Bloody Big Battles!: Rules for Wargaming the Late Nineteenth Century

Bloody Big Battles! (BBB), is a miniature wargame ruleset specifically designed to simulate the largest historical conflicts of the late 19th century (1850–1900) on a standard tabletop.

The game’s primary goal is grand-tactical efficiency: enabling players to command massive armies of over 100,000 men and fight multi-day engagements entirely in a single 3-to-4-hour session.

Core Game Scales

The mechanics utilize a flexible, scenario-driven scale to compress massive battlefields onto a 6’x4′ gaming table.

Figure Scale: Typically 1,000 to 1,500 men (or 24 to 36 cannons) per 1-inch base.
Unit Formations: Elements are organized into multi-base units representing brigades or divisions (usually 3–7 bases for infantry).
Ground Scale: 1 inch equals roughly 150 to 250 yards, allowing historical maps spanning up to 20 kilometres to fit the table.
Time Scale: Each game turn represents roughly 1 hour of real-time combat.
Miniature Scale: Typically 6mm or 10mm figures are used as they represent divisions or corps. 15mm can be used but may need some adjustments

Gameplay Mechanics

Influenced by classic systems like Fire and Fury, BBB leans heavily on streamlined, qualitative mechanics.

Turn Sequence: Utilizes a standard, fast-paced IGO-UGO (I go, you go) structure incorporating movement, defensive fire, offensive fire, and assaults.
Movement & Command: Units roll 2D6 on a centralized movement table. Morale, doctrine, terrain, and generalship are integrated directly into this roll, reducing the need for separate morale phases.
Fire Combat: Resolved by tallying the fire points of all bases targeting a unit and rolling 2D6. Damage results in base removal.
Unit Quality: Troops are designated as Raw, Trained, or Veteran. Higher-quality units can take more losses before becoming “spent” and are far more reliable under fire.

Historical Scope

While built with 19th-century conflicts in mind, the system easily adapts to other eras. Standard scenarios included in the core manual and supplements feature prominent historical clashes, such as: