Phobos is an RPG of the “Wonders and Terrors of Technology and Magic.” There doesn’t appear to be any real background, but the system is geared toward a modern setting with magic. It uses an open-ended d20 system (in which you roll again if you score a 20).
The Miniature Wargaming Editor
Hans Und Panzer WWII Rules
Hans Und Panzer is a set of free wargames rules for WWII tank combat. The author writes:
Hans in Panzer is a game of tank combat in World War II. Using small scale soldiers and vehicles, you can recreate an entire battle on a coffee table. The rules accommodate tanks and equipment used by merican, German, British and Russian forces. The average space for a game would be 4” by 8” or so. Using these rules, you can even play on a coffee table. All you need are miniature soldiers, terrain pieces, measuring sticks and six-sided dice.
Online Graph Paper Generators
Incompetech has a page that lets you generate pdf files for different kinds of graph paper, including hexes, staggered bricks, hex dot patterns, multi width, etc. If you’re makign maps or planing scale models, this is an essential site.
Play Ogre With Lego
Steve Jackson’s Ogre is a classic game. I first got a copy when it was in a small bag with thin cardboard cutout counters. It’s gone through several incarnations since then, but the idea of hordes of GEVs and infantry against a single cybernetic tank. Now Dan Efran has a page describing how to build Ogre pieces with Lego. Its really cool, and I can’t wait until my kids outgrow the things and I inherit them.
Army Men: Plastic Conflict Rules
Army Men: Plastic Conflict is a set of free wargames rules for those ubiquitous 54mm plastic army men. Interestingly, it has quite a bit of flavor background for the game.