Alternate history wargaming?

[Frontal Assault 15mm]

While there's obviously a market for this with things like VBCW doing well, I was just wondering have people ever read an alternate history book or series such as Harry Turtledove's Southern Victory series and thought that it might be fun to play out some of the events described in those books?

[Onebigriver]

Bit of a stretch but I really enjoyed Harry Turtledove's World War series with reptilian aliens invading Earth during the Second World War and would love to wargame it.

A bit more down to earth was the plot to rescue Napoleon from St Helena and take him to South America. If he had recovered from his seeming lethargy at Waterloo, it could have presented some interesting scenarios.

[Count Winsky]

I am actually in the process of preparing in 20mm (1/72) the following wargan\me for a wargaming convention (Enfilade) in May 2012 in Olympia, Washington State;

1881: A generation after the South won the American Civil War, America is once more in the throes of bloody battle aftrer annexation of key Mexican Territory by the Confederate States. Both sides have developed advanced technology (VSF stuff) that could help them be victorious. The "Battle of Contention City" takes place in New Mexico Territory with the forces of the Confederacy consisting of; Chinese, CSA, British, French, & Empire of Mexico allies and the forces of the United States of America consists of; German Allies (Baden & Bavaria), Mexican patriots and US Forces. This game is based off the novel "How Few Men" by Harry Turledove with VSF element thrown in. I have added alot the book didn't but I think this is going to be a great wargame to put on.

Cheers,
Count Winsky

[Ray Rivers]

This game is not for serious gamers

 

VSF not for serious gamers!!!   

[Arlequín]

I loved the whole 'American Empire' series and thought it would make a great setting. The drawback with it was that once you got in to the thirties, you'd struggle to get vehicles and aircraft that were convincingly different to the real life ones. You could wave some of it away with the aircraft by allocating the real ones as to where the companies where located irl, so maybe Boeings on one side, Martins on the other etc. Obviously you can't have both sides fielding Shermans though.

"Hitler's War" has great potential as a premise (i.e. WW2 starts in 1938), but Turtledove had clearly done no research whatsoever, which sort of spoiled the whole thing, even ignoring his exceptionally stereotyped 2D characters. Shame.

 

[SBRPearce]

Alt.history settings (not neccesarily fantasy historical settings like VSF) are fun. I've also planned on running a few games based on the opening days of the "Mexican War", turtledove's 1889 conflict between the United States and the Confederate States.

The Battle of the Cuyahoga, 7 May 1889

When the Confederate States refused the United States' ultimatum regarding the annexation of Chihuhua and Sonora, it meant war, with the Confederacy's British (and Canadian) allies weighing in almost immediately. Royal Navy squadrons bombarded US ports on the East and West Coasts, and the Great Lakes lit up in a series of blazing short-range battles stretching from Duluth, Minnesota to Fort Niagara, New York.

On Lake Erie, the Royal Navy commander, acting on information that had his US opponents hiding in  Sandusky Bay near Toledo, descended on the undefended industrial port of Cleveland. He found, to his surprise, that his spies were mistaken - the USN Lake Erie squadron steamed out of the Cuyahoga River to give battle, supported by the city of Cleveland's recently-reinforced shore batteries. Unlike the successful raids that burned Duluth, Detroit and large parts of Chicago, the Battle of the Cuyahoga was a signal victory for the United States Navy, and one that would have to sustain the nation through many bad months ahead...

[Frontal Assault 15mm]

I loved the whole 'American Empire' series and thought it would make a great setting. The drawback with it was that once you got in to the thirties, you'd struggle to get vehicles and aircraft that were convincingly different to the real life ones. You could wave some of it away with the aircraft by allocating the real ones as to where the companies where located irl, so maybe Boeings on one side, Martins on the other etc. Obviously you can't have both sides fielding Shermans though.

"Hitler's War" has great potential as a premise (i.e. WW2 starts in 1938), but Turtledove had clearly done no research whatsoever, which sort of spoiled the whole thing, even ignoring his exceptionally stereotyped 2D characters. Shame.

 

Yeah, Turtledove's characters have never been great and while I enjoyed the American Empire and Settling Accounts series, the development became a little easy to predict.  That said I like the idea of using it for inspiration for a 15mm Flames of War style game with Romanians stand in for Confederates.  As for aircraft, well stukas for mules is no problem, I suppose you could use P-47s for hound dogs.  Wright 27s could be a problem I suppose.

[Arlequín]

I think some of the vehicles and aircraft were meant to be their real world counterparts, just with different names. For the Wright 27 I'd use the P-40. Maybe you could play around with different tank hulls and turrets to get some different designs? Like a M3 'Lee' turret on a M5 'Stuart' hull, stuff like that. Rumanians as Confederate Infantry was a good call... I was thinking Cold War East German Volksarmee or something like that.