The Miniature Wargaming Editor

The Encyclopedia of Military History by Ernest Dupuy

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I think that this is the one indispensible resource for the miniatures wargamer. This Encyclopedia of Military History covers virtually every armed conflict since 3600 BC. Whenever I think about starting a new period, this is the book I turn to first. While it doesn’t cover any period in the detail that a grognard would demand, it does offer enough names, dates and places to satisfy your curiosity, or settle a bet. It occupies a prime spot on my shelf.

The Harper Encyclopedia of Military History: From 3500 B.C. to the Present

Pairs Print and Play Game

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Pairs is a free print-and-play game from Cheapass Games. You can also purchase printed editions of the game at the same site. From the publisher’s description:

The Pairs deck contains only the numbers 1 through 10, in a triangular distribution (1×1, 2×2, 3×3, and so on up to 10×10).  The basic goal of Pairsis to avoid getting a pair. Your odds will depend on what cards you hold, and which cards you have seen! Scoring pairs earns you points, and the first player to reach a target score is the loser.

Goblin – A Dwarf Star Board Game

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Are you old enough to remember the DwarfStar board games? If so, then you probably have the same fond memories as I do. One of my favorites was Goblin. In it, players take turns pillaging and plundering a hapless valley.

You can download a copy of the game here.

La Serpiente Bicycle Race Game

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La Serpiente is a free print-and-play bicycle race game. Originally published in 1993 in a Spanish art magazine, it features rules that are nearly luck free.

The Boxer Rebellion by Diana Preston

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Diana Preston’s Boxer Rebellion:The Dramatic Story of China’s War on Foreigners That Shook the World in the Summer of 1900 was a primary source when I was researching scenarios for my Boxer Rebellion miniature wargaming project. The book reads like a novel, carrying the reader from one exciting event to another. While it doesn’t have the copious numbers and orders of battle so favored by wargamers, it more than makes up for this by providing dozens of raw ideas for good scenarios. Highly recommended.

Boxer Rebellion : The Dramatic Story of China’s War on Foreigners that Shook the World in the Summer of 1900