Memory Lane with Model Soldiers

When I heard the news last week that Donald Featherstone had passed away my first reaction, like many others, was to write a post saying how influential I thought the man was to our hobby and how much he would be missed. Like many I felt that the wider wargaming community had been diminished by his passing but also that his legacy in terms of his vast back catalogue of written work was incalculable. Like many I have very fond memories of my first encounters with his work, although for me this came not at the beginning of my hobby but much later when I had been away from wargaming for several years. One of the books that really helped with that transition was Battles with Model Soldiers.

I don't recall where I first saw this book, I think it was lent to me by a friend but for the life of me I can't remember who it was (senility is clearly creeping in, and I'm still only in my 40's!). What I do remember is that it was the perfect reintroduction to the wider hobby of wargaming and that it came just at the right time. I and my friends had been enthusiastic Warhammer and Epic 40k players for many years and I in particular always fielded fully painted armies. All through our University years we would regularly meet up for big games played out on living room floors because we didn't have a games table. Those were halcyon days when we had money to spend, time to indulge and relatively few commitments to confine our enthusiasm.

But (like many others judging from the stories I have read on other peoples Blogs) we started to drift away from wargaming as my friends and I began our working careers. It had always been an expensive habit, but when I got married and started a family (in the mid 90's), time became an issue, space was at a premium, the money dried up and so did my enthusiasm. As a group of friends we had always had a diverse range of interests and some in the group just weren't that into wargaming and painting and so it was inevitable that we would collectively 'move on' to other things. Looking back on this time I'm just glad we decided to move on together rather than loosing touch as I'm sure that would have killed off my hobby interests entirely.

There was a long time when I was in danger of drifting away from gaming altogether and it was only my by now disparate circle of friends determination to keep in touch that kept us meeting as a group. For many years we switched our tabletop interests to other games and indulged in a variety of boardgames, CCG's and RPG's, in particular our first love, Dungeons and Dragons. Most of us had by now sold off our old Warhammer and Epic 40k armies, although I kept a few models as a keepsake. I was still painting but by now my output was almost exclusively fantasy figures to support the many tabletop RPG's we were playing at the time. I don't regret this period for a moment, it kept us together and it kept us gaming and it was 'right' for that time in our lives. Then someone handed me a copy of Battles with Model Soldiers and the low burning embers of my interest in wargaming were fanned back into life. 

I never got round to buying a copy of this book (I reluctantly returned the borrowed copy) but after learning of the death of Don I decided it was high time I corrected this oversight. I was overcome with a deep feeling of nostalgia and an overwhelming desire to became reacquainted with the book that literally saved me from abandoning wargaming altogether. So I did what we all do nowadays, I logged into Amazon and found myself a 1972 edition ex library copy of the book. Its the same edition I read some time in the early 'noughties' which just goes to show the longevity of Don's work. When I got home from work yesterday there was my parcel and inside was a fantastic trip down memory lane that has been both enjoyable and enlightening. This really is a great book for the beginner (or the lapsed wargamer for that matter), especially his review of the periods available. Reading that section in particular had helped me to evaluate what I was really interested in and set the course for my return to wargaming that lead inexorably to where I am today. 

Minefields as far as the eye can see

I had an inspiration yesterday that, for a change, was quickly transformed into a short project. Earlier this year I posted some pictures of minefield markers I had made for my 6mm FOW games. Minefields were a ubiquitous part of the desert war, especially the battles preceding and during Alamein, and any game of this period would be incomplete without at least some mined areas. But as I am planning on using micro armour on full or even over-sized tables (up to 8'x10') I would need a lot of minefields, and that would take a lot of time and money that I don't have if I am going to put on a game for the rejects before the year is out. 

160 Inches of minefield ready to deploy

My idea was to take five of the 8"x 2" minefield bases I had made and photocopy them! I used a colour photocopier and set the machine to make photo quality copies. The result was a sheet of five minefields at 1:1 scale with the modeled originals. I then cut these out and stuck them onto 8"x2" mdf bases (from Warbases). Once the glue had dried I painted the edges of the bases just like I have with all my others and gave them a quick spray of Testors Dulcoat to reduce the shiny surface on the paper.

The finish models took less than an hour to do and I now have over 13 feet of minefield that I can deploy as terrain when using larger tables. This means I can use multiple belts of mines just as they would have been used in real life.

Photocopied Minefields - Quick, cheap and easy to make

I know they don't look as good as fully modeled terrain but frankly once they are deployed on the table its hard to notice that they aren't 3D until you look closely. The equivalent length of modeled Minefield would easily have cost £40 to £50 and many hours of work. These only cost £20 (for the bases) and a few pence on the photocopies and glue. Not bad for a quick brainwave!

RIP Donald Featherstone

Donald Featherstone interview on YouTube

Like many wargamers this morning I have just learned that the great Donald Featherstone has passed away (its been reported on several sites now, including Grimsby Wargaming and Wargaming Miscellany). His books have been hugely influential within our hobby, have encouraged countless wargamers and have educated and inspired a whole generation.

I guess most wargamers of a certain age will have at least one Featherstone book in their collection and I am no exception. My favourites include the Tank Battles in Miniature series and his book on Solo Wargaming, although there are probably loads more that I have never read (something I must rectify asap!). 

One of the things that comes across clearly in his Tank Battles series is his insight and knowledge of real life tank warfare (gained in the field serving with the Royal Armoured Corps in WWII) and how it can be represented on the games table. My personal favourite A wargamers guide to the Western desert Campaign 1940-42 (reviewed here) is not only a great book of wargaming rules and ideas but also a deeply interesting and engaging history book. 

FOW for 6mm Part 2 : Terrain

Part of an ongoing series of posts on adapting the Flames of War rules for 6mm Wargaming

If you're going to play in 6mm you need 6mm terrain. On the whole scaling down terrain in proportion to the models has no obviously appreciable effect on the rules but its worth discussing various elements in turn. 

Open Spaces - Grassland or Desert
The whole table is an open space which is why we need terrain to fill it up. With 6mm terrain a battlefield can seem very open and exposed although maintaining existing movement rates does minimise the effect this has. The rules for Going to Ground mean that units can effectively gain cover in the open by remaining still and seeking out the slight lumps and bumps in the land surface to conceal themselves from the enemy. 

Vegetation  - Ploughed fields and Crops
Fields in 15mm scale always look pitifully small to me so keeping the same size for 6mm looks more realistic and of course helps provide something interesting to break up the monotony of the plain tabletop. I have yet to find any manufacturer who makes suitable fields of crops for 6mm (please correct me if you know of any) so it will be probably be necessary to make your own. 

Woods and Forests
Again larger areas of woodland are easier to fit on the table for 6mm games but its important that trees can be moved to enable movement of bases through the perimeters. The normal rules for movement through rough terrain and for concealment are unchanged.  

Hedges and Walls
These are relatively small features even at 15mm, scaled down to 6mm they barely register as terrain. But its important that these feature are included on the battlefield because of the role they play in the rules as barriers to movement and potential bogging points for tracked vehicles. 

Hills

Hill terrain can be much more dramatic in a 6mm battlefield allowing for more vertical height when compared against the miniatures used. However for small hills or undulations in the landscape its best to keep the height shallow. 

Banks, Gullies and Cliffs
Representing 'negative elevation' terrain such as gullies (or wadis) is always going to be a problem for those of us using a table for play rather than special terrain boards. There are models available that use vertical formations to represent negative features but another solution would be to use some of the many 'dungeon floor-plan' graphics available to Roleplayers. Many of these are freely available on the Web and the advantage of a downloaded graphic is that you can print it out as many times as you need to create as much terrain as you need. I haven't tried this yet myself, but its on my to-do list and I think this would look much better than a modelled alternative.

Water Features
Existing 15mm river terrain can be used for 6mm games and, in the case of wide rivers, actually looks more realistic. However for most of my North Africa games I don't expect to have anything more substantial than the occasional oasis on the table.

Roads and Railways
Z Gauge railway track can be used in 6mm games and is pretty accurate scale wise. If you are lucky enough to live near a specialist shop you may be able to pick up some of this. Otherwise you'll have to fall back on the Internet for options.

Roads are also difficult simply because most of the examples I own or have seen on sale are for larger scales and have surface detailing (wheel ruts mostly) suitable for 15mm or larger. You may have to resort to making your own if you can't find a suitable ready made product.

Roads of course are an aid to travel and wheeled vehicles can move faster on them than cross country. Rail lines however count as rough ground so crossing them could result in a bogging check.

Buildings

The only exception is where buildings are concerned as most 6mm scale buildings do not come with removable roofs and internal compartments for figures. One alternative is to draw out the floor plans of any buildings ahead of the game and keep them beside the table during play. Any teams that move into a building can be placed on the floor plan to show their position. In the example shown here on the right all three accessible levels of a building are occupied by infantry. In all other respects the rules for movement into and within buildings remains the same.

Table Size
This isn't a terrain issue or even a rules clarification but this seems as good a place as any to discuss table sizes for 6mm FoW games. The logical assumption when using smaller scales is that you can use a smaller table, and for some games that may be a possibility. However as I am keeping all the ranges and movement rates the same as their 15mm cousins I think regular sized tables are worth considering. Of course this can mean that tables remain large but seem empty with lots of 'unused space' but I have always thought that many 15mm FoW games look very cluttered and not very realistic. More space on a table means there is more room for manoeuvre and suddenly movement becomes much more important in a game. 

Its also opens up some possibilities for using 'blinds' to represent hidden movement and fog of war. Is that cloud of dust on your flank an enemy unit or just a sudden Khamsin wind whipping up the sand? This is a subject I'll come back to at a later date, when I have had a chance to give it some more thought and work out some serious rules for their use with 6mm FoW games.

Next week (hopefully) I'll be discussing the rules for Movement and looking at why I think the existing movement rates work really well at 6mm.