C19th Skirmish Rules?

[BaronVonJ]

Yep. Just shipped some last Thursday to Leicester.
-J

[warrenpeace]

Anyone know of, able to suggest a good set of skirmish rules for mid-late C19th?

I'm already planning on using Sharp Practice for bigger engagements for the same project, but I'd also like to get some which are fewer figures per side, character-driven type for small figure-to-figure (or there or thereabouts) skirmishes. Something like a historical equivalent of IHMN in terms of numbers of figures per side/group/'band'.

What conflicts are you hoping to depict in your games? A couple of the biggest types of games set between 1870 and 1914 are colonial and old west. Some of the colonial rules might fit the bill, from the venerable but still great The Sword and the Flame (particularly the scaled down Sword in Africa) or the equally venerable Chris Peers rules to the modern Congo or Triumph & Tragedy and to adaptations such as Rifles & Spears (developed from Muskets & Tomahawks).

But if you want a side composed of a few characters rated individually for their skill and weapons, something that I would call "micro-skirmish" or "role playing scale" games, then some of the old west rules such as Desperado might work. In Her Majesty's Name is just a basic skirmish game, nothing wrong with the fundamental mechanics. I only gave away my copy because I didn't want to look at so many fantastical elements every time I looked at the rule book. If there was a gritty historical version, I'd play it.

Personally, I'm having a good time with games using Pulp Alley. I use the "gangs" rules to get more figures on the table. There's also rules for gun crews. But Pulp Alley is more about the adventure and the characters than about the weapons, and it lacks the historical flavor that most wargamers want in their games.

[Leman]

Have you looked at Nordic Weasel's Scum of the Earth Black Powder. Available from Wargame Vault and designed for small actions in the period 1640 - 1914. Has variants for major C19th periods, e.g. Crimea, ACW, Austro-Prussian, Franco-Prussian etc.