Angriff!
1968 · Z&M Publishing Enterprises
A detailed early approach to WWII armor and infantry with HO and micro armor; one of the small-publisher titles that helped define historical miniature gaming.
Battleward reference shelf
Miniature rules, decade by decade.
Commercially published systems from specialist presses and larger houses. This is a growing, sourced catalog of rule families and notable editions.
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Rules that shaped the table
Publication year identifies the listed edition or first release. A later edition appears separately when it marks a substantial new version.
The 1950s are part of the story. Jack Scruby’s War Games Digest began in 1957 and helped commercial miniature gaming take shape. We are researching individual rules from that decade before assigning catalog entries to them. Read the HMGS history ↗
26 entries shown
Chainmail
1971 · Guidon Games
Medieval miniature battles with a fantasy supplement; its reach extends into the origins of role-playing games.
Tractics
1971 · Guidon Games
Chart-rich armor combat from the early micro-armor era, with attention to individual vehicles and weapons.
SEEKRIEG
1975 · Richard R. Sartore / SEEKRIEG · First release; fourth edition 1981
A specialist naval system that grew through several editions; the 1981 fourth edition covers the age of the battleship in depth.
Striker
1981 · Game Designers’ Workshop
Ground combat for 15mm Traveller forces, including vehicle design and a serious treatment of future combined arms.
Warhammer Fantasy Battle
1983 · Games Workshop
Mass fantasy battles built around armies, heroes and a setting that became a giant in the miniature hobby.
Johnny Reb
1983 · Adventure Games
John Hill’s regimental Civil War rules, known for battlefield detail and a long life across later editions.
Command Decision
1986 · Game Designers’ Workshop
Frank Chadwick’s battalion-level WWII system puts command and coordination above the detail of every individual tank shot.
Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader
1987 · Games Workshop
The first edition of the tabletop system that developed into the dominant science-fiction miniature game.
Napoleon’s Battles
1989 · Avalon Hill
Grand-tactical Napoleonic rules that let players command substantial formations rather than resolve every company’s fire.
De Bellis Antiquitatis (DBA)
1990 · Wargames Research Group
Compact armies, standardized bases and short games helped reshape ancient and medieval competition.
Fire and Fury
1990 · Quantum Printing
Brigade-level Civil War battles with a celebrated maneuver table and an emphasis on the ebb and flow of formations.
Volley & Bayonet
1994 · Game Designers’ Workshop
Large battles from the musket era on practical tables, with stands representing substantial units.
Flames of War
2002 · Battlefront Miniatures
Company-level WWII battles supported by an extensive miniature range and national force books.
Full Thrust
1991 · Ground Zero Games
A flexible starship miniature system with a fast basic game and optional detail for larger fleets.
Command Decision: Test of Battle
2006 · Test of Battle Games · Later edition
The later Command Decision line continues the focus on battalion command and historically grounded combined arms.
Check Your 6!
2007 · SkirmishCampaigns
Aircraft maneuver and campaign scenarios with plotted moves, designed for substantial multiplayer air actions.
Black Powder
2009 · Warlord Games
A broad framework for large tabletop battles across the black-powder era, with an emphasis on spectacle and pace.
SAGA
2011 · Gripping Beast / Studio Tomahawk
Warband battles shaped by faction-specific battle boards, keeping small forces tactically distinct.
Bolt Action
2012 · Warlord Games / Osprey
Platoon combat with random order-dice activation; a widely played accessible WWII system.
Chain of Command
2013 · TooFatLardies
Patrols, leaders and uncertain activation make platoon command the center of the game.
To the Strongest!
2014 · To the Strongest!
Grid-based large battles dispense with measuring while retaining command risk and decisive maneuver.
Wings of Glory
2012 · Ares Games
Accessible aerial combat with maneuver decks and model aircraft, continuing the Wings of War family.
Team Yankee
2015 · Battlefront Miniatures
A hypothetical late-Cold-War land fight in the Flames of War family, built for tanks, helicopters and infantry.
Warhammer: The Old World
2024 · Games Workshop
A return to ranked fantasy armies and the Warhammer world, with a contemporary edition and model line.
Bolt Action: Third Edition
2024 · Warlord Games / Osprey · Third edition
The current major edition of the order-dice WWII platoon game; listed separately so edition history stays clear.
The catalog covers commercially released miniature rules, including small-press titles. It is not a claim that every published system has been found; uncertain dates and publishers are left out until checked.