MiniatureWargaming dot Com has reached 50,000 hits!
This site has been open since March 22 and reached 25,000 hits on June 14. So that's 25,000 hits in the last month alone!
Thanks to everyone who has visited. I started the blog with the intention of organizing and sharing the links in my "Favorites" folder. I originally thought it might take a year to reach the 50,000 hits mark. It has turned out to be more popular than I imagined.
Next on my list of goals for the site: 500 posts and 100,000 hits.
As always, constructive comments and criticisms are welcome.
For the Victorian and Colonial miniature wargamer, here is a site with names of, and information about 19th Century Gentlemen's clubs. Another site about these exclusive clubs is here.
Rugged Adventures, by Kurt Hummitzsch & Robert Murch is a set of free wargames rules written to support Murch's line of Pulp Figures miniatures. These rules have a strong cinematic element, and players are expected to "contribute to the story development."
The Oliver Cromwell Society has a website with basic information on the English Civil War. In light of the growing popularity of Warhammer Historicals' English Civil War miniature wargaming rules set, this could be useful in filling in some gaps players' knowledge.
Fans of miniature wargaming in the 19th Century will find lots of useful information at The Victorian Gamer. Apparently originally conceived as a monthly magazine, it seems to have ceased publication in the Winter of 2000. Still, there is lots of good information here. Better yet, it has a comprehensive index, so you can quickly find what you want.
This site has several templates for the Warmachine miniature wargame: an area effect, a spray template and an area effect blast template. Warmachine, from Privateer Press, is a miniatures wargame set in steampunk-science fantasy world.
The Battle of Stalingrad is the historical equivalent of a train wreck. It's so terrible that you can't help but look at it. For historical miniatures gamers, Stalingrad offers a wealth of scenarios. This site has tons of information on the battle. I found the pictures section particularly useful when I was building terrain for my own miniature wargaming version of Stalingrad.
Jim Wallman has written "Follow Me, Men!"a set of free wargames rules for fantasy miniatures. Wallman describes these as "one brain cell rules"
Wallman writes:
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Famed science fiction writer HG Wells also is widely acknowledged as the first to write a commercially published set of miniature wargames rules. Published in 1913, "Little Wars", has long been out of print -- and existing copies are rare and expensive.
However, because the copyright has expired on Little Wars, it can now be freely distributed. So, here on Miniature Wargaming dot Com, is the full text of Wells' classic wargames rules (no pictures, unfortunately.)They will be published over the next six weeks -- one chapter each Saturday morning. And the best part is: Little Wars is free.
Here, then, is Part IV
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The War Times Journal has published 1916, a set of free wargames rules for the First World War. For many years, World War I has not been considered gameable in miniature. I think, however, that with the proper rules set, it can be an interesting experience. The authors write:
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Miniature Wargaming is part of the "adventure games" hobby, which includes r ole p laying and board games. Wargamers recreate battles on the tabletop with toy soldiers, like a more complicated game of chess. Models range in height from 6mm to 28mm tall, with 15mm and 25mm being the most popular. There also is a growing interest in toy soldiers and military models, such as the 1/32 and 1/35 scale plastic soldiers from Conte, and Marx.
The most popular miniature wargames are fantasy and science fiction based, such as Warhammer, Warhammer 40K, Warmachine and The Lord of the Rings. World War II games such as Flames of War and Axis and Allies are new favorites. Other favorite historical periods include Napoleonics, the American Civil War, and ancients, such as Romans or Greeks. Other gamers enjoy miniature naval wargames, recreating battles like Trafalgar, Jutland and the Coral Sea.
Hobbyists research historical periods and paint their tiny soldiers in accurate uniforms. Others develop "historically realistic" rules sets or build scale battlefield terrain using model railroad techniques.
For pictures, visit the gallery.
Some of the bigger hobby companies are Games Workshop, which produces Warhammer, Wargames Foundry and Old Glory Miniatures. Wizards of the Coast produces several lines of pre-painted miniatures games, such as the Star Wars and Dungeons and Dragons miniatures games, and a historical game with pre-painted miniatures: The new Axis and Allies game. Wizkids produces a fantasy collectable miniatures game, such as the Mage Knight and Heroclick fantasy games, the science fiction games MechWarrior and Rocketmen, as well as the quasi-historical Pirates of the Spanish Main.
