Within the hectic world of tabletop wargames, there will always be some that fall by the wayside. That can sometimes be because you just can't get ahold of the miniatures or an opponent to play games against and in other cases, it's simply that the game just gets replaced by something else.

With that in mind, I thought I'd talk about five games that I have played in the past and would love to revisit and some that completely passed me by and I now properly regret it! I'm sure you have your own wargames that slot into this wheelhouse so let me know in the comments down below what makes your list.

Cutlass!

The first game is from Black Scorpion Miniatures and was actually one of the games I first saw when I was working with OnTableTop (Beasts Of War at the time!) over a decade ago. Gav Thorpe and Adam Clarke created a fun, campaign-based pirate game with some great mechanics and a stunning miniatures line.

Cutlass! // Black Scorpion Miniatures

This was one of the first wargames I played where different dice were allocated to statistics. That has developed and been adapted over the years since Cutlass! came out and it's now common in all sorts of games including one of my favourites, Burrows & Badgers.

Another element of the game that I really liked was that it could be played as a straight-up "historical" pirate game if you liked with the navy going up against pirates. But, you could also fold in an array of Fantasy races if you preferred like Dwarves, Elves, Orcs and Goblins. You could even throw some awesome Undead pirates into the mix for that proper Pirates Of The Caribbean vibe.

Cutlass! Gameplay // Black Scorpion Miniatures

What's nice about this particular game is that it's still readily available if you're interested in giving it a go. Black Scorpion Miniatures have made the rules free for you to download HERE and you can still pick up their range of miniatures for all of the factions. It has come a long way since 2010 when the game was first released and there's really nothing stopping me from diving in and giving the game a go once again.

I just need to find some willing seadogs that will have a crack at playing the game!

The Uncharted Seas

Sticking with the nautical theme, the second game on this list was the one that first introduced me to naval wargaming. Spartan Games was big back in the late 2000s and my friends and I were probably enjoying not Dystopian Wars which has become something of a behemoth but The Uncharted Seas, their Fantasy offering.

The Uncharted Seas // Spartan Games

I wasn't one of those people who had played Man O' War back in the day but The Uncharted Seas felt like a great set of rules for playing out naval bouts between various Fantasy factions. I (rather unsurprisingly) went with the Iron Dwarves (pictured above) and whilst the miniatures were quite basic, the game mechanics were great. They were simple enough to grasp for a beginner but with a lot of depth for commanders wanting to get their heads around manoeuvres and the various faction special rules.

The Uncharted Seas Gameplay // Spartan Games

It was a bit of a shame when the game fell off the radar and was supplanted by Dystopian Wars and Firestorm Armada. I don't think it helped my group that the miniatures were a bit of rather awkward-to-use resin and hefty metal pieces which would always fall off. Still, that didn't stop us from getting Elves, Orcs, Dwarves and more for use in our games and we played a lot of fun one-off games.

The Uncharted Seas is one of those games that has unfortunately sailed off the edge of the map but there's a change, however remote, that we might end up getting something in the far, far future from Warcradle Studios. There are other Fantasy naval games out there now that might serve to fill the game like Armada from Mantic Games but I still really like that old aesthetic present in The Uncharted Seas range!

Blood Eagle

Sliding into the realm of the Historical, a game that really caught my eye back in 2016 has been languishing on the shelf for eight years and it needs to get a run-out. Blood Eagle came about when I was really excited by games like SAGA and what drew me to it was the game's focus on a more characterful, narrative skirmish format.

Blood Eagle // The Ministry Of Gentlemanly Warfare

There were a lot of ways for you to make Blood Eagle your own with quick and easy rules for getting stuck into the fighting but with a lot of depth for creating your characters, troops and more. I was a big fan of SAGA at the time but I really appreciated the more in-depth nature of Blood Eagle and what it was offering.

Additionally, Blood Eagle also came with a campaign system built in so I could take a lot of my love for games like Mordheim and apply that to a Viking setting. Much like with Cutlass!, this isn't a game that has vanished and you can still get your hands on Blood Eagle from The Ministry Of Gentlemanly Warfare! It's also sitting on my shelf (quite literally behind me) and I have oodles of Vikings, Saxons and more that are just waiting to be dropped into a game or two.

Blood Eagle Gameplay // The Ministry Of Gentlemanly Warfare

I often find myself flicking through the book and reacquainting myself with the rules for Blood Eagle. That is often joined by grand ideas of campaigns that I can play and miniatures that I can buy before it all comes crashing down as my friends decide they'd rather play some more games of Warhammer 40,000. It's a beautiful dream but perhaps one that I will have to try and explore solo.

I should also note that if you're a fan of the fantastical, Blood Eagle also comes with rules for Wyrd powers, miracles, legendary characters, weapons and more. It's worthy of the sagas and one you might want to go and check out.

Konflikt '47

I was first introduced to Konflikt '47 back when Clockwork Goblin was working on the rules. I remember bumping into them at Salute and really liking what they were working on. The game came into life around the same time that DUST was still really big and whilst that game was fine, I much preferred the way that Clockwork Goblin were presenting the game and the aesthetic as a whole.

Konflikt '47 // Warlord Games

This was also about the same time as I was getting into Bolt Action and playing with my Germans. It ended up sounding like it was going to be a simple job from the Historical gaming of Bolt Action to the Weird World War action of Konflikt '47. I was primed to do it I was keeping an eye on the development of the miniatures and more alongside Warlord Games as it moved over to them but it just never turned into anything.

Konflikt '47 Gameplay // Warlord Games

Thankfully, Konflikt '47 is still alive and well over on the Warlord Games website and I could dig out those old Germans, give them a new lick of paint and throw in some mechs for good measure. I still like the aesthetic of the game and the miniatures range, especially when it comes to some of the monsters they've designed for the Germans. Wolfenstein vibes!

Combine the love of the range with the fact that the basis of the rules is in Bolt Action and you've got a game on this list that wouldn't be that hard to get to the tabletop. I reckon my friend still has his Americans somewhere in a box so there's every chance we could have a pop at some Weird World War.

Dark Age

Last but not least we have another of those miniature wargames that just slid off the face of the Earth. Dark Age, from Dark Age Games, was another of those games that I was introduced to through Beasts Of War back in the day. It was one of those games that had a really unique look and feel to it, one that you'd probably expect from a board game nowadays that bursts onto Kickstarter.

Dark Age // CMON

Not trying Dark Age is definitely up there with some of the big tabletop gaming regrets over the years. It was ace seeing all the videos about the miniatures, the lore and the game mechanics but Dark Age ended up being one of those games that came about at the same time I was big into Warmachine, Hordes and Warhammer 40,000. To that end, a cash-strapped younger Ben couldn't justify another system. Now I look back at that time, I wish I'd taken the plunge and dropped one of those games for this!

Dark Age Miniatures // CMON

I also wish that I'd picked up some of the miniatures for the game! I remember seeing the Kukulkani pop up for the first time and how there was such a nice mix of Sci-Fi, Post-Apocalypse and Fantasy in the range. I have a quiet hope that Dark Age is one of those games that CMON will eventually bring back to life but I don't think I should cross my fingers.

I do wonder if there are still people out there playing Dark Age and painting up the miniatures...

So there you go, five games that I would love to return to and some that were "the ones that got away". As I mentioned earlier, I'm sure that there are games out there that you regret not playing more and I'd love to hear what they are in the comments down below.

What's on your list?