Miniature Wargaming - Definition and Overview

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, painting miniatures and constructing scenery can be a rewarding challenge. Miniature wargaming may be seen as combining many of the aesthetics of tabletop train modeling with the more cerebral factors of wargame strategy.

Notable Miniature Wargamers

• H.G. Wells - Known as the "Father of miniature wargaming"
• Don Featherstone
• Charles Grant
• George Gush

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)
• AK47 Republic (Postwar)
• Battlefleet Gothic (Space)
• Battlefront WWII (WWII)
• Bayonets and Ideology (SCW)
• BlitzkriegCommander (WWII)
• Command Decision (WWII)
• 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)
• 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)
• John Company (Colonials)
• Lincoln's War (ACW)
• Lord of the Rings (Fantasy)
• Mage_Knight
• The Men of Company B (Vietnam)
• Mordheim (Fantasy)
• Panzer Marsch (WWII)
• Patrols in the Sudan (Colonial)
• Piquet (http://www.piquet.com/) (Multiple periods)
• Poor Bloody Infantry (WWII)
• Principles of War (17th Cent.-WWI)
• Rapid Fire (WWII)
• Regiment of Foote (ECW)
• Red Actions (RCW)
• Rough Riders (SCW)
• Senso (Samurai)
• Shako (Napoleonics)
• Sons of the Desert (FFL in North Africa)
• Spearhead (WWII)
• Square Bashing (WWI)
• The Sword and the Flame (Colonial)
• Trench Storm (WWI)
• Trench Wars (WWI)
• Triumph of the Will (RCW, SCW)
• Warhammer 40k (Sci-Fi)
• Warhammer Ancient Battles (Ancients-Medieval)
• Warhammer English Civil War (ECW)
• Warhammer Fantasy Battle (Fantasy)
• Warmaster (Fantasy)

External links

• 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.
• 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.

Rules

• 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.

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.
• Eureka Miniatures (http://www.eurekamin.com.au/) Manufacturer and distributor of quality gaming miniatures and associated items. Full online store.
• 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
• 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