Taiping Era

Mid-19th century China say a series of risings that rocked the Qing dynasty and fatally weakened it. The largest and most dangerous rising was the "Kingdom of Heavenly Peace" or the Taiping, which came within an ace of toppling the regime. Barely known in the West, which has a greater interest in the two "Opium Wars", and the exploits of Chinese Gordon, the Taiping rebellion is the largest and most bloody civil war ever waged in human history. These rules enable you to play games covering the period from the 1st Opium War in the late 1830s/early 1840s through to the eventual collapse of the Taiping Kingdom. The rules are aimed at large scale battles, with a couple of Divisional equivalents aside at least, and not small skirmishes.

The rules use a unique mechanism that tracks a unit's will to fight, or "Morale Vigor". Troop types are differentiated by this, and also the method of drill they use and the type of weapons they are armed with in a simple, clear fashion. Games are resolved in an evening, with a clear outcome. Commanders of the period appear as real characters in the game, not simple "+1 to the dice roll" ciphers. As with other Wargaming for Grown Ups rules to date, these make use of a squared grid to speed up movement and combat.

The 100 page booklet include historical background and information of the organization and use of the the troop types prevalent at the time. There's a bibliography for recommended further reading, and appendices with other useful information, such as unit flags for Western forces.

For the skeptical amongst you, there's also advice on where to find figures for the period in both 15mm and 28mm.