The Small Print

• 300 close-formed infantrymen in three ranks gives a unit frontage of 100 men. Assuming a 0.6m frontage per man gives a unit frontage of 60m. • 150 light infantry in loose formation in three theoretical ranks gives a unit frontage of 50 men. Assuming a 1.2m frontage per man gives a unit frontage of 60m. However, 60m could easily be filled by as few as 50 men in a single extended skirmish line. So, the assumption would be that open order rather than extended order assumes that light infantrymen are deployed in depth – or in ranks, or in pairs as was the custom, or in small groups. • 150 heavy cavalry in two ranks gives a unit frontage of 75 men. Assuming a 0.9m frontage per rider boot-to-boot gives a frontage of 67.5m. Assuming that some of the 150 men are officers positioned to the front and rear of the formation, the unit’s frontage could easily be reduced to 60m. However and especially for elites who were more reliable in a less dense formation, a frontage of 1.2m per man might also be appropriate. This would give a theoretical unit frontage of 90m. • 100 light cavalry in two ranks gives a unit frontage of 50 men. Assuming a 1.35m frontage per rider gives a frontage of 67.5m. Again assuming that some of the 100 men are officers positioned to the front and rear of the formation, the unit’s frontage could easily be reduced to 60m. • A battery of 6 guns with a frontage of 10m per gun gives a unit frontage of 60m.

Ground Scale

At least I could tick one box as I was definitely going with 1:50 as a good and workable figure scale solution. But I still needed to be sure that my preferred ground scale and figure bases of choice were truly compatible. I had a short list of ground scale contenders: Ground Scale: 1mm : 2.5m 1mm : 3m 1mm : 3 ⅓ m Basic Measure: 2mm = 5m 5mm = 15m 3mm = 10m 1km = 400mm 333 ⅓ mm 300mm 200mm Terrain Tile 500m 600m 666m 20mm Base = 50m 60m 66.6m 25mm Base = 62.5m 75m 83.33m

1mm:3m

The ground scale 1mm:3m (1:3,000) works very well for figure bases.  However, mapping kilometres in divisions of 333 ⅓ mm would only, I thought, be a headache waiting to happen.
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