Miniatures Games |
Overview |
Their several reasons I enjoy miniature gaming. It is visually appealing, it is variable, and it is creative. Unlike board games, where you can only fight the same battle over and over, miniature games limit you only to the number of figures and terrain available. You can find figures for any period you can think of from Ancients through Science Fiction.
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The first historical miniatures game I played was an ancients game. This period can be confusing to new comers, because it covers eras ranging from the earliest recorded history through the first widespread use of gunpowder. A good web page to get started with is The Society of Ancients.
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This is period is one of the most prolific periods for war game rules available. The closest thing to a universal set of rules available is Napoleon's Battles. Even this rule set has several detractors. Empire is another popular rule set that, in my opinion, has become more and more complicated as it has moved through it's various editions. There is no one set of rules currently available that has captured the attention of the gaming community. I believe this is due to two reasons. The first is a matter of scale. Some players want to fight an entire Napoleonic battle, such as Waterloo, in one setting. For this type of game, the standard figure scale is around 1 figure for every 120 men. The standard unit is the brigade. The benefits to this is it puts the players in the role of the army commanders. The downside is the loss of the tactical flavor these rule sets give. The danger with rules based on this scale is trying to include too much tactical feel into the game. Often times rule writers try to include tactical information that a brigade would not be concerned with in one rule, and overly simplify something else that might have a great impact on the very same brigade. The other alternative are rules were the basic unit is the battalion. The standard figure scale is 1 figure for every 60 men. If you want to fight the battle around Hougomont during the battle of Waterloo this is the scale for you. These give you a much more intimate feel, but the trade off is most battles are not going to be much larger than a corps per side. The second is the complexity of the rules. Some players enjoy simple games and others want to simulate every experience and possible outcome. The trick has been coming up with a set of rules that is simple, but takes into account the important factors. When can a unit form square, who can issue orders and when, what factors come into play in a fire fight? These are just a few of the questions that must be answered. Some rules might have just a few pluses and minuses to a six sided die row, and others might involve working through a flow chart and then rolling percentile dice to resolve the outcome. Nobody can agree what the correct mix is, so you end up with hundreds of rule sets that all try and focus on whatever the authors think is important. The two main rule sets I have been playing of late are Napoleon's Battles and From Valmy to Waterloo Light.
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Many of the same problems of scale that exist in Napoleonic rule sets are also present in Civil War rule sets. However, in this era two main rule sets have risen to the top. For brigade level games, the favored rule set is Fire & Fury, and for regimental rule sets Johnny Reb III is the most popular.
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Once again, the scale of the game you want play determines what rule set to use. I enjoy playing at two different scales; the battalion level and the squad level. At the battalion level, each stand and vehicle represents a platoon. This scale allows you to recreate battalion through regimental level games. Every know and then monster games are run at this scale. For example I have seen the entire Arnheim "Bridge To Far" campaign fought out over several days on several tables. At the squad level, each figure represents one man or vehicle. The climatic battle scene from Saving Private Ryan is a good example of the scale these games are fought.
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Space combat games can be lot a fun. They let you mix modern naval warfare with lasers, and you don't have to let picky little things like physics getting in the way of a good game. One of my favorite sci-fi shows on TV was Babylon 5. It was like a soap opera for guys. I got so wrapped up in it, I hated to miss an episode in case some new development crept into the show. It was famous for making a fleeting reference to something in one episode that would turn out to be very important to the plot 10 episodes later. When Babylon 5 Wars first came out, I bought it and have enjoyed playing it since then.
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Agents of Gaming Easy Eight |
Old Sage - Ancient Battles The Unofficial Napoleon's Battles Webpage From Valmy To Waterloo Yahoo Groups Mailing List Fire & Fury The Johnny Reb III Page Johnny Reb III Yahoo Groups Mailing List Race For Tunis Command Decision |
The Miniatures Page The Society of Ancients North American Society of Ancient and Medieval Wargamers |