Miniature wargaming

Miniature wargaming is a form of wargaming designed to incorporate miniatures or figurines into play. The miniatures used represent troops or vehicles (such as tanks, chariots, aircraft, ships, etc.).

Many miniatures games are played on a floor or tabletop, with terrain represented by miniature scenery (hills, forests, roads, etc.). In this respect, miniatures wargames theoretically offer players great freedom of play, as well as a spectacular visual spectacle. Movement of the miniatures is regulated using a tape-measure. However, like boardgames, miniature games can also be played using gridded terrain (demarcated into squares or hexagons) or even gameboards.

One of the main reasons people play miniature games, as opposed to computer or boardgames, is because many find the tactile element of soldiers and scenery on a tabletop to be aesthetically pleasing; additionally, some hobbyists enjoy the challenge of painting miniatures and constructing scenery. Miniature wargaming may be seen as combining many of the aesthetics of tabletop train modeling with the strategy of war.

Contents

1 Scale 2 Notable Miniature Wargamers 3 Rulesets 4 External links 4.1 Rules / Scenarios 4.2 Manufacturers

Scale

Scale is generally expressed as the approximate height of the figure in millimeters, as opposed to the ratio values used in scale modeling. Popular sizes include 54mm, 45mm, 28mm, 25mm, 20mm, and 15mm, which equate to roughly 1:32, 1:35, 1:64, 1:76, 1:87, and 1:144. Some model railroad scales are close enough to the smaller-scale figures to provide usable structures and/or vehicles, possibly requiring some modification. Some wargamers use card model structures because of their economy and the ease of scaling them to appropriate sizes, and many wargamers scratchbuild their structures.

Notable Miniature Wargamers

• H.G. Wells - Known as the "Father of miniature wargaming"
• Don Featherstone
• Charles Grant
• George Gush
• John Hill - known for his classic Squad Leader board game, also the author of the popular Johnny Reb rules
• Phil Barker - founder of the Wargames Research Group, and inventor of the De Bellis Antiquitatis game series.

Rulesets

There are any number of miniature wargaming rulesets, including some which are available free on the internet. Most rulesets are intended for a specific historical period or fictional genre. Rules also vary in the model scale they use: one infantry figure may represent one man, one squad, or much larger numbers of actual troops.

Some miniatures games have achieved widespread popularity. Of particular note are the Games Workshop games - Warhammer Fantasy Battle, Warhammer 40,000 (science fiction), and a game based on the popular Lord of the Rings novels. Games Workshop stores are open in most larger cities in the US and the UK. There is also a historical variant, Warhammer Ancient Battles. Also of note are the historical games De Bellis Antiquitatis AKA DBA and associated games, including a fantasy variant Hordes of the Things.

• Ætherverse (Multi-Verse)
• American Battlelines (AWI, MAW, ACW)
• AK47 Republic (Postwar)
• Battlefleet Gothic (Space)
• Battlefront WWII (WWII)
• Bayonets and Ideology (SCW)
• Black Powder Battles (Napoleonics and similar)
• BlitzkriegCommander (WWII)
• Chain Reaction (Modern SciFi)
• Charlie Company (Vietnam)
• Command Decision (WWII)
• Confrontation (Fantasy)
• Conquerors and Kings (Ancients-Medieval)
• Contemptible Little Armies (WWI)
• Crimson_Skies
• Crossfire (WWII)
• De Bellis Antiquitatis DBA (Ancients-Medieval)
• DBM (Ancients-Medieval)
• DBR (Rennaisance)
• DBX (Ancients-Medieval)
• Dwarf Wars (Fantasy)
• Eight Hundred Fighting Englishmen (Colonial)
• Epic Armageddon (Sci-Fi)
• Ever Victorious Armies (19th Century)
• Fire and Fury (ACW)
• Forlorn Hope (ECW)
• Flames of War (WWII)
• Habitants and Highlanders (French and Indian War)
• Heavy Gear (SciFi Mecha)
• Heroclix (Superheroes)
• Hey You in the Jail! (Westerns)
• Hordes of the Things (Fantasy)
• I Ain't Been Shot Mum (WWII)
• In the Name of Glory (Napoleonics)
• In the Heart of Africa (Colonials)
• Iron Stars (Post-victorian space fleet combat)
• Jovian Chronicles (Sci-Fi "Gundam" like setting)
• John Company (Colonials)
• Johnny Reb 3 (American Civil War)
• Koenig Krieg (18th Century European)
• Lord of the Rings (Fantasy)
• Mage Knight
• The Men of Company B (Vietnam)
• Mordheim (Fantasy)
• Mr. Lincoln's War (ACW)
• Panzer Marsch (WWII)
• Patrols in the Sudan (Colonial)
• Piquet (http://www.piquet.com/) (Multiple periods)
• Pirates of the Spanish Main
• Poor Bloody Infantry (WWII)
• Principles of War (17th Cent.-WWI)
• Rapid Fire (WWII)
• Rally Round the Flag (ACW)
• Reaper Warlords (Fantasy)
• Regiment of Foote (ECW)
• Red Actions (RCW)
• Rocket's Red Glare (War of 1812)
• Rough Riders (SCW)
• Senso (Samurai)
• Shako (Napoleonics)
• Sons of the Desert (FFL in North Africa)
• Spearhead (WWII)
• Square Bashing (WWI)
• Starship Marine
• The Sword and the Flame (Colonial)
• Tigers and Stalins (WWII Armor Skirmish)
• Trench Storm (WWI)
• Trench Wars (WWI)
• Triumph of the Will (RCW, SCW)
• Warfare in the Age of Discovery
• Warfare in the Age of Reason
• Warhammer 40k (Sci-Fi)
• Warhammer Ancient Battles (Ancients-Medieval)
• Warhammer English Civil War (ECW)
• Warhammer Fantasy Battle (Fantasy)
• Warmachine (Fantasy)
• Warmaster (Fantasy)
• Warmaster Ancient Battles (Ancients)
• Whites of Their Eyes (American War of Independance)

External links

• Warhammer Tabletop (http://www.warhammer.net/)
• Free Wargames Rules (http://www.freewargamesrules.co.uk/), a website that hosts and links to rules for games of all periods. All the rules on the site are free.
• The Miniatures Page (http://theminiaturespage.com/), the web magazine for miniature wargamers. Hobby news, manfacturers and painting services directories, forums, and more.
• Civil War miniature gaming (http://www.geocities.com/scottmingus/whatsnew), a large photo gallery from award-winning wargamer and author Scott Mingus.
• TinyWars.com (http://www.tinywars.com/), is one miniature wargame hobbyist's (sporadically updated) attempt at providing a useful collection of tips and tricks of the trade to the online wargaming community. Looking for a particular article? Go to the "About" page for contact information.
• The Wargames Journal (http://www.wargamesjournal.com/home/index.asp/)
• The Wargames Directory (http://www.wargamesdirectory.com/), A comprehensive directory of wargames traders with detailed information on the products and services they offer, plus links to wargaming and military history web sites, product reviews, rules directory, gallery, articles, forum and noticeboard.
• MiniatureWargaming (http://www.miniaturewargaming.com/), A listing of free online wargames resouces, including free wargame rules, paper figures and terrain, painting tips, terrain modeling tips, articles and more.
• Free wargame rules (http://www.jimwallman.org.uk/wargame), Free wargame rules for a variety of periods

Rules / Scenarios

• Brikwars (http://www.brikwars.com/), a freely available wargame, built using the customizable and adaptable environment of Lego.

• BlitzkriegCommander (http://www.blitzkrieg-commander.com/), fast-play tabletop wargame rules for combined-arms operations, 1936-45.

• CHARGE! (http://www.geocities.com/scottmingus/JRGS), a quarterly newsletter of the Johnny Reb Gaming Society. Offers regimental-level ACW scenarios, painting guides, terrain tips, uniform guides, historical articles, and the like. Digitally printed, color photos. For use with JR3 and other regimental-level rules sets.

• Enduring Valor: Gettysburg in Miniature (http://www.zouavemagazine.com), Two-volume, full-color set of 24 regimental-level scenarios for refighting the Battle of Gettysburg in miniature. Published by Marek/Janci Design; written by Scott Mingus, maps and graphics by Ivor Janci. Can readily be used for Johnny Reb 3, Regimental Fire & Fury, Mr. Lincoln's War, and other leading rules sets.

Manufacturers

• Manufacturers Directory at TMP (http://theminiaturespage.com/man/) Listing of manufacturers
• The Wargames Directory (http://www.wargamesdirectory.com/default.asp/), A comprehensive directory of wargames traders with detailed information on the products and services they offer.
• DeepFriedHappyMice (http://www.deepfriedhappymice.com/) A site featuring side-by-side comparisons of miniatures from over 30 different manufacturers. Also includes book and miniature reviews, how-to articles, and much, much more.

• Battlefront (http://www.battlefront.co.nz//) 15mm WWII
• Britannia Miniatures (http://www.britanniaminis.com/) 20mm WWI, WWII, Vietnam
• Copplestone Castings (http://www.copplestonecastings.co.uk/) 28mm Colonials, RCW, CCW, Sci-Fi
• Eureka Miniatures (http://www.eurekamin.com.au/) Manufacturer and distributor of quality gaming miniatures and associated items. Full online store.
• GFI / Minifigs (http://www.minifigs.com/catalog/) Historicl and fantasy wargaming figures and accessories / rules sets. 10mm, N scale, 15mm, 25mm scales.
• Musket Miniatures (http://www.musketminiatures.com/) Rustic Rails (HO) Structures (HO Buildings) Rustic Rails(N) Structures (N Buildings) Scenery and Terrain. Wild West. American Civil War. American Revolution. Mexican-American War. British Colonial. WWII.
• Old Glory (http://www.oldgloryminiatures.com/) 25mm Ancients, Medieval, Rennaisance, ECW, League of Augsburg, Seven Years War, AWI, Napoleonics, ACW, Colonials, WWI, WWII
• Peter Pig (http://www.peterpig.com/) 15mm Ancients, Rennaissance, ECW, ACW, Colonials, WWI, RCW, SCW, WWII, Moderns, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
• SHQ (http://www.shqminiatures.co.uk/) 20mm WWII, Vietnam, Gulf War
• Wargames Foundry (http://www.wargamesfoundry.com/) 28mm Ancients, Medieval, Rennaissance, ECW, Thirty Years War, League of Augsburg, Seven Years War, Napoleonics, Crimean War, Colonials, WWI, WWII, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
• Xyston Miniatures (http://www.xyston.com/) 15mm Ancients

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