I've had some old 1920s gangsters and police minis lying around for years. They were originally picked up for Call of Cthulhu and various superhero RPGs, but hadn't been used since the early nineties. Needing some modernish figures to help playtest Two Hour Wargames' "Guns and Girls" ("Chain Reaction" in the US) rules, I pulled them out. In the playtest games so far, gangsters hiding out in the mountains have fought giant spiders, police and bootleggers have shot it out and police (with the aid of a Dashing Young Scientist) have fought off Saucer Men (Who Want Our Women!).

This page is a collection of notes I've made on gaming in the period (mostly concerned with the actual period figures, as you can dig up the SF/monster stuff easily). It probably isn't even close to being complete (even ignoring weird, science fiction and horror elements) - if you have any additions I'd be glad to hear from you.

It doesn't have anything to do with figures, but if you're gaming the period it helps to know the how to talk the lingo.

The following companies have (or had) gangsters, police and civilians for the Prohibition and Depression era:

Grenadier: I have a policeman, female reporter, professor and a gangster made by them (from the Call of Cthulhu/Nightmares line). Stratelibri was producing these in Italy, but is now out of business. Hopefully someone will revive the line.

Ral Partha did a number of figures for this era, including police and the gangsters shown on this page. These are now being released by Iron Wind Metals, though you'll need to order them from their Vintage/Direct Mail catalog.

Reviresco has two packs of gangsters, plus police and a group of flappers (along with a dandy and a photographer). There are also chaffeurs, servants, sailors, an insane asylum pack (very handy for horror scenarios) and a number of nice-looking cars and trucks for 25mm. I have one of the Model T sedans, which fits right in with the RP minis.

RAFM has a Call of Cthulhu line that includes motorcycle cops (on their bikes), villains, cultists and various Investigator figures (an heiress, a PI, a gangster, etc.). The monsters are also nice :)

Steve Barber has a very nice line of Prohibition figures, including a number of historical characters (Al Capone, Eliot Ness, "Mad Dog" Coll, etc.). In addition, he has some buildings - a bank, speakeasy and tenement block. RLBPS carries these in the US. I don't have any, but I've been told they're true 25mm figures and won't mix well with most other lines.

Pulp Miniatures has adventurers, spies, US sailors, chinese gangs and a film crew! One of the hero minis looks a lot like Doc Savage!

Copplestone Castings has a new range of figures called "The Back of Beyond" which fit the period, but deal mostly with the Far East.

Cannon Fodder Miniatures has figures for the Anglo-Irish War (some of which would work for gangsters), as well as US Sailors and some English civilians.

Lance and Laser has some suitable figures in their "Film Noir" range. These are a bit thin and may not easily mix with the Grenadier, Ral Partha, Pulp, etc. miniatures (depending on how picky you are).

TSR had three packs of figures for their "Gangbusters" game. You can find a listing of these at The Stuff of Legends. The ones I have fit perfectly with the Ral Partha and Grenadier figures. These are long out of production.

Citadel made some figures for FGU's "Gangster!" game. These were apparently made in the early 1980s and aren't on slotta bases. I've only seen the listing and pictures at The Stuff of Legends.

Old Glory has pilots in their World War I range (one set of 3 each for American, British, French and German) that should be of use.

The Honourable Lead Boiler Suit Company has a range of hunters to stalk dinosaurs, search for lost cities, etc.

Browsing through historical lines for the Spanish American War, Wild West, Boxer Rebellion and both World Wars might turn up some useful figures as well. (Essentially anything from the late 19th to mid-20th centuries - The Major General's Site has a large listing of 19th Century colonial figures.) Partisan and Resistance fighters from World War II lines can be of use, though some of the weaponry may be out of place, depending on when your game is set.

Lledo has vehicles that are (I'm told) the right scale for 25mm in their "Days Gone" range. I'm told that these are "box" scale, like Matchbox, Hot Wheels, etc.

Some Matchbox, Hot Wheels, etc. cars can be used. Since the vehicles are "box scale", the only way to tell if they are suitable is to compare them to a figure. Corgi had some useful trucks in their Texaco line; these aren't on their site, but still show up in stores. I've also seen some 1930s fire trucks that look to be the right size.

Buildings are important for this period. So far, the only thing I've found on constructing them is on the Northern Conspiracy site. This page has some beautiful scenery for the period, as well as notes on the construction of it.

The Virtual Armchair General is planning to release a set of card buildings for the 1920s through the 1950s.

Edwin Groot was kind enough to send me some comparison photos from his collection. The first one shows Eureka, Citadel and Steve Barber and the second one has RAFM, TSR and Steve Barber figures.