One of the things that drives me nuts about Games Workshop is the way they will abandon previous armies in new editions of their rules books. Anyone still stuck with a now-unsupported Warhammer 40K squat army? I’ve got several thousand points worth of stunties on trikes and in exo armor. How about the original dinosaur like 40k Zoats. I’ve got those, too.
Fortunately, there are a lot of army lists out there on the ‘net for people to use in their “non sanctioned” games (I’ve never actually played in an “official” game). If you got a bunch of Halflings, you should check out this hobbit army list for the newest Warhammer Fantasy.
John and Russ Wakelin offer Dreadnought Arena Combat, a set of wargames rules that allow players to use their Warhammer 40K dreadnoughts in gladiatorial combat. Fun stuff.
A complete strategical map campaign, where the battles are fought as miniature battles. Including resources, cities, special detachmenttypes etc. The computer game takes care of the campaign elements (i.e. you move your armies around the map in the computer game, etc.), but the actual battles are fought as WH40K/WHF miniature battles, and the results are then applied to the computer game. Alternatively, the computer can generate the battle results, and the game can then be played as a standard computer strategy game (i.e. without the use of miniatures).
The game can be played by e-mail, and thus allow a potentially unlimited number of players to play i the same campaign game (however, this version allows a maximum of 10 players).
So you’ve got a Khemri army for Warhammer Fantasy—or a New Kingdom Eqyptian army—or are setting up a skirmish game set in Egypt using the Chaos In Cairo or other adventure gaming rules. You’ve constructed a bunch of buildings and temple ruins, but are at a loss for what to do about those intricate decorations on the walls. Here’s a solution. This site has jpeg images of egyptian walls designed to be cut out and pasted to your structures.
The City of Solis website has some good looking, hand drawn banners that you can cut out and use with your Warhammer, Chronopia, or other fantasy armies.
The Warhammer rules have been adapted for every period under the sun -- some more successfully than others. Here's a set of modifications for Warhammer Napoleonics.
John Flynn's Cave of the Hellhounds site has some instructions on making a nice little village out of the structures that come in the Warhammer Fantasy boxed set.
I've been reading White Dwarf since about issue number 50. Back then, it was a general gaming magazine, with articles on board games, role playing games and more. They even covered non-Games Workshop stuff. (This was back when they admitted that there was something other than the "Games Workshop" hobby.).
Here's an index to the artcles in White Dwarf magazine.
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.
