Stir and jumble and...what?

[FifteensAway]

Taking a different tack here:    So, take a large collection of Indian Mutiny figures that includes a lot of civilians and a variety of wild beasties, also a large force for both sides of the Anglo-Sudan and French in North Africa, plus a whole bunch of Boxer Rebellion folk, also including civilians (both sides, again), and then an esoteric and steroidal collection of other colonial figures, European and native, plenty of wheeled conveyances and metal tubes that go "boom", then add in a variety of river steamers, paddle and side wheel, a couple of ironclads, a smattering of dhows, a decent sized village/town worth of buildings across all the lands mentioned here, plus several hundred beasts to populate an African savannah as well as some of its jungles.  Keep in mind there is the odd Masai and Maori lurking in there as well as some Abysinnians and witch doctors and who knows what else.  Now pour all this into one or two five gallons buckets (might take two!) and stir gently around - being careful not to break any of the figures, naturally.  Then pour this out and sort it out into one coherent campaign.

What do I have here, gentlemen (and the finer sort of ladies)?   

[von Lucky]

That is an eclectic mix!

I find these pages will help:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Lists_of_wars_by_date
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_battles

You might do it as the narrative/'period drama' of several individuals, as there's a few wars in 1850s that could tie it together, including the Taiping rebellion and Eighth Xhosa War.

[Furt]

I've been considering an "Imagination" colonial setting where anything is possible.

Maybe a large recently discovered island off the coast of Africa where all the colonial powers race to, in order to claim it as their own. There could be an ancient civilization already inhabiting the place or it could be largely "wild" and each of the European powers could have their own base of operations.

[xpalpatinex]

I group I played with just did "pulp" and colonial battles. Roughly the same time and we each painted up different factions. Germans, British, Japanese, US Marines and would set them in some dangerous native land to battle it out.

Good times...

[fitterpete]

Its Lemuria! A continent not a island.Its always been there so you have to do a bit of alternate history work.
I have the same mix Indian Mutiny,african tribesmen,afghans,Crimean War,French colonial N Africa,Sikhs,Franco Prussian war,etc.GW haradrim and easterlings are the indigenus Lemurian Empire.
If you can get by the weapon differences(musket to breechloader) not hard for me in 28mm, your golden.
My stuff is designed for larger battles(Black Powder rules) rather than skirmish.
I even thought about starting out using my SYW stuff and working into my Napoleonics in the setting and then going into colonials.Kind of like doing the whole history of the continent in campaign form.

[FifteensAway]

Well, having posted the above earlier today, I was inspired to go out and visit a couple of collections.  The original purpose was to see if I could reduce there size.  Unfortunately, having neglected them for a bit, they let a plaintive cry of woe and I ended up putting together the information I will need to post an accurate listing of what I have for the Slightly Cracked Colonials and the Indian Mutiny on my blog.

I will post a link once I have that done, possibly tonight, maybe not.

Sounds like a few of you are confronted with either similar collections or similar interests.  And I am also into larger scale battles rather than the smaller skirmish scenarios.  Not massive battles, but ones with perhaps a few hundred per side, maybe more.  I might do it at a one-to-one scale.  I certainly have way more than enough figures to do that.

At least I did get one idea on how to reduce part of the collection.  Will post that thought on my blog where I have ready access to it.  Later, though.

Thanks for the replies so far, keep them coming, please.

[FifteensAway]

Got the Indian Mutiny list updated, that was easy.  Got part of the Scramble update, that is a very long list indeed.  I am including a link to the latter so it can be perused for those willing to face the challenge of my original question.  Here it is:

http://steeplechasingzebras.blogspot.com/p/the-steeplechase.html

The older list included there can temporarily flesh out the newer one until I finish it off.  Time for other activities.