"Ruleset/Game System for Russo-Japanese War?" Topic

Hey all,
After falling in love with Tsuba Miniatures' Russo-Japanese War range, I'm thinking I want to play a skirmish level or maybe platoon level game with not just infantry, but some cavalry as well. Are there any rulesets that would recreate this scale of the period effectively?
Looking forward to your responses!

Sharp Practice?

People are adapting Chain Of Command and What A Cowboy from the Too Fat Lardies for this type/period of game. Through The Mud And The Blood would be a good out of the box option also from the Too Fat Lardies. There is also Scum Of The Earth from Nordic Weasal Games on Wargame Vault which could be adapted. Neil Thomas' Wargaming The Nineteenth Century could be adapted too for larger small battles.

Sharp Practice will be too deadly. The other options suggested sound useful.

You could use The Men Who Would Be Kings?

For skirmish games you could use Combat Patrol.

One Hour Skirmish Wargame Rules would cover the period.

I was thinking of using The Men Who Would Be Kings myself.

The Men Who Would Be Kings for me as well

There's a couple of options in the Chris Peers stable for the early 20th century:

Although Contemptible Little Armies 2nd edition, which I have, is pitched at larger actions, apparently the US 3rd edition was modified to down-scale it for skirmish games.

Chris himself published a true skirmish WW1 set called 'To the Last Man', using the game engine of his 19th century set 'A Good Day to Die'.

@Henry Martini I will definitely try to get ahold of To the Last Man, it looks like what I'm looking for but I hope it's not like Bolt Action and relies on varied weaponry and vehicles rather than infantry with rifles to provide varied gameplay?

For all those recommending The Men Who Would be Kings, how would that work with two sides both universally-equipped with firearms? Can the game function well with two modernized combatants?

I don't have TtLM the stoats, but its ancestor, AGDtD, being a 19th century set, is obviously infantry and cavalry-focussed. Chris would have to have tacked on all the paraphernalia of the WW1 era for TtLM, but I'm sure that in essence you'd still have an infantry game.

In fact, although putatively covering the 19th century, AGDtD itself includes some features to take it into the early 20th century, such as rules for light machine guns, so it would probably work just as well as TtLM for the Russo-Japanese War.

In my experience TMWWBK is optimised for small, disciplined, well-equipped colonial forces opposed to much larger native forces mainly armed with primitive weapons. That being said, some years ago I did modify it for the Mexican Revolution. If you're interested in giving my ideas a try you can find that version here on TMP under 'Converting TMWWBK for the Mexican Revolution'.

Thanks Henry, I can't wait to read about your adaptations. The fact that AGDtD has in the description that it focuses more on psychology than special equipment really is making me excited to get my hands on it or TtLM. There seem to be too few rulesets that simulate the period after that the age of big line battalions but before WW1 and all the technology that comes with it! I will try to find some reviews/batreps of TtLM so I can report my findings!

Our Indiana's, Colonels and Emirs had army lists for the RJW but tha was a 1:10 scale so higher than your needs.

I have payed The Sword and Flame for the Boxer Rebellion which the same time frame. Back in 1984, I played the Japanese.