Firelock and Scalplock is a set of free wargames rules for wars on the American Frontier in the 1700s. You have to join a Yahoo group to get the set. But if you’re interested in the period, there are also a lot of other goodies there.
Rules: 18th Century
War of Princes American War of Independence Rules
War of Princes is a simple, one-page set of rules for the American Revolution.
To Glory We Steer Fighting Sail Rules
To Glory We Steer is a well-done set of rules for the age of fighting sail:
From the period where the mighty multi-oared Galleys had almost faded from memory other than a coastal raider, to the days where black funnelled Ships of the line belched out sparks and smoke, there existed two hundred years of an Age of Sail. …
This set of rules takes from many contemporary accounts of battle, to gain a whiff of the sea air in themechanics, Hopefully threading through it enough realism without baffling a Landsman who knows little of the Age of Sail.
As you give your crew orders to “Man the Halyards” or unleash a perfectly timed broadside, I hope that some of this may come across and that those who know their foretops from their gaff sails might gain some pleasure from commanding. This said, many compromises have been made in the way of a playable game that is challenging and involving for players.
You are not pushing a model and rolling dice. You are a Master and Commander in the Heat of Battle!
Wargames Research Group Rules: 1685 – 1845
For many years, Wargames Research Group rules were the standard in miniature wargaming. The Wargames Rules: 1685 – 1845 cover the entire horse and musket period, and include useful army lists for Malburian and Seven-Years-War armies as well as the campaigns in India which preceded the Napoleonic Wars. I actually own a print copy of these.
Blood and Bounty Pirate Rules
Blood and Bounty is set of free wargames rules for pirates in 28mm. The author writes:
“Blood & Bounty” is a pirate themed 28mm wargame that features over 50 pages of rules and statistics for reenacting the swashbuckling skirmishes of the Golden Age of Piracy! The game includes:
- 5 Factions
- (Royal Navy, Marine Royale, Real Armada Espanola, Merchantmen & Traders, and Pirates & Privateers.)
- Full rules for simulated sailing and combat with multiple vessel
- Boarding actions with hectic hand-to-hand and ranged comba
- Historical and fictional pirate characters
- A fleshed-out campaign mode for battling across the tropical Caribbean with multiple players
- And much more!