Rampant Colonialism!

Colonial Warfare at its Best!

Rampant Colonialism! (RC! for short) was designed to allow you, the wargamer, to recreate colonial engagements both real and fictional with miniature figures. While these rules were written with 15mm figures in mind, there are just as well used with 20mm and 25mm figures. The period covered by these rules includes the French and Indian Wars through the late 19th Century, and even beyond into the early 20th Century for such conflicts as the Boxer Rebellion, and the African and Middle Eastern theaters of World War I.

As with all of our rules, the focus is on fast, fun game play. We have striven to have realism without bogging the game down with too many rules, the "feel" of play being more important than burdensome mechanics. And our familiar, easy-to-find-and-read charts help speed up game play.

When first written, RC! was intended to be a one-figure-equals-one-man kind of game. As time went on, however, it was discovered that all it takes is a little imagination to recreate larger engagements with a larger figure scale. For example, the rule book contains a scenario for refighting Rorke's Drift at a 1:3 scale. This is still suitable for an exciting "grand skirmish" level game, and allows one to recreate the battle without having to have 1000+ figures. Even larger scale battles, such as 1:20, can be recreated. All it takes is a little imagination and the RC! rules!

Playing Rampant Colonialism

Rampant Colonialism can be played with two or more players, and in fact makes a great multi-player game. Each side is organized into a number of units, and optional command and control rules have been provided to maintain a chain of command for issuing and receiving orders. Individual models are also used, and include officers/leaders, NCO's, sharp shooters and heroic individuals. During a turn, a unit may move, fire and/or engage in melee with the enemy. All combat is resolved with the use of a ten-sided die.

The weapon chart covers everything from black powder muzzle-loaders through magazine-fed rifles using smokeless powder. There are also rules for cannon (both muzzle and breach loading) and machine guns.

A typical game of Rampant Colonialism pits a colonial force, such as those of Britain or France, against a horde of natives, whether they be Zulus, Pathans, Boxers, etc. However, the fun doesn't have to stop there! These rules will also work for playing engagements which were part of the larger conflicts of the period, and you will even find they work when two "civilized", or European-styled armies, fight against one another. A good example of this would be the American War of Independence, the army lists for which will soon be available on this web page!

The lists in the book include:

The French & Indian Wars.

The Asante War, 1874.

Second Afghan War, 1879.

Zulu War, 1879.

First Boer War, 1881.

Sudan, 1885.

Boxer Rebellion, 1900.

WWI in the Middle East and Africa, 1914-1918.

Best of all, the rules are simple, and they play quickly. If playing Rampant Colonialism doesn't cut down on the "rules layering" syndrome in your gaming group, we'll eat our pith helmets!