Wednesday 4 September 2019

The Operations Room

One of the most common laments of wargamers is 'lack of space'. I've struggled with this for years, even going to the length of selling a large part of my 15mm WWII collection in order to make space for new projects. I'm sure I'm not alone in our community, struggling to fit 'a pint into a quart pot' with painting supplies, models and terrain squeezed into every available cupboard in the house. The green-eyed monster has risen more than once when I have looked at pictures of other wargamers dedicated hobby rooms, basements and attics. My house is a humble three-bedroom and with two kids and one future son-in-law living with us, space has been at a premium, especially in the last couple of years.

The Operations Room at RAF Duxford
As previously reported, my eldest daughter (the Original Padawan) has recently left home taking her partner and a vast quantity of boxes and furniture with her. I've spent the last couple of weeks decorating and moving my youngest daughter into the newly vacated room. That process is nearly complete and now I, at last, get to start work on her old bedroom, turning it into a long-awaited games room. It's not very large (about 10ft square), but given I have done without any dedicated space for nearly 30 years, I'm not going to complain! There's still a lot of stuff to clear out, mostly old furniture and a massive accumulation of toys that are destined either for the recycling centre or one of several local charity shops. Then the real work starts - decorating this small corner of the house so that it can be turned into my new Operations Room.

I already have my eye on new storage units for my miniatures, display cabinets for the walls and maybe even a new painting desk. Most importantly however I will be able to instal a small gaming table in the room. Its will be small, I don't think I can fit a 6x4, but as most of the games I play are 6mm my existing portable table will suffice for the time being. I may make a slightly larger top for it, but I need to see how much space I have first.

I've waited patiently for nearly 30 years, but over the next few months, I hope to finally have a place for all my collection in one location...and more importantly, space to grow it over the coming years.

13 comments:

  1. Congratulations! Having a dedicated game room is a most welcome addition no matter the size! In each of my last two houses, a dedicated room for gaming was a requirement. After 30+ years of having this space, not sure I could manage without one.

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    1. Just having space to store stuff will be a major advantage. I got hit in the head for the umpteenth time last night by my Isandlwana Hill that keeps falling off the top of the bedroom wardrobe!

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  2. Congrats on gaining a gaming room :)

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    1. There's a lot of work to be done first, but I hope to have it completed soon.

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  3. It's like finally growing up, isn't it?! Enjoy.

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  4. Hope your Operations Room will see plenty of action for years to come!

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    1. I'm looking forward to being able to set up games and play them over a period of time. Maybe some campaign type games can be in the offing as well.

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  5. You lucky son of a gun. Counting the days until my sixteen-year-old is old enough and bold enough to move out. Another couple years I reckon. I'm going to miss painting in the kitchen.

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    1. Don't get me wrong, I miss my daughter but I'm happy she is at last starting her life as an independent person. I'm very proud of her and we are missing her (and her mess) around the house. But change is a good thing and it has created this opportunity. MY youngest daughter has got a bigger bedroom out of the deal and I get a dedicated games room. A win all round in my books.

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  6. My wargame room was about the same size in my last house and I managed to fit a 6x4 by the simple expedient of hinging it along one long edge to the wall... when not in use it hinged up, flat, against the wall.. think I had a noticeboard under the table I could use when it was in the up position.. just a thought.. :o) PS alternative would be two 6 x 2's hinged down the middle... two 3 x 4's?.. endless options...

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    1. Storage is my main priority and once I have the units I want in there I can make a proper assessment of the space I have remaining. A folding or drop down table sounds like a good idea, I'll bear that in mind.
      I'm still in the midst of 'mess mining', digging my way to the back of the room with multiple trips to the local waste disposal facility. Yesterday I took six large sacks of toys to the local charity shop...and I have barely touched the surface of the stuff in this room! This is going to take a while.

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  7. I know feast and famine, having had plenty of space then none. Currently I use the conservatory. Not a big one either.
    Congratulations on your good fortune. Not that your daughter leaving is good fortune!
    Plus one on future dice rolls for your patience.

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