Terrain Weekend

One thing I am a sucker for is a great looking gaming table. I love the tables made to demo Skirmish Sangin and I try to do just as good in 20mm scale. While doing a c9ouple of solo games (my daughter calls it "playing with myself"), I realized that I have several buildings and vehicles, but not much in the way of trees an hills to match the terrain of Afghanistan or Iraq. So, I spent an evening and then some manufacturing more vegetable matter to hide behind or among. 

While doing some research and watching helmet-cam videos taken in the area I was struck by how familiar it looked, despite the fact that I've never been there. Then it dawned on me that Afghanistan looks a great deal like where I grew up along the Utah Idaho border. Sure, there are differences in the towns and built up areas, but once you head into the Wasatch Mountains, I'd be hard pressed to tell you if I was closer to Sangin or Salt Lake City. 

Anyway, here are some sample pics:

This small broad hill is only a little taller than 1" but can be pivotal for a battle space. Above the hill is a row of low bushes like one might find along a creek or ditch.

A few trees on a base of two CDs glued together. I don't think anyone would use this as cover but it may provide some concealment or a rally point.

A small orchard. I honestly don't know what they grow in Afghanistan besides rocks and mujahadin but these could be any kind of bushes or low trees. . 

Another set of sparse trees. Again, this isn't the dense forests of Europe but the rocky terrain of a generally inhospitable land.

Where The Hell Are We Fighting?: Street and Shop Signs

I’m a recent wargaming convert but in my wild and wooly youth I enjoyed building highly detailed models and dioramas. Nowadays, when I lay out an Afghan or Iraqi village for a game, the modeler part of me screams that it’s not done yet: There should be details that add authenticity and clues to location, such as shop signs, street trash, farm animals, and the ever-present spiderweb of overhead wiring that seems to grow of its own accord in the Middle East.

Most of these details won’t make a difference in a game. Some minutiae, such as wiring between buildings, will get in the way of moving figures and should be minimized or even avoided.

However, that doesn’t mean that a wargame board and terrain should be a bland, anonymous setting that could be anywhere from Basra to Birmingham. Some details are easy to add, such as street signs, flags, and logos.

I strongly recommend you check out 5682 Miniatures, a producer of excellent and easy-to-use decals and print-ready files that will add a range of color, depth, realism, and authenticity to your wargame scenery. 

These are inexpensive, come in 15mm, 20mm, and 28mm sizes, and add so much to a scene. 

In addition, I’ve found a number of images for shop and restaurant signs from the Middle East. Some are for chain stores and others are creations from people off the intertubes. I claim no copyright images for them but you should feel free to save and print them for your own use.

WIP: Afghan/Iraqi Buildings

It's Spring Break in my part of the world. For the Fat Bastard, it's a magical time when the Bastardess and the little Bastards go visit the in-laws and leave me to my own devices. I've spent the last few evenings adding to my collection of buildings (20mm scale) for wargames. Using foam core, spackle, and house paint samples, I put together an assortment of Middle-Eastern/Afphan houses, a garage, an apartment building, and a couple of shops. The one with the tower doubles as a dice tower.

I'm not terribly crafty (that's the Bastardess' department) but I am pleased with how these are turning out as they are reasonably square or rectangular, roughly to scale, and not glued together or worse, stuck to my body.

Once all of these are complete, I'll add signs, wiring, and other details.