"Top 5 Historical Periods?" Topic

Which historical periods are the most popular in miniature wargaming?

Ancients
Medieval
Renaissance
Lace Wars
Napoleonics
ACW
Colonials
WWI
WWII
Moderns

Popular in gaming

Ancients
Napoleonics
ACW
Colonials
WWII

To me

Renaissance
Lace wars
Napoleonics
ACW
Colonials

For me:

Ancients
Medieval
Renaissance
Napoleonics
WWII

Dark Ages
Napoleonics
WW II
Medieval
Ancients

For me

Lace Wars
WWII
Colonials

and I would add late 19th century Europe.

From your list:

Ancients
Napoleonics
ACW
Colonials
WWII

But I always think it's strange that "Ancients" is one category, while the "Horse & Musket" period gets broken up into several categories.

I suppose you could break it up into "Horse" periods …

Horse & Spear
Horse & Lance
Horse & Musket
Horse & Rifle
No Horses!

Recently played

WW1 & RCW
WSS (so presumably Lace wars)
7YW (Lace wars again ?)
Colonials

also
Pirates skirmish ???
3 musketeers skirmish (Ren ?)
Samurai skirmish (Ren ?)
Even a bit of Bolt Action (Fantasy)

No idea what others are doing

I continue to think there are really only four historical periods--Shock, Horse & Musket, Moderns and Colonials. Rules and scenarios written for one of those "periods" and at a particular level, can frequently be adapted to other wars within them.

But in deference to normal usage:
WW2
ACW
Napoleonics
Ancients
Colonials

Catenwolde: I like your classification, but it needs to be expanded:
before 'Horse and Spear you have Horse and Chariot;
before that, 'No Horses';
Which would make your last period 'Mechanical Horses'.

Robert, I think you need to rename 'Colonials' as 'Asymmetric' to make it both distinct and inclusive of earlier and later period where it might be appropriate.

As to the original question, 'Popular in Wargaming'
WW2
Napoleonic
Ancient
Colonial
Lace Wars
… but I'm not sure after Ancients.

For me (at the moment):
Ancient
WW2
Medieval
Colonial

Advocate – you beat me to it !

Mine… only mine.

Lace Wars

Personal experience has not given me anything approaching a significant enough sample to guess.

My choices, in order:

1) FRW and Imperial Napoleonics (25/28mm)
2) WWII using FOW with 20mm scale miniatures
3) Ancients, generally up to 400 AD (25/28mm)
4 and 5 tie) WWI Land or Colonial (25/28mm)

I have collection of ACW, Medieval, Dark Ages, SYW, WSS. WWI/II aerial and modern naval to add to the choices or rainy game day.

For me, in no real order:
WW1
WW1 Air
WW2
Colonial
ACW Naval
And may as well toss in FIW & Plains Wars too!

From your list, I would guess in order of most popular:

Napoleonic
ACW
Colonial
Ancient
Medieval

I think if you look around at Conventions, in terms of number of people playing, you find the most popular historical are
WW2 == due to large Bolt Action and Flames of Glory tournaments
Ancients inc Medieval == DBA and DBMM, that French game I cannot spell, warhammer ancients and such

then some of all the rest

For me…

7YW
Medieval
Colonial
WW1 Air
Star wars!

For me, and some of which are not on your list:
Ancients
7YW
FPW
Colonial
WW2 Ground

Lace Wars (AWI and FIW)
ACW
WWII

Napoleonics
ACW
WW2
AWI/SYW
Cold War 1950-1980

WW2
Napoleonics
Ancients
ACW
Colonial

While my taste run in different directions, TMP's own stats give this sequence:

World War II
Napoleonics
Ultramodern (post 2006)
Modern (1946-2006)
18th Century

19th century comes in at less than half of WWII and ACW at about 2/3rds of 18th century. And, sorry, but Ancients barely makes it to 1/2 the numbers of ACW. But those numbers are ever dynamic, used to be the more recent periods wouldn't have pushed into my list.

And, of course, TMP's numbers can be highly flawed based on a highly active discussion that goes on for a while – or, perish the thought, some obnoxious extended flame war that distorts the stats.

Me, personally:

AWI
Pony Wars
Old West (but not so much at the gunfighter level)
Colonial (Victorian era but not just British related)
French and Indian Wars

Ultimately, it doesn't matter what is 'most popular' but what is most interesting personally. I can read WWII but playing it ends up silly for me. Play for two hours to recreate three minutes? Uh, nah. Probably why I don't care for the gunfighter level of the Old West. I'll take a Range War that has some teeth in it – and some sustained action to justify a game.

As long as I can find an opponent for my interests, I'm good. Or I can go solo if that is the only option. Just having the miniatures – preferably painted – is plenty of fun. That is supposed to be the goal, isn't it? Fun?

"Play for two hours to recreate three minutes?"

Now that is funny (and true). That's the way I feel about air combat games.

"Play for two hours to recreate three minutes?!!!!" Wow!!! that's light speed for most modern rules!!!

My own modern rules, "The Shattered Century" you play for four hours to recreate two weeks of combat. It's an army level game. Of course you're dealing with whole armies.

For me

Napoleonic
Lace Wars (Europe)
19thC Wars (Europe)
Ironclad Naval
Pre-Dreadnought Naval.

Ancients
Napoleonics
ACW
Colonials
WWII

All the ones you listed Bill.

All the ones you listed Bill. I don't get what your driving at.