Here’s a photo collage of our group’s December 2014 Mexican American War game in 54mm. Eleven players used the Song of Drums and Shako Rules, with house rules.
Mexican American War
Mexican American War Skirmish Rules
The Mexican American War Yahoo Group has a set of skirmish rules for that conflict, “in the spirit of the Sword and the Flame.”
Across the Rio Grande Mexican War Rules
The Mexican American Wars Yahoo Group has a set of free miniature wargames rules for the Mexican War called Across The Rio Grande. The authors write:
Across the Rio Grande is a simple, fast-playing, battalion-level rules set that is intended to impart the flavor of the Mexican-American War and simulate the battles fought during that period. By its nature it was a war of small unit actions where one man could turn a battle around through a heroic action or foolish blunder. Morale was as important as anything else for keeping an army together, and it plays a big part in these rules. Weaponry didn�t vary enough between the units for it to have a great impact on a battle, with the exception of the American light artillery units, which on numerous occasions had a disproportionate influence on a battle, and this has been built into the rules. Finally, hand-to-hand combat has probably been overemphasized in contemporary art and text since it didn�t actually happen that often. This is reflected in the rules for melee combat which result in few actual casualties, but which have a great effect on unit morale, especially for the losers. The intent of this set of rules is to be a quick-to-learn and fun game especially for gamers unfamiliar with the Mexican-American War and those who prefer relatively simple rules systems.
Texas Map Archives
If you’re into gaming the Mexican American war, or if you just have an interest in things Texas in general, you’ll find this map archives useful. There are a number of historical maps for you to view online:
Texas Revolution, 1835-1836 – Text Description (120K) [p. 47]
Texas Revolution, 1835-1836 – The Defense of the Alamo, February 23 – March 6, 1836 (75K) [p. 47]
Texas Revolution, 1835-1836 – The Major Movements of Texan and Mexican Military Forces, February – April, 1836 (119K) [p. 47]
Texas Revolution, 1835-1836 – The Battle of San Jacinto, April 21, 1836 (145K) [p. 47]
Texas Frontier Development, 1841-1843 (97K) [p. 48]
Mexican War Battles in Texas and Northern Mexico, 1846-1847 – Text Description (127K) [p. 49]
Mexican War Battles in Texas and Northern Mexico, 1846-1847 – The Battle of Palo Alto, May 8, 1846 (62K) [p. 49]
Mexican War Battles in Texas and Northern Mexico, 1846-1847 – The Battle of Resaca De La Palma, May 9, 1846 (50K) [p. 49]
Mexican War Battles in Texas and Northern Mexico, 1846-1847 – Taylor’s Campaign, March 1846 – February 1847 (69K) [p. 49]
Fire and Fury America’s Wars
I think Fire and Fury is the finest set of miniatures rules ever written. It has elegantly simple mechanics, fun gameplay and set the standard for high-quality rules presentation.
Now the Fire and Fury people are at work on a version for America’s other “horse and musket” wars: The Revolution, War of 1812, and Mexican War. You can find the playtest versions of Fire and Fury: Americas Wars here.