The indefatigable Jim Wallman has a new set of miniatures rules called “The Pirates of Yendor.” It’s for fantasy naval warfare, with rules for elf and dwarf galleys, corsairs and such. It also has an interesting pre-planned movement system using cards.
It all makes me want to get out my old Games Workshop Man O War figures.
Ed Walker has written a set of free wargames rules called Tabletop Titans. He writes:
BAM – POW – KAZOWEE. These are the sounds of super heros in action. Who could forget the wild brawls we all envisioned while reading our favorite super hero comics? Tabletop Titans is a game of miniature combat where players create super heros to do battle. Designed to be played on any tabletop or with one of the many types of terrain systems on the market Tabletop Heros provides all the rules necessary to create a unique super hero and pit it in combat against other superpowered beings. Tabletop Titans uses the ACTION combat system.
Brimstone is a set of free wargames rules for 15mm to 28mm skirmish battles in Hell. Written by Anreas Udby, the premise is that the Prince of arkness has been slain, and that his lieutenants are battling for control of the underworld. It’s cleverly written, with lines like this:
Panic. There�s also no such thing as morale in Hell. Face it — to have morale, you really need to have such a thing as happiness. In Hell, there are really just shades of panic, hopelessness, and utter despair.
Another part I like is that it turns out that Hell has a caste system and the various denizens won’t always play nice together.
All in all, an imaginative work.
I own a copy of the original Grenadier Fantasy Warriors boxed set. In fact, all the dwarf and orc miniatures that came with it are still unpainted and on their sprues. (I already had hordes of Games Workshop orc and dwarves and simply played with those).
The game had a lot to recommend it: the figures were great, they were a good bargain, and the rules were a marked departure from Games Workshop. What we liked most about the rules was the emphasis on command, rather than on individual super figures. Sadly, however, it’s been out of print for many years.
Now you can get the original rules as a download here. As for the figures, I understand that there is an italian company that produces them, but I’ve had no success in finding them.
Here are a set of rules for a tower defense game with miniatures.
The premise, according to the author:
You are the sole defender of a precious Portal which allows travel between worlds. Orcs want to travel to other worlds, because theirs sucks. They will smash down the gates and doggedly pour through the castle into the portal, if you let them. Miniature Tower Defense is a tabletop game inspired by video games such as “Orcs Must Die” and “Sanctum” in which the hero places traps to stop mindless hordes of enemies, while also fighting them personally.