Obvious that CA did not do their historic background.

[Hannover]

One of the things that bugs me about this game is the fact that the officers sport beards. Full beards, these are not Prussian officers with handlebar mustaches that were popular during that time period. No all European officers have beards in a time where it was unchristian to have one. Sideburns did not come in until early Victorian and Napolonic time period, but no these are full grown beards.

[43rdFoot]

You're only just now noticing that CA did not do their research well?

[kesa82]

Not disputing what you say......

But shaving is a hassle now with disposable safety razors. Ugh, this leads me into so many other off-topic questions ; How good or bad were strait razors in the 18th century ? How good or bad were scissors in the 18th century ?

I would assume that at least in more urban areas the monied gentleman would avail himself of the convenience of a barber to do his shaving for him ?
( Do barbers even do that any more ? or has it disappeared like shoe-shine boys ? )

They didn't have dry-cleaning in those days, so I wonder if they really wore such elaborate finery every day ? Most Movies really don't do it justice. the embroidery often apparently got fantastically elaborate. see here ; http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...an-Soubise.jpg )
If they did dress like that every day , their wardrobes must have been enormous, or, while they may have LOOKED good, they must have SMELLED....uhh..... pungently fragrant.
Well, of course, I'm sure that the king of France , Knights of the Golden Fleece, and other such Grandees DID have enormous wardrobes.
But Europe was full of actually not-so-rich, or even impoverished, Junkers.
What in Gods name did they do to keep up appearances?

Menstruation ; I have heard they used rags. But that sounds rather impractical.
I have read that THE reason women wore floor-sweeping dresses and layers of petticoats was because they in fact just let the blood flow. But I have yet to come across a contemporary 18th century epistle written by a woman that confirms or refutes any such claims.
Of course that's the maddening trouble with history ; often it was the little details of life that were really important. But nobody bothered to preserve those details for posterity because they were prosaic, ubiquitous, " unimportant" .
Everybody knew it, but, of course, 100 years hence, NOBODY will know that.

For example, I'm --just barely --- old enough to remember that shoe-shine stands, and spittoons, were a common fixture of daily life. You saw them everywhere. but would your typical 20 year old even know what a spittoon is, unless his attention were specifically directed to this object ?

[kesa82]

Anyway, I want officers who actually look like status-conscious old-school aristocrats, and carry spontoons. I want drummers in reversed-color coats in mitre caps or bearskins , and carrying infantry hangers on their hips.
And lastly, I want my German mercenaries to have those over-sized cartridge boxes, and relatively enormous field flask canteens banging around on their hips that the Hessians and Prussians apparently favored.
But you'll never get all of that even in a single mod.
The only thing for it is to mod it yourself.
Ugh !

[clibinarium]

I agree on the beards issue, both for officers and drummers, actually for all troops. Mustaches can be argued about to an extent, but full beards should not be seen in European armies (some have suggested maybe on sappers, but I am not at all convinced). I don't know why CA chose to do this, because its not that they didn't do research; on threads where CA people did comment on research it was clear they were well versed in 18th Century soldiery. They explained their more contraversial choices in terms of design choice, and while many including me didn't agree, I accept their reasoning. On the beards though, I can't explain what they were thinking, they managed not to put beards on the Imperial Romans in RTW! OK it is a small issue, but one that breaks up the atmosphere.

On the issue of shaving, 18th Century regiments would have had a number of barbers or "surgeon's mates" attached. Barber surgeons were people who shaved and cut hair for a living, but also did minor surgery (usually pretty badly) often the popular 'bleeding', it was erroneously thought that a large nick on the arm or body would allow enough blood to flow out to cure all sorts of illnesses. The red and white stripped pole outside modern barber's premises symbolises the bandages and blood assoicated with these men.
Frederick the Great commented that many of these men in his army were "raw young lads who can scarce shave a beard tolerably well", though the Prussian services medical provision was possibly the worst in Europe, at a time when nobody did it well!
Suffice to say there were plenty of barbers on hand.

"Full beards, these are not Prussian officers with handlebar mustaches that were popular during that time period"
Hannover can you clarify this, specifically what time period are you refering to 18th or 19th Century?

[♔Oggie♔]

Indeed those beards don't give them a "gentlemen" look.
I want to see officers with white wigs and beardless.
Some countries can have mustaches.

But the wigs... the men have wigs on the campaign screen, why not in the battle models.

[AUSSIE11]

about the beards i would think on campaign it would not always be the easiest thing to shave necersarily...im not saying they where common though...also could we please get away from this thing that all officers where aristocrats...this was not necessarily so and many lived off their wages.

[Hannover]

about the beards i would think on campaign it would not always be the easiest thing to shave necersarily...im not saying they where common though.

Men would prepare quite thourghly for combat dressing in their sunday best to meet the maker and making sure they were shaved and presentable. A straight blade was in everymans haversack along with the soap and the brick dust.

[Tim_Ward]

I don't know why CA chose to do this, because its not that they didn't do research; on threads where CA people did comment on research it was clear they were well versed in 18th Century soldiery.

CA aren't a monolith.