What make us so fond of those games, all point to ...the setting, the background, the story. Without a good background all miniature wargames would be lifeless, even the homegrown Lego toy wargame system has a small funny one. To make those metal and plastic soldiers worth something they need it, otherwise they all end as shelves sitters. Historic, sci-fi, fantasy, steampunk ? We all have a preference. Speaking of prefered setting, I do have one but I also have other settings that I find worth checking out.
My first contact with wargames was the first edition of Battletech back in the mid 80's. An era where the mecha genre was rising on TV, Classic Battletech appeared in the right time and is still around. I'm still having interest in it but I'm pretty much alone for the moment in my mini league. The feudal political system, walking tanks called battlemechs and the evolution of the setting. I think it's still worth it. The minis aren't that great but the game is nice, customization endless and of course the background is great.
Sci-fi wargames are the most widespread genre, there is tons of them, one more than worth to mention is Heavy Gear Blitz, the background is so great, never a setting had so much details in it, they could do a Google Map and Google Street of the planet Terra Nova...Yes, that much details. Like Classic Battletech it has mecha ( giant piloted robots ) in it but it's just a piece of equipment and if the player don't want any, he can freely discard them.
Historic settings are not my cup of tea, but for those out there that are into different eras of human history there is some games here and there but to find them involves seaching. There is one shining above all the others, Flames of War, this WWII Wargame has a great value in terms of kits, modeling and the background most of us already knows it.
The over exploited fantasy setting, we all know it and thanks to J.R.R Tolkien, author of The Lord Of The Rings to have given birth to a world of swords and sorcery. Sadly the genre been so much used that is there any place for any thing really new? In the mid 90s there was a game called Chronopia. The setting was very dark, quite innovative and tried to make really bold changes in some elements of the classic fantasy world. The game did not do well, maybe was too extreme in the changes they made and since then, Chronopia did fall into oblivion. But despair not fantasy fans there is two games worth checking out, first The Lord Of The Rings based on J.R.R Tolkien's books and Warhammer Fantasy Battles, both games are very good but Warhammer Fantasy Battles is in my opinion, one of the best for the minis and the background is huge, too. Both games are from Games Workshop, this company has almost the total control of the wargaming market at the moment, so kind of hard to not come across their products.
Steampunk, that genre been around for so long, but why it seems to stay in the shadows. For those who may not know it, the steampunk genre is a world where steam powered machines is widly used and also is the sci-fi of the victorian era Britain or in the beginings of the 19th century. Jules Verne and H.G Wells at the time both were sci-fi writers and now today are icons of the steampunk genre. In wargaming the genre has two games I think worth it, the first is Fallout Tactics, ok may not be as steampunk. The poor life quality, the mix of recycled tech, meddling with high tech and the unique feel of the 50s sci-fi golden age, I'm pretty certain it can be steampunk. Overall a great setting in a post-nucelar war thorn world, only trouble with Fallout Tactics is, there is no minis at all, so lots of reading and sculpting is required. The second is a rising star, denying Games Workshop total control of the market in wargaming, none other than Warmachine. This game has a solid background and the system is great.
Now, the one, the one I'm passionate about and without suprise it's Warhammer 40k from Games Workshop again, from the days of Rogue Trader to it's 5th edition. The background is so huge, you got it all in there. A fantasy world in space plus there is no boring "knight saving the princess from the dragon or the evil sorcerer". The big picture of the setting is wars of epic proportion for survival and power topped with the worst case scenarios for all sides in the never ending conflicts. Perfect setting for a wargame, no suprise it's the most popular.
Without the background the minis as great as they are, would just be toy soldiers. And you? What is your favorite setting or background, and if none what would you like??
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