Miniature wargaming

Miniature wargaming is a form of wargaming designed to incorporate miniatures or figurines into play. The miniatures used represent troops or vehicles (such as tanks, chariots, aircraft, ships, etc.).

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A 15mm WWII Game

Many miniatures games are played on a floor or tabletop, with terrain represented by miniature scenery (hills, forests, roads, etc.). In this respect, miniatures wargames theoretically offer players great freedom of play, as well as a spectacular visual spectacle. Movement of the miniatures is regulated using a tape-measure. However, like boardgames, miniature games can also be played using gridded terrain (demarcated into squares or hexagons) or even gameboards.

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3 Warhammer 40,000 Miniatures

One of the main reasons people play miniature games, as opposed to computer or boardgames, is because many find the tactile element of soldiers and scenery on a tabletop to be aesthetically pleasing; additionally, some hobbyists enjoy the challenge of painting miniatures and constructing scenery. Miniature wargaming may be seen as combining many of the aesthetics of tabletop train modeling with the strategy of war.

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BlitzkriegCommander in action!
Contents
1 Scale
2 Notable Miniature Wargamers
3 Rulesets
4 External links

4.1 Rules / Scenarios
4.2 Manufacturers

Scale

Scale is generally expressed as the approximate height of the figure in millimeters, as opposed to the ratio values used in scale modeling. Popular sizes include 54mm, 45mm, 28mm, 25mm, 20mm, and 15mm, which equate to roughly 1:32, 1:35, 1:64, 1:76, 1:87, and 1:144. Some model railroad scales are close enough to the smaller-scale figures to provide usable structures and/or vehicles, possibly requiring some modification. Some wargamers use card model structures because of their economy and the ease of scaling them to appropriate sizes, and many wargamers scratchbuild their structures.

Notable Miniature Wargamers

Rulesets

There are any number of miniature wargaming rulesets, including some which are available free on the internet. Most rulesets are intended for a specific historical period or fictional genre. Rules also vary in the model scale they use: one infantry figure may represent one man, one squad, or much larger numbers of actual troops.

Some miniatures games have achieved widespread popularity. Of particular note are the Games Workshop games - Warhammer Fantasy Battle, Warhammer 40,000 (science fiction), and a game based on the popular Lord of the Rings novels. Games Workshop stores are open in most larger cities in the US and the UK. There is also a historical variant, Warhammer Ancient Battles. Also of note are the historical games De Bellis Antiquitatis AKA DBA and associated games, including a fantasy variant Hordes of the Things.

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A Crete 1941 Game in Process
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28mm Bengal Lancers
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Austrians peer across no mans land

External links

Rules / Scenarios

Manufacturers


Scale modeling
Model aircraft | Model cars | Model commercial vehicles | Model figures | Matchstick models | Model military vehicles | Model robots | Model trains | Model rockets | Model ships | Miniature wargaming

See also: Miniature wargaming, Battlefleet Gothic, Board game, Card model, Charles Grant, Confrontation, Crimson Skies, DBA, De Bellis Antiquitatis