Miniatures fans: there is good news for you, no matter whether you are old or young - there are many miniatures sets out there that allow you to enjoy all kinds of highly organised and strategy-filled fun, and as miniatures fans very well know it's World War 2 that mosto often gets the miniatures treatment! This is why this article has been created, to attempt to put in ranking order the very best 5 World War 2 Miniatures Games out there.
If you're a newcomer to miniatures or simply wish to affirm your suspicions on which miniatures game is the best, then this list should definitely be of use to you. Beginners will benefit in particular due to the with the staggering choice of miniatures sets available and the vast divide in quality between many of these sets/games.
1. Axis and Allies
There's no mistaking the Axis and Allies miniatures sets. After all, this set - which has a multitude of different sub-sets covering various war-torn periods of the past and offering aerial, ground, and naval experiences - is probably one of the most delicately-painted, realistically-portrayed miniatures games around. The people at Wizards of the Coast obviously know what they're doing because not only is their Axis and Allies series the best WWII miniatures experience you can have in a qualitative sense, but it is probably one of the largest ranges of miniatures containing the biggest spread of different collections you can possibly hope to own.
If you choose to enter into the Axis and Allies world you can look forward to WWII being simulated on a global scale with advanced rules, hundreds of pre-painted miniatures models comprised of various units (tanks, infantry, artillery, planes, water-borne vessels, and many more), stats cards, expansion packs, and much more. From Global 1940 to the Arab and Israeli Wars expansion, right the way through to the Air Miniatures and Counter Offensive 1941-43 expansion packs, Axis and Allies' consistent quality really speaks for itself. There's even an online community for the game that can be found at http://www.axisandallies.org/.
2. Flames of War
In at number 2 is Flames of War, a miniatures game that's not quite on the same level as the Axis and Allies saga, but it comes quite close when you look at the gameplay, miniatures, and in-depth rules that make the miniatures battles something to behold.
Like Axis and Allies there is a significant amount of depth to the gameplay of Flames of War. This includes taking into consideration the morale of your troops, hit allocation rules, special rules, shooting/moving with infantry, anti-tank guns, platoon movement, and many more factors that dictate the failures and successes of your campaigns in the Flames of War miniatures games. You'll find a whole host of instructional videos on their official website and if you follow the link at the end of this sentence you will also find informative painting videos to help you decorate your miniatures with accuracy and style - http://www.flamesofwar.com/hobby.aspx?art_id=3199
3. Wings of War
Wings of War comes all-guns blazing in your direction from designer Andrea Angiolino and offers up an accurate and highly-detailed WWII experience whose focus is more heavily on aerial warfare. This focus on the battle in the skies will please many aerial enthusiasts, as will the easy-to-follow rules of the Wings of War gaming mechanic, which allow for some seriously in-depth simulation of a variety of airborne scenarios such as full-on dogfights to defense or even your very own made-up scenarios if you wish to create them.
There are a nice variety of miniatures to collect that come in various packs such as the Deluxe Pack, Famous Aces, Burning Drachens, and Watch Your Back - all these sets allow you to expand the fantastic Wings of War series further, enjoying its attention to detail and historical accuracy on your own or with friends.
4. Crossfire
Arty Conliffe is the mastermind behind the Crossfier tabletop miniatures games. This particular game can now be called a classic as it first game to fruition in 1996 and has been gaining popularity ever since. The rules system is best described as innovative and doesn't actually require a ruler. Good luck finding the necessary copies of the game however since there are only a few retailers in the world that have this game in stock; it's now out of print and no new copies are being made.
A variety of scenarios/sets are in existence such as The River Crossing, The Raid!, and the German Luftwaffe Field Regiment 1942-1945, more information about which can be found at crossfire.wargaming.info.
5. Micro Armour: The Game: WW2
Though the research-based gameplay of Micro Armour's World War II miniatures set is incredibly detailed and wonderfully presented, it never became as popular as the Axis and Allies miniatures set. Name a force that fought in WWII and you'll find them here: Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Japan, Italy, Romania, the Soviet Union, and many more are represented in Micro Armour's gameplay.
The game's scenario generator allows you to experience a whole host of different plays in the WWII context, and the research engine allows you to experiment with the different technology available to each of the major players in WWII. This is certainly a unique experience but it is easy to see why it didn't get popular: the level of detail is quite overwhelming and people are more likely these days to pop over to an internet gaming site like http://www.worldwargames.org/and immerse themselves in a more instantly-rewarding experience in the form of flash-based or downloadable war games instead of going to the trouble of purchasing and implementing Micro Armour's WWII set.