Application of Force provides apps for historical miniatures wargames. Here, we publish the programs we write for our own use, so that others can enjoy them too. The site is supported by Bloody Scotsmen Games, producers of Devil in the Wilderness, Devil in San Miguel, Plume & Blade, and other products for tabletop miniatures wargaming. All are in the form of web apps, suitable for using on a computer, tablet (our preference), or smartphone. All games may be used free of charge over the internet. If you are interested in obtaining any of them for offline or local use, please contact the publisher.
These games run the gamut from Ancients/Medievals to the 20th Century - they include competitive games fought between two opposing sides as well as cooperative/solo games in which players are pitted against the computer. Some of our games do both! Every level of command is represented, from skirmish games to grand-tactical ones. While we focus largely on historical subjects, we also indulge in the occasional game which is not strictly historical.
We have been writing and playing computer-assisted historical miniatures games for more than 30 years. Computers can support gaming mechanisms which are are difficult, impossible, or simply annoying in paper-based systems, and improvements in mobile technology make these systems more appealing than ever. Although a niche aspect of the hobby, we see no reason not to provide those who enjoy them with the benefit of our labor. As in all aspects of the hobby - to each their own! (And for those who are skeptical, you might be surprised - you don't really know until you try...)
Competitive Games
These are traditional miniatures wargames where the players assume the roles of opposing commanders, and fight it out on the tabletop. These games may benefit from having a game master, but do not require it.
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Viktoria! A game of Victorian and Edwardian adventure set in Europe c. 1900, these rules play more like traditional Colonials games than they do the current crop of "steam-punk" games employing a mere handful of figures. You can recreate the Prussian 1910 Invasion of Britain, rescue the prisoner of Zenda from those devious Ruritanian plotters, or refight any number of other conflicts which never happened (but should have!). The app replaces all chart and table look-ups, but uses the traditional handful of six-sided dice. Designed for use with 25mm figures, but can be adapted for 15mm. Viktoria! also has a setting for solo/cooperative play.
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In Freedom's Cause: A fast-playing game of regimental combat in the American Civil War, the app computes modifiers more easily and realistically than paper-and-dice games, generating tables on which players roll. The opposing sides range from a brigade to a corps. There are two settings: one for traditional competitive play, and the other a cooperative/solo play mode. Can be used with any scale of miniatures.
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La Guerre à Outrance: A grand-tactical game of the Franco-Prussian War, allowing players to refight entire battles in a single session. Focus is on army- and corps-level command, with the computer handling lower-level details to give a realstic game in a fast-playing format. Uses a popular basing system and will work with most player's collections.
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A Bloody Dismal Fight: Refight the Hundred Years' War, the Burgundian Wars, or the Wars of the Roses with this fast-play late Medievals system. Fight full-scale battles, featuring full-size armies, but in a quick, decisive format which is easy to learn. Optimized for remote and convention play using 25mm/28mm miniatures, using basing compatible with many popular rules sets for the period.
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El Gran Capitán: The Italian Wars were the defining conflict of the age, with the Hapsburg and Valois dynasties struggling against each other for more than half a century. Now you can refight the colorful battles of 1500-1546 at the dawn of the Pike & Shot era in a quick, decisive format which is easy to learn. Optimized for remote and convention play using 25mm/28mm miniatures, using basing compatible with many popular rules sets for the period.
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Revolucion! The Mexican Revolution (1910 - 1920) featured many full-scale field battles which are rarely gamed. Now, with this fast-playing grand-tactical system, you can play out the epic struggles at Celaya, Zapatecas, Torreon, Aguas Prietas, and more! The Mexican Revolution featured highly mobile battles, with cavalry and trains playing a huge role in the conflict - WWI weapons, but with cavalry charges! Designed for 15mm/18mm miniatures, maneuver units are battalion, regiments, and batteries. Also useful for the Chaco War, the Leticia Incident, and other Latin-American wars from 1900 - 1940. Viva la Revolucion!
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While the Devil Rules: The Thirty Years' War (1618 - 1648) was a horrific conflict, but it represented the heyday of pike & shot warfare. At the same time, more mobile wars raged to the east, in what is known as the "Swedish Deluge," featuring the Swedes, Poles, Muscovites, and Cossacks. These conflicts of the 17th Century are reproduced here in a fast-paced system optimized for convention and remote play. Designed for 25mm/28mm figures, but can be played in any scale.
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The Hun at the Gates: The early days of the Great War provide us with a wealth of exciting tabletop possibilities, from the battles of the BEF at Mons and Le Cateau and the French actions along the Marne, to the cavalry actions on the Eastern Front. This system allows for tactical-level actions to be gamed either as competitive battles between players, or to hold defensive positions or go on patrol, fighting solo against the machine. Designed for 28mm figures, players command platoons on a 1-to-1 scale. Covers battles from the Western Front to the Balkans, from the summer of 1914 through the early days of 1916.
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Playing Against the Machine
These games pit the players against the computer, allowing for one or more players all to be on the same side. In multi-player games, a game master is strongly recommended, but these games also lend themselves well to solo play.
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The Other Side of the Hill: Lead a company of riflemen or light troops in this Sharpe's-inspired game of scouting and skirmishing set in the Peninsular War. Players each run a handful of small units (riflemen, light infantry, light cavalry, or artillery) as they attempt to locate the main French force concentrations, exchange fire with legere and dragoons, rescue badly-lost British maidens, ally with the Guerillas, and fight gangs of deserters. It's all there except for that silly volley-gun! Designed for use with a moderate (100-150 figure) collection in 25mm, but can be played in other scales.
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With the Colours in the Late War (Being an Account of the Regiment's Adventures in the Recent Continental Unpleasantness): A simple traditional toy-solder game (we play with glossy 54mm) designed for each player to run a single force of a dozen or two soldiers against an unspecified continental opponent, played by the computer. The game is set in the war that Edwardian children fought out on the livingroom floor with their Britains, whatever that was(!). Win a Victoria Cross or get unjustly cashiered for cowardice! Lots of 6-sided dice and ultra-simple rules: this is a fun, quick game which is suitable for adults and children both.
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1848! The revolutions of 1848 came to be known as the "Spring of Nations," forever changing the world we live in. While these revolutions did not feature many set-piece battles, they can still be the subject of an engaging miniatures wargame using this app, which puts players in the role of revolutionary leaders trying to raise the populace and overthrow the tyrannical forces of Absolutism. Rouse the workers and arm them with captured weapons! Sack the Grand Duke's palace and declare a Republic! Liberate political prisoners (and the national treasury while you're at it)! But watch out for the government troops - if you can't incite them to mutiny, your republic may not last very long... Designed for a moderate (100-200 figure) 25mm collection, but can be played in other scales.
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Combination Competitive/Cooperative Games (Listed Also Above)
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Viktoria! A game of Victorian and Edwardian adventure set in Europe c. 1900, these rules play more like traditional Colonials games than they do the current crop of "steam-punk" games employing a mere handful of figures. You can recreate the Prussian 1910 Invasion of Britain, rescue the prisoner of Zenda from those devious Ruritanian plotters, or refight any number of other conflicts which never happened (but should have!). The app replaces all chart and table look-ups, but uses the traditional handful of six-sided dice. Designed for use with 25mm figures, but can be adapted for 15mm. Viktoria! has a setting for solo/cooperative play as well as competitive play..
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In Freedom's Cause: A fast-playing game of regimental combat in the American Civil War, the app computes modifiers more easily and realistically than paper-and-dice games, generating tables on which players roll. The opposing sides range from a brigade to a corps. There are two settings: one for traditional competitive play, and the other a cooperative/solo play mode. Can be used with any scale of miniatures.
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The Hun at the Gates: The early days of the Great War provide us with a wealth of exciting tabletop possibilities, from the battles of the BEF at Mons and Le Cateau and the French actions along the Marne, to the cavalry actions on the Eastern Front. This system allows for tactical-level actions to be gamed either as competitive battles between players, or to hold defensive positions or go on patrol, fighting solo against the machine. Designed for 28mm figures, players command platoons on a 1-to-1 scale. Covers battles from the Western Front to the Balkans, from the summer of 1914 through the early days of 1916.
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