Warring States Tabletop Wargame Project

For 2011, my dream project is just that right now - a dream. Can anyone assist?

Objective:
Run a solo wargame campaign of mass combat in a fictional setting inspired by China's Warring States Period; I would have near-complete control over one nation's forces while the rules would determine virtually everything else about the opposing nations.

Rules:
I want the rules to emphasize breezy playability over painstaking complexity, but what should I do?

• Use an existing solo-ish ruleset that directly or indirectly addresses the period?
• Use an existing non-solo ruleset that can be adapted to solo/the period?
• Invent my own rules drawing inspiration from some of the Seven Military Classics of China? (Too lofty? But I'm so tempted...)

The Miniatures/Terrain:
I have none. Worse than that, I have limitations.

• I've never painted minis. Preliminary evidence suggests that I would be awful at it.
• A good deal of my 2012 discretionary funds will be going to new Heroclix sets.
• Seems there aren't that many toy soldier options out there for this period.
• I live in an apartment in NYC. A "true" wargames table just wouldn't fit in here.

I've been casually surfing the web for the last two months with all of the above in the back of my mind. Shaun's Wargaming with Miniatures has been an excellent resource for considering a host of possibilities, and Shaun's tests of different ancients systems are absolutely brilliant.

I've no deadline for any of this and plan on making this a prolonged project, allowing for bumps in the road and all that.

Any and all suggestions are most appreciated! Comment here or e-mail me any time!

Thanks in advance!


(Oh, and today is this blog's 1st birthday! Awwww...)