Miniature wargaming and miniature figure painting

"War-gaming" is a very broad and diverse subject, and there are many variations and sub-types. The following is a general overview of the various types and how they differ.

War gaming essentially is any game in which some sort of battle or campaign is fought out in an abstract way. Probably the best known war game is "The Game of Kings", Chess. Chess has been around for hundreds of years, and people have literally dedicated their lives to the mastery of this seemingly simple, yet at the same time utterly complex, game. An oriental variation, almost as old as chess, is known as "Go". It is also centuries old, and in many respects shares a lot with Chess, it's European counterpart.

These games are simple, in the sense that both sides have a small number of equally powered pieces. What I mean by that is in chess, the white side and black side start the game with identical forces. Another reason is because the game is extremely abstract. It's not based on any actual combat, any actual army, or any actual situation whatsoever. While that guarantees a balanced game, the abstraction becomes too great.

In the interest of developing better fighting techniques, the Prussians (now Germans), in the early 1800's, developed a military war simulation called "Kriegspiel", which in German literally translates to "War Game". This was the predecessor of all modern war games, and was the first to recognize the necessity of accounting for the randomness of battle by introducing dice into the game.

Modern militaries still use war game simulations to plan and depict possible battle scenarios, and to re-enact previous engagements, for the purposes of training officers. We will focus, however, on commercially produced war games for the remainder of the article.

From the humble beginnings of Chess and Kriegspiel have come a cornucopia of modern war games. One of the early major games companies producing war games was Avalon Hill, a company which produced board games, usually with hex maps (maps with hexagons superimposed over it to evenly divide the territories) and cardboard counters to represent military units (regiments, battalions, platoons, divisions, or entire armies, depending on the scale being portrayed). The cardboard counters would have the unit type and it's important statistical information printed on it, and you would move the unit around the board to capture objectives defended by enemy forces.

This allowed the players to simulate the effects of terrain (as shown by the hex map, a unit might get a bonus to it's defense if it occupied a hilly hex, for instance), weather, supply, and so on. Essentially, it took a lot of the abstraction away from the game as it exists in chess. I own many of these titles to this day, and still play them when I can find an opponent and some time.

Some of my favorite examples from this genre include "Afrika Korps", "Stalingrad", "Anzio", all by Avalon Hill, and "Flames of War", by Australian Design Group. These are all World War Two simulations, which is my favorite war period. There are plenty of games for simulating other genres too, however.

However, the evolution did not stop there. While those games are still made and played, war gaming has blossomed into several sub-genres. One of these is miniatures war gaming. As you might guess, this involves using miniatures to represent the combatants instead of simple cardboard chips. This adds an added layer of realism, which is great.

Often, miniatures war games eschew the hex map in favor of openly designed terrain on the battlefield as well, which only serves to enhance the realism further. Instead of moving 3 "spaces" of predetermined length, you could move your unit of Napoleonic Cavalry up to 20cm on the board in any direction you chose (assuming a clear path).

There are miniatures war games available in many scales and just about any combative period you can imagine. These scales are usually defined by the height of the average human miniature. Some of the more common scales include 5mm miniatures, 15mm, 25mm, 28mm, and 40mm. Obviously, the 5mm figures are extremely small and therefore not very detailed. However they have the advantages of being generally cheaper and easier to transport.

The combat periods available include all of the wars you know from history (and likely many you don't), including Japanese Samurai, Napoleonic, WW1 and 2, US Civil War, War of Roses England, American Revolution, Wild Western US ("Cowboys and Indians"), Ancient Battles (Rome vs. Carthage, or Greeks vs Persians, for example) and the like. They also include naval miniatures war games from these eras as well. These are historical miniatures war games.

There are also fantasy miniatures war games as well. These include such concepts as magical battles with wizards and dragons, futuristic conflicts with aliens, modern day warfare with demons or "X-Files" style themes, Vampires, Werewolves, and just about anything else you can think of. There are Star Trek and Star Wars miniatures war games, there's a Lord of the Rings war game, and so on. Anything you can imagine probably has a war game for it, maybe more than one.

Some of the miniatures war games have pre-painted figures, others feature armies you can paint yourself. Many people prefer to paint their own figures, partly because it personalizes your army to yourself, or because it's just something they enjoy. I find it relaxing, and in fact I spend a lot more time painting my forces than actually fielding them. Others lack the time, or the motivation, or both, to paint their figures, and that's fine too; there are plenty of pre-painted miniatures that work just fine.

Some of my favorite miniatures war games include the "Axis & Allies" series, Warhammer Fantasy (Fantasy 28mm Armies), Flames of War (15mm World War Two, Company Level), and D&D Miniatures (pre-painted 25mm fantasy).

Since these forces are by definition different from army to army (otherwise why bother having different forces at all), there must be some external game component for organizing "fair" fights. This is usually done via a "points" system. The two opponents agree ahead of time of a set "size" for their battle, say 2000 points. Each possible unit they could field in their army has an associated points "cost", so the idea is to put together as potent a force as you can without spending more than 2000 points.

For example, I have a mid war Soviet "Strelkovaya" (Rifleman) Battalion for Flames of War. If I were to field a 2000 point army, I would have to take a set number of the basic Rifle platoons to reflect how a typical Battalion in the Red Army would have been outfitted in 1943, and then I could spend the rest of my points on support choices. Do I want air support? An anti-air Battery? Some tanks? Perhaps a static Anti-tank gun platoon. What about artillery? How about some reconnaissance units or snipers? I don't have enough points to take everything, so I have to decide what to take, based partly on what I like to use, and partly on what I think my opponent will take. There's not much point investing a bunch of points into a large anti-air unit, if my opponent isn't bringing planes.

And within those choices, there are sub-choices. Let's say, for instance, that I have chosen to get some tank support for my riflemen. Do I take the superior T-34's for a large points expenditure, or the cheaper T-70 light tanks. The T-34's would undoubtedly perform better on the battlefield, but at the expense of being able to take other units with them. Of course, you could choose also to set up a historical scenario that is intentionally unfair in it's setup, and have one side or the other be at a dis-advantage from the start. But generally you'll want to give both sides an even chance, and the points system allows for that.

The final genre of war games I will touch on is the fastest growing one; the computer war game. There are many advantages to the computer war game. One is that you can pause and save the game at any time. Additionally, you don't have to have an opponent available to play, as the computer can run your opponent for you. Alternatively, many computer war games allow Internet connections, so you can play opponents from all over the world! There are even "Play by email" war games, where you interact with opponents to play war games that last months or even years, as you try to outwit real human opponents.

Another major advantage of the computer war game is that it's not necessary to learn or memorize a long set of complicated rules, roll dice to consult charts, and so on. The computer takes care of most of the rules for you, allowing you to concentrate on your strategy.

So there you have it. War games are lots and lots of fun, and very educational. I have learned a lot of history by playing these games that I would not have had the interest or motivation to learn had it not been for a game I was playing at the time. Give one a try, you might get hooked just like I have!

Though the focus of the article pertains to the painting of 6mm figures, many of the suggestions and techniques are applicable to virtually any figure gaming scale. It is my hope to present a basic guide to getting started, provide some tips, and simplify the task of producing figures to an acceptable standard. Much of what follows is based on many, many figures painted and imparts my many personal preferences regarding materials and technique. In time, I will add photos which will serve as a walkthrough to further illustrate each step in the following guide.

Brushes

As figure painting takes a very heavy toll on brushes it is advisable to purchase inexpensive ones and just replace them as needed. Realistically, expensive brushes (even sables) do not last long enough to justify their cost. Personally, I prefer softer bristles, but any that can hold a decent point are acceptable for painting purposes. Normally, the smallest size I use is a zero(0), and usually paint using a number one(1). Larger, number two(2) or number three(3) brushes are delegated to undercoating, drybrushing, washes, bases, and finishing tasks.

Paints

Fortunately, there are many fine manfacturers of acrylic (water soluble) paints, offering a wide pallette of colors. In the past, I have used Humbrol, Poly-S, Citadel, Howard Hues, and others. As the color ranges expanded over the years, choices were based on local shop availability and personal preference. In some cases the paint quality does vary, even within the same line, but favorites are quickly found. Once again, it becomes a choice of personal preference. A general rule of thumb is to resist mixing paints in an effort to get that perfect color. This avoids the problem of trying to match a color months or years afterwards. On occasion I have mixed paints, but these were relegated to projects involving irregular troops such as Cossacks and Opolchenie, where a "non-uniform" of characteristic colors were used. Enamel paints overall have fallen out of grace, owing to long drying times, paintbrush wear, cleanup, and the necessity to use them in well ventilated areas.

The task at hand ...

Step 1: Your Workspace: Try to establish yourself a well lit (preferably natural light) workspace where your pets and small children will not disturb your works in progress. Optimally, this workspace will allow you to lay out your paints, brushes, tools, basing materials, and figures. In the event that a permanent workspace is not feasible, then try to find the easiest way to store your materials when not in use. In the past, I have used an old breakfast tray (handles and all) for this very purpose.

Step 2: Preparation and Cleaning of Figures: First of all, using a small craft knife (eg. X-Acto), take off any excess flash on your figures / blocks (be sure to remove any flash from base bottoms, thereby ensuring they will mount flat to bases), then give them a bath with a solution of household dish soap diluted with tepid water. This bath serves to wash any residual solvents that may have remained from the moulding process and gives the figures a clean surface for painting.

Step 3: Temporary Basing: Start gluing (white glue suggested) figures / blocks to temporary long bases for ease of handling while painting . As stiff card doesn't effectively support the weight of the figures / blocks, I have found that using craft sticks (ie. popsickle sticks), found at any craft shop for a few pennies each are my preferred choice. Infantry stands (4-6 6mm strips) are then based on single sticks, whereas cavalry / infantry (3-4 6mm blocks)blocks are based on double sticks. A further suggestion would be to white glue the double sticks to some stiff card, thereby avoiding a potentially messy glue situation when gluing the sticks together.

Step 4: Undercoating: Paint your figures with a base coat (preferably black, but grey can be used as well), covering them entirely, and leaving no gaps. A recommended undercoat method is to use a matt black car spray widely available in many department or hardware stores. The spray paint though enamel based, dries quickly, and provides a good "matt" undercoat. Some purists have contended that acrylic paints used over an enamel base will not adhere properly. This has never been experienced by this humble painter over many years of painting.

Step 5: Base Colors: Owing to the size of the figures, quite often the base color will be the dominant uniform (tunic) color for infantry (eg. "Russian" green, "Prussian" or "French" blue, "Austrian" white). By including the above (for riders) with equine colors for horses (eg. Chestnut, Brown, Black), considerable painting time can be saved. Usually for this step, I will use a #1 or #2 brush, depending on the size of the area to be painted.

Step 6: Highlighting: Once again the figure size, to a degree, limits your efforts to employ any real highlighting, but two distinct methods have been used with considerable success;

Drybrushing Highlights: Using a larger brush (#1 or #2), wipe off most of your paint off brush before drybrushing. By using a lighter highlight color for this technique, this leaves the darker base color in the depressions, resulting in a good shadow effect. In the case of cavalry, drybrush the horses a lighter color as well. Remember, to never highlight any area that should remain black.

Block Painting Highlights: Instead of the drybrushing technique, by using a lighter highlight color, allow your brush to follow the lines of clothing (eg. tunic, cape, greatcoat), drawing your brush in the direction of the hang. Another simpler method, which results in a very good finish, first to "block" color. This simply means to use the highlight color to paint the area you have just painted leaving some of the base color showing around the edges. The effect is to deceive the eye into seeing detailed highlighting that is not really there.

Step 7: Detail Painting: This step completes the painting of the figure itself, including blankets, belts, headgear, packs, weapons, and flesh. Quite often this requires the use of a smaller brush (#0 or #1). At this point some prefer to give the figures a quick coat of finishing before final basing, but that remains a personal choice and not required.

Step 8: Figure Basing: Carefully remove the painted figures from your temporary painting bases. It can be noted that these painting bases can be used time and time again, so do not dispose of them unless they are no longer usable. Your base sizes will be governed by the ruleset you use. Basing materials can range from balsa wood, craft "woodles", to polystyrene sheeting. Personally I prefer using polystyrene, which can be purchased at any hobby shop, can easily be cut to any required sizes, and accepts acrylic paint very well. It can be recommended to give the polystyrene a light base spray as a primer coat as outlined in Step 4. White glue provides a very secure bond (between figures and base) regardless of basing material. If any rebasing is required, then the figures can be easily removed easily.

Step 9: Base Texturing: Adding texture to your bases allows you to effectively hide or "soften" the edge or "lip" between your figures base (metal) and mounting base (wood/polystyrene). To start, apply liberal amounts of white glue along the figure base and more sparingly towards the edges of the mounting base. Next, sprinkle some grass "fleck", purchased from a local hobby or model railroad shop. Essentially, fleck is nothing more than finely shredded paper that is available in a wide variety of colors, cost only a few dollars a bag, and will last for years. I prefer to store the fleck in a small plastic container with a resealable lid. Next, tap the base a few times to knock off any excess (which falls back into the container) and set aside to dry thoroughly. After drying, paint your newly textured base in a color that compliments your terrain base color and allow to dry once again. At this juncture the textured base can be highlighted with drybrushing, thereby adding further definition to the base.

Step 10: Finishing: When it comes to finishing varnishes, I prefer using a matt finish and for the best results so far it is the Poly-S Flat finish. This flat finish dries clear, matt, and gives very good protection. For good measure the textured base is varnished as well.

Conclusion: As you will realise that only the surface has been scratched concerning painting materials, techniques, and basing. It is hoped that at least a few new ideas or approaches may take some of the frustration out of painting and basing figures to a very acceptable standard.

Whether you are making a diorama for wargaming, fantasy scenes, or model railroads having woods, forests, cliffs, and other terrain that really looks good is the most important part of the project. This article shows you the eight steps to take for making great looking terrain.

The most important part of making really good looking terrain is the materials and if you want your diorama to look very real and authentic I recommend you use store bought materials from a company called Woodland Scenics. They have a wide range of products that are inexpensive and very realistic. But, if this is impractical for you and you want to keep the cost of your diorama down you can be creative and make much of your own materials. This takes a little bit of imagination but if you think about it you can come up with some great materials. As an example you can use plain sand as a base in your diorama and you can dye it different colors with water-soluble paints to get different looks from grass to dirt. You can also dye the bristles of a small paintbrush green, then after it dries cut off the bristles and use them as stalks of grass. If you just look around your house and basement you can find lots of ways to make great diorama materials without spending money.

The Eight-Step Process to great diorama terrain

Step 1: Design your diorama on paper first. Sketch out the different areas and put marks where you want the main terrain to be and where the various objects will be. Show any water, rocks, trees or figures. This sketching is important because it will help you as you build the actual diorama.
Step 2: Create a base frame for your diorama. Use strips of cardboard and crumpled newspaper to form a base. This use of materials will give the diorama a three dimensional landscape. Refer to your sketches so you know where the high and low points are.
Step 3: Cover the base with strips of paper towel that have been soaked in papier-mache, Hydrocal, or Plaster of Paris. This forms a beautiful hard shell that you can paint and add items to.
Step 4: Paint the base shell different colors based on your sketches. These colors could range from green where the grass and trees will go, to blue where the water will go. You can be liberal with the color because terrain materials will cover it. The color acts as filler between particles.
Step 5: Add the ground cover materials. Sprinkle on sawdust sized materials in the colors desired. Put green where the grass is and gray or brown where bare ground will be.
Step 6: Add mid level texture and items. At this point you are transforming your diorama from a flat object to something three-dimensional. Sprinkle on thicker terrain materials. These could be small pebbles, or thick brush.
Step 7: Add the taller items such as trees and large bushes.
Step 8 Add the finishing touches like animals, figures, creatures, or buildings.

This eight-step outline is just a guide to help you understand the process of making realistic terrain for a diorama and the important thing to remember is that you work from the bottom up. Each step adds another layer to the scene and each step is a bit taller than the previous step. You don't have to be a professional artist to make professional looking dioramas. With a little practice, some good materials, and by following these steps you can make some really attractive and realistic dioramas.