Ok, here we go. Not much over a year after deciding to get back into wargaming, and subsequently starting from scratch, I am finally ready to play a game!
No new boards since my last pics other than flat open ones, but this is the first time I've put it all together to make the much-desired 8x4 foot gaming table.
Apologies for the bad pics, but I'm not trying to show you detail here, just the big picture!
This is very exciting for me. I live in a small flat, nice and spacious when you are living by yourself, but not necessarily ideal for setting up an 8x4 gaming surface. But I knew it could be done!!!!
I've had vague plans on how I was going to do this over the last year, always being aware that it might not work. But this weekend I put it all together, and it works. The important points I had to consider were:
1 - I need to be able to take it all apart and store it fairly easily.
2 - When set up, there needs to be enough room for at least 3 people to move around.
3 - It really wants to be 8x4. Not essential, but it would be a real shame if there wasn't room for it.
4 - I can move furniture to make room for it, the less moving to do the better. Nonetheless this shouldn't be considered a problem, as it will really be set up for games, say, once a month.
Making the terrain boards was one thing, but finding a good strong, level surface to put them on was another. The answer is two folding drop-leaf tables of roughly the same dimensions. One I use as my everyday painting table, the other doesn't take up much room when folded up and is stored in the hallway. Put together, they don't quite have enough surface area for the 8x4 boards. So I've constructed a sort of frame, with two 8 foot pieces that keep it together, which are bolted to a 'floating' section that bridges the gap between the two tables. Irritatingly the tables have a 2cm height difference, so a couple of boards are placed on top of the shorter one to get it all at the same height. To ensure it's level and solid, most discrepancies can be solved with folded up pieces of cardboard in strategic places!
And it works. It's a pretty damn solid tabletop, those boards aren't going to be sliding around during a game. When packed away, as well as the two tables all I have to find room to store are a few boards (which go behind or underneath the sofa) and 2 8-foot pieces of pine (which are leaned in a corner in the hallway). And the only furniture-moving that needs to be done to set up a game is to slide the sofa against a wall, move one table and bring the other one in from the hallway. Plenty of room for players to move around it.
So here's what we have....
And with terrain and an army on it.
So far I just have open fields and road boards, one with a ditch and one being a sunken lane, as posted before. Terrain pieces I have so far are just trees and hedges, plus a few walls and fences and that walled field. I have plenty more planned - more trees and hedges, boards with streams, ditches, and rivers, and a cottage or two. But before that it's probably time I treated myself to a game at last!
The army is still growing as well. What you see here is most of the collection (a couple of new units on the workbench nearly finished too), which will be split into two forces for games. If you're wondering, it's a late medieval / game of thrones hybrid, but leaning much more towards the historical than the fantasy. Basically 15th century with 'fantasy' heraldry.
I plan to invite some friends over for the first game before christmas. Plans for the new year are more boards and terrain, growing the army at a more leisurely pace (though I haven't yet painted any cavalry...), and getting myself a proper camera to get this all showcased on a blog.
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January 19, 2010, 04:19:04 PM