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Ray
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Doing an advanced search on games dates 1974 or earlier and categorized as miniatures only returns these 25 games (just enough for a 1 page geeklist).

Hopefully seeing this list will motivate people to (1) submit missing games to the BGG database and (2) submit corrections for other miniature games that don't have the Miniatures category flags. Maybe we'll even get lucky and one of these early designers will chime in and say what games were influences?

I'm using a sort by average rating as I'm a fan of dynamic sorts (and they don't have one for year at this time).

[Edit] My initial query was wrong as I only took games with one or more rating. The initial 25 have been increased to 50 by adding the unrated games.
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1. Board Game: Kriegsspiel [Average Rating:8.59 Unranked]
Ray
United States
Carpentersville
Illinois
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Kriegspiel (1824)
 
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Seth Owen
United States
Norwich
Connecticut
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The very first military simulation game, meant for the training of Prussian officers. There was a Bill Leeson reprint a few years ago.
 
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  • Posted Sat Dec 9, 2006 10:28 pm
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2. Board Game: Wargamer's Guide to the English Civil War [Average Rating:8.50 Unranked]
Dana Zinsmeister
United States
College Station
Texas
Fairly elaborate and interesting rules on an arcane subject for the time.
 
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3. Board Game: The Naval War Game [Average Rating:8.00 Unranked]
Ray
United States
Carpentersville
Illinois
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The Naval War Game (1912)
 
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4. Board Game: Charge! or How to Play War Games [Average Rating:8.00 Unranked]
Dana Zinsmeister
United States
College Station
Texas
A birthday present for me when I was a kid. Very elaborate formations and great photos.
 
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5. Board Game: The War Game [Average Rating:7.50 Unranked]
Dana Zinsmeister
United States
College Station
Texas
A Christmas present I received as a kid, similar to Peter Young's Charge! with an emphasis on the 18 century with photos of the same delightful range of figures arrayed in combat and advanced rules for river movement and setting houses ablaze.
 
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6. Board Game: Battles With Model Soldiers [Average Rating:7.33 Unranked]
Ray
United States
Carpentersville
Illinois
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Battles With Model Soldiers (1970)
 
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7. Board Game: How To Play War Games in Miniature [Average Rating:7.17 Unranked]
Ray
United States
Carpentersville
Illinois
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How To Play War Games in Miniature (1962)
 
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Jay Richardson
United States
Lindsborg
Kansas
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Ah... the FUN I had with this one as a kid! A wonderful book by Joseph P. Morchauser.

Never owned a copy: the town library had to borrow it from a big city library whenever I wanted to check it out... and I hate to think how many times THAT was! Eventually I typed up all of the charts so I could keep playing even without the book.

The book had very simple rules for Ancients, Civil War, and World War II battles (probably Napoleonics as well), and photographs of games in progress. The complexity of these rules would be on the level of today's Memoir '44, and they would still be perfect for introducing kids to miniatures wargaming.
 
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  • Posted Sun Dec 10, 2006 6:37 am
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8. Board Game: Battle: Practical Wargaming [Average Rating:7.00 Unranked]
Ray
United States
Carpentersville
Illinois
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Battle: Practical Wargaming (1970)
 
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9. Board Game: Samurai wargame rules [Average Rating:7.00 Unranked]
Ray
United States
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Illinois
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Samurai wargame rules (1974)
 
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10. Board Game: Naval Wargames Rules Fleet Action 1000 B.C. to 500 A.D. [Average Rating:7.00 Unranked]
Ray
United States
Carpentersville
Illinois
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Naval Wargames Rules Fleet Action 1000 B.C. to 500 A.D. (1973)
 
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11. Board Game: StarGuard! [Average Rating:6.93 Unranked]
Ray
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Illinois
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StarGuard! (1974)
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12. Board Game: Seapower II [Average Rating:6.86 Unranked]
Ray
United States
Carpentersville
Illinois
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Seapower II (1970)
 
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13. Board Game: War Games [Average Rating:6.86 Unranked]
Ray
United States
Carpentersville
Illinois
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War Games (1962)
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14. Board Game: Alien Space Battle Manual [Average Rating:6.84 Unranked]
Ray
United States
Carpentersville
Illinois
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Alien Space (1973)
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James Lowry
Spain
Sunnyvale
California
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Actually, this is the second version, the original was Star Trek Battle Manual (1972). Paramount complained about trademark violation, and Alien Space was released with all the serial numbers filed off. In 1977 Zocchi got a license from Franz Joseph, and re-released it as Star Fleet Battle Manual.
 
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  • Posted Wed Apr 27, 2011 6:04 pm
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15. Board Game: Little Wars [Average Rating:6.81 Overall Rank:4183]
Ray
United States
Carpentersville
Illinois
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Little Wars (1913)
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Seth Owen
United States
Norwich
Connecticut
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Considered the founding game for the hobby of miniatures wargaming.
 
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  • Posted Sat Dec 9, 2006 10:29 pm
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Eric Dodd
New Zealand
Martinborough
Wairarapa
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I love photo id:98871... that's the way to play wargames.

How many other famous authors have a game to their credit?
 
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  • Posted Sun Dec 10, 2006 6:04 am
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Andrew Parkin
United Kingdom
Wakefield
West Yorkshire
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Quote:
I love photo id:98871... that's the way to play wargames.

How many other famous authors have a game to their credit?


Gavin Lyall - http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/20940
 
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  • Posted Sun Dec 10, 2006 10:03 am
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Andrew Parkin
United Kingdom
Wakefield
West Yorkshire
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How many other famous authors have a game to their credit?

Also Dennis Wheatley - http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/16231
 
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  • Posted Sun Dec 10, 2006 10:46 am
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16. Board Game: Tricolor: Rules for the Napoleonic Wargame [Average Rating:6.67 Unranked]
Ray
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Illinois
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Tricolor: Rules for the Napoleonic Wargame (1974)
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17. Board Game: Armour and Infantry [Average Rating:6.50 Unranked]
Ray
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Illinois
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Armour and Infantry (1973)
 
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Joe Donnelly
Canada
Unspecified
BC
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Oh, what fun I had with this one, a few dozen miniature tanks, some cotton puffs, and those tiny little infantry stands (1/300 scale?). I still have the booklet, and the miniatures have been stowed away in a trunk all these years. Time to take another look...
 
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  • Posted Sat Dec 9, 2006 11:52 pm
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David Sullivan
United States
Lynnwood
Washington
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These rules have stood the test of time and are great for small unit actions. The mechanics are very similar to Overlord and I suppose that latter borrowed from it. I have a few editions of these rules.
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  • Posted Sun Jan 13, 2008 6:21 am
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18. Board Game: Warpath [Average Rating:6.50 Unranked]
Ray
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Carpentersville
Illinois
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Warpath (1966)
 
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19. Board Game: Denmark Straits [Average Rating:6.50 Unranked]
Ray
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Carpentersville
Illinois
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Denmark Straits (1971)
 
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20. Board Game: Tipp-Kick [Average Rating:6.47 Overall Rank:2195]
Ray
United States
Carpentersville
Illinois
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Tipp-Kick (1923)
 
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Colin M
Scotland
Edinburgh
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Sticking with football I guess Subbuteo deserves a miniatures tag as well then.
 
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  • Posted Sat Dec 9, 2006 10:08 pm
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21. Board Game: Bismarck [Average Rating:6.42 Overall Rank:1970]
Ray
United States
Carpentersville
Illinois
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Bismarck (1962)
 
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Seth Owen
United States
Norwich
Connecticut
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The original 1962 edition was purely a board game. It was the later edition that included miniatures-style play in the advanced game.
 
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  • Posted Sat Dec 9, 2006 10:30 pm
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22. Board Game: Fletcher Pratt's Naval War Game [Average Rating:6.43 Unranked]
Ray
United States
Carpentersville
Illinois
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Fletcher Pratt's Naval War Game (1943)
 
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Seth Owen
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Norwich
Connecticut
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This was the most important early set of rules for the naval wargaming hobby.
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  • Posted Sat Dec 9, 2006 10:32 pm
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Ray
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I agree. I see this one at major miniatures cons every year.
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  • Posted Sat Dec 9, 2006 11:43 pm
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Eric Dodd
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Martinborough
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If this is the same Fletcher Pratt who wrote the "Incomplete Enchanter" series in the 1940s and 50s with L. Sprague De Camp then I guess the answer to my earlier question is: "Yes"!

The things you learn on BGG.
 
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  • Posted Sun Dec 10, 2006 6:13 am
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Jay Richardson
United States
Lindsborg
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Quote:
If this is the same Fletcher Pratt who wrote the "Incomplete Enchanter" series in the 1940s and 50s with L. Sprague De Camp...

Yes, it is! See:

Rescue these people from the mists of time!
(Obscure games, possibly obscure names)
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/16625

Entry #3 on that Geeklist has more information about Fletcher Pratt.
 
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  • Posted Sun Dec 10, 2006 7:00 am
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23. Board Game: Don't Give Up the Ship [Average Rating:5.50 Unranked]
Ray
United States
Carpentersville
Illinois
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Don't Give Up the Ship (1972)
 
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24. Board Game: Introduction to Battle Gaming [Average Rating:6.33 Unranked]
Ray
United States
Carpentersville
Illinois
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Introduction to Battle Gaming (1969)
 
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Robert Taylor-Smith
Canada
High River
Alberta
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Three simple rule chapters are included: Ancient/medieval, Horse and Musket (American Civil War), and modern (WWII). About the level of Memoir'44. Note the title 'Introduction' thus the rules are pretty simple yet capture the different periods. Many descriptive photos.
 
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  • Posted Fri Nov 6, 2009 6:56 am
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25. Board Game: Victory at Sea [Average Rating:6.00 Unranked]
Ray
United States
Carpentersville
Illinois
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Victory at Sea (1971)
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Seth Owen
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Norwich
Connecticut
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Was designed as a simpler and more realistic alternative to the Fletcher Pratt rules.
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  • Posted Sat Dec 9, 2006 10:31 pm
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4 comments [Hide]
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Thomas Eager
United States
Portland
Oregon
This Space for Rent
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Hassan CHOP!
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Great job finding these. I'm allways on the lookout for older rulessets like these.
 
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  • Posted Sat Dec 9, 2006 9:53 pm
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Jay Richardson
United States
Lindsborg
Kansas
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Great list, Ray! I saw two titles I own that I hadn't realized had been added to the database here.

You're missing "Flight of the Goeben" from S&T #21, 1970. That issue had a regular strategic board game of that name; but it also had a separate set of miniatures rules – with the same name – for fighting tactical battles with the ships that were in the strategic game, and Jutland-like ship counters were provided for people who did not have miniatures.

Only the strategic game is listed here on BGG:
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/5864
 
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  • Posted Sun Dec 10, 2006 7:18 am
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Ronald Pehr
United States
Las Vegas
Nevada
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While technically an rpg, not a miniatures game, the first edition of "Chivalry & Sorcery" had rules for miniatures which we actually used.
 
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  • Posted Tue Dec 12, 2006 3:20 am
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Ray
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Also see:

The Courier Presents A Timeline of the Historical Miniatures Wargaming Hobby
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~beattie/timeline2.html
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  • Edited Tue Mar 4, 2008 9:14 pm
  • Posted Tue Mar 4, 2008 9:09 pm
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