Early Review: Warlord Games Revolution Epic Battles

 

Dear Reader, 

Before we get started, spend a moment thinking of Warlord today, their co-founder, Paul Sawyer passed away yesterday.

I want to review what we know now about the new Warlord Games Revolution Epic Battles range. Those of you who don't know me, I am a history professor at a small Catholic college in Eastern Ohio, USA, and I study eighteenth-century warfare.

First of all, let me say, I am incredibly excited about this new line of miniatures, and as someone who is the faculty sponsor for an undergraduate university wargame club, I will absolutely be purchasing these for both myself and the club. I wish Warlord the best of success in this venture, and hope brings increased attention to eighteenth-century wargaming. 

First, some detailed photographs of these miniatures, front and back. 

The review will progress from the bad to good: from the things that I am disappointed about to what I absolutely love.

The Ugly (Errors that should have been caught) 

I'm not a button counter when it comes to wargames, but I was surprised to see that the bayonets were on the wrong side of the muskets. Bayonets were locked into place with the blade on the right side of the weapon, or when reversed while marching, on the left side (opposite the soldier's head). This is not a hard thing to grasp, and Warlord even got this right for their Napoleonic sets. It makes me wonder if there was a structural issue, or logistical reason for this choice. If so, no worries.

The Bad (Things that we should know about the British Army by now)

For the vast majority of the Revolutionary War (1776-1783) the British army fought in open order. That is to say, they fought in a two rank line with a man-sized gap between each of the files. The result is, that while the figures Warlord has produced are excellent for depicting redcoats just before the American War of Independence (indeed, they look just like the soldiers in the image above, training in the Caribbean before the AWI), they are not very accurate for how the British actually looked and maneuvered during the AWI on the battlefield. The British army was a very flexible, fastmoving, and adaptable force, which is why they won the majority of the battlefield encounters of the American War. I'm a bit concerned these miniatures will reinforce the stereotype that the British lost the war because they fought a European war in North America. 

The Neutral (Cavalry Sculpts)

People have complained that the cavalry look bland. I'm not really bothered by this. Warlord hasn't been nailing the cavalry in their Epic Battles Range for some time now, and honestly, the AWI was an infantry war, much more than in contemporary Europe. If cavalry is a priority, I would encourage you to still invest in the range, but supplement with 3D printing.

The Good (Uniform Flexibility)

Without examining the figures in my hand, it is hard to prove this with certainty, but I think that both the line infantry (the Continentals and the British are the same sculpts, see above) have been sculpted in such a way that depending on how you paint and shade them, they could appear in tall gaiters, half-gaiters, or gaitered trousers/overalls. If this is the case, and I believe it is, it would go a long way to improving my opinion of the range, and catapult if forward into one of the better small-scale AWI ranges.

The Exceptional (a relatively complete range)

Unlike the Battle of Waterloo Epic Range, Warlord has actually delivered a relatively complete range with these miniatures. I know that folks who love the French and Spanish in the AWI are revving their chainsaws to behead me, but for the vast majority of the fighting in North America, you have militia and regulars of both sides, American Riflemen, British Grenadiers and Light Infantry, Hessian Grenadiers, Musketeers, and Jaegers (pick me up off the floor with this one), Native Americans, and a smattering of cavalry. For the vast majority of the fighting in North America (outside the siege of Savannah and Yorktown) this is a fairly complete range. Sorry, French mains.

The Vince McMahon Falling Backwards (SYW Adaptability)

With this line-up, Warlord has almost given us a two-for-one range. With this range as it is now, it would be possible to represent a large degree of the soldiers from the Austrian and Prussian armies in the European Seven Years War. British infantry and Grenadiers can stand in for Austrian Fusiliers and Musketeers. Hessian Infantry and Grenadiers can stand in for Prussian Musketeers and Grenadiers. Artillery is available. Jaeger are included. Cavalry would need to be 3D printed, but, and I love you here, Warlord, that would probably be the case even in a dedicated SYW range. 

Putting it all together, Warlord has provided 18th century wargamers with a lot of chew on. I am absolutely ecstatic for this release, and look forward to seeing these troops on the table in games across North America and the UK.

You can find the miniatures for pre-order here: 

https://us.warlordgames.com/collections/revolution-epic-battles

Thanks for Reading,

Alex Burns