The Adventures of Sir Deven Benderbits - Wargamer Extraordinaire: All that Glitters

(Being a series of articles relating to the hobby of historical miniatures wargaming, meaning to bring out thought and discussion. Sir Deven is in fact a very extraordinaire wargamer; his thoughts wander much on the deeper side of the hobby - often nothing more than early morning ramblings and musings. Come enjoy his little diary of sorts as he explores this hobby of historical miniatures wargaming.)

Some more random musings for you all.

Unfortunately, we live in a society based on instant-gratification, where patience is much more than a mere virtue.

"Ahhhh... this looks so amazing! I can do so much with these miniatures. What a great period of history. I could have such grand battles. All my game-mates will love me even! Oh boy, the things I will be able to do. I could DO this!".

Uumm... no. No, no, noooooo!

The Adventures of Sir Deven Benderbits - Wargamer Extraordinaire

(Being a series of articles relating to the hobby of historical miniatures wargaming, meaning to bring out thought and discussion. Sir Deven is in fact a very extraordinaire wargamer, who's thoughts wander much on the deeper side of the hobby. Come enjoy his little diary of sorts as he explores the hobby of historical wargaming.)

Been thinking a lot as of late about my NEW projects for the year - I think we all do this when January rolls around. So many kool new rules and periods to choose from. However, I must admit that I am not one to be so easily tempted with all the NEW toys that seem to proliferate the hobby these days - so I tell myself anyway. However, the real question that confronted me was not what NEW period to get in to, but rather, do I really  need to do anything that new? Do I really need to start a new period/conflict?

I just don't have the room!

Those immortal words uttered by many, myself included. Wargaming just takes up so much space to store all the miniatures and scenery. I don't have a big enough table, apart from the dining room, but it has to be cleared for meal times. It is just all too bulky and heavy to drag over to a friend's house or down to the club.

If you want a reasonably large battle with 28mm figures, then all those points really are valid. However in smaller scales, and for this demonstration I am using 6mm American Civil War figures from Baccus, to show it is indeed possible and you won't get a hernia from lugging it around! Even the most disapproving partner would surely tolerate this.

Take one small table, this one has castors at one end for ease of movement, and the table top conveniently folds down to take up less space. Adjustable height, perfect for that owl covered couch.

Playing Solo - What am I thinking?

This little mini series on solo wargaming has been getting some favorable comments and so to push my luck, I thought I would add another installment. After a couple of games using Lion Rampant, I am using a tweaked version of the rule set to fight a larger War of the Roses battle.

How does a solo gamer approach a task like this?

First thing is to decide on a battle/scenario that both suits your mood and of course your collection of figures. Next, create a battlefield with some terrain for your tiny warriors to navigate through. This is a task I particularly enjoy, the terrain doesn't have to be out of this world, functional is the key, however if you have top notch, top of the range scenery, then all the better for the effect it gives.

Below is an example of a set up for a game I am about to play. My gaming table is actually eight feet long and three feet wide, I do have an extra one foot in the form of a hinged flap along one of the long edges, giving me the potential for a width of four feet. However, my games room is quite narrow and cluttered at the moment and needs a tidy up, (another job on my list.)

On the table is a Cigar Box Battle Mat, it could just as easily be a sheet of green or brown cloth, it measures six feet by four feet, so a foot is hanging down along with the flap, giving me a fighting field of 6 x 3 feet. A little tight for 28mm figures, but it will have to do for now.

Thoughts on basing.

When first returning to the hobby I simply glued my little 1/72nd scale figures to pennies, this gave them some weight and stopped them toppling over at the slightest knock of the table. At that time I was simply painting for pleasure with no real thoughts about actually wargaming with them. The pennies were then given a coat of PVA (wood glue) and then sprinkled with a mixture of various green flocks. They looked good to me.

A MIGHTY TALE OF WIZARDS, GOBLINS and DRAGONS.

It was a cold dark night. Lightning crashed against the mountain peaks. Then out of the darkness came a hideous site. "OK River it's your turn"..

I've been promising my daughter River a game of "soldiers" for a few weeks now. Finally with Xmas over with I could get the kitchen table cleaned and make a battle field.

I decided to give Bob's rules a go as he kindly sent me a copy to look at. All I can say is we both had a lot of fun. The rules played smoothly and I believe another game or 2 and River should know the rules off by heart.

I started to use a tape measure but soon made a wicky* stick which was a lot easier for River to manage.

So now onto the battle.

The evil Goblin Warlord musters her minions.

Going Solo - What is the point? Where is the enjoyment?

To many the idea of solo wargaming just holds no appeal and is quite understandable in part. The whole point is to pit your wits against an opponent, feel the satisfaction of a victory or disappointment of a defeat, if only the dice roll had gone in my favour when the cavalry went in, the result could have been totally different!

The soloist has to study the table from both sides and decide on the best strategy for both forces. I like to study the battlefield and both forces, come up with a basic plan for both sides, based on strengths and weaknesses of the forces.  A little pictorial example may help.

I am currently experimenting with Lion Rampant, a rule set for skirmish type games in the Dark Ages/Medieval period. In the first photo the Lancastrian raiding force has been pillaging the village to their rear. A Yorkist flying column of light troops has hurriedly been dispatched to deal with the threat. The latter have a slightly larger but, man for man, a weaker force. The Lancastrians fancy their chances and form up for battle. ( A short piece of background to give meaning to the battle)

Closest the camera is a unit of Bill men who wear some armour, to their left is a unit of six foot knights in full armour (strongest foot units in the game). In the centre is a unit of crossbowmen and beyond them another Bill men and finally the leader with his mounted men at arms.