Crimson Dusk Universal Rules

by

Crimson Dusk is a new set of science fiction wargames rules. The author writes:

Welcome to Crimson Dusk. Crimson Dusk is a wargames ruleset for tabletop games. These exciting rules cover actions from skirmish level to platoon level. Command your troops onwards as you confront enemy forces, design your armies, and equip them with a miriad of weapons.

Crimson Dusk is a ruleset that allows you to take whatever models you have in your collection, in any scale and use them in wargames. The rules contain full listings for how to design your troops and set points cost to them so you can compete against your friends for mastery of the tabletop. And the great news is that the rules are entirely free to downlaod and share.

The rules are still under development, but on the Rules page you can see how far we’ve come. The current version is not yet the 1st edition, but a working copy, much more will be added to and developed before it is finally released, but take a look and tell us what you think in the forum. This could be your chance to influence how a rulesset is developed.

Tools For Terrain Building

by

Here’s a useful article on the Top Ten Tools For Terrain Building. I learned something new here: that baking soda can be used as a superglue catalyst and filler.

Unconditional Surrender: Case Blue Print and Play Wargame

by

Unconditional Surrender: Case Blue is a free print and play wargame for two players about campaigns in southern Russia from 1942 – 1943.

Swords and Wizardry Fantasy Role Playing

by

For me, nothing has ever quite caught the magic of the original Dungeons and Dragons rules I picked up sometime in the 1970s. It was a single 8 1/2 x 11 blue book, and it covered only levels 1-5 or so. But it was indescribably wonderful.

Swords and Wizardry is another (I’ve seen several) attempt to recapture that magic that we had before we all became older and White Wolf cynical. The authors write:

In 1974, Gary Gygax (1938-2008) wrote the world’s first fantasy role-playing game, a simple and very flexible set of rules that launched an entirely new genre of gaming. In 1976, the first supplement to these rules was published, with Rob Kuntz as Mr. Gygax’s co-author. Many years later, in the year 2000, Wizards of the Coast allowed the use of most of the material from that game under a license called the Open Game License. What you’re reading is an approximate re-creation of the Gary Gygax original fantasy role-playing game, created using the Open Game License. The re-creation isn’t exact — it’s not allowed to be, and we have treated the original copyright with utmost respect. But while the language in this book may be a little bit less magical than in the original, we believe the rules and system are close enough to reproduce the “lightning in a bottle” of that original edition (often called 0e). In fact, we think Swords & Wizardry is actually a bit better organized and easier to learn than the original. Since the original rules were supplemented with several later books, it’s impossible to nail down any “canon” set of rules for 0e. This is our interpretation of the game, using rules and systems from only the original set of rulebooks and some selected rules-material from the later supplements.

Making Trench Systems

by

Iron Hands has an illustrated article on making trench systems for your 25mm – 28mm miniature wargames. The principal ingredients are concrete patch, rocks and fiberboard.