Happy New Year!

British Empire Campaigns

What better way of learning about the British Empire than recreating battles or campaigns. There are myriad companies producing board games and miniatures so that pretty much any campaign can be reproduced. Games and figures manufacturers agree that the British Empire makes a wonderful backdrop to set their products within. The products on offer are constantly improved and updated. It can be hard to keep abreast with all the developments, but if anyone would like to add any additional information about games or figures then please do not hesitate to email me so that I can add the necessary links.

Colonial wargaming has a long history, you can go back to HG Wells' Little Wars or Donald Featherstone's Skirmish Wargaming. Wargaming heritage doesn't get much better than that. It can be done in any scale from 2mm to 54mm (and probably bigger for all I know).

Of course, there are many different periods that can be covered in Colonial wargaming. Most people would probably instinctively think of Victorian era games but of course it could encompass anything from the time of Sir Francis Drake to the Falklands War. The geographical reach of colonial wargaming is possibly the widest of any genre out there. So there is a lot of choice out there.

This section is to try and help narrow down that choice and provide a map for those who want to launch in to their own gaming experiences. I also have my own campaign system that you are free to use, adapt or inspire to create your own. It is called Jarania

I personally like to use 15mm figures and have ranges that cover the Indian Mutiny, the Sudan, the Boer Wars, Afghanistan and the North West Frontier and a lot of Zulus! I personally like 15mm as I feel that they are good value for money, and provide a good balance between skirmish and larger battles. Having said that, if you want to fight huge battles - such as Isandlwana - then 6mm is probably the way to go. The advantage of 25/28mm figures is that there is much more characterisation and variety available which makes them particularly well suited to skirmish games. There is an interesting development with hard plastic figures being produced. These are much cheaper than the lead figures and are easier to modify or convert. You have been able to get soft plastic figures for years, but they have a tendency to flake off the paint over time. Hard plastic figures do not suffer from this problem.

As for rules, I have to say that I am a huge fan of The Sword and the Flame rules which I have used with students at school and at various conventions. They are not that common in the UK but they are well worth seeking out! They are much more popular in the States where they are easier to source.

For those who prefer more modern rules for the Decolonisation and End of Empire era, Ganesha Games publishes a set called 'Flying Lead' which provides good low intensity simulations. You can read a battle report of one such example from the Borneo Confrontation here.

Colonial Wargames

A Very Merry Christmas

A Very Merry Christmas


May All Your Wars
Be In Miniature And
All Your Battles End
In Camaraderie And
A Hearty Hand Shake.

Military Theory: A Technical Analysis of War of the Worlds' Equipment, Strategy & Operations

Reverse Engineering the Martian War Machine – The Heat Ray and HMS Thunder Child

This article is a “history” of H.G. Wells classic science fiction novel, “The War of the Worlds”, as if it actually happened, complete with technological assessments, logistical evaluations and strategic analyses. Naturally, the first subject will be prominent given the vast technological superiority of the invading Martians.

War Of The Worlds Intel

15mm Wargaming for Fun and Sanity: OAAH First games at Entoyment.

15mm Wargaming for Fun and Sanity: OAAH First games at Entoyment.: Seed change in our wargaming.  We have the capacity to do bigger games, but my flat & parking restrictions/cost make them impractical...

15mm Wargaming for Fun and Sanity: OAAH Cabbage Crates over the Ruddy Red - the firs...

15mm Wargaming for Fun and Sanity: OAAH Cabbage Crates over the Ruddy Red - the firs...: Rules note-.   Of Armies And Hordes isn't a set of aerial combat rules.  It can use such elements.  This is us playing around with wha...

Dust, Tears & Dice: War of the Worlds: The New Wave

Dust, Tears & Dice: War of the Worlds: The New Wave: Well that was a nice surprise for a wet Saturday morning Grey Fox Games Kickstarter drops through the door. Fantastic art work and a very ...

All Quiet on the Martian Front: The Forcing of Pithy Gulch

All Quiet on the Martian Front: The Forcing of Pithy Gulch: A Headless Body Production   Location:  Garth's Basement Event:          Providence Gamer's Game Knight Game :          All Quie...

Pirates! - Abney Park - Airship Pirate

Why Do We Celebrate Talk Like a Pirate Day and Other Fake Holidays?

Got plans for September 19, 2019? You do now: It's International Talk Like a Pirate Day! So prepare your timbers to be shivered and wait… what? Is this seriously a holiday? What is this all about? And why, exactly, is there a formal holiday for not just pirates but for talking like pirates? You have questions. We have (weird) answers.

Talk Like A Pirate

15mm Wargaming for Fun and Sanity: OAAH Mars - again, same, but added dimension

15mm Wargaming for Fun and Sanity: OAAH Mars - again, same, but added dimension: Racking it up.  First, I decided to go from last weeks just over 2,000 points to 3,000. So this was my first "mundane" take ...

15mm Wargaming for Fun and Sanity: OAAH Mars Euxinus Lacus vs Herculis.

15mm Wargaming for Fun and Sanity: OAAH Mars Euxinus Lacus vs Herculis.: Once again it's Mars.  Here be giant, but no worms. Here we take another step towards February.  Just one more to go.  Then I have a s...

15mm Wargaming for Fun and Sanity: OAAH Martian border fort worm besieged

15mm Wargaming for Fun and Sanity: OAAH Martian border fort worm besieged: Now for a most complicated scenario. This may go wrong, but who dares enjoys. In 6 months I'll be a year older and doing a partici...

15mm Wargaming for Fun and Sanity: OAAH Dominar Rigel has Worm, will use.

15mm Wargaming for Fun and Sanity: OAAH Dominar Rigel has Worm, will use.: Once again, the superb Of Armies And Hordes are a fantasy set of rules, yet handles VSF very well. Fiendish Dominar Rigel has escaped wit...

15mm Wargaming for Fun and Sanity: OAAH. A clash of Martian cavalry!

15mm Wargaming for Fun and Sanity: OAAH. A clash of Martian cavalry!: In February 2020 (if man is still alive)   I'm planning to run an Of Armies And Hordes participation game at Beach head in Bournemou...

All Quiet on the Martian Front: Assault on Greer Gulch, Montana

The Scenario:  Sappington is a minor town, one of many standing as an output to the many gorges serving as choke points in the Rocky Mountains.  It stands astride the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad, and needs to be defended by reason of it's location, rather than any strategic value.

All Quiet on the Martian Front: Assault on Greer Gulch, Montana: 

"Rough Riders" 1997 Complete Teddy Roosevelt TV Mini-Series - Part 1

Operation Pegasus-Origins 2019

Operation Pegasus-Origins 2019

Britishmuzzleloaders in South Africa: Part One

Happy Independence Day

All Quiet on the Martian Front: The Battle at Caddo Lake Phase 3

All Quiet on the Martian Front: The Battle at Caddo Lake Phase 3: A Headless Body Production   Location:  Gamer's Heaven, Phoenixville, Pa Event:          Providence Gamer's Game Knight Game :   ...

All Quiet on the Martian Front: Battle of Caddo Lake, Phase 2

All Quiet on the Martian Front: Battle of Caddo Lake, Phase 1: A Headless Body Production Location:  Phil's Basement Event:          Providence Gamer's Game Knight Game :         All Qui...

All Quiet on the Martian Front: Battle of Caddo Lake, Phase 1

All Quiet on the Martian Front: Battle of Caddo Lake, Phase 1: A Headless Body Production Location:  Phil's Basement Event:          Providence Gamer's Game Knight Game :         All Qui...

15mm Wargaming for Fun and Sanity: RS SAS take on Worm Cultists

15mm Wargaming for Fun and Sanity: RS SAS take on Worm Cultists: Rogue Stars does VSF.  The Specialist Aerial Section is an experimental group of The Royal Engineers operating out of (DELETED). The s...

All Quiet on the Martian Front: The Longhorns Meet the Crimson Tide.

All Quiet on the Martian Front: The Longhorns Meet the Crimson Tide.: A Headless Body Production Location:  Phil's Basement Event:          Providence Gamer's Game Knight Game :          All Quiet o...

15mm Wargaming for Fun and Sanity: OAAH Martian Sabre rattling

15mm Wargaming for Fun and Sanity: OAAH Martian Sabre rattling: Although these are Martian games, thus falling into VSF, the basic Of Armies and Hordes rules are perfectly suited to the conflict. Do ...

The Great Martian War (1913 - 1917)

longer version !

15mm Wargaming for Fun and Sanity: OAAH Bang! VSF planning and function.

15mm Wargaming for Fun and Sanity: OAAH Bang! VSF planning and function.: Lets look at building VSF army in Of Armies And Hoards.  This pushes the rules to their limit, but as many Colonial games have well armed ...

ANYTHING BUT A ONE!: Skirmish battle

ANYTHING BUT A ONE!: Skirmish battle: At the skirmish show we were asked to put on a Sudan game. Everything was left up to Tim. He supplied the figures and the terrain and using ...

The Trench (1999) - Full Movie Starring Daniel Craig, Danny Dyer and Cil...

The Wind and the Lion: U.S Marines

Tank Files: The Tsar Tank, In Defense of a Bad Idea

15mm Wargaming for Fun and Sanity: RS "Oh Pooh- I think I pwonounced that wong!" - I...

15mm Wargaming for Fun and Sanity: RS "Oh Pooh- I think I pwonounced that wong!" - I...: Imagine this, dearest reader- a group of American Archeologist are at the site of a fallen stelae to the dread river god Duk, guardian o...

No Longer All Quiet on the Martian Front! Interview with David Pearce

All Quiet on the Martian Front: The Battle for Tyler, Texas

All Quiet on the Martian Front: The Battle for Tyler, Texas: A Headless Body Production   Location:  Regency at Providence Community Center, Phoenixville, Pa Event:          Providence Gamer's G...