unit is completed for my 1812 Retreat from Moscow project — this time, a band of wild, non-uniformed Cossack horsemen. These figures come from Wargame Foundry’s Seven Years War range, but they fit the Napoleonic era beautifully. In fact, this unit perfectly captures the kind of irregular warfare that made the Russian campaign so harrowing for Napoleon’s retreating Grande Armée.

The figures themselves are armed with muskets, pistols, and swords — all exactly the sort of weapons you would expect Cossacks to carry during the 1812 campaign. Unlike the more regular Don Cossacks or the reformed Cossack regiments in Russian service, these men weren’t equipped by the state. Most would have ridden into battle with whatever weapons and gear they could muster, often passed down from father to son. A battered flintlock musket, an old cavalry saber, or a heavy pistol could easily have seen service across multiple generations.

What makes these Cossacks particularly exciting to paint is their lack of uniformity. Unlike the French, or even the Russian line troops, these men wore what they had — and they wore it with flair. Bright colours and mismatched garments were all fair game. In a world where regular soldiers were becoming ever more standardized, these raiders clung to the traditional, the colourful, and the personal.

I leaned into that when painting them. Rather than sticking to a muted palette, I deliberately chose vivid reds, rich blues, ochres, greens, and warm browns for their coats, tunics, and sashes. While I made sure to tone the figures down slightly with my usual dark ink — to reflect the dirty, brutal conditions of the Russian winter — I wanted them to stand out against the white snowscape that will dominate the tabletop. 

Their horses, too, reflect the same variety. Rather than a uniform line of cavalry mounts, these Cossacks ride a wild assortment of ponies and small horses, painted in browns, blacks, greys, and the occasional piebald. Some have rough-looking saddles and simple bridles, consistent with the idea of men who rode into war with what they had, not what they were issued.

From a modelling perspective, the Wargame Foundry sculpts were a joy to work with. Despite originally being marketed for an earlier period (the Seven Years War), there's nothing about their kit that feels out of place for 1812. Traditional Cossack dress and weaponry changed very little over that half-century, especially among the irregulars. Foundry’s figures have a lot of character — fierce, rugged faces, loose clothing, and a real sense of movement. You can practically imagine them swooping down on a broken French column, firing from the saddle or cutting down stragglers with a worn sabre.

Tactically, these Cossacks are going to play a vital role in the games I’m planning for the Retreat from Moscow project. In the historical retreat, irregular forces like these were the bane of the French army. They harassed supply trains, ambushed stragglers, and picked off isolated units, all while avoiding stand-up fights with better-armed regulars. They turned a military retreat into a chaotic rout. In gaming terms, I imagine these Cossacks will function as highly mobile skirmishers — ideal for ambush scenarios, hit-and-run attacks, and exploiting any disorder among the French forces. Their irregular status also allows for some fun rules around variable quality, surprise attacks, and unpredictable behaviour. It’s fitting: the Cossacks of 1812 were not just another regiment to be lined up and sent charging. They were a constant, unpredictable threat — and now they’ll be one on the tabletop too.

This unit also represents something a little broader about the Retreat from Moscow project. One of my long-term goals is to capture the incredible diversity of forces involved. The Russian side wasn't a monolithic army: it included regular line infantry, artillery, Cossacks, Asiatic tribesmen, peasant militias, and more. These non-uniformed Cossacks add that critical irregular element that makes the story of 1812 so rich and complex. Overall, I'm very pleased with how they turned out. They bring a splash of colour, chaos, and character to the collection — and I can't wait to see them in action, galloping across a snowy battlefield, causing havoc among the retreating French.

Moscow Opolchenie with Pikes – 1812 Retreat from Moscow Project

Another unit completed for the 1812 Retreat from Moscow project that Ray and I have been steadily working through – and this one might just be my favourite so far. Introducing a grim and determined band of Moscow Opolchenie, citizen-soldiers armed with pikes, trudging through the snow to defend their homeland. This unit really captures the ragged determination of Russia’s last-ditch defense during the 1812 campaign. These militia were not professional troops, but rather volunteers and conscripts – tradesmen, peasants, and townsfolk – hastily organized to bolster the Russian resistance as Napoleon’s Grande Armée advanced.

What makes this unit stand out visually is their distinctive brown kaftan-style uniform. These long, belted coats were practical for the Russian winter, and many were lined or trimmed with fur, which I tried to reflect in the painting. The uniform was often accompanied by tall fur hats, giving the figures a consistent and iconic silhouette. I've kept the palette earthy and subdued – lots of rich browns, muted reds for the sashes, and dark fur tones. It’s a look that screams “militia,” but also carries a real sense of rugged unity. The basework ties it all together: snow effects and tufts poking through the frozen ground, along with a scenic backdrop that places them firmly in the brutal Russian winter.

Their weapons are just as evocative – long wooden pikes, some tipped with iron or even re-purposed bayonets. While pikes were largely obsolete by 1812, they still had their uses for militias. Cheap and easy to produce, they allowed these citizen-soldiers to form a semblance of defense, especially against cavalry or to harass stragglers during the retreat. I've painted the pikes to look weather-worn and practical, rather than polished – these were tools of desperation, not parade-ground arms.

The Moscow Opolchenie were intended to support the Russian army in a more defensive, auxiliary capacity – manning garrisons, guarding supply lines, and reinforcing the flanks when needed. But during the chaos of the French retreat from Moscow, even troops like these found themselves swept up in the wider conflict. They were often deployed alongside Cossack raiders or local partisans, harassing the retreating French, capturing isolated units, and cutting off supply routes. 

Their morale was often bolstered by fierce patriotism and the presence of religious icons – which I’ve echoed in the unit’s banner, featuring a traditional Orthodox image. One of the most striking elements of this Moscow Opolchenie unit is the religious banner they carry – a vivid reminder of how deeply intertwined faith and patriotism were in the Russian resistance during 1812. For many Opolchenie units, especially those raised in and around Moscow, banners were not standard military flags. Instead, they were often deeply personal and spiritual symbols, featuring Orthodox Christian icons, saints, or the Virgin Mary. These images weren’t just decorative – they were believed to provide divine protection and moral guidance, especially for irregular troops who lacked the discipline and structure of the regular army. 

In the case of the Moscow Opolchenie, many units carried banners bearing the image of Saint Nicholas, Our Lady of Kazan, or Christ Pantocrator, all revered figures in Russian Orthodoxy. In practice, these banners were often made by local communities or churches, sometimes even embroidered by hand, and then blessed before being carried into the field. This gave them deep emotional resonance for the men under them – they weren’t just fighting for Tsar and country, but for their families, faith, and the sanctity of their homeland.

This unit was a joy to work on – a little different from the polished parade of line infantry, but full of character and narrative. It really adds that layer of atmosphere and grit to the project, and I’m looking forward to seeing them on the table. 

Keeping it going...

Another off-the-cuff episode this week where I discuss the continuation of a current project beyond the initial planned stages. How do you keep the enthusiasm for a project going, especially when so much 'shiny' is out there to tempt you into another period?

Napoleon's Retreat from Moscow 1812 - The Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge XV

For the last three months I have been participating in the Painting Challenge and having submitted my last entry I have a chance to review how I did. The short version is I think I did pretty well. My initial target was 300 points which reflected the models I had bought when the challenge started. My final output is a little over 1000 points so you can see I bought a few more figures along the way! I have managed to complete one, sometimes two units a week, while still keeping up with posting on the Challenge blog, here on BLMA and still getting my weekly video for the channel in on time. Time now to dial back the workload, take a deep breath and have a tidy up (the Operations Room is a proper mess!). 

My trajectory during this challenge has been pretty consistent, netting my third highest tally.

Grenadiers

Musketeers / Line Infantry

3 units of Jáger skirmishers

Mounted officer

Another Musketeer / Line infantry unit

Three junior officers /  NCO's

12 Pounder Artillery and crew

Don Cossacks

Moscow and St Petersburg Opolchenie

Two mounted officers

Smolensk Dragoons

Two units of Jágers

Opolchenie 3 pounder gun & limber

Opolchenie 3 Pounder Gun Team

Cossack Opolchenie

6 Pounder Artillery piece & crew (and a Water Cart)

6 Pounder and 12 pounder Guns side by side

Water Cart

Two units of Carabineer's

Very angry peasants!

Phew!