Shortly after the turn of the last century the British writer, H.G. Wells, published a book entitled Little Wars which ignited a growing interest among the public for wargaming with miniatures. However, wargameing predates this event by a wide margin. Small clay military figures found in the tombs of ancient Egyptians indicate they may have used miniatures for gameing purposes. The ancient Romans certainly did. However, until Little Wars was published, wargameing was considered a rather abtuse form of military training, good for prospective field commanders, but of little interest to the general public.
All that has changed. Today commercial castings of pewter or lead alloy figures can be obtained on the market for most armies and peoples history has recorded, from Paleolithic tribes to futuristic space-age warriors. And to add even more variety, devotees can now choose from among various sizes for their figures, ranging from 2mm through 25mm. (54mm and higher figures exist, but take up too much room on a table top to be widely used.)
What accounts for this wide and growing interest? No one has a definitive answer, but I'll hazard a guess based largely upon my own affinity. First, I am an historian. And military history is as valid and challenging a study as economic, political or diplomatic history. Indeed, as Clauswitz reminded us, "War is diplomacy carried on by other means." Second: there are few humans who can resist miniaturization in some form or another, whether it be model railroads, radio-control airplanes, doll houses or what not. Military miniatures are colorful and enchanting works which look equally attractive in a curio cabinet or on a table top battle field. Third: military miniatures provides me with an inexpensive opportunity to develop my latent artistic talent. Although one can buy painted figures, the challenge is to paint them yourself. And like any other challenge, practice improves performance. And since it takes roughly an hour to an hour and a half to paint a single 25mm figure to my satisfaction, it can be said that my hobby keeps me off the streets and out of "dens of iniquity" that I might otherwise enter.
Of course, once you have painted a few figures, the itch to try out your command skills becomes overwhelming. It's time to game. The rules for gameing are abundant, ranging from "skirmish" games involving a few score figures to "historical scenarios" which involve hundreds, indeed thousands of miniatures. The length of time for completion varies greatly. Some rules permit a game to be completed in a few hours. Others, which require complex variables such as maintaining supply depots, economic resource consideration and even demographic assets, can take several days to complete. For the skirmish games, the dining room table will do just fine. But for an historical scenario, something larger is desired. Tables averaging six feet in width (but no wider as it is difficult to reach across more than three feet) by twelve or eighteen feet are used. as seen here. A Dutch battery prepares to engage the French during the War of the Spanish Succession (author's collection)
Over the table is placed an earth colored felt cloth, or for greater simulation, styrofoam tiles which permit the placement of hills, valleys, roadways and rivers. A few trees, houses, and other structures round out the terrain.
And between, beyond and above are other eras. Try the links below and - enjoy wargameing.
Oh! What you hear as background is an 18th century British march.