HELP!!! Colonial rules needed

[Stuart-H]

Hi folks

What are the best colonial rules for larger scale games ie china/sikh wars/sudan in 28mm?

Thanks

[H.M.Stanley]

Hi. 10 different people will give you 10 different answers

My favourite Colonial rules are The Sword and the Flame or its variant 800 Englishmen if you're going large.

Otherwise we really like Black Powder with appropriate modifications

[Juan]

Black Powder is a fantastic ruleset, very easy to learn and really fun. But it is for battles, nor skirmishes.

[Belgian]

Another praise for black powder I really need to buy that ruleset! As stated above, the rules you use dependent on your taste, number of miniatures (battles can involve around 50 each or up to thousands if your really into it)  

So good luck and it's always interesting to check out some battlereports which can be found on wargame forums and blogs to give you an idea of the gameplay.

[Phyllion]

Otherwise we look like Black Powder with appropriate modifications

Out of interest for my own BP colonial project, what kind of modifications do you feel improves BP for the colonial age

Cheers,
Phyllion (who hasn't actually played a game of BP)

[HerbyF]

I would go with The Sword and the Flame. It is a fast moving game for larger tables with a lot of figures on it. Have played & enjoy lot of battle over many years with this set of rules.

[H.M.Stanley]

Out of interest for my own BP colonial project, what kind of modifications do you feel improves BP for the colonial age

Cheers,
Phyllion (who hasn't actually played a game of BP)

Hi. For Sudan we've used the suggested modifications from the Colonial scenario in BP

If i was going to do Sikh Wars, Indian Mutiny, NWF etc i'd give it some more thought as we like to tailor a game around a specific period for tactics, formations etc (not forgetting appropriate terrain)

Hope that helps

Best,

James

[workerBee]

Hi folks

What are the best colonial rules for larger scale games ie china/sikh wars/sudan in 28mm?

Thanks

By larger scale are you talking large number of figures or large battles (where the ratio is large (say, 60:1) on the table?

Despite my local reputation for supposed animus for TS&TF because of horrible melee mechanics and limited ability to provide for reaction fire, it does provide a fast game and many players will already know the mechanics of the game.

Gracias,

Glenn

[Malamute]

Triumph and Tragedy.

We have a whole board here dedicated to it. Great fun to play.

http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?board=25.0

[Hobbit]

Another vote for BP. It uses a very simple set of core rules that can then easily be modified with special rules to reflect the abilities of specific units. If you have a passing knowledge of the period that you want to do then it will be simplicity itself to apply the mods that you need. There are sample scenarios for Sudan and the Zulu wars that give lots of ideas. I've written a supplement for the NWF in the 1890s, but I fear it will never see the light of day as the publishers don't consider it to be a sufficiently mainstream period 

[Chuck1372]

We play BAR   http://www.oldregimerules.com/bar_0.html .  The rules a modified a little.  We regularly play games with several hundred figures to a side.

Chuck

[answer_is_42]

There is quite a difference between the wars you've mentioned. The Anglo-Sikh wars aren't really 'colonial' at all, I'd suggest something like Black Powder for these.

The Sudan, on the other hand, I've always thought very tricky. Indeed, I'm not entirely convinced it's a very good period to attempt to wargame at all! The Sword and the Flame is a fantastic set, but probably not one for brigade level actions...

[sjwalker51]

"The Sudan, on the other hand, I've always thought very tricky. Indeed, I'm not entirely convinced it's a very good period to attempt to wargame at all!"

What??. The Sudan campaigns (especially 1884-5) offer some of the most enjoyable, closely fought and colourful tabletop games you could wish for - and 'Science v. Pluck' is  great set of period-specific rules for big battles which are readily adaptable to more traditional games if the role-playing elements and variable game turn rules are putting you off.

Colourful Imperial troop types (Egyptian cuirassiers, Bashi-bazouks, Sudanese irregulars, Camel Corps, Gatling/Gardner Guns, Bengal lancers, Sikhs), fanatical native warriors, gunboats, sieges, last stands and some of the greatest loonies of the colonial age (not least Fred Burnaby) - what more could you ask for?

And there's a great campaign game ready for you (google 'Fire and Sword in the Sudan') designed for TSATF but usable for all other rule sets to get you going.

Still my favourite gaming period after many, many years.

[grant]

I'm another Black Powder fan - and Warlord have a Sudan supplement coming!

[answer_is_42]

What??. The Sudan campaigns (especially 1884-5) offer some of the most enjoyable, closely fought and colourful tabletop games you could wish for - and 'Science v. Pluck' is  great set of period-specific rules for big battles which are readily adaptable to more traditional games if the role-playing elements and variable game turn rules are putting you off.

Colourful Imperial troop types (Egyptian cuirassiers, Bashi-bazouks, Sudanese irregulars, Camel Corps, Gatling/Gardner Guns, Bengal lancers, Sikhs), fanatical native warriors, gunboats, sieges, last stands and some of the greatest loonies of the colonial age (not least Fred Burnaby) - what more could you ask for?

And there's a great campaign game ready for you (google 'Fire and Sword in the Sudan') designed for TSATF but usable for all other rule sets to get you going.

Still my favourite gaming period after many, many years.

Haha, ok. Skirmish level is certainly playable. I suppose what I mean to say is that I'd never use something like Black Powder for it. The later 'reconquest' in particular, where 'science' annihilated 'pluck', though I know the earlier war can be played, especially Egyptian v. Mahdist encounters.