Miniatures: The Basics
By
Richard Moore
If
you have ever seen a miniature wargame going on then
it is a pretty spectacular sight. There are hundreds
of well-painted figures battling it out on a table
top that has been transformed by trees and buildings
into a historical arena of death.
And
then there is the challenge of people testing their
military skills against each other in a clash of minds,
tactics and abilities.
To
an interested onlooker it is fascinating, but daunting.
So how do you start in the hobby of wargaming with
miniatures?
If
you are a Napoleonic fan then the first choice is
easy - that of what historical period you'll build
your army around. Mind you, you then have to make
the choice of which actual army to build.
The
French were involved in all of the battles so they
would be a good starting point - and the Austrians
are pretty popular as their opponents. Some folk don't
like the British so much as they are very strong units
and are very hard to beat. Still ... there's a challenge.
Uniforms
did vary throughout the Napoleonic Wars so give that
a bit of thought and pick your favourite uniform style,
but do keep in mind you'll want to find similarly-dated
opponents.
Next
up you need to work out which
rules to play. This is tough because there are
dozens of different sets out there. The best bet is
to find out where your closest wargames
club is and head along there for a few meetings.
Talk to players about their favourite rules - but
remember you will be playing them so the rules have
to be as simple or as complex as you want. Web chatrooms
are also a good place to judge the playability of
miniatures rules.
Okay
you've picked your nationality and your rules, so
the next choice should be to which figures to go for.
There are masses of manufacturers of varying qualities
so here are some views
on what are regarded as being the best figures around.
You
now know the type of metal soldiers you want so the
next question is do you buy and paint your own figures,
or else go for professionally painted soldiers. There
are pros and cons
to both that you can check out here and we have an
expert give tips
if you decide to do your own.
Once
your miniature army is all painted and ready it is
time to create some
table-top terrain - make it yourself or buy professionally
cast and painted work - and then get stuck into refighting
your favourite battle.
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