The amount of available rules is truly staggering. There are commercial rules available for nearly any historical period that you can think of, plus there are hundreds of free rules sets on the Internet. It's best to try to find some reviews or start a thread on a site like The Minatures Page to get some feedback.

What is Wargaming?

Some of the first formal wargaming was done by the Prussian staff with their Kriegspiel system in the late 19th century. H.G. Wells, author of War of The Worlds, wrote the first set of rules in a book called Little Wars. The wargaming hobby then started to gain momentum in the 60's with gaming legends Jack Scruby and Don Featherstone providing figures and a newsletter. The 1970s saw the birth of several figure manufacturers and sets of commercial rules, then in the 80's the hobby began to become more professional as gaming conventions began to take hold. Now, in 2004, there are manufacturers that produce figures and rules for every period in many different scales.

Think of wargaming as chess, but the pieces represent different units of an army, with rules that can sometimes be simpler or more complex, depending upon the subject matter. You will hear the term "scale" used quite often to describe sets of rules and what a figure/vehicle represents. In skirmish scale, each figure represents one man on the battlefield, while operational scale is usually one figure equals around 20 men. Finally, in grand tactical scale one figure equals 60 men and in the relatively new brigade scale, a stand of figures can represent several hundred men.

Rules can range from very simple with a few charts and 12 pages to games covering modern naval warfare with 300 pages and 100 pages of charts and tables. Figures can be bought in many different scales, with the most common being 15mm and 25mm, with 25mm figures being about one inch tall. The figures are usually made of lead and pewter that need to be painted. Figures vary greatly in detail, packaging, and cost. Most rules will specify what figures you will need and how many.

Most games enjoy the hobby for one reason and that's the social aspect. Meeting every so often with friends to discuss history, play a game, and have a great time are what the hobby is all about.

Again, there are figures available for every period in multiple scales. Order in a few samples or packs to check they're what you want before you start your army.

Always try to fill out the core of your army first, as those are the figures that you will need most often, then work on the specialty units.Remember, not every force in history had SS or the Guard present at every battle.