 John the OFM  | 14 Apr 2026 9:04 a.m. PST |
YouTube link In my opinion, one of the best movies.
But.
We are wargamers.
Years ago, I remember reading about actual rules to play a "wargame" based on WSS. It could also work for Bye Bye Birdie. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers? Anyway…
Besides rules, there is also a need for figures. Any suggestions?
YouTube link
|
| rustymusket | 14 Apr 2026 9:59 a.m. PST |
Musicals Wars. Not a good look, from my point of view. |
| Oberlindes Sol LIC | 14 Apr 2026 10:15 a.m. PST |
I think we should call it Switchblades & Zipguns, and make it a role-playing game with rules for rumbles, arrests, and cool leather jackets. The world of S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders will be the subject of a future supplement. |
| 79thPA | 14 Apr 2026 10:26 a.m. PST |
Brigade Games has greasers, cops, and roller derby girls in their Atomic Cafe line. |
| nnascati | 14 Apr 2026 10:32 a.m. PST |
Mike Demana regularly puts on games based on The Warriors. I'm sure some of his ideas would carry over. |
| Grattan54 | 14 Apr 2026 10:52 a.m. PST |
Gang rumbles. When you roll a six your guys break out in song. |
| John the OFM | 14 Apr 2026 11:13 a.m. PST |
The rules were favorably reviewed in Boardgamegeek a few years ago. But I can't find them now. 🤷 |
 miniMo | 14 Apr 2026 11:24 a.m. PST |
As mentioned, Mike Demana's rules Mean Streets : Warfare in Gang Infested Cities. The game is directly inspired by The Warriors (1979) but will work just fine for any gang rumble game. Heck, it would work fine going back to Stone Age gang rumbles.
link I modelled figures for the gangs from The Warriors, and built a 4'x6' table for Broadway Junction, Brooklyn. It's a very sweet convention game!
There is currently no great one-stop shop for gang figures who aren't armed with guns. Flags of War has been saying for several years they will re-run their Funky Skull line when they finish the 2nd edition of their own Street Wars rules. Yeah, RSN.
Ainsty's Football Hooligans are nice if you don't mind the braces look (they worked great as conversion fodder to make the High Hats gang from The Warriors) Bob Murch and Crooked Dice pulp sailor figures have some good options.
Hunt and peck for figures to convert. At least it's a pretty simple conversion for pistol-armed figures, just snip off the pistol or carve it into a knife.
As I find plastic figures are always relatively easy conversion fodder, I've gotten good use out of the Wargames Atlantic Partisan set and Great Escape Games' Gunfighters. |
| DisasterWargamer | 14 Apr 2026 11:45 a.m. PST |
Will need the Michael Jackson Beat It miniature as well |
| John the OFM | 14 Apr 2026 11:45 a.m. PST |
In my second link, I think the redhead with the black top and white skirt is … hot.
Google is my friend. She was played by Gina Trikonis. Sadly, I think this "project" 🙄 will long be unfulfilled. |
| miniMo | 14 Apr 2026 12:24 p.m. PST |
Well, for anyone who is actually interested in gang rumble gaming, or looking for inspiration, check out the game report links here for AARs of both Mike and my own games:
link Also for figures, The Assault Group has some fun Rioters in their Modern range. |
| cavcrazy | 14 Apr 2026 12:34 p.m. PST |
I don't think my knees would survive all the dancing and jumping about….I can sing though. |
| Mirosav | 14 Apr 2026 8:16 p.m. PST |
Another vote for Mean Streets. |
| miniMo | 15 Apr 2026 6:40 a.m. PST |
Cavcrazy, Jerome Robbins' choreography for that was a killer of knees! I would bet that anyone who danced that professionally for the run on Broadway lost 10 years off their career. |
| John the OFM | 15 Apr 2026 9:28 a.m. PST |
Destroying your knees?
Sir, may I present:
link |
 Choctaw | 15 Apr 2026 9:42 a.m. PST |
|
| rmaker | 15 Apr 2026 12:42 p.m. PST |
Nobody has mentioned the Broadway Musical games that Jeff Wazilewski used to run at Historicon. They were a blast. |
| John the OFM | 15 Apr 2026 4:38 p.m. PST |
My sister is a Jane Austen fan. I was telling her about one of Jeff's games, "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies". I was Captain Richard Sharpe. |
 piper909 | 15 Apr 2026 9:16 p.m. PST |
Red-headed Gina Trikonis is indeed a babe. She is known for other work as well, I looked her up once but don't recall the details. I like this idea of a gang rumble war -- a good set of rules for this could be imported into an adult gangland war (just add gats and pistols) or a brawl between Army and Navy service members on leave in a rough neighborhood near the harbor -- or my personal "unfulfilled" project, a late Sixties/early Seventies street fight between the police riot squad/National Guard and hippies/radical demonstrators/ Black Panthers. You could even go into the Conquest of the Planet of the Apes universe! Apes vs. Humans in the final clash! |
 Yellow Admiral | 15 Apr 2026 9:45 p.m. PST |
Who needs music? There was a rash of these silly slightly-surrealist gang movies in the late 70s/early 80s you can also use, like The Wanderers or The Warriors or Rumblefish. As Cyrus said: CAAAAAAN YOUUUUUU DIG IIIIIIIIT…?!?! |
| YogiBearMinis | 16 Apr 2026 4:29 a.m. PST |
I have been compiling a collection of miniatures for recreating "Big Trouble in Little China" for a while now. I can see a scenario where the Sharks or Jets go to rescue one of their own from the clutches of Lo-Pan and his minions … |
| piper909 | 16 Apr 2026 7:40 a.m. PST |
This Big Trouble in Little China game sounds mighty fine. Did you (YogiBear) get some key figures from the boardgame? What other sources are there? |
 SBminisguy | 16 Apr 2026 8:51 a.m. PST |
And all encounters will be adjudicated by a Dance off! YouTube link |
| miniMo | 16 Apr 2026 9:57 a.m. PST |
YA, and don't forget one of the pinnacles of Cheezy Italian Knock-off Flicks — 1990: The Bronx Warriors (1982)! A pretty darn surrealistic knock-off blend of The Warriors, Escape From New York, and with a dash of Mad Max 2.
Folks who cannot appreciate ChIKoF for what they are should probably avoid it. For everyone else, this is up there with Star Crash.
=^,^=
It really manages to level up the costuming above and beyond The Warriors for great game inspiration gangs. |
wonders why create different 3D models, if you can create one that can be customized?