Muskets and Tomahawks is a skirmish game, designed to represent the Petite Guerre, the small wars fought in North America during the late 18th Century between the British, French, Americans and Native Americans. It is a card driven tabletop miniatures wargame.

Troops are divided into seven types each of which is represented by a number of cards, depending on the type which grant a number of actions again depending on the troop type. Troops also have four characteristics, Movement, Aggressiveness, Defence and Marksmanship and may also have Traits. Officers are represented and activate separately from their units.

The rules provide a points systems, a scenario generator (which determines the game objective) and a side plot generator for the officers which can modify the game result.