Have you ever contemplated during a game of Heroclix, while painting a new Chaos Space Marine, or amid comparing mech stats for a Battletech game, ‘how did this all begin?’ Who thought up the idea of players moving miniature armies across a custom battlefield in strategic combat?
It’s not too certain as to where or when it began as there are accounts of a miniature wargame around the time of Queen Anne written by Laurence Sterne in Tristram Shandy being played by Uncle Toby and Corporal Trim. And I’ll wager there were even older variations throughout history, like the chess predecessor the Viking game Hnefatafl ,(King’s Table) (I dare you to try and pronounce that) a game of soldiers defending their king from bandits.
But today I’m here to talk to you about the game Little Wars, by H.G. Wells (Yes, that H.G. Wells!). First published in 1913 it is, I’d venture to say, the oldest surviving miniature wargame whose rule system is still available for wide scale distribution.
The game mechanics in lieu of our modern dice system involved a stop watch, a coin, and the accuracy of miniature cannons… that actually fired! Now I love the randomization of die rolls and the potential for spectacular successes or infamous failures, but the act of aiming at and shooting your competitor’s pieces brings out the Sid in me.
A Game for Boys from twelve years of age to one hundred and fifty and for that more intelligent sort of girl who likes boys’ games and books – H.G. Wells
The game calls for the use of infantry, cavalry, and of course, artillery. Anyone wanting to try this game out, and I highly recommend it, would need to raid a bucket of green army soldiers, your local Brony’s My Little Pony collection and a small Nerf gun to act as the cannon. Scenery is highly recommended for an even battle and can be thrown together by existing mini terrain you may own or by stacking books and any other random odds and ends you have lying around.
Turns are timed to give players the sense of urgency as they maneuver solders across the floor to battle one another. Special rules are in place for combat as well as capturing enemy pieces. And like its modern counterparts, games could last from a few minutes to a few hours depending on the strategy and skill of the players. It is recommended to play on the floor or outdoors so be aware of pets, small children and, as Wells puts it, “trampling skirt-swishers” causing abrupt disruptions in game play.
For no other reason, I recommend reading Little Wars for the fun introduction, where Wells recounts the many lessons learned while making the game as well as sharing strategies used during the development. And as someone who is working on tabletop war games from scratch, I couldn’t help but relate to everything he talked about. Who would have guessed a nearly 100 year old game would have brought me closer to one of my favorite science fiction authors.
But why is this important? Why should you care about such an old game and the nostalgia of a war game fan?
To borrow a beautiful quote from Fallout:
“War never changes…”
The miniature war game scene has grown as well as evolved over time, but the desire to crush your enemies, see them driven before you and to hear the lamentation of their women is still there. We are addicted to battle and this is the original starter drug for those who don’t have their own private army to march to war.
Little Wars begat many an offspring extending to medieval and Napoleonic wargames. It was in the late 60′s to early 70’s when literature like The Hobbit and Conan inspired great innovators like Dave Arneson and Gary Gygax to ultimately create the beloved original Dungeons and Dragons as well as many other Role-Playing Games (RPG’s).
Technology allowed wargaming to go from turn based strategy on the floor or table to Real Time Strategy (RTS) in games like Total War, Hearts of Iron and Warcraft on the computer allowing players from around the world to battle one another online. This also brought about the fog of war, or the ability to take actions without the other player knowing. While this was much discussed in tabletop games, it was never officially implemented.
There have since been many video games and tabletop wargames that have grown from Well’s original concept, giving us amazing games like Warhammer Traditional and Online, Warmachine, Dust, Dogs of War, Battletech and Henchmen: The Tabletop Battle Simulator. Okay, so I may have added that last one for me, but the idea is still the same. Fight and win.
I hope you’ll join me as we explore the world of wargaming and find out why it’s so fascinating. We’ll share some funny stories from developing these games as well as maybe spark an interest in new players.
What is your wargame? Who here has the strongest force?
Richard is a tabletop enthusiast with a penchant for epic battles, join him in the Command Center every Tuesday for a weekly look into the art of tiny war.
Tags: comicbooked, Dave Arneson, Gary Gygax, H.G. Wells, Little Wars, Miniature Wargames, Tabletop, Wargame, Wargaming
About the Author
Written by Richard Wilcox
I like to play games, write about them and sometimes make them. Sometimes I make films too. If you are a game developer and would like to have your product reviewed by me on this site, you can PM me via Twitter @AlbinoHero or shoot me an email at albinohero[at]gmail[dot]com.
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