"Victorian steampunk" Topic

Does anyone get into steampunk Victorian wargaming? Are there are any websites? I stumbled onto one once but can't recall where the devil I found it. Looked very cool with giant land warships and all sorts of weird and bizarre weapons like land torpedoes that looked like tricycles with long control cables attached. Must have all been scratch built.

Yes, and I was well into the Dystopian Wars game from Spartan before that company's "well-deserved" demise.

You might want to glance at Erueka Miniature's "Pax Limpopo" for a less than serious take on steampunk;

Steampunk, also called Victorian Science Fiction, is a very popular genre of gaming. There are a number of manufacturers who make both figures and infernal machines specifically for that kind of gaming. Besides Eureka mentioned above, there is also Brigade Games, and Ironclad Miniatures are two others. A company called Hinterland do a great range of VSF Women miniatures, and Brigade Models do a wonderful line of 1/1200 Airships

There are a number of sets of rules that support Steampunk/ VSF gaming. GASLIGHT is one that I co-wrote with Buck Surdu. There's a free starter version on the website:
link

Sounds like you might be thinking of "Major General Tremorden-Rederring's Colonial Wargames Page", now dormant/dead. It had some wonderful stuff, including those landships and penny-farthing torpedoes. Still can see some of it at:

link

Dave

Please allow me to mention Hive, Queen and Country with its miniatures rules The Sword and the Hive. hivequeenandcountry.com and here are pictures of some of our games and miniatures

link

There are also various Facebook groups that deal with VSF gaming.

Thanks to all, especially for the pics, many evenings of entertainment there. Just curious, where are these groups out of, are they UK, Aus, Can, or US, or all of the above? I'd like to find a local group, Florida or SE US.

I am not into VSF (or any SF) gaming at all, but my favorite scratch-builder-blogger in the world is Colonel O'Truth. Everything he's blogged about has been 19th C. and except for an Old West town to die for, most of it has been about his VSF creations. I get a lot of inspiration for my own historical crafting and modeling from reading his blog.

- Ix

The term "Victorian Science Fiction" or just "VSF" will help you find items of interest.

This is a page I put together in the last century to help folks who might want to play such in 15mm (Or 18mm which has become more popular with time.):
link

People have also pushed this into somewhat more modern times, that is Edwardian Sci/Fi (ESF)
Basically Weird World War I
These include, but not limited to:
All Quiet on the Martian Front:
link

And Slave 2 Gaming's "Dark World War"
link

Imperial Skies by Brigade Games also pushes into Edwardian for a great game of aerial combat with sweet miniatures.

Steampunk is a good catch-all term that avoids the pedantic nitpicking over Victorian or Edwardian. I'm happy with calling it all VSF, and just risk spraining my eyes if I roll them too much when the pedants start in.

I really hate the word "-punk" tacked on anything.
All it means is corsets and rivets.
Victorian Science Fiction is much better.

But that's just me. Harrumph.

Not just you, Winston

Oww, my eyes!

: 3

Best definition I ever read:

Steampunk: Women wear their corsets as outerwear.

Victorian Science Fiction: Women wear their corsets properly under their outer clothing.

:D

You must look at the Osprey In Her majesty's Name rules and supplements with supporting range of miniatures. Also West Wind's wonderful Empire of the Dead range of figures and vehicles.

I haven't updated my blog for some years, as eye problems stopped me painting but you might find some useful links on it.
legatusvictoriana.blogspot.com

There goes Winston, harruphing again.

And just what is wrong with wearing corsets as outerwear, I mean if they have the figure well…?

BTW are you sure that those are rivets, I mean….?

I've always felt the distinction is thus:

VSF – Science fiction as seen through Victorian authors' eyes, or the thinking of the Victorian times. Mars has canals, aether is what fills space, etc…Captain Nemo, War of the Worlds, etc…

Steampunk – Gears and brass strapped on modern technology.

Agree with Fergal…

Did someone mention rivets?!

Steampunk – Gears and brass strapped on modern technology.

Ahem! Riveted on. Humph!

I also generally concur Fergal's definitions, though I'm not necessarily offended by some post-Victorian sci fi concepts being "Victorianized", if something Victorians might have thought up.

Another way to state the distinction: VSF is a historical literary context, "steampunk" is an aesthetic theme.

Victorian French battleships were not VSF (they actually existed), but they were totally steampunk:

Are those gunports?!?!