# List of miniature wargames
This is a **list of miniature wargames**, tabletop games played with miniature figures and terrain. Frederick Jane's naval rules of 1898 are often cited as the first published miniature wargame, and [H. G. Wells](https://www.edgepedia.org/h-g-wells)'s *Little Wars* (1913) laid the foundation for the hobby by setting rules for toy soldier battles. The hobby expanded into fantasy with the "Fantasy Supplement" in *Chainmail* (1971) by [Gary Gygax](https://www.edgepedia.org/gary-gygax) and Jeff Perren, while [Games Workshop](https://www.edgepedia.org/games-workshop)'s *Warhammer Fantasy Battle* (1983) and *Warhammer 40,000* (1987) are its most commercially successful titles. Common figure scales include 6 mm for massed combined-arms battles, 15 mm for World War II games such as *Flames of War*, and 25–28 mm for skirmish and battle games.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| First published miniature rules | Frederick Jane's naval rules of 1898 are often cited as the first published miniature wargame[1](https://www.lanternhall.org/atlas/wargame/) |
| Foundational rulebook | H. G. Wells's *Little Wars* (1913) set rules for toy soldier battles and laid the foundation for miniature wargaming[2](https://artsandculture.google.com/story/world-of-war-games-a-history-of-wargaming-the-strong/zwXBlbILD6CvKQ?hl=en) |
| First fantasy rules supplement | The "Fantasy Supplement" in *Chainmail* (1971) by Gary Gygax and Jeff Perren, from which the rules for Dungeons & Dragons were developed[3](https://www.museumofplay.org/blog/armchair-generals-past-present-and-future-a-short-history-of-wargaming/) |
| Most commercially successful | Games Workshop's *Warhammer Fantasy Battle* (1983) and *Warhammer 40,000* (1987)[4](https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/wargame) |
| Common figure scales | 6 mm for massed combined-arms battles[5](https://www.regiment.info/faq), 15 mm for World War II games such as *Flames of War*[6](https://playbymail.net/Flagship/BackIssues/Flagship_129.pdf), and 25–28 mm for skirmish and battle games[7](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/freewargamesrules/images/2/21/Rules.pdf/revision/latest) |
## Historical and ancient-period games
Ancient and medieval warfare is one of the best-served periods. Wargaming's first digital title, *DBA Online* (2000), adapted *De Bellis Antiquitatis* for play over the internet[2](https://artsandculture.google.com/story/world-of-war-games-a-history-of-wargaming-the-strong/zwXBlbILD6CvKQ?hl=en).
## World War II and modern games
*Flames of War*, a 15 mm scale game from the New Zealand company Battlefront, is a prominent example; its publisher describes it as a WW2 15 mm scale wargame with rules for aircraft, night-fighting, recon, and street-fighting[6](https://playbymail.net/Flagship/BackIssues/Flagship_129.pdf). Simple tank skirmish rules such as *Tanks* use the same model scale as *Flames of War*[9](https://forum.quartertothree.com/t/miniature-wargames-my-never-ending-search-for-the-ultimate-army-men-ruleset/146656).
## Fantasy and science fiction games
Fantasy wargaming began with the "Fantasy Supplement" section at the end of the *Chainmail* rules, from which Gary Gygax and [Dave Arneson](https://www.edgepedia.org/dave-arneson) developed the rules for *Dungeons & Dragons*[3](https://www.museumofplay.org/blog/armchair-generals-past-present-and-future-a-short-history-of-wargaming/). Games Workshop's *Warhammer Fantasy Battle*, first published in 1983 and revised many times through 2010, and its science fiction sibling *Warhammer 40,000* (1987, originally published as *Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader*) have been the dominant fantasy and science fiction miniature wargames[4](https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/wargame) • [10](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1046878120929052). Games Workshop ended the original fantasy setting in 2015 with *The End Times*, replaced it with *Age of Sigmar*, and in January 2024 brought the original setting back as *Warhammer: The Old World*[1](https://www.lanternhall.org/atlas/wargame/).
Smaller fantasy and science fiction skirmish games include *Warhammer Warcry*, a fantasy skirmish game in the Warhammer universe[9](https://forum.quartertothree.com/t/miniature-wargames-my-never-ending-search-for-the-ultimate-army-men-ruleset/146656), and *Malediction*, which combines card-based warband building with tabletop miniatures combat[11](https://www.gamesradar.com/tabletop-gaming/malediction-review/).
## Skirmish and mass-battle formats
Miniature wargames range across three broad scales: skirmishes involving a few fighters, larger battles featuring hundreds of troops, and theater-wide campaigns[12](https://www.gamesradar.com/tabletop-gaming/types-of-board-games/). At the mass-battle end, *REGIMENT* is a free, print-and-play game of vast combined-arms battles using 6 mm epic-scale miniatures, in which the base is the unit and miniature height does not affect the mechanics[5](https://www.regiment.info/faq). At the skirmish end, games such as *Malediction* activate individual characters with two action points per activation, spent on moving, attacking, or playing cards[11](https://www.gamesradar.com/tabletop-gaming/malediction-review/).
## History of the hobby
Frederick Jane's naval wargame rules of 1898 are often cited as the first published miniature wargame[1](https://www.lanternhall.org/atlas/wargame/). H. G. Wells's *Little Wars* (1913) laid the foundation for the hobby by setting rules for toy soldier battles, and some contemporary designers consider it the starting point of [miniature wargaming](https://www.edgepedia.org/miniature-wargaming) because Wells's rules give primacy to figurines and terrain[2](https://artsandculture.google.com/story/world-of-war-games-a-history-of-wargaming-the-strong/zwXBlbILD6CvKQ?hl=en) • [10](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1046878120929052). In the late 1950s, the miniature hobbyist Jack Scruby organized the first miniature wargaming convention in the United States, and Scruby and Homer Delabar published the first wargaming magazine, *The War Game Digest*, in 1957[3](https://www.museumofplay.org/blog/armchair-generals-past-present-and-future-a-short-history-of-wargaming/).
## Manufacturers
Games Workshop dominates the commercial fantasy and science fiction side of the hobby[4](https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/wargame). Warlord Games, formed in 2007 in [Nottingham](https://www.edgepedia.org/nottingham), designs, manufactures, and distributes historical and science fiction miniatures in plastic, metal, and resin, performing most of the process from design and sculpture to molding and packing in-house[13](https://www.warlordgames.com/home/about-us/).
## References
1. [Miniatures & Board Wargames: definition and history, Lantern Hall](https://www.lanternhall.org/atlas/wargame/)
2. [World of War Games: A History of Wargaming, Google Arts & Culture / The Strong](https://artsandculture.google.com/story/world-of-war-games-a-history-of-wargaming-the-strong/zwXBlbILD6CvKQ?hl=en)
3. [Armchair Generals Past, Present, and Future: A Short History of Wargaming, The Strong National Museum of Play](https://www.museumofplay.org/blog/armchair-generals-past-present-and-future-a-short-history-of-wargaming/)
4. [Wargame, The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction](https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/wargame)
5. [REGIMENT FAQ](https://www.regiment.info/faq)
6. [Flagship issue 129, review of Flames of War](https://playbymail.net/Flagship/BackIssues/Flagship_129.pdf)
7. [Wargames rules for ancients, Dark ages, Medieval and renaissance battles](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/freewargamesrules/images/2/21/Rules.pdf/revision/latest)
8. [A Survey of WWII Rulesets Part 1, No Dice No Glory](https://nodicenoglory.com/a-survey-of-wwii-rulesets-part-1/)
9. [Miniature Wargames: My Never-ending Search for the Ultimate Army Men Ruleset, Quarter To Three Forums](https://forum.quartertothree.com/t/miniature-wargames-my-never-ending-search-for-the-ultimate-army-men-ruleset/146656)
10. [More Than Wargaming: Exploring the Miniaturing Pastime, Simulation & Gaming](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1046878120929052)
11. [Malediction review, GamesRadar+](https://www.gamesradar.com/tabletop-gaming/malediction-review/)
12. [Types of board games, explained by experts, GamesRadar+](https://www.gamesradar.com/tabletop-gaming/types-of-board-games/)
13. [About Us, Warlord Games](https://www.warlordgames.com/home/about-us/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Board, card, and puzzle games › Board games › Wargames › Miniature wargames*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license