Obscure wargaming periods

[Inkpaduta]

I have always enjoyed the periods less gamed or more obscure periods.

I have done Sioux War of 1862, Marian Civil War in Scotland, Fenian rebellions in Canada and Portuguese Colonial 1960s-1970s.
What some of your more obscure periods that you game in?

[dickiegranthum]

The Fenian Raids are up there.

Along the same lines, try finding Red River Rebellion and Louis Riel’s forces. That’s obscure, but would be a lot of fun to game. I’ve been to many of the battlefields as I live in western Canada.

Fun fact: Wolseley was the general in command against the rebel scum, and his use of Red River boats would later inspire him to try the same thing up the Nile in the Soudan, albeit he was rather late in trying to save that campaign’s disaster.

[FramFramson]

The Graeco-Roman wars tend to be re-fought less frequently.

There's a boatload of central Asian wars and domestic Chinese wars over the centuries which are rarely wargamed.

It's hard to find information on the forces of various pre-modern collapse north African kingdoms, but there was certainly some warfare there.

the rebel scum

I'm from Manitoba, so I hope you're just being cheeky there.   

[Emir of Askaristan]

I like obscure.... 

I too have gamed the Marian Civil War, but in NE Scotland and have a book with scenarios coming out soon.

Also
The Patriots Rebellion/Rebellion's of 1837-38 in Canada.
Jacobite campaign in Aberdeenshire in 1689-1690 (pre Killiecrankie and post Cromdale)
The Sugar Islands campaign of 1759*
The Sieges of Havana and Manila in 1762*

And I'm looking at the British Naval actions with the support of the Austrian and Turkish Navy against the Egyptians in Lebanon and Syria in 1840 and the Russian Buckholz Expedition to Yarkend where Russians and Swedish POW's from the GNW faced Dzunghar tribesmen on the Kazakh steppe in 1716.

*Covered in my Books "Wargaming the Sugar Islands Campaign" and "Against Spain"  - see my blog or Caliver books!

[FramFramson]

Basically think of any forces for which it is difficult to find figures. Then think of wars involving two such groups!

[dickiegranthum]

The Graeco-Roman wars tend to be re-fought less frequently.

There's a boatload of central Asian wars and domestic Chinese wars over the centuries which are rarely wargamed.

It's hard to find information on the forces of various pre-modern collapse north African kingdoms, but there was certainly some warfare there.
I'm from Manitoba, so I hope you're just being cheeky there.   

I went to U of M. Totally Star Wars cheeky

[AKULA]

Basically think of any forces for which it is difficult to find figures. Then think of wars involving two such groups!

This, but preferably with the added layer of difficulty of no figures being available commercially at all 

[carlos marighela]

Have not gamed it yet but for some years have been collecting and painting figures for the  Upper ad Lower Canadian Rebellions of 1837/38. In similar vein I have armies for the almost fought Aroostook War some of which double up from the Canadian revolts. A select few will double for 'what if' Chartist revolt campaign.

I have the British half and a few (mostly unpainted) Egyptian figures for the 1840 Syrian campaign. The Royal Marines and sailors double for anti-slavery patrol forces.

Relative sanity has kept me from doing the Scinde campaign, although conveniently the troops now exist to do it courtesy of Empress/Iron Duke.

I have a sizeable force of interwar Czechs  for a Munich Crisis invasion including a platoon of  infantry, another of  SOS border guards (gendarmes and finance guards) as well as armour and supporting weapons. Built the terrain have most of the requisite German opposition but not got around to gaming it. Along similar lines I have the Germans and Norwegians for April 1940.

Currently working on 28mm forces for Cold War gone hot in Berlin with forces for both 1961 (the Wall goes up) and 1984 scenarios and including for scenic purposes a small chunk of the Berlin Wall. While the Cold War is hardly obscure I've not heard of anyone gaming it specifically in Berlin before. Terrain density suggest probably why this is the case. 

I have forces  in 28mm for both sides in the Aden Rebellion of the 1960s as well as the Borneo revolt and Indonesian Confrontation. Forces for both sides for the Guerra Colonial in Portuguese Africa. I can proudly say that my interest in that conflict is in part responsible for their being a dedicated 28mm range of such exotica.

In the past I have gamed the Franco-Portuguese conflicts in 16th C Brazil and started but abandoned the French invasions of Rio de Janeiro at the start of the 18th C.

The pleasure in doing something unique is quite profound. The research, the hunt for suitable figures and terrain, the conversion and scratch building. It all comes down to satisfying my in intellectual curiosity.

The downside compared to off the peg wars and scenarios is the time it consumes and the tendency to say I'll pick this up again when I've worked out how to build 'X' or 'Y' but I suppose that afflicts gamers of more popular periods too to  a lesser extent. There's also less interest from others in gaming such things but hey.

Given the time and resources I would love to do the Cisplatine War or the Portuguese-Spanish campaigns in Brazil of the 1770s, both of which I have excellent source material for. Likewise the Canudos War and with further research the Peru-Colombia War of 1932 and the Peru-Ecuador War of 1941.

The list is endless. The key is self restraint.

[carlos marighela]

Another thing I should have pointed out is my tendency to look at a figure and think 'what else could I use that for?'. In the niche world of exotic campaigns it makes sense to find ranges that will serve multiple purposes. The downside is then the desire to create each potential opponent and setting.

[Sunjester]

More obscure periods I have played (put together armies rather that played once with someone else's minis):

Garibaldi's Expedition of the Thousand 1860
Fenian raids 1866
Balkan War 1912

[v_lazy_dragon]

I thought I was being truly obscure having preiously gamed the Riel Rebellion and collecting forces for the Patriote Rebellion and Aroostook Wars... Seems like I am in good company!!

For an obscure theatre of a mainstream war - I do the AWI in The Canadian Maritimes!

[FierceKitty]

The Andalusian "Caliphate" (it certainly had no claim to the title), Drake's raiders in Panama (with local auxiliaries), Zaporozhian Cossacks, 19th-century Abyssinians, and Ava Burmese are my weirdo armies.

[Cholmondely Percival IV]

For a long time I have been tempted to delve into the Pastry War but fear it would set a bad precedent.

[carlos marighela]

Ah Burmese! Another on the wish list. Always wanted to do the First Anglo Burmese War. My mother bequeathed me some fabulous framed lithographs of the war. A lack of suitable Burmese is all that stops me.

[carlos marighela]

For a long time I have been tempted to delve into the Pastry War but fear it would set a bad precedent.

Well if you model the vol-a-vents it will prove to be but an hors d'ouvre.