2025: Top 20 Games of the Year!

We’ve had another great year of wargaming fun at the club in 2025. After doing an overview of 2024 last year at Christmas, I thought I would continue with another blog surveying what I think have been the best games from 2025. While I didn’t attend every game this year, I have picked out a representative sample of them, focusing on club members’ contributions. I have not included the Back of Beyond campaign in this list. I have covered some other games in my blog from 1 August. Enjoy!

20. Napoleonic: Battle of Ucles (1809) (Alex)

The Battle of Ucles (played in September 2025 at the War Room, set in the Spanish Peninsular) was a game I never attended, and was by all accounts a very good one! Not least due to Polish Power (precocious Vistula Lancers). Alex, as in 2024, has continued to stage multiple games in 2025, using his excellent 28mm collections, for which the club is grateful!

19. French Wars of Religion: Battle of Coutras (1587) (Piotr)

Including my own games? Well, yeah, I was going to put them all at the end, but managed to contain myself… (This game was played at the community centre in January 2025.) French Wars of Religion is nothing if not a niche period (a cross between Medieval and Renaissance), but for that very reason is really interesting to wargame. If you are a Protestant knight dressed like a miller that is! 😉 My 6mm collection from Heroics & Ros can double up for 30 Years War, too…

18. French Revolutionary Wars: Battle of Castiglione (1796) (Piotr)

A new period for me, and for the club. I’ve enjoyed painting my 28/30mm figures from Irregular Miniatures so far. Played in November, Castiglione was my first wargame with them, on my birthday, using my ‘First Consul’ rules. I hope to put on the Battle of Hohenlinden (1800) at some point at the War Room… if Philip doesn’t beat me to it at the Newbury Historical Study Association. Heck, even if he does!

17. Car Wars (Mal)

We have played Car Wars three times this year, after Mal initially suggested putting on the game, which is good fun. The aim of the game is to obliterate your rival racers in a post-Apocalyptic landscape… Mad Max meets Dark Future. Mal has also hosted a Battle of Quatre Bras game this year with Phil, besides being heavily involved in the Back of Beyond campaign as a cavalry charging Bolshevik warlord, which has all been great to see! Richard is apparently keen on adding more durable terrain to enhance Car Wars (actually the similar Gaslands Refuelled) next year…

16. Sci-Fi (Jonathan)

Thanks to Jonathan for keeping us entertained with his two Sci-Fi games this year (in April and November). Jonners’ games are well umpired and his figures are always impressive. The world of Rigel IV is now our go-to location for mutant-based target-practice! And he still has plenty of other figures at home including for Star Wars and Bolt Action WWII, which would be good to see on the tabletop next year. The most recent Sci-Fi game saw a new player join us: Richard G., whom we hope to see more of in 2026!

15. Fun Mini Show Games (Trevor)

This spread of mini games (Hambusters, Battle of Hoth from Empire Strikes Back, and Crystal Chaos) was a really fun experience, and a great way to get 2025 underway back in January. Trevor also staged ‘Skulduggery and Santa Ana’ and Star Trek this year, besides being the wily chief of the Georgian faction in our Back of Beyond campaign. A 6mm WWII Russian Front tanks game is incoming next year at the War Room, says Trevor. A must attend… though I’ll watch my flanks this time!

14. WWII: What a Tanker! (Alex)

Alex staged this enjoyable romp on the Russian steppes on Wednesday 8 January as 28mm armour of the Wehrmacht and Red Army clashed. Tanks exploding, hiding in woods, resurrecting, and missing at close range is all part of the action in What a Tanker! which is simple fun, and this was probably the best WWII Eastern Front tanks skirmish game of the year ;-). Za rodinu!

13. WWII: Battle of Ranville (1944) (Rob)

An impressive debut for Rob’s new 20mm German figures saw Colonel Hans von Luck’s panzergrenadiers assault the town of Ranville, held by the British. Staged in February 2025 at the War Room, this was just a splendid game to behold, even if the newly painted Germans were soundly defeated. Another game, 21st Panzers set in Periers Ridge, using the same figures, took place in October 2025. The club is now clamouring for an Arnhem game, Rob! The table is long enough, isn’t it?

12. Mexican-American War – Battles of Buena Vista, and Molino del Rey (Philip)

Philip must be credited with introducing us to the Mexican-American War (1846-1848) in 2025, having put on the enjoyable battles of Buena Vista in March and Molino del Rey in October. These featured wonderful figures, some of which had been painted by club president Phil S. Once in a Maximilian rules have proved to be playable, and Philip’s umpiring has been up to his usual high level, and he has staged Wild West, WWII, 30 Years War and Seminole Wars games this year too. On the Back of Beyond front, Philip continues to be centre stage as a hard charging Bolshevik overlord generating panache and flank attacks like nobody’s business. Many thanks!

11. Wars of the Roses (Rob)

Exquisite late Medieval figures acquired from Noel and now in Rob’s collection have graced our tabletops a number of times this year. While Rob seems to be still searching for a satisfactory ruleset, Wars of the Roses is not only something decidedly different, but a joy to play. We just don’t play Medieval wargames very frequently, but Rob’s new collection could change that. The Wars of the Roses game held at the centre on 30 August saw two new club players Paul B. and Paul S. visit us (centre and right in the above picture). Hopefully both gents will be joining the club soon… Never Mind the Billhooks!

10. Das Boot (Doug)

The modern Das Boot TV series (2018) is not nearly as good as the 1980s German original film, which was exceptional. Doug’s U-Boat Wednesday game early in 2025 at the War Room – a scenario around a boat returning to Lorient base off the French coast – still resonates with me in late 2025 (see blog). Using relatively few models, we got to imagine the terror of having to sail in the open to reach the Keroman base, and the exhilaration of attempting to sink a small target. An elegant wargame well staged! (The U-Boat made it.)

9.  Lord of the Rings (Rob)

We have played Lord of the Rings several times in 2025, although I only managed to catch one game at the community centre in October. Rob has painted some very nice figures, in what is a rare foray by the club into Fantasy wargaming. It has been generally well received by players, with the Midgard rules used being well liked. Rob still has several units left to paint for various factions, but I am eager to swap my blog hat for my crested helmet and play some games next year. Inevitably, the club will be expecting a spectacular Battle of Pelennor Fields game at the War Room in due course, Rob! You do not have to scratch-build the city of Minas Tirith… At least, not yet… 😉

8. French Foreign Legion (Mark)

Who doesn’t love the French Foreign Legion? The Arabs, that’s who. But we all enjoyed playing Mark’s FFL games this year, of which there have been two (March and September 2025). Needless to say I was attacked in the flank during the first game, and so partly responsible for a Legion contingent getting swamped and then massacred. Regardless, these games have been great fun, and Mark has since painted more figures. We also await with baited breath (and primed mobile camera) his first Spanish Civil War game… hopefully in 2026? Shame about the Back of Beyond campaign, where Mark is about to get mullered in Samtredia… unless I change sides? 😉

7. Eastern Renaissance (Phil)

A big game packed with Eastern Renaissance favourites including the Winged Hussars, Cossacks, Janissaries, Tartars and even some artillery, kept us busy in April at the War Room. I am unsure whether Phil’s rules were an evolution or a brand new set, but they worked well, and we had a great day’s play. Subsequently Phil used the rules for a 30 Years War clash between Spanish Tercio and Dutch Brigade. Phil’s other games this year have included: Quatre Bras, WWI Air, and What a Caveman! The club is eager to see his new 28mm Ancients, with bespoke shields, in action (again) soon!

6. Napoleonic: Battle of Austerlitz (Piotr)

Thanks to Trevor, Rob, Pete and Alex for playing in my refight of Austerlitz in March, which involved over 5,000 6mm figures using my Coup de Grace rules. It was all there: the Pratzen Heights, the frozen lake, Sokolnitz Castle… The game was successful, even if we could have done with a few more players as not all commands got deployed. This battle got me into wargaming in the first place back in the mid-1990s, and was one of the reasons I chose 6mm initially, to replicate a panoramic battlefield experience. 6mm figures require simple rules, and with my existing collection I think I could stage another big battle such as Leipzig at the War Room. So, what you do say comrades? Pour L’Empereur…

5.  Afghanistan Skirmish (Doug)

Only the second game set in the recent Afghanistan War that I have ever played, and also the best Modern game I have played at the club, to be honest, using Force on Force rules. Winning helped, but the simplicity of the scenario (a Taliban compound to be raided by British forces) and economy of figures left an elegant impression (see separate blog from September 2025). Besides this excellent game (20mm Moderns), Doug has offered 6mm Franco-Prussian War (which debuted in 2024), as well as his more familiar 1:300 Arab-Israeli, this year, both of which are niche but striking periods with a lot of further potential. Thank you, Doug!

4. Lexington & Concord (Patrick)

Patrick’s best AWI game in many ways: fast moving, plenty going on, lots of players, very nice figures. It’s been good to see Patrick put on more of these in 2025, including a Bunker Hill game in October, as the club generally enjoys the period and we are rapidly acclimatizing to the British Grenadier rules. Now firmly the ‘go-to-man’ for AWI, with unmatched knowledge of the period, we are anticipating Patrick putting on some other scenarios from across North America, which put the varied fighting forces on different sides to good use. Who knows, a change of rules may be in order too, as Patrick has hinted? Next year: Brandywine, right?

3.  Ancients (Alex)

Stunning visually, Alex’s recent Ancients game used Hail Caesar II rules and his pukka 28mm figures (see blog from December 2025). The Republican Romans were fighting the Epirotes of King Pyrrhus. Thanks to Alex for opening up a new period for us here, in a well-attended and action-packed game which topped the impact of last year’s smaller Carthaginian battle (see blog on that game from August 2024). We now have Phil S. and Paul both taking up the challenge and readying Ancients armies for next year, while Richard’s Ancients campaign may be starting too. Does a Renaissance, at the club, for this venerable period beckon?

2. Renaissance: English Civil War (Rob)

Rob’s ECW game at the War Room in August had the best spread of figures that I have seen this year (see blog from September 2025). Even though I was on the losing side, it was a joy to play in a friendly atmosphere. Even so, getting flank attacked by Neil for a second time in four months was… interesting! Rob says he wants to rebase this ECW collection, and that seems logical given they are all on individual bases. In contrast to Rob’s brightly coloured uniforms (which I like), Philip has gone for much duller colours on his 30 Years War figures from the same period. Why not have some bright, some dull? Genius…

1. Taranto (Richard)

The best game of the year was Richard’s Battle of Taranto refight on Friday 3 October 2025. Wonderful ships and aircraft, a stunning mat, fast paced action, good and plentiful company, and what a spectacle! Richard has also put on quite a few other games this year, including Ancient naval, WWII Coastal, and 1813 Campaign games at the cabin (using General D’Armee II rules). In the Back of Beyond campaign, meanwhile, Richard has mainly been putting Bolsheviks to the sword with his Chinese army. Thanks for helping out with various rule sets this year too, Richard.

So, 2025: A fantastic year of wargaming! Thanks to all hosts, umpires, and players. Your contributions and engagement make our club what it is. Bring on 2026…