Crimson Dusk is a new set of science fiction wargames rules. The author writes:
Welcome to Crimson Dusk. Crimson Dusk is a wargames ruleset for tabletop games. These exciting rules cover actions from skirmish level to platoon level. Command your troops onwards as you confront enemy forces, design your armies, and equip them with a miriad of weapons.
Crimson Dusk is a ruleset that allows you to take whatever models you have in your collection, in any scale and use them in wargames. The rules contain full listings for how to design your troops and set points cost to them so you can compete against your friends for mastery of the tabletop. And the great news is that the rules are entirely free to downlaod and share.
The rules are still under development, but on the Rules page you can see how far we’ve come. The current version is not yet the 1st edition, but a working copy, much more will be added to and developed before it is finally released, but take a look and tell us what you think in the forum. This could be your chance to influence how a rulesset is developed.
Here’s a useful article on the Top Ten Tools For Terrain Building. I learned something new here: that baking soda can be used as a superglue catalyst and filler.
For me, nothing has ever quite caught the magic of the original Dungeons and Dragons rules I picked up sometime in the 1970s. It was a single 8 1/2 x 11 blue book, and it covered only levels 1-5 or so. But it was indescribably wonderful.
Swords and Wizardry is another (I’ve seen several) attempt to recapture that magic that we had before we all became older and White Wolf cynical. The authors write:
In 1974, Gary Gygax (1938-2008) wrote the world’s first fantasy role-playing game, a simple and very flexible set of rules that launched an entirely new genre of gaming. In 1976, the first supplement to these rules was published, with Rob Kuntz as Mr. Gygax’s co-author. Many years later, in the year 2000, Wizards of the Coast allowed the use of most of the material from that game under a license called the Open Game License. What you’re reading is an approximate re-creation of the Gary Gygax original fantasy role-playing game, created using the Open Game License. The re-creation isn’t exact – it’s not allowed to be, and we have treated the original copyright with utmost respect. But while the language in this book may be a little bit less magical than in the original, we believe the rules and system are close enough to reproduce the “lightning in a bottle” of that original edition (often called 0e). In fact, we think Swords & Wizardry is actually a bit better organized and easier to learn than the original. Since the original rules were supplemented with several later books, it’s impossible to nail down any “canon” set of rules for 0e. This is our interpretation of the game, using rules and systems from only the original set of rulebooks and some selected rules-material from the later supplements.
Warriors of Fantasy is a large scale set of fantasy rules designed to let you use any miniatures in your collection. The authors write:
“Warriors of Fantasy” is a Wargaming system that will be aimed at large scale battles using 100’s of miniatures per side. It will hopefully remain fast to play while retaining the depth of individuals. The “Warriors of Fantasy” system is geared towards representing medieval combat of all types, from realistic to high fantasy. The system is designed so you can use any figures from any manufacturer, these rules are written assuming you are using the 28mm scale (Games Workshop or equivalent). The system is designed to be rules-lite, with only about 10 or so pages of rules to learn to play.
Crimson Eagles is a set of aircraft rules that combines FASA’s Crimson Skies (which themselves were based on a Renegade Legion space combat system) and the 3D mechanics of Blue Max/Canvas Eagles. Unfortunately, to get these you have to join YAYG (Yet Another Yahoo Group—and one of those that require you to write an essay explaining your motives, to boot).
FASA, BTW, stands for Freedonian Aeronautics and Space Administration, a nod to the Marx Brothers’ Duck Soup movie.
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.
