What's your earliest VSF?

[fitterpete]

Being as Queen Vic lived a long time,when is the earliest part of the Victorian Age that you have ever tried?
Not being a big fan of the "steam and rivets" (actually the science part I guess)part of the genre, I was thinking of starting my timeline in the 1850s to 60s.Mainly because it would give me a chance to use some of the new ranges of figures I would like to paint up.
I was going to use Mutineers range and Great Wars Crimeans for the Brits.
Helions 1866 for Austrians and Prussians.
Renegade ACW and Artizan for  US
Maybe more Renegade ACW and Foundry Belgian Askaris for French colonial troops(think Zouaves).
I was thinking some sort of African/Indian type Empire as a native force.I have a lot of Foundry and Copplestone Darkest Africa natives,Zanzibaris,Baluchis,and Somalis.Some Foundry India range cav and hillmen.Just got some Brigades Games Mamelukes and Arab revolt cav.Roll it all into one,  add some elephants ,and call it Lemuria or something.
Another thought was using my SYW era troops against the whole native empire mess.
Sound dumb?

[fastolfrus]

Sounds fair enough.

I suppose if you don't have steam and rivets it might take it from VSF to VF (Victorian Fantasy ?).

But we have used Indian Mutiny figures locally (fighting across an Alamo terrain set) and I would see no reason not to add in Taiping or Crimea figures to the mix.

[HerbyF]

I have used Taiping or Opium War Chinese VS Marrtians

[Thunderchicken]

I like the latter part of the Victorian period for my gaming but I do use some early Victorian figures. 1st Corps do some lovely figures from the Cape Wars and I use them for a sort of British home militia/Dad's Army unit.

   

[The_Beast]

Chris Palmer, one of the authors of G.A.S.L.I.G.H.T., if anything, gives the impression of favoring ACW, i.e., early 1860's, and there's plenty of steam-age in his games...

While the war did prove a lab for steam and iron in war, it was hardly the first seen. I did notice Mr. Palmer's also a fan of timberclads, though.

That said, you can postulate as much or little steam and/or iron as you wish, though I'd suggest some, if only in the guise of an uber-villain.

Doug

[Horatius]

Yeah, I was thinking about this when I was listening to Iron Maiden's "The Trooper" the other day, why not do some sort of VSF in the Crimean thing, if only just to paint the uniforms.  I mean, I don't know if I'd actually delve into such a project, for a variety of reasons, but it might be cool.  Mutiny era British are pretty sweet, and the russian uniforms from that era are a favorite of mine.

[fitterpete]

Well I went and bought a bunch of Mutineer Brtish at Historicon(really nice figures!) and ordered some Helion 1866 Prussian and Austrians.Does anyone have any idea if the Mutineer figures will match up ok with the Great War Crimean range?
Pete

[Doc Twilight]

Being as Queen Vic lived a long time,when is the earliest part of the Victorian Age that you have ever tried?
Not being a big fan of the "steam and rivets" (actually the science part I guess)part of the genre, I was thinking of starting my timeline in the 1850s to 60s.Mainly because it would give me a chance to use some of the new ranges of figures I would like to paint up.
I was going to use Mutineers range and Great Wars Crimeans for the Brits.
Helions 1866 for Austrians and Prussians.
Renegade ACW and Artizan for  US
Maybe more Renegade ACW and Foundry Belgian Askaris for French colonial troops(think Zouaves).
I was thinking some sort of African/Indian type Empire as a native force.I have a lot of Foundry and Copplestone Darkest Africa natives,Zanzibaris,Baluchis,and Somalis.Some Foundry India range cav and hillmen.Just got some Brigades Games Mamelukes and Arab revolt cav.Roll it all into one,  add some elephants ,and call it Lemuria or something.
Another thought was using my SYW era troops against the whole native empire mess.
Sound dumb?

Yeah, it sounds more like you're thinking Victorian Fantasy, or Colonial Fantasy if you prefer. You might also want to consider doing Colonials, which would allow you to explore a lot of similar themes in an historical context.

As for the SYW thing, that would squarely fit outside VSF/VF range. I'd think it'd be more along the lines of Franklinian (ie: 18th century) Sci-Fi/Fantasy.

-Doc

[Furt]

Another thought was using my SYW era troops against the whole native empire mess.

This is pretty much what we are doing - http://adventuresinlead.blogspot.com/ - ours is more in the realm of an Imagi-Nation campaign though, set in exotic Indostan, basically 18th century India. It just allows us to use whatever we really want to in our games without "button counters" saying "hey - you can't have that, there!" Our game is not historical, but not pure fantasy either and we'll try to stick to the believable. Maybe this sort of thing is more what you are after - just an excuse to use a variety of your miniatures in the same game?

[ushistoryprof]

What about the Mexican-American War of the 1840's adding some the strange ideas and equipment similar to that in the old "Wild Wild West tv series or a Canada/British war with the US over national boundaries a war that nearly occured several times in the pre-American Civil War Era.  Both of these would have much less "steam technology" than later traditional VSF era events.

Prof

[fitterpete]

Got my Helion figures today.They are really nice and detailed.One small FYI.They are only a little taller than my Foundry DA figs and not as bulky.Won't hardly go with the Mutineer figs I have either.
The cavalry are sweet but not any bigger than the old Foundry Indian range.Someone had said they were as big as his Renegade figues,not real sure what they were looking at.Renegade would absolutely dwarf these guys.
Great War figures are in the mail from Maelstrom(sure they will dwarf the Helion stuff too.)

[fastolfrus]

or a Canada/British war with the US over national boundaries a war that nearly occured several times in the pre-American Civil War Era. 
Prof

Actually did occur at least once - 1812.

Looking later there was a serious set of American plans (war plan red) in the 1920s for war against Britain amd the Empire.