8-player Mega Alamo Wargame

This week on Little Wars TV, seven players from our club refight the final assault at the Alamo on the morning of March 6, 1836. We play this epic last stand in 15mm scale on a magnificent custom tabletop in true 1:1 scale. We have all 176 Texian defenders represented individually, along with over 500 Mexican miniatures sweeping over the walls in waves. Can the defenders inflict enough punishment to turn our version of the Alamo into legend? Or will a new attack plan by Santa Anna and his generals manage to storm the Alamo at a lower cost?

Before the wargame, Chal and Dave unpack the complicated historical legacy of this iconic moment in history. How many defenders were really inside the fort? Why didn't Santa Anna bypass the Alamo? And did the old Spanish mission have any real strategic value at all? All this, and much more, today on Little Wars TV!

The entire wargame you see today comes to us courtesy of fellow gamer David Good, and the rules used in the battle date back to the 1980s. Learn more about the "Alamo Ruleser" and get your own FREE copy of the scenario and the rules on our website:

Head to the Free Stuff page and download the PDF at no cost, thanks to David and the original designers, Rich Hasenauer and Ron Prillaman.

[richardfriedli]

As a native Texan I am obligated to love this video.

[svenjonsson]

Really cool and impressive that you were able to run both sides in a 1:1 scale- it really adds to the heroic feel of watching individuals fall and the defense slowly be whittled away. It also lends to those heroic moments like Colonel Travers falling after taking down three sappers singlehandedly.

[rileyosteen]

Thank you for bringing back the historical coverage. I feel like the context is so valuable for videos like these.

[babylonsburning]

Superb model of the fort and an excellent game.
Really enjoyed watching, though I missed your club members joking and bantering, while the game was being played.
Your friendship and obvious regard for each other is a great part of watching your game playing.

[ThisNameWasntUsd]

One of the college courses I teach deals with the perception of historical events, and the Alamo always comes up as a case study of an event which has had its importance wildly inflated. Similar to the 1916 Rising in Ireland: Military disaster, but useful for the wider cause.

[baconmansavetf]

As a Texan who loves history, I just love this wargame as it feels like a real-life battle and heroric just love yalls work

[Robzdefheadz]

Really enjoyed the video, and 15mm seems like the perfect scale to do 1-1 model-historical soldiers battles! Something I had never considered before! Would love to see more shots of the minis and closeups of this lovely board

[KimKhan]

I absolutely love the more interesting and "asymmetrical" line-ups that historical games offer and encourage. Watching these videos make me more and more motivated to work harder on our own local hobby group.

[oldschoolfrp]

Great game! I’ve played this in 28mm on a much bigger table at a con and it is a blast trying to do better than historical commanders on both sides despite the inevitable foregone conclusion. I eagerly await the follow up talk with David about the design choices — it’s briefly mentioned here that some details follow the John Wayne movie more than history, which is a perfectly valid approach when dealing with a mythic subject. That seems to explain the red coats on one unit; Google tells me they were used in large numbers in the film.

[troydodson]

I wanted you guys to know that I have been inspired. I'm working to make a specific room for historical wargames in my home. I started with your Pyrrhus War series, and my nephew saw it and liked it.
Never tabletoped before, but I intend to learn. With luck, I can introduce a love of history through the game to him and his friends
Thanks

[thomasbleming]

Way back in when John Wayne's movie (the Alamo) came out I remember that in some of the major department stores they were selling Alamo sets that had what is shown in this video, complete with Mexican soldiers, cannons, Texan defenders, Davy Crockett, Bowie and Travis caricatures, about five or six hundred small, tiny figures
My late father purchased one for me and I had it for several years before it disappeared from sight.
I don't have any idea what became of it.
I played with it for years.

[tierban]

I remember growing up hearing about the battle of the Alamo from my father. Then in my high school history class its nothing more than a three sentence foot note. Needless to say i was pissed

[ThePanda]

Great battle report! This really makes me appreciate the 2004 film, they got a lot of details right.

[firetone]

Ever since I found this channel back in 2020, I was always looking forward an Alamo wargame for the longest time and now it's here. Thank you for bring another historic battle to the table.

[dianecallahan]

I remember the first time I saw this was back in the 80s when Historicon was in Camp Hill Pa. I was not in the game, but it seemed as though everyone was having a great time. The years have not diminished it one bit. Thanks to all for bringing it back. You guys never cease to amaze me.

[tabletop.will.phillips]

Looks like an absolutely blast of a game - and what a gorgeous table and impressive collection!

[JimJonesKoolaid]

1:1 scale for the unit numbers is really impressive!!!! Great episode of the Forlorn Hope of the Alamo!

[davidwasilewski]

Respect to David Good for sharing such an awesome table!

[katrinapaton]

Im not sure why Santa Anna was called the Napoleon of the West but it makes even less sense then that he didn't wait for his artillery.

[joehudgens]

Brilliant guys. Just superb. I’ll be interested in table size. I’ve loved the period all my life but never thought it would make for a great game. This was so well thought out and done!