Three Battlegrounds in China

Introduction To A Chinese Theme

by Charley Elsden

The theme for the COLD WARS CON to be ran by HMGS EAST in April this year is "Battleground China." Oddly enough, I played two games set in China instead at their previous con (HISTORICON--Boxer Rebellion and The Sand Pebbles). I don't know if I'll get to The Middle Kingdom for any games this time. I am hosting a non-Asian WWII game at COLD WARS to introduce my WWII rules because most WWII fans would rather play with lots of big tanks, and playing in 54mm is radical enough for my first large con game. Er, that's Con game; not con game.

This is ironic because I have always been interested in unusual subjects and scenarios for wargames and in China in particular. So here are all three of the very different miniatures games which I have played so far in China, that decidedly different country.

I give the three games I have run which were set in China in the order they were created and played, rather than order of period. The first was a WWII commando type operation played with Jamie Delson's players group at The Toy Soldier Company. This game used his unique "Harold's Rangers" background, a legendary mercenary company he's been playing with for years--with literally no limit on space, number of figures, or toy equipment used, since they are played at his company warehouse, a virtual Shangri La for toy soldier lovers, both incredibly luxurious in its toy inventory and closed to the public. So here for the first time is a peak into a hidden world.

The second and third games were played at my house with various Metropolitan Wargames club members, friends, relatives, and others. The second is a diabolical three way WWII military confrontation. But where the first two games added a bit of role playing and fantasy to a historical framework the third game was one of the major historical wargaming projects I've wanted to complete in my life. This was the Boxer Rebellion, based on the thorough intermingling of units using different period weapons and so many different nationalities for that unusual confrontation. Considering that there are still very few Colonial era 54mm figures or any Chinese, this took a while to produce--but it has interesting aspects for any scale, so here are a few of my "secrets" (or, as Mel Brooks would say, "How I Did It" by Dr. Frank N. Stein).

0 True Believer! If these humble efforts amuse, or help you along the sacred Way of Wargaming, it is enough (large temple gong sounds in background)... GOOONNNGGG!!!

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© Copyright 1999 Hal Thinglum
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