"If you could only pick one country" Topic

Suppose a strange set of circumstances occurred that allowed you to only play wargames of battles that occurred in any one existing nation-state today, which would it be?

If this happened for some reason, then I would lose a good chunk of my collection's utility.

Looking at what I have I'm torn between Spain and the UK.

I have Carlist War stuff and lots of it. I also have War of Spanish Succession stuff that I could use for battles in Spain. I'm going to count Trafalgar as happening in Spain too, plus there is a lot of 28mm Napoleonic Naval stuff you could do with Spain.

I could also build armies for the reconquista and some Carthage stuff.

Even late Roman stuff would work and I have some of that.

With The UK I have ECW stuff in two scales and Late Roman/Sub Roman British stuff.

It is a tough call because the ECW is probably my favourite period, but I have more stuff for Spain and wargaming the Carlist Wars is a lot of fun.

There is also Greece. I have more figures for Ancient Greek-type things than anything else. However a lot of those would be for actions outside of Greece itself and so not that useful.

I think if I had to decide I'd choose Spain. Whatever I chose I would regret it in the long run.

With mainly Greek,Persian, Macedonian, Egyptian and Assyrian based Ancient armies it would have to be somewhere like Syria.

United States. I could do everything from pre-Colombian conflicts up to and beyond the Zombie Apocalypse.
Your criteria eliminates WWII though.
Of course I can still do GASLIGHT, and combat Martian invasions with my WWII Yanks, so they wouldn't go to waste. I'll just have to try to trade my Soviets for Mound People or War of 1812 British.

I just thought of the Lord Kalvan stories. Now you can use your ECW figures, Scott. Wasn't the capital of Hostigos somewhere around Bellefonte Pa?
And there are also the Turtledove counter history Great War stories.
This assumes you allow counter-history, fantasy, sci-fi etc. only a curmudgeonly literalist would disallow that. You've already forced most of us to throw out more than half of our collections, so throw us a bone.

I always wanted to do Zorro. And maybe I can get Mexicans, British and French to intervene in the ACW.

United States. I already do AWI. I would learn to love ACW, I suppose. Lots of skirmish potential before and after those periods with Indian warfare. DBA has lists for North American Indian tribes that I could live with, if you wanted to do ancients.

Some pretty big wars and periods to miss out on though.

Turkey would allow most of what I'm interested in. Italy and Belgium would be my next choices.

I'd go with France. Everything from Romans to Cold War gone hot.

Germany.

Napoleonics, Hundred Years War, WW1 and WW2, Cold War, air and naval, Franco-Prussian and all those other continental wars; then ancients and Romans, invasions from the East. Horse and musket galore, Seven Years War.

I'd have to get rid of a little of my naval (Renaissance galleys, ironclads) and dump my ACW collection but I could use most of the rest. Trade my Napoleonic Spanish for Russians. Use my Vietnam for Cold War and sell off the VC/NVA. Trade my jjngle/rice paddy terrain for more European buildings.

Bongolisia, everything that happened in the wider world happened in the country continent of Bongalisia.

2nd for Germany. Followed closely by U.K.

New Zealand. Middle-Earth is all I need.

Italy. Etruscans, Greeks, Romans, Carthage, Celts, Misc hairy Barbarians, Normans, Arabs, Byzantines, Various Medieval and Renaissance city states, a little of the 30YW, Venice, Hapsburgs, Ottomans. WSS, Napoleonics, 19th century wars, WW1, WW2, Mafia wars and future Pizza Wars.

UK for me I guess.

USA.

Belgium I quess but I'd sure miss the ACW.

The OP is asking about battles IN a country, not between countries.

Not much actual fighting in Germany in WW2 except in 1945.

France (if that is taken to include Belgium). One of the most fought over places on the planet.

A great question. I'd go for France but I'd really miss the ECW.

Germany or possibly Belgium.

USA. As a black powder gamer, the FIW, AWI, ACW, and 1812 give me all that I would be looking for.

USA. Since I already have armies in the FIW, AWI, and ACW.

The Sudan. The various campaigns that took place there between 1883 -1898 are my favorite.

Belgium, a battlefield for many periods

USA. As it would mean a wargaming group centered on USA conflicts, it would be the perfect excuse for overcoming myself and selling each and every mini pre-AWI that I won't have the will to sell now. It would save lots of space and money.

Well I would say the Low Countries…modern day Belgium, Luxembourg, The Netherlands and French Flanders. Enough there to last for ever. If I have to say one single modern day country then Belgium.

'Belgium I quess but I'd sure miss the ACW.'

But you have the 30 Years War – same difference, Prince Rupert fought in both.

Belgium – "a country specifically created so that Britain, France, and Germany would have somewhere to settle their differences…"

Holy Roman Empire??

Going with the landmass of a current nation state, I would have to go with USA. I get the territories and protectorates, too? Some nice weather out there…

Fantasy, Scifi, Superhero, Kaiju etc. can all go anywhere.

That would leave me with Queen Anne's War, Old West, small ACW (that is used for Old West), Gangsters, Gangstas, Hillbillies, and modern US forces, and the Yakuza.

I can make a place for any of the civilians. Even the Roman civilians could do for a frat party.

I could migrate some Boxers into the Old West group (I already do this occasionally). Any of the oriental figures (weapons or not) with robes vice armour will work. I suppose I could carry the Vikings over.

The rest of the Medieval Europeans would be out along with armoured Japanese and Chinese. Mongolians (on camels or on foot) will be out as well as NKE, Hittites, Greeks, Persians, various Romans, Indians, Arabs, Moors, my new Battle of Puebla Mexicans (unless they also cross over to Mexican-American wars), and modern African militias.

Of course, any of the above could work in small numbers for a fight scene a la Blazing Saddles.

I'll just have to try to trade my Soviets for Mound People or War of 1812 British.

Two words: Red Dawn.

Got to go along with Chuckaroobob, got to be France!

Probably Russia so I can keep World War II and get to add some Napoleonic warfare and perhaps some medieval. If alt-history is counted, I also get some cold war stuff.

Russia would let me play WW1, WW2 and if I wanted to delve into Napoleonics or medieval, I could do that too.

Tough choice between Mexico, Egypt, and Japan.

Scott, you miss the obvious.

Give ME all your ECW stuff. You know you're always welcome in the basement………

"'Belgium I quess but I'd sure miss the ACW.'

But you have the 30 Years War – same difference, Prince Rupert fought in both."

Holy crap! I can't believe I didn't know this. He would have been 240 some years old. That is a pretty experienced commander.

"Holy Roman Empire??"

Where is that these days?

Dave, I could give you my ECW stuff but that wouldn't solve my problem. I'm only allowed to play wargames set in one modern day country. All I could do, if I gave you my stuff, is watch as others played with my ECW figures.

Roman Empire. ALL of it. 756 BC to 1453 AD. Oops. Should have paid more attention to the post. I'll go with Turkey then.

Great Britain.

'Holy crap! I can't believe I didn't know this. He would have been 240 some years old. That is a pretty experienced commander'

Not sure what 30 years war you're talking about… are you getting a bit mixed up with the 100 years war?

'Rupert became a soldier and fought in the Thirty Years War (1618 – 1648). This gave him useful military experience when, in 1642, he joined Charles I's army in the English Civil War.'

link

ACW….ECW…..?

Yes, if he fought in the 30 Years War from 1618-1648 and then in the American Civil War in the 1860s, he would have been a pretty old man in either the Union or Confederate armies.

France for me too but I could make do with Persia. I would miss WWII though but we could make Pulp happen most anywhere.

Whoops, my mistake – well, never think of those minor colonial affairs…

Belgium of course…

England, of course, the land of my forefathers; well, most of them anyway…………

The Soviet Union/Russia. From Copper Age Celts, Aryan invasions, Cimmerian and Skythian Hordes, Sarmatian Oriopata (female man-killers), Greeks and Amazons, Pechnegs, Slavic Invasions and Viking Rus, Tartars, Swordbrothers, Hansiatic League, Poles and Lithuanians, Swedes and the GNW, Napoleonics, Crimea, WWI, the Russian Civil War, WWII, the Cold War Gone Hot, Small Wars of the Modern Era, and so much more. Russia's misery is a gamer's bounty!

Cheers and good gaming.
Rod Robertson.