Somehow this post never got finished in 2018 but thanks to Alan Tradgardland Gruber’s memories in his comment on my Mother’s Day post on my Man Of TIN blog, I thought of Subbuteo and its odd influence on my gaming. Alan had memories of playing Subbuteo Cricket with his mother, which reminded me of this Subbuteo / bottle top tribal wargaming crossover.
***
Reading John Patriquin’s interesting blog Wargames Hermit, John was interested in recreating the free flowing rituals of Tribal Warfare as seen amongst the Dani people of New Guinea.
YouTube link West Papua 1963 https://youtu.be/JI4uirwxx1Y
John called into action his chessboard battlefield and good old Airfix Indians.
https://wargamehermit.blogspot.com/2018/08/ritualized-warfare-in-new-guinea-1963.html
https://wargamehermit.blogspot.com/2018/08/new-peter-laing-purchase-and-no-brain.html
https://wargamehermit.blogspot.com/2018/08/one-more-no-brain-wargame.html
It reminded me of a strange article from an early 1983 Miniature Wargames No. 11 magazine called ‘Stone Age Wargames’ that used beer bottle top mounted Warriors as a bizarre Subbuteo / Wargames mash up to reflect the free flowing movement of such Tribal Warfare.
When I mentioned this to John, he too remembered this article!
I thought I would have a winter (2018) evening knock around to see how this might work with whatever figures and bottle tops I had to hand.
I believe this Stone Age Wargames article in Miniature Wargames c. 1982/83 rules were by Andy Callan.
Andy Callan, he of the Hair Roller Armies, the Maori Wars Rules using Peter Laing 15mm amidst dense carpet forests and who is still writing rules for the Peter Dennis Paperboys Series, Never Mind the Billhooks Rules etc.
Blog posted finally by Mark Man Of TIN, 20 March 2023
Pound Store Plastic Warriors 