So you're getting into historical wargaming

Bolt Action is the most widely-played historical wargame, and Band of Brothers is the right entry. You get the complete 2nd Edition rulebook, a bag of order dice, US airborne troops, and German grenadiers — everything two people need for their first game. The WWII match-up is well-balanced, and the online tutorial content is extensive.

SAGA is the smart pick for players who want to reach the table faster. A complete warband is 12-24 minis — paintable in a long weekend — and the battle-board mechanic creates genuinely different games even with the same two forces. The 2nd Edition rulebook includes six starter factions and all the rules to play; pair it with a Gripping Beast Viking or Norman plastic box for your first army.

15mm minis are cheaper per model than 28mm, which matters when a full Flames of War list runs 50-100 figures. This Bulge American Spearhead starter gives you a legal, balanced company at a fraction of building from individual blisters. If WWII divisional-scale tactics interest you more than squad skirmishes, this is your entry point.

Designed specifically for wargame miniatures — the colors are calibrated for historical uniforms, the Quickshade dip shades an entire platoon at once, and the brushes are scaled for 28mm infantry. Under $50 for everything you need to finish your first army.

Vallejo is the serious wargamer's paint standard. The Model Color range covers every WWII and ancient-period uniform color imaginable, with coverage and consistency that Army Painter can't match. The dropper bottles don't dry out between sessions. Once you've finished a first army and want better results, this is where most historical painters land.

Contrast paints do base coat, shading, and wash in a single stroke — they flow into recesses automatically. For historical wargamers with 50+ infantry to paint, they're a genuine force multiplier. Not as nuanced as traditional layering, but an army looks good on the table much faster. Especially good on 15mm Flames of War minis.

Tamiya's side cutter is the industry benchmark for hobby work. The ultra-fine angled blade cuts cleanly from plastic sprues with minimal gate marks, which means less cleanup time on every single mini. Every serious historical wargamer either owns one or is about to. Buy it once; it lasts years.

After clipping parts from sprues, every mini has gate marks and mold lines running along every surface. An X-Acto knife scrapes them flat in seconds. The Basic Set includes interchangeable blades and a case — enough to clean an entire army's worth of minis before needing a replacement blade.

Plastic cement fuses plastic by melting the surfaces together — the bond is stronger and more invisible than any adhesive. Tamiya's Extra Thin formula uses capillary action to draw the cement into joints without pre-applying: touch the brush to a join and it wicks itself in. Essential for multi-part plastic kits like Bolt Action infantry.

Pre-painted resin terrain from Battlefront — opens the box and hits the table immediately. The European farmhouse works for any WWII game (Bolt Action or Flames of War) and looks genuinely convincing alongside painted infantry. Buying pre-painted terrain up front keeps your hobby time focused on minis, not buildings.

Proper basing ties minis to the battlefield — the difference between a mini with and without basing is dramatic, and takes less than a minute per figure. This kit covers everything: static grass, rocky debris, sand, and the basing glue. Buy it when you buy your first starter set; it makes your first finished minis look genuinely finished.

A proper game mat is the single biggest visual upgrade per dollar in wargaming. Battle Systems' neoprene Grassy Fields mat rolls flat with no creasing, and the texture breaks up bare dining-table wood into a convincing field. Standard 3x3 feet covers a Bolt Action table; 4x4 for Flames of War.