MiniatureWargaming

Thursday, March 02, 2006

RPG Month

This month, MiniatureWargaming dot Com takes a look at free role playing games.

In addition to the regular new miniatures links, each day this month will feature a different free role playing game. The RPGs have been chosen either for their interesting game mechanics, useful background material, or original settings. There are a lot of ideas there for miniature wargamers to steal.

Role playing, ironically, has its roots in miniature wargaming. The seminal RPG, Dungeons and Dragons, evolved from a set of miniatures rules called Chainmail. In fact, the early editions of D&D were billed as a “Fantasy Medieval Wargame, Playable with Paper and Pencil and Miniature Figures.” (I typed that right from my copy).

Miniature Wargaming spawned RPGs. This month, it’s time to steal some of the ideas back.

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About the Miniature Wargaming Hobby

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.

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