Years ago I was fortunate enough to wargame with a friend who had the kind of space we would all desire. A purpose built room, a big table (loaded down with the now defunct Geo-hex), armies for both sides for any period he was interested in (usually in 25mm), a wall of military and wargaming books, prints, swords, and even the odd rifle and helmet for ambiance. It also didn't hurt that he had published a set of rules (also here), a range of figures (and rules) and used to wargame with his friend, Paddy Griffith. All in all a great, albiet very spoiled introduction to the hobby.
So like most gamers I have always wanted a dedicated space, not only for storage but for a table that does not have to be shared with food and packed away for breakfast, i.e. a space that is all about gaming. I always wanted it to be a multiple-purpose space, where both D&D and Wargaming could exist side-by-side on the shelves and with ample drawer space for both armies and terrain for whatever period I decided to pursue.So I decided to flex my Google-Fu and see what inspiration I could find online. And hopefully get some idea of what is needed, or rather should be included in a gaming room.
So what are the "essentials" for a gaming space, or at least what do I deem them to be?
Table: Obviously, not so obvious is that the biggest question to be asked and answered here is, size? Two factors most affect the answer to this question, the physical room you have and then the scale and type of gaming you prefer. For me this will result in a table that is 160x80, perhaps not the largest I can fit in the space, but of a size big enough to play "grand tactical" 15mm games, Mordheim/Fantasy/Skirmish 25mm games (albiet with a much reduced deployment zone), plus the odd game of Diplomacy or Risk.
Storage: If you game in more than one period, especially if one happens to be 25mm, then terrain is something you gather that just seems to take up lots of space. Hills, woods, rivers, roads, bridges and the whole slew of buildings needed to create flexible layouts with differing objectives need room. Surprisingly armies can be stored rather easily, (25mm cavalry less so) but buildings, towers, windmills, and churches need a certain depth to the place you want to keep them if they are to remain damage and dust free. My plan is for three sets of drawers for terrain storage and three sets of shelves for books, rules, boxed games and smaller drawers for my armies. Two of the shelves will in-fact form the end supports for the table.
Decoration: This is obviously rather personal in taste, and unfortunately I live in a country where swords (even if replica) are rather hard to get, not to mention rifles. So for me this will be limited to some prints I picked up 10 years ago in Europe and some other Geek paraphernalia that I just happen to have laying around. Who knows, I might even be able to pick up some WW2 memorabilia, though not sure where to look in Singapore?
Other: Since I have both a spare TV and a DVD player, all I will need to do is move the war/geek/game DVD's into the room and I will have distraction/motivation while I construct terrain and avoid painting figures.
Given that options to DIY are limited due to difficulty in both sourcing of the pieces and then having the space to turn them into usable options, my plans include a rather big shop at IKEA. This should include: 2 * EXPEDIT Shelving units (90185495), 3 * MALM Chest of three drawers (90158227), a GALANT Table top (90161885) and an ALEX Drawer unit (70167708). The latest being to store paints, brushes and all the bits used to build terrain.
So now all I need to do is go shopping, and do a major spring clean to get the space ready. But only if I ignore the major downside to all this, which is the sad fact that I will, in all probability, be hunting in the near future for a new place to live so anything I do now is really just a mental exercise and a checklist of items to add to the apartment desires list.
My sweet Lord. You are not serious, are you? But having lived with someone who actually has a backyard shed for his toys -- train set, Star Wars/ BSG rubbish etc etc -- I am quite surprised that you have not sacrificed the store room or the wash area for something like this yet.
ReplyDeleteAndrea: I don't have a backyard, so I have to do the best with what I have :-) The only problem with the store room is that I need to actually throw things out or find another place for them if I decide that instead of being simply junk that they are in fact a "memory" ~grin~
ReplyDeletePut all the junk in those stackable plastic containers and hide them behind the curtains somewhere. *LOL* You can also sort out those "memory-laden" junk some other time :)
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