Random Matching Of Armies

 Up until now I had scrawled this on paper but here it is neatly typed. I began doing different countries in their particular colors but then realized I had run out of colors.

As I have mentioned in other posts HG Wells used colors to denote different armies. Paul Wright (author of Funny Little Wars and Funny Little Wars Campaigns) has taken it further to come up with lists for various colors or nations. Generally they correspond to actual Victorian and Edwardian era nations, with the exceptions of Gerolstein and Ruritania that are from the worlds of opera and fiction. I have taken the concept further to invent a few of my own and also to incorporate a few from classic fantasy and Warhammer, as well as 'lost worlds' which is an excuse to have inter-period games, something the late Ross Perry used to do. Then there are colonial armies which are themselves a form of 'time travel' considering the common disparities in weapons and organization.

Each of Paul Wright's armies have special rules 'national' that I follow when I game them. My own wargames are often based on Paul's rules but with my own adaptations.

I have also made some brief suggestions for figures. As for brands, I like restoring and converting old hollow cast but I have also painted a few hundred Armies In Plastic figures that are great for the Victorian and Edwardian periods. I also use figures from various armies to double for other armies. ACW units, including Zouaves double as French, Gerolsteiners etc. The Federals could even double as Nipponese. Boers can double as Cortesians. Cowboys and Confederates in slouch hats can double as Boers. Spanish American War Americans and Cubans double as Confederates for a fictional late 19th century Confederacy. Red Indians can double as Red Martians, Aztecs and so on. Orcs double as green Martians. Ancient Egyptians, Aztecs and Red Indians double as Red Martians. I often make a few special units for the smaller armies and supplement them with troops from my bigger armies.

Paul also lists other nations that I have not included as I don't have figures for them. Obviously I have also provided for very fanciful situations indeed but I have a feeling that Wells, who is best known for his science fiction, would approve.