Miniatures, Wargaming and Terrain

Playing with miniature soldiers to replicate the great battles of history has been a hobby for thousands of years. It seems that the first miniatures used for these purposes were carved from bone or wood, then ivory. The hobby has similarities with chess, as different pieces move in their own ways and possess different strategic values. But there is something more dynamic and fluid about the movement of miniature soldiers across a replica of real terrain, or movement of monstrous pieces across a fantasy battlefield.

While the hobby has faded away in recent years with the advent of Real-Time-Strategy games on the computer, there are aspects of the hobby that still remain viable and unique compared to the computer derived experience. There are those who collect the figurines, those who paint their miniatures with immaculate detail, knowing that their soldiers will mever see play on a gaming table, there are those who build incredible elements of terrain almost bordering on the hobbies of model railroading and architectural modelling. Despite the fact that only a small portion of the world enjoys this hobby, it has incredibly diversity covering the realms of art, history, mathematics, geography and even commerce.

There are dozens of great manufacturers for miniatures, and quite a few producers of miniature gaming accessories. These pages are not meant to be a substitute for the volumes of data contained on their respective websites, or in their numerous publications.

Miniatures Gallery

Like many people who are a part of the hobby I started collecting miniatures when I was in my mid teens. Buying what I could from mainstream hobby stores (when they had any in stock), before discovering the specialist stores in hidden alleyways and on the upper levels of secretive shopping malls in the city. I was more into roleplaying at the time, and mostly used miniatures as markers for characters or monsters in various games.

Over the years, I've entered in numerous competitions for painting miniatures and I've done reasonably well in some of them. I've won a couple of smaller contests based in stores, and have placed reasonably well in some of the larger contests (but I've never won a major competition). Shortly, I'll be putting up a painting guide, along with some other guides to show how to different parts of the miniatures hobby can be developed further.

Terrain Gallery

A collection of miniatures can be carefully boxed and stored away while it isn't being actively used. Terrain on the other hand is much larger and is far less able to be deconstructed. There are a few solutions to this, each of which will be presented in this section. From modular boards, and collapsible tables through to single signature pieces that can be moved to different places on a surface to give a variety of game environments.

Like the resin gallery and procedure pages, I hope to include in the near future some guides about creating resin terrain, bother modular pieces for enhanced gaming versatility, and fixed pieces which allow for more detail and the capacity to become renowned battlegrounds in ongoing campaigns.

Wargaming Ideas

In roleplaying, it is common practice to develop "house rules". These are rulings that exist separate to the printed rules purchased in a store, and they vary from group to group. In wargaming, this concept is far less common.

The reduced impact of house rules in wargaming isn't due to any superiority of the games, it is more a function of the fact that these games tend to be played more competitively, and there are more intense and strategic competitions dedicated to wargaming than there are to roleplaying. Any change of the rules must be carefully considered by all parties playing the game, and since these games are often played by twenty or more people in a competition environment, it's often better to stick to the established rules presented by the company.

Despite this, there are some inadequacies in many games. And there are many features that could easily be added to certain games to reflect specific scenarios or mission parameters. The accompanying selection of rules are some ideas that we've had success with in the past.

Future Link to Wargaming Ideas [coming soon]

Image credits and Fine Print

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