Edwardian Splendour A KRIEGSPIEL FOR TOY SOLDIERS By Arofan Gregory. Copyright © 2006. All rights reserved. For my son, Calum, in the hope that he may someday play this game with me, and to his mother, Joanna, who will no doubt think the whole thing is silly but will let us do it anyway. If you have questions or comments, please contact Arofan Gregory by e-mail at
[email protected]. 2 Introduction: Traditional toy soldiers possess a charm that is not duplicated by their smaller 15mm and 25mm brethren. No matter how many wargaming figures one collects, there is an attraction to the larger figures which remains un-sated. Whether you are talking about 42mm semi-rounds or the larger 54mm full-round figures, they possess an evocative quality that smaller figures lack. It is something which says “toy soldier” and reminds us that, no matter how complex our rules are, in the final analysis, miniature wargaming is still on some level “playing with toy soldiers.” At the same time, a miniatures wargamer needs a reason to collect armies – there must be a game to play, and it should simulate something historical, at some level, to capture the imagination. I am a miniatures wargamer first, and a collector of toy soldiers second: these rules represent my solution to the problem presented by this fusion of interests. This is a simple game for use with full-round and semi-round toy soldiers from 40mm to 54mm in height. Created in the spirit of H.G. Wells’ Little Wars, H.G. Dowdall’s Shambattle, and the kriegspiel games of that era, it represents combat during the late 19th/early 20th centuries, the periods for which traditional toy soldiers are often made.